Manitoba Moose Internship

For my work placement I was working at the True North Sports and Entertainment offices located at the MTS centre.

More specifically I worked in the communications department. I began my placement a week early because they needed someone to do media relations for the under 17 international hockey tournament. I acted as the media and scout liaison distributing credentials, addressing issues, sitting in on operations meetings, and doing music and announcing during games. Once the tournament was finished I started at True North. During the days I attended Moose practice, wrote articles, games notes, press releases, cover letters, brainstormed and developed ad campaigns, press conferences, and promotions. During the games I sat in the press box, interacted with the media and owners, and wrote game summaries for the Moose website.

The positive aspects of this placement were endless. I was able to witness and contribute to a side of sports and events management that others rarely get the opportunity to see. Everything from locker room to the board room, I gained a plethora of knowledge when it came to dealing with controversy, working with the media, crisis management, executing ideas and strategies.

The negatives were very hard to come by. I mean some may say the 15-hour days, parking problems, or eclectic meal options were issues but I enjoyed every minute of it. I found it all fascinating and took every opportunity to contribute any way I could. The only thing I could think of is some employees were weary about speaking in front of me about controversial or confidential issues. But once it was established that I was a trusted professional I was welcomed into the loop.

The thing that surprised me the most was how fun being “professional” can be. As long as you complete good and thorough work there are a lot of opportunities to joke around and have fun with the employees, players, media and owners.


I learned a lot about public relations and event management. When completing documents for the Moose I learned how important it was to be accurate with statistics and statements. I learned how to address the media from dealing with misleading or accusatory questions. I learned the how fragile some information is with regards to leaks about players being called up or traded to new concerts and events. For event management I saw how much work goes into the logistics of events, how to manage volunteers and how to troubleshoot in crucial situations.

I wish I had known more about the AHL. I love hockey but don’t pay enough attention to it to know all the prospects in the AHL. This would have come in handy when doing game notes, writing game summaries, and even just when interacting with employees. The knowledge would have promoted my legitimacy as someone with wide sports knowledge.

This placement has affected my career plans by showing me public relations can be extremely interesting and something I am capable of doing. I have always loved sports and this experience has opened another world of them. I would love to work for an organization like this, I found it fascinating and fit right in.

I had a great time, met a lot of insightful people, and firmly planted my foot in the door.