TNT's Kenny Albert wraps up a memorable 9-month stretch with the Stanley Cup Finals

Hindustan Times

2 days ago

Getting to call a Stanley Cup final for the third time on national television would qualify as the top moment of the year for most announcers.
For TNT's Kenny Albert, it is another accomplishment that has been filled with many over the past nine months.
Wednesday's first game between the Florida Panthers and Edmonton Oilers will be Albert's 1,483rd call in either hockey, football or baseball for a national network. He moved past his father, the legendary Marv Albert, into fourth place among North American announcers during last Wednesday's Game 5 of the Eastern Conference finals between Florida and Carolina.
'To be listed along with some of the all-time greats who I watched growing up and then got to know a lot of them personally, it's a proud moment when you see that you're included in that group,' Albert said. 'My schedule definitely is a bit of a jigsaw puzzle between the various sports and networks, but very fortunate to work for and with so many great people.'
Albert surpassed the 500 games mark in both the NFL and NHL within a six-month period.
He became the first NFL play-by-play announcer to reach 500 games on one network last October when the Philadelphia Eagles hosted the Cleveland Browns on Fox. He has been with Fox Sports since its beginning in 1994.
He also surpassed 500 national NHL games on Dec. 18 when the Philadelphia Flyers faced the Detroit Red Wings on TNT. Albert has been TNT's top hockey announcer since it got the rights in 2021.
All told, Albert has done 534 NHL, 512 NFL, 421 baseball and 15 NBA games on a national broadcast or cable network. That is on top of his other duties as New York Rangers radio voice and backup for New York Knicks television games on MSG Network.
Albert's versatility to do a plethora of different sports was something he picked up from his father. Even though Marv Albert's signature sport was the NBA, he also did the NFL and NHL along with hosting the baseball pregame show during the late 1980's on NBC.
'I've always loved the variety,' Kenny Albert said.
For all of the aforementioned accomplishments though, the highlight of Albert's year so far was calling Alex Ovechkin's 895th NHL goal on April 6 to break Wayne Gretzky's career record. Albert's call during the second period, when the Washington Capitals star set the record against the New York Islanders relayed excitement, while also mentioning the goal number and then going silent so that the crowd and scenes from the crowd could take over.
'In a championship situation or big moment, I don't usually write something out but I do throw some words around in my mind just to be ready,' Albert said. "I was thinking something with his nickname, the Great Eight, the great Gretzky. When he tied the record, Joe Beninati used something similar to that, so I wanted to shift over to something else and not use some of the same words he did.
'What it happened, it just came out naturally. I mentioned number 895 and then I just got out of the way. It was very important after the call to just lay out and let the production folks do their thing. Let the pictures and sound tell the story.'
According to TV database research compiled by Un/Necessary Sports Research, the late Bob Cole, who called the games for CBC's 'Hockey Night in Canada' for 50 years, leads the way at 1,722 games; followed by Dick Stockton, who did basketball, baseball and football for CBS and Fox, with 1,544; and Canadian play-by-play announcer Chris Cuthbert with 1,539. Cuthbert, the current lead voice for 'Hockey Night in Canada' will surpass Stockton if the Stanley Cup Finals goes six games.
Kevin Harlan is sixth at 1,477 and should surpass Marv Albert for fifth during Week 5 of the upcoming NFL season.
This will be the 11th Stanley Cup Final for Albert, including eight on radio, but the first where he has called a rematch from the previous year. This is the first final rematch since the Detroit Red Wings and Pittsburgh Penguins in 2009 and the second over the past 40 years.
'It has a chance to be one of the all-time great championship series," Albert said. "These same teams played a scintillating seven-game series last June. Star power on both sides. Edmonton attempting to win Canada's first Cup since 1993. Florida looking to repeat. Can Connor McDavid match Wayne Gretzky and Sidney Crosby and win his first Stanley Cup against the team that beat his club in the Cup Final the year before? I can't wait.'
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