Tuesday, May 16, 2017

Broadcaster Profile- Jack Edwards, NESN

I'm proud to continue my spotlighting of hockey broadcasters with the latest addition to my Hockey On the Radio blog, the next feature takes a look at the work of Jack Edwards, the television voice of the Boston Bruins on NESN.




Jack Edwards is a very recognizable fixture in New England, as the passionate and energetic voice of the Boston Bruins on NESN. One of the most prepared and knowledgeable hockey broadcasters to ever work behind a microphone, Jack got his start in the game of hockey working on the UNH broadcast team covering Wildcat hockey. From there Jack's hockey work expanded to ESPN where he covered the Frozen Four for the network. He also provided play by play for ESPN's National Hockey Night from 1999 to 2003. Jack came to Boston in the 2005-06 season, where he handled the play by play for road games, splitting coverage with Dale Arnold who provided play by play for home games. In the 2007-08 season Jack took over the play by play for all games for NESN.  Jack was awarded a Stanley Cup ring in 2010-11 following the Bruins Stanley Cup win over Vancouver. Always willing to tell it like it is, Jack is paired on Bruins telecasts with fellow UNH alum and former Bruins and NHL player Andy Brickley.

As I have noted on many other occasions, preparation is the crucial hallmark of any any broadcaster, and Jack has defined preparation down to a science. His prep is as detailed as any broadcaster in the business, in any sport. To illustrate, here is a sample prep chart that Jack uses in a typical broadcast of Bruins hockey:



As you can see, Jack's system breaks down every possible occurrence you could see in a game into minute detail, color coded for easy reference. This particular chart tracks special teams specialty information. I also am a big fan of color coding as it the easiest way to aid identification