How Gene Principe became the Oilers' legendary pun master
Can you truly call yourself a fan of the Edmonton Oilers if you haven’t groaned or cracked a smile at a Gene Principe pun?
A staple of Oilers broadcasts on Sportsnet since 2001, Principe has delighted audiences with a unique brand of on-air humour. This season alone, Principe has allowed himself to be scared half to death by a cannon in Columbus, shovelled snow off an Edmonton balcony after a blizzard, and ate a hot dog that he dropped on the ground— all on live television.
While fans have become accustomed to Principe’s zany TV openings, he wasn’t always like this.
“I wasn’t the guy shovelling snow on a balcony and falling into the snow 25 or 30 years ago,” Principe said in an exclusive interview with Daily Hive. “You figure out as you grow up who you are, then you figure out what you want to do, and then you try and match them.”
EDM LAK G56. February 26, 2024. Gene Principe shovelling intro. 🎥: Sportsnet | NHL pic.twitter.com/w3saez6o2o
— Nation Network Media (@NationNMedia) February 27, 2024
In his time before Sportsnet, when he worked for the now-defunct A-Channel, Principe was a much more traditional sportscaster. The jokes weren’t there and the skits were still a few years away.
So, when did Principe start his journey into becoming Edmonton’s resident “Pun King”? He explains that it was shortly after the Oilers’ run to the Stanley Cup in 2006.
“The next year, [the Oilers] had a really difficult year and I thought to myself ‘people come home from work, they’ve had a good day or bad day, everyone’s got their issues to deal with,'” said Principe. “I thought when they turn on the TV, I want to put them in a good mood and set the tone positively.
“There was the decade of darkness where [I] felt like I really had to do it, there is no darkness now, it’s all light with Connor McDavid, Leon Draisaitl, and company, but I’ve just kind of kept doing it.”
Principe was born and raised in Edmonton to Italian immigrants in 1967. He moved back to Italy for a few years in his childhood until his family decided to return to the Alberta capital, where they have remained since.
From a young age, Principe knew that he loved sports. Though his first love was soccer, he also played volleyball and basketball in school, as well as street hockey with friends.
“I remember meeting someone when I was 25, working in Lethbridge, and he was the first person I ever met that didn’t like sports and I was like ‘These people exist!?'” Principe laughed. “I really didn’t have any idea because everybody I knew had that common sort of love for sports.”
His first dream was to become a professional soccer player. He played at a high level but once he got cut from his U16 provincial soccer team, he knew he would have to pivot to a different career path.
“I would say I was as enthralled with the athletes as I was with the announcers,” Principe explained. “I remember getting cut like it was yesterday, so I thought my dream of being a pro soccer player might be over, what would be the next best? I thought ‘How about being an announcer and covering pro sports?’ and here we are.”
March marked 37 years in the broadcast industry for Principe, meaning that a whole generation of fans have become accustomed to him being the first person they see on the TV before an Oilers game. This has helped him become a recognizable figure around the city, with fans often approaching him to take photos or chat.
Popularity like that might get on some people’s nerves, but not his.
“I get recognized a lot when I am in a suit and less when I am in shorts and sandals because people aren’t quite sure — ‘Is it the guy, or isn’t the guy?'” laughed Principe. “I really feel humbled when someone wants to talk to me or says ‘I feel like I know you.’
“I think I owe it to them to try and do even the smallest thing because I know there have been things in my life that have been done for me that a person might have thought was no big deal, but you hold onto it and it motivates you… it’s nice to know that people want to spend some of their time chatting with me about what I do or about who they are.”
Principe admits that he does have a few favourite moments that he likes to reflect on. His favourite bit came during the 2015-16 season, one he dubs “The Toddfather” where he made a speech in the style of The Godfather protagonist to mark the first time that then-Oilers coach Todd McLellan faced his former team, the San Jose Sharks.
“I thought ‘Man if I can do this, I got to do this’… Looking like the Godfather, I had a little drink and I had my buddy playing The Godfather theme on trumpet,” explained Principe.
As for a favourite pun, he says one that stands out is about former Oilers forward Dustin Penner, who was playing for the LA Kings at the time. Penner had been struggling after returning from a back injury caused by reaching down for a plate of pancakes.
That’s all Principe needed.
“I said ‘Unfortunately, since he came back from that pancake injury, he’s creped the bed.'”
For an Oilers fan base that has experienced plenty of emotional moments, the calming presence of Principe never seems to waiver and, no matter the situation surrounding the team, he’s always been there to bring a little bit of joy into households across Oil Country.
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