Tom Caron made waves in the Maine media community in 1993 when he left his job at WGME 13 to become the radio voice of the new American Hockey League franchise in its first season in Portland.
Twenty-one seasons later, now a household name across New England as a member of the NESN broadcast team out of Boston, Caron is being honored for his work with the Pirates in those early years. The team will induct the Lewiston native into its hall of fame in a ceremony Saturday night.
“We’re excited to welcome Tom to the Pirates’ Hall of Fame this season in his hometown of Lewiston,” Pirates’ President of Business Development Brian Petrovek said. “Tom was an integral part in the early years of the Pirates’ franchise and has become one of New England’s most recognized and respected sports broadcasters. We’re looking forward to his induction.”
Caron will become the 18th member of the Pirates’ hall. Started in 1999, the Portland Pirates Hall of Fame was created to honor those individuals who had played a significant role in Pirates’ history, both on and off the ice, and who have excelled in their careers in hockey. Since the inaugural class of Andrew Brunette, Byron Dafoe, and Olaf Kolzig was inducted in 1999, 14 other players, owners, and members of the Pirates community have been inducted into the Hall of Fame, with Jeff Nelson becoming the 17th member in 2013.
A graduate of Lewiston High School, Caron served as the Pirates’ first play-by-play announcer for the Calder Cup championship team of 1993-94. Caron was the creator of the Portland Pirates Radio Network in 1993, and was the writer and producer of “No One Left To Beat,” a film recapping the Pirates’ championship season. “No One Left To Beat” has been played in the American Hockey League display at the Hockey Hall of Fame in Toronto. Caron was also the creator of the first Pirates website, portlandpirates.com.
Prior to his time with the Pirates, Caron was a sports anchor at WGME 13 in Portland, where he won his first James Ellery Award for television coverage of the AHL’s Maine Mariners in 1991. After joining NESN in 1995, Caron won a second Ellery Award for AHL television coverage while also serving as co-host of Front Row, a nightly sports magazine program. Caron has served as the lead television play-by-play voice for four AHL All-Star Classics, including both the 2003 and 2010 All-Star Classic events in Portland.
Caron currently serves as studio host for NESN’s Boston Red Sox programming alongside Baseball Hall of Famers Dennis Eckersley, Jim Rice and former Red Sox pitcher Tim Wakefield. His duties include hosting the network’s pre-game and post-game shows as well as the network’s off-season studio shows including Red Sox Now which airs Wednesday nights. He also serves as NESN’s play-by-play announcer for Pawtucket Red Sox and Portland Sea Dogs telecasts. In the winter, he calls NESN’s Hockey East telecasts and is the network’s voice of the Beanpot.
Caron was named New England’s “Favorite Local TV Sports Personality” in the 2013 New England Sports Survey, a survey of more than 13,000 New Englanders conducted by Channel Media & Market Research. A three-time New England Emmy winner, Caron is involved in numerous charities, serving on the advisory board of Good Sports, a non-profit that provides sporting equipment for inner-city youth programs, and is heavily involved in the work of Mass Mentoring, the Red Sox Foundation, and Mass Hockey.
He lives in Framingham, Mass., with his wife Kelley, and their two sons, Jack and Robbie.
“What a thrill to be inducted into the Pirates Hall of Fame,” Caron said in a release. “My time in the Pirates booth and front office were some of the greatest years of my life. We had a championship team on the ice and an All-Star roster of coaches and executives. Being a part of the rebirth of professional hockey in Maine is always something I’ll always be proud of.
“I can’t thank the Pirates enough for this incredible and unexpected honor, and to have it happen in my hometown makes it even more special,” Caron added. “I can’t wait.”
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