Longtime hockey commentator Kelly Hrudey announced that Sportsnet has not renewed his contract for the upcoming NHL season. Hrudey, a former NHL goaltender, made the announcement in a video posted to a social media account on June 19, stating that his contract would not be renewed.
Hrudey’s departure marks a significant change for the 65-year-old, who has been a prominent figure in hockey broadcasting for over three decades. He clarified that this is not a retirement, though he did not specify his future plans. Hrudey expressed gratitude to viewers, acknowledging that they might have loved or hated him, and stated he was “OK with either.”
A Career in Broadcasting
Hrudey’s broadcasting career began even before his retirement from playing, as he worked part-time with Hockey Night in Canada during his final four NHL seasons. After retiring from playing in 1998, he was hired full-time by CBC. His playing career included 677 NHL games with the New York Islanders, Los Angeles Kings, and San Jose Sharks, and he reached the Stanley Cup final in 1993 with the Kings.
When Rogers took over as the exclusive national rights-holder for NHL broadcasts in 2014, Hrudey transitioned with Hockey Night in Canada to Sportsnet. During his tenure, he was a regular on Hockey Night in Canada and also worked on regional game broadcasts for the Calgary Flames. He primarily served as a studio analyst, but also spent time in the broadcast booth for national telecasts.
Hrudey was part of a rotation of studio crew members for Hockey Night in Canada that included Ron MacLean, David Amber, Jennifer Botterill, Kevin Bieksa, Luke Gazdic, and Elliotte Friedman. Friedman, a colleague, responded to Hrudey’s announcement by saying he was “still shocked” and thanked him for “22 incredible years.”
Another colleague, Chris Cuthbert, who worked with Hrudey for much of his 30 years at Hockey Night in Canada, wished him well, noting that Hrudey was embarking on “Act 3” of his career.
Changes in NHL Broadcast Landscape
Hrudey’s announcement comes amid broader changes to Sportsnet‘s national NHL broadcasts. Rogers-owned Sportsnet will no longer air its national NHL broadcasts on CBC. This shift effectively ends the partnership between Sportsnet and CBC for Hockey Night in Canada, meaning NHL games will not be nationally televised on CBC on Saturday nights for the first time in three quarters of a century.
These changes follow a recent development where Rogers and Amazon Prime Video announced a 12-year sublicensing agreement. This agreement grants Prime Video exclusive rights to Wednesday games and some early-round Stanley Cup playoff games.
Hrudey, who is from Edmonton and lives in Calgary, also took the opportunity to thank the many people he worked with behind the scenes. He mentioned producers, directors, and those in control rooms and production trucks, emphasizing that they were friends rather than just co-workers. He also thanked those he was on air with, stating, “Man, you guys are the best. I love you so much. I love your support. It was so great and I look back fondly at all of our memories that we created.”
His segment, “Behind the Mask,” was a feature during the second game of the Hockey Night in Canada doubleheader. Hrudey’s contract was not renewed for the upcoming season.
Source: theglobeandmail.com
