Vancouver-based broadcaster James Cybulski is making a significant career move from the virtual ice to the professional women's hockey league. The voice behind the popular EA Sports NHL video game series will now call real-life games for the Vancouver Goldeneyes in the Professional Women's Hockey League's inaugural season.
From Video Games to Live Action
Cybulski, a 50-year-old Tsawwassen resident and father of four daughters, is scheduled to make his PWHL debut on December 6 when the Goldeneyes host the New York Sirens in a matinee game at the Pacific Coliseum. The game will be broadcast nationally on CBC, marking his transition from simulated championships to live professional women's hockey.
For seven consecutive editions, including the upcoming NHL 26, Cybulski has provided the play-by-play commentary for the EA Sports NHL series. He credits this experience with helping establish his credibility as a hockey broadcaster. The video game is iconic. It sells about a million copies, give or take, around the world every year, Cybulski noted. That's a pretty good platform for people to know your name and your voice.
The Power of Partnership and Preparation
The opportunity with the PWHL came through his video game broadcast partner, two-time Canadian Olympian Cheryl Pounder. According to Cybulski, Pounder not only suggested the PWHL gig but actively advocated for him to get the position. I owe a lot to Cheryl Pounder, he acknowledged. She's very good at her job, and she's a fantastic person.
Cybulski believes his extensive work with EA Sports has substantially improved his play-by-play abilities, particularly in expanding his vocabulary. The process requires up to 300 hours of voice work per game edition, demanding creative descriptions for repetitive actions. The first two years I brought a thesaurus to voice sessions, he revealed. It challenges you to be more creative and to expand your thought process in terms of your wording.
A Broadcasting Career Comes Full Circle
Cybulski's path to the PWHL booth represents the fulfillment of a childhood dream. As a kid, I wanted to call Monday Night Football or Hockey Night In Canada or WrestleMania, he shared. Despite previous roles including morning show host with Sportsnet 650 and reporter positions with The Score, TSN, and Sportsnet, play-by-play opportunities had been limited until recent years calling games for the Abbotsford Canucks and Vancouver Bandits.
His breakthrough with EA Sports came seven years ago through a connection with former CFL defensive back Davis Sanchez, who was high school basketball teammates with longtime EA Sports producer Sean Ramjagsingh.
Cybulski was among the sellout crowd of 14,958 at the Pacific Coliseum on November 22 to witness the Goldeneyes' 4-3 overtime victory against the Seattle Torrent. He expressed enthusiasm for the growing professional women's sports movement, noting There's a ton of women playing sports and there's finally an opportunity, with a spotlight on them and legitimate resources where players can make a living.
The Goldeneyes' broadcast schedule reflects the league's strategy to maximize visibility, with games distributed across multiple networks: 12 games on TSN, 7 on CBC, 6 on Prime Video, and 5 on Sportsnet. A PWHL spokesperson explained this multi-network approach helps secure fan-friendly game windows and accelerate discovery of the new league.
