Wednesday, June 29th was a sad day for all Hershey Bears fans. At 4:00 PM EST, Scott Stuccio, the voice of The Hershey Bears, announced via Twitter that his full time position had been eliminated after five seasons of announcing Bears games. To say this is a sad moment is an understatement.
When the announcement in August of 2011 that John Walton would be stepping up to the position of calling the Washington Capitals games, many wondered who would be able to fill his shoes.
In September 2011, it was announced that Stuccio, formerly of the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins, would be taking Walton’s place as the voice of the Bears. From the start, he did not disappoint. His passion for the game and broadcasts of the Bears games were enthusiastic and enjoyable.
Not only was Stuccio active on the radio, but he also was very active via his blog Stucc’s Glove and Blogger and his Twitter account giving in game updates and post game thoughts. There are also his videos on YouTube capturing the greatest moments from seasons past and game highlights.
One of my favorite game calls from Stuccio was game 7 of the 2016 Calder Cup playoffs against the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins when Travis Boyd netted the game winner in overtime.
Stuccio is the type of commentator that has true pride in the team, fans, and community he works for. Just take a look at his Twitter feed. There are countless times that he has posted about specific players accomplishments on and off the ice and thanking the Bears fans for being supportive of the team. Members of the Bears fan base would reply to his Tweets after wins and losses just to say “thank you” and “great job”. A lot of sports commentators would just ignore these posts, but not Stuccio. There have been numerous times that he will reply and thank the fans for their kind words.
Thank you @TheHersheyBears fans for your patience and listenership. 5 years down and it gets better every time. Until next season! GO BEARS!
— Scott Stuccio (@ScottStuccio) June 12, 2016
And, what a team we have in our @TheHersheyBears. Hugs and congrats to the best bunch of guys I’ve ever been around.
— Scott Stuccio (@ScottStuccio) June 12, 2016
After the news broke about Stuccio’s departure, shocked fans offered their condolences and thanks for all the time he has put into his time with the Bears. This just goes to show what kind of impact he has had on this community.
Stuccio will definitely be missed by Bears fans. Whoever takes over for him will have very big shoes to fill. We will miss you Scott in more ways than one. Thank you for your dedication to the fans, team and community. Good luck in your next adventure.
