The cliche that someone has ‘never worked a day in their life’ is used quite frequently.

When Zack Hill used it during a phone interview late last week, it was sincere, honest and from the heart.

The 1980 Wheeling Park High School graduate — on June 30th — put the finishing touches on a highly successful, career of working with the Philadelphia Flyers, included is the last couple of decades as the organization’s Senior Director of Communications.

“It’s just time (to retire),” Hill said. “I never set an alarm to get up for work because I wanted to get up and get to (the office). It was my passion. It was definitely a grind, but it felt almost like a hobby where time didn’t matter.”

Actually, it’s a passion that never waned.

“Often times, there are people passionate about something, but in five, 10 or even 15 years the passion dies down a little bit,” Hill said. “For me, it never died down. I lived it daily. It was like, ‘I get to go to work today? Hot dog!”

Though Hill is retired, in order to get 30 years with the organization, he and the team brass agreed that he’d remain on staff in a consultant role. However, his day-to-day duties will pale in comparison.

“Basically, I’ll help out when needed,” Hill said. “If there is some sort of crisis, problem or they’re extremely short staffed, I am able to help them out.”

Working in professional sports or specifically with the media wasn’t always the dream or goal for Hill, who celebrated his 60th birthday in May, allowing him to accomplish another goal and that’s to be retired by 60.

“Ever since I was a little kid, in high school and in college, thought about being able to retire when I turned 60,” Hill said. “All the stars have lined up for me.”

Hill actually went to West Virginia University and earned a degree in elementary education. He was certified to teach grades K-8. Actually, he was substituting in Morgantown in the fall of 1986 and working on his master’s degree in sports administration.

“One of the final steps toward my masters was an internship,” Hill said. “I was 12 hours shy of my master’s and I got a chance to intern with the 76ers.”

Evidently, Hill and the Sixers made enough of a positive impact on each other that in January of 1987, Hill was offered a job working with the Sixers.

“The general manager said, ‘I know you need two classes to finish,'” Hill recalled. “He then asked me, ‘do you want a job or do you want to go back (to school) and finish your master’s degree?’ I am still six hours shy of my master’s degree.”

Actually, Hill didn’t even have to take a day or even a moment to debate the decision.

“The job offer came and it was boom,” Hill said. “It was a where do a sign kind of moment.”

Hill remained with the Sixers until 1993. The team had just traded Charles Barkley and was struggling on the court. Hill decided to “put some feelers out” to gauge opportunities that might have existed professionally for him.”

“A guy with the Flyers called me and encouraged me to come over and talk to the president,” Hill said. “We talked for 30 minutes and at the end of the conversation, the president said, ‘do you want a job?’ I was involved with an interview that I didn’t even realize was an interview. He offered me a job in August of 1993 and here we are …”

Hill took the job with the Flyers feeling really good about his duties with the media, but he had a lot to learn in other aspects of the job. Quite simply, he “had no clue” on the sport of hockey.

“I lived in Guam for a little while when I was a little kid and there’s definitely no ice there,” Hill joked. “I wrestled in high school and didn’t know anything about hokey. My only connection to hockey was I had a couple of buddies in Wheeling who played hockey. Other than that, I don’t even know how to skate.”

His knowledge of the media and dealing with that aspect was far more important than him knowing the difference between hooking and a crosscheck.

“I didn’t have to know those things,” Hill said. “I needed to make sure players and coaches were available and maintain a cordial relationship with the media.”

That relationship remained cordial — and professional — throughout his tenure. It actually led to Hill and his staff winning the coveted Dick Dillman Award for the Eastern Conference, which is given annually to the top public relations staff in each NHL conference.

With Hill at the controls, the Flyers PR team was a finalist for the award 12 times and received it in 2012, 2015 and 2018.

Need more proof of Hill’s relationship with the media?

In May, he received the Philadelphia Sports Writer’s Association “Good Guy” Award.

“I got along tremendously with the Philly media,” Hill said. “My job was to make their job easier. Philadelphia is a tough media town, but you can probably ask any media member who covered the Flyers and we’ve all had a solid relationship. There was a lot of mutual trust and respect between me, our staff and the media. PR to me stands for patience and respect. I was always able to do those things.”

While those awards are nice, impressive and certainly cherished, the fact that the Flyers recently announced their intentions to rename the press conference room at the Wells Fargo Center the “Zack Hill Media Center.”

“I was just blown away by the naming of the media center,” Hill said. “I was speechless when I heard. It’s an honor, thrilling and simply humbling.”

The media center is part of a remodel that will occur at the arena next summer and be ready for the 2023-24 season.

“I will definitely be there to see the unveiling,” Hill said.

Though it’s tough to pinpoint certain games and seasons when you’re involved with an organization for as long as Hill was, he bittersweetly pointed to the two appearances the Flyers made in the Stanley Cup Final when they lost to the Red Wings and Blackhawks.

“It’s definitely hard to pick out certain things, but those two appearances are definitely up there,” Hill said. “I met so many wonderful people along the way.”

Hill did apologize, in advance, to the Ohio Valley’s Penguins fans when he cited a game in 2000 playoffs when Keith Primeau scored in the fifth overtime to lift the Flyers to a 2-1 victory against the Penguins. The Flyers went on to win that series 4-2.

After he completes next season as a consultant — and assuming he’s not talked into continuing to help out in some capacity, Hill plans to do a lot of traveling with his fiancee and their two dogs.

“Obviously, I’ll be remaining in Philadelphia for this year, but the plan is to move and we’ve narrowed it down to either Tennessee, North Carolina, Virginia or Ohio,” Hill said.

With his parents still residing in St. Clairsville, Hill indicated re-locating to the Ohio Valley could be in the equation.

“I love the valley,” Hill said. “I need to fill my urge for DiCarlo’s Pizza.”

SETH’S SCOOPS

IT WAS announced this past week that both high school baseball and softball players – starting in 2023 – will be permitted to wear jewelry. The National Federation issued the change, meaning it’s effective for both Ohio and West Virginia as well as the other states across the union. As you’d expect, the decision was met with mixed reaction publicly. Personally, I see no issue with it. All of these rules trickle down from the professional and collegiate ranks. I would also add that the NFHS doesn’t just change a rule on a whim. This issue has been talked about for several years.

THE OHSAA announced this week that there are 712 schools in the Buckeye State that will compete in 11-man football this season.