By: Gary Simeone

 Sam Woo, a Chester resident, has been a New Jersey Devils fan since he was a kid in grade school. The 43-year-old never gave up his love of the sport of hockey or the team, so he decided to enter a contest to be a public address announcer for the Devils.

“Ever since I was a kid, listening to hockey games on the radio, I always had a dream of becoming an announcer for a professional sports team,” said Woo. “I never imagined after having this dream so long that an opportunity like this would come along.”

Last month after making it into the top ten selections in the contest, Woo found out through an email from the New Jersey Devils office, that he did not advance to the final round of the search for a new P.A. announcer.

“I had made the top ten, but the top three was not meant to be.  I think more than winning the contest itself, it meant a lot to me through all the encouraging comments I received on social media, through texts and phone calls that came in from friends, family, and Devils fans throughout the day. After all, I gave it my best shot and mustered enough courage to go after my dream to be the next Devils public address announcer.”

Woo said that he found out about the contest online and that the requirements consisted of a ninety second video submission, a professional headshot and his name and address.

Woo, who dealt with a life-threatening illness back in 2014, shared his story. 

“In September 2014, per doctor’s orders, I checked into Morristown Medical Center, gravely ill and losing close to 50 pounds in eight weeks. Initially, the doctors thought I had cancer, but multiple tests could not confirm it. My condition continued to get worse over the next few months. Out of desperation, I saw a highly respected Rheumatologist at Hospital for Special Surgery in New York City.”

After more tests, doctors finally diagnosed him with Lupus, an autoimmune disease that causes the immune system to attack the body’s own tissues and organs.

“When you spend weeks in a hospital bed in excruciating pain, you have all the time in the world to reflect on your life,” said Woo. “At that moment, I did not know if there was going to be a tomorrow. In my mind, this was my personal Game 7 in the Stanley Cup Final, a do-or-die situation in order to get a second chance at life. I said to myself: if I am able to survive this, I will live the rest of my life without any regrets or hesitations.”

One of the things he started after recovering from his illness was a podcast, entitled, ‘Let’s Go Devils,’ where he serves a s a cohost and executive producer. The podcast which can be heard live every Sunday at 9 p.m. and on Wednesday at 8:30pm, talks about everything Devils, from upcoming games, new players on the roster and the team’s chances at making the playoffs.

Woo said that in April, he spoke to a group of students at the Morristown-Beard High School, a private school located in Morristown. 

“It was their career day, and I spoke with them through Google Zoom about entrepreneurship and their career goals. They were very interested to learn about my podcast and how it had blown up after four years, with now over five hundred thousand views on social media. I told them that no matter what life throws at them to never give up on their dreams. I knew I had to practice what I preached, so that is why I pursued my dream of being a PA announcer.”