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Ever wanted to ask a sports personality a question? Now’s your chance. They will answer readers’ questions in The Denver Post’s “Fan Mail” feature.

Keep an eye out for next week’s installment. Send your Qs in an email to fanmail@denverpost.com.

Hey Mike, I’m a big Avs fan and I love you and Peter (McNab) on Altitude TV. Two questions for you:

Two, what are your five favorite moments calling the Avs?

— Trevor, Gering, Neb.

Mike Haynes: I have broadcast 1,360 Avalanche games, including 386 on television. I am now the longest tenured play-by-play announcer in Denver, meaning I have been broadcasting for one team longer than anyone else in town. It is humbling. I am very thankful to Altitude for the opportunity to broadcast Avalanche games on TV and radio. Both mediums have aspects I enjoy.

When my good looks go maybe I will return and finish my career on radio. My goal is to have listeners say I sound pretty good for a 90-year-old guy.

Here is my top 5 Avalanche moments:

5. Last few minutes of Game 6 versus Detroit in 1996 Western Conference Championship. The fans started to realize that the Avs were going to the Stanley Cup finals and McNichols Arena kept getting louder. Every time I thought the noise had peaked, it would get louder. I still get goose bumps thinking about it.

4. Joe Sakic fights Doug Gilmour. It was the only fight that Joe had in an Avalanche sweater. It is a recurring topic when I talk to Avs fans. Eleven years later and fans still approach me and ask, “How do you like them apples Gilmour?”

3. Ray Bourque raising the Cup after Joe Sakic handed it to him in 2001. If you didn’t get a tear in your eye watching the class of Sakic and the emotion of Bourque then you have no feelings at all.

2. Patrick Roy fights Mike Vernon during the brawl in Detroit on March 26, 1997. It was the epitome of the great rivalry between the Avalanche and Red Wings.

1. The 1996 Stanley Cup parade. I remember waiting for the fire trucks and buses to carry players and Avalanche organization members through downtown for the victory parade. No one knew what to expect and what the reception would be. When the bus that I was on turned the corner and I could see all the people waiting, it was a tremendously shocking moment. I was on the platform at City Hall introducing people when I looked out at the hundreds of thousands of fans and thought it must have felt the same for the performers at Woodstock. It was incredible.

What is the most fun player name you’ve ever had to call in a game? What’s been the hardest to call?

— Aaron, Westminster

MH: Derek Powe of the Philadelphia Flyers is a fun name to call. It rhymes with cow. It always reminds me of the old Batman television show when Batman would punch a bad guy and the word “POW” would jump out on the screen. I also like to say Minnesota Wild’s Cal Clutterbuck. It makes me giggle inside when I say his name.

The hardest name for me to say was Darren McCarty. He was the villain on the Avs’ arch rival Detroit Red Wings and I just hated saying his name, especially when he scored a goal.

In all seriousness, there certainly have been some tough names to pronounce. Some of the Slovakian and Czech Republic players have names that are not easy to say.

Mike, you are by my favorite sportscaster. You and Peter McNab make one heck of a team. My question is how did you get started in broadcasting and did you intend to become a hockey announcer?

— Jared, Thornton

MH: Jared, you are way too kind. Since I was 10 years old I have wanted to be a play-by-play announcer. When I was young I would listen to announcers through my little transistor radio that I hid under my pillow. I loved the magic of listening to those great voices from around the country describing games. The house would be quiet at night and I would be mesmerized listening to someone telling stories and getting excited when the players would do something amazing.

I would practice calling games all the time. If my friends and I were playing a sport in the backyard I would call the action the entire time we played. I walked around the house describing what everyone was doing. I would drive people crazy, especially at the dinner table when I would do play-by-play of my mother dishing out food. I loved all sports and it didn’t matter what sport I would call, I just wanted to be an announcer.

Hi Mr. Haynes. We all know hockey is the best sport on earth, and you’ve been around the game for a while now. What is the most compelling, touching hockey moment you’ve ever seen or been apart of?

— Ines, Midland, Texas

MH: I have been very fortunate to be able to work as a sports announcer for the last 30 years and have called professional hockey since 1989. I have announced three championships, seen many overtime winning goals, enjoyed terrific players having their number retired and have watched hall of fame athletes return to play against their old teams. There have been a lot of compelling and touching hockey moments along the journey.

While I have enjoyed every one of them, not a single event measured up to what I experienced last year. My daughter, Kiara, played in her first organized hockey game. I can tell you that everything pales in comparison to watching your child compete in a hockey match. All those days of the two of us shooting pucks together and hanging out playing hockey, and there she was on the ice getting ready for her first real game. I was so anxious watching her skate around during warm-up. When she came out on the ice for her first shift my heart almost burst with joy. It was truly one of the most memorable moments in my life.

