San Jose Sharks’ Randy Hahn waited 40 years for U.S. citizenship

For the primary time in 30 years, the Sharks may have a United States citizen calling the motion on their telecasts this season.

Randy Hahn, the (*40*)-born broadcaster who has been in the back of the mike because the Sharks’ arrival in 1991, become a U.S. citizen in July. He finished the naturalization procedure and was once sworn in an insignificant 40 years after coming to the United States to paintings.

“‘Are you sure you want to rush into this?” his good friend and previous broadcast mate Drew Remenda wisecracked.

Hahn, 63, joked that he set a global report for procrastination. Later, in a major second, he mentioned: “This is the place my existence is, the place my 30-some years with the Sharks had been. Everything that I’ve – my house, my circle of relatives – it’s at once hooked up to this nation.

“It was time to go all-in after 40 years. I’m really glad I did.”

Born in Edmonton and skilled on the University of British Columbia, Hahn broke into the broadcasting industry in Vancouver after which took a TV activity in Edmonton, his place of origin. It was once there in 1982 that he were given his large damage.

“It was always my dream to work in the U.S. in media,” he mentioned, recalling his regimen of staring at Johnny Carson whilst running nights on the Edmonton station. “To break into hockey in Canada, it’s almost like breaking into the NFL here. It’s tough. The competition is fierce.”

The activity he landed wasn’t in hockey. It was once in football – indoor football, no much less – calling video games for the San Diego Sockers. It got here with an important pay minimize too. “It probably took a millisecond to agree to that,” mentioned Hahn, so pushed was once he to paintings within the States.

He implemented for and was once granted a U.S. paintings allow in 1982, then 4 years later, won a inexperienced card after he married native meteorologist Roberta Gonzales. The activity with the Sockers endured for 10 years. In that point, Hahn known as World Cup football video games, labored as a studio anchor in Chicago, and become a studio host for Los Angeles Kings video games prior to he began his tenure with the Sharks.

What he hadn’t performed in all of the ones years was once transform an American citizen.

“I was able to stay in the U.S. and stay working as a permanent resident, so I just kind of pushed that to the side and said, ‘You know, maybe someday I’ll do it,’” Hahn mentioned. “And then I just kept renewing my green card.”

Hahn mentioned the onset of the pandemic in 2020 – when there have been no Sharks video games to name – helped to after all kickstart the method. He downloaded the specified bureaucracy and paid the $1,000 software charge.

After ready all the ones years to do so, Hahn came upon that Uncle Sam additionally operates on his personal agenda. The pandemic had created a backlog of citizenship packages, so Hahn, after an FBI background take a look at, needed to wait two years prior to he may just cross in for his one-on-one interview and a civics examination.

In the examination, candidates should resolution a minimum of six out of 10 questions appropriately. Hahn were given his first 5 questions proper however was once stumped for a second at the 6th: Who was once the President throughout World War I?

Woodrow Wilson, Hahn responded, for the win.

Hahn, who was once remarried closing October, won his swearing-in date, the date on which he would formally transform an American. He concept the rite could be with a big crew of folks, however the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services place of work was once nonetheless running beneath stringent COVID protocols.

So when Hahn arrived in a swimsuit for his 8 a.m. appointment in July, he was once assigned a lane and directed to stay in his automotive. When his automotive reached the entrance of the road, he was once allowed to get out for the swearing-in rite – carried out via an officer who was once a Sharks fan – with about 20 people.