Omaha radio color analyst Terry Leahy, who has held that role since Maverick hockey began nearly 30 years ago, has known the team’s current coach for half of 44-year-old Mike Gabinet’s life.
But what sticks out to both of them is that the longer they’ve known each other, the more their working relationship feels the same as it ever was.
A self-described Omaha lifer, Leahy met Gabinet when the Edmonton, Alberta, native came to Nebraska as a freshman defenseman in 2000. Getting to know Gabinet as part of a series of interviews for former UNO coach Mike Kemp’s weekly radio show, Leahy picked up right away on the kind of person Gabinet was. And, as it turns out, is. To hear Leahy say it, the Venn diagram of Mike Gabinet at the start of the new millennium and the Mike Gabinet of 2025 is roughly one circle.
“I remember him as somebody who was really cerebral in his approach, very serious but an extremely nice guy,” Leahy said. “Most of the people I’ve come across since this program came into being, and even in college hockey in general, are really great people and great student-athletes. Gabby’s one of those.
“My theory is that these people know the sacrifices made to play youth hockey, then they take it to a higher level, so they really appreciate what their parents did to get them started. Gabby was definitely one of them, and that mirrors what we see now. He had a unique sense of humor that he still gets going, but when it’s all business, everybody’s on board with him.”
“We,” being Leahy and his broadcasting partner, play-by-play announcer Mike Vaillancourt. Together, they benefit from a different kind of relationship than Leahy has had with nearly every other student-athlete he has ever covered.
“They’re part of our team,” Gabinet said of Leahy and Vaillancourt. “They’re with us on every road trip, and the more they get access to the team to see what we’re doing and see the preparation that goes into games, the more they understand what we’re talking about and can put that across. They’re always welcome in all our team meetings and all our video sessions.
“And Terry’s the same person he always was. I remember him always being so personable, and he’s got a real sneaky sense of humor. Sometimes we’ll get him on the team bus on its microphone, and he’s using his deep radio voice there by the driver, doing fun stuff with the guys. They always enjoy spending time with him, and a lot of it comes back to stuff like that.”
Professionally, Leahy prides himself partly on having known every Maverick hockey coach, from Kemp to Dean Blais to Gabinet, inside and out. The same goes for everyone on that trio’s staffs, including current associate head coach Dave Noel-Bernier, one of Gabinet’s former Omaha teammates. Putting together that breadth of first-hand knowledge, Leahy knows better than most anyone the current state of Gabinet’s program.
“I think Mike has a philosophy in this new era that everybody’s still feeling out, but he’s locked in what he’s doing, and we’ll see how it goes,” Leahy said of an injury-challenged Omaha team that was 7-11 heading into the Mavericks’ nonconference series this weekend at Cornell.
“I believe this team can jell, and I think there are signs that they can make it happen this year. It’s about coming together and making those adjustments, with the 15 newcomers they have. I see this team getting a little healthier, and he’s got the team in a good place with what he, Davey and their people are doing.”
Leahy also pointed out the stability that the likes of Gabinet and Noel-Bernier bring for their program, having both been behind the Mavericks’ bench since 2017. But for Gabinet, that sense of stability goes both ways. Leahy has covered Maverick hockey longer than anyone else, and as far as Gabinet is concerned, long may that continue.
“I always treated him as part of the team when I was a player, and it’s the same thing now,” Gabinet said. “I try to model that for my guys. The message for them always is to treat people the right way, because you never know when that comes full-circle.”