I have to admit Kevin Porter has definitely been the “clutch” in the last few games, and has been coming through in big ways at seriously key moments. I suppose my question actually lies in a parallel between Porter, and the original “Mr. Clutch” for the Avs, Chris Drury. How much of Chris Drury’s uncanny ability to make things happen are you guys observing in Porter.

Thanks for taking the time to deal with us, the crazy Avs nation

— Greg, Aurora

MH: I am thrilled to have this opportunity to communicate with the crazy Avs nation. I miss the old days when I broadcast the Avalanche games at McNichols Arena and we sat in the middle of the stands. I enjoyed talking with the fans and answering their questions.

Kevin Porter has been making some clutch goals lately. It is a little reminiscent of Chris Drury, but there is only one true clutch player in Avalanche history. As a matter of fact, Joe Sakic is the greatest clutch player that has ever worn skates. The numbers bear that out in regard to playoff game-winning goals and overtime goals scored. Anybody who watched Super Joe through the years can remember the big goals he scored when the Avs needed it the most. It is great to see a player like Kevin Porter come through with clutch goals, but there is only one Joe Sakic.

What is the dance that Paul Stastny and Matt Duchene do after wins? I’ve seen them do it at least twice, once vs. New York in the 5-1 win, and another against the Stars in a 4-3 win in the shootout.

— Matt, Toronto

MH: I asked both Paul Stastny and Matt Duchene about the dance. It comes from the television show “How I Met Your Mother.” The dance is called the “Bang Bang Dance.” It sure looks like they are having fun. Check it out on YouTube and see if they are doing a good job of imitating the dance. I know if I tried it I would be in traction for a week.

How is Chris Stewart not on the NHL All Star ballot? I’d put him neck and neck with Marty St Louis and Patrick Kane for best right wing in the NHL, yet somehow I can’t vote him in as an All-Star.

— Craig, Washington, D.C.

MH: I agree that Chris Stewart is one of the best right wings playing today. He is fast approaching the time he’ll be considered the premier power forward in the NHL. He deserves to be on the ballot and there is a way to get him voted in. You can vote for him as a write-in. While you are doing that, you should also write in the name John-Michael Liles.

Mike, after you survived your illness back in 2007, did it change your approach to covering hockey, and did it change the way you look at things?

— Sally, Centennial

MH: Thanks for asking Sally. In October of 2007 I was diagnosed with a brain aneurysm. I continued to broadcast the Avalanche games until my operation April 10, 2008. I don’t believe it has changed the way I call the games. I don’t worry about getting excited during the play and yelling with enthusiasm.

I would have to be a moron for it not to have changed the way I look at things. While some folks do think I am a moron anyway, I have changed my outlook on life. It may sound cliched and corny but it did make me appreciate what I have. I am fortunate to have a family that I care about and a job I love. Life is hard. We all have to deal with people that make our lives difficult. I have learned the most important thing is to only worry about the people who will cry at my funeral. All the others that try to make my life miserable rarely bother me anymore. I have my strong faith and I always try my best to find the humor. If I could pass along any wisdom after my surgery it is to laugh more, it makes everything better.

Mike, I think the way you call games is very distinctive. A couple of questions for you. First, did you have any mentors or idols that you patterned your style after? Second, if you didn’t announce hockey, is there another sport you would like to do?

— Geoff, Brighton

MH: It took me a long time to develop my own style. In the beginning I was copying all the announcers that I admired. It is a common and easy thing to do. After enough games, I discovered what worked for me and what my own style is.

I did have an announcer that had a huge impact on me when I was growing up. His name is Bob Lamey and he was the announcer for the Indianapolis Racers hockey team in the old WHA during the early ’70s. He had an excitement to his calls that would make your hair stand up on your head. He is my all-time favorite.

I consider myself a very versatile play by play announcer. I am grateful that Altitude has allowed me to broadcast 14 different sports. That list includes bull riding, lacrosse, stock car racing and wrestling. It doesn’t include the very first sporting event that I announced. My first job at a radio station in Crawfordville, Indiana was calling pig racing!

Mike, love to here your game calls! I think the Avs are playing really well right now, but I worry that they will fade as the season goes along. What are your thoughts on that? Can they stay competitive for the division title all season?

— John, Arvada

Thank you for the kind words. I think the Avalanche will contend for the division title. This team can score goals. When you do that it makes for exciting hockey and gives them an opportunity to win every night. It is mostly a young team and there may be some ups and downs over a long season, but I think the future is bright. I enjoy watching the brand of hockey that the Avs play. Hang in there John, I believe the best is still to come.

Mike Haynes’ voice and a style have become emblematic of Colorado Avalanche hockey.

Haynes, born in New York City and raised in Carmel, Ind., now lives in Littleton with his wife, Victoria, and their daughter, Kiara, and son, Kian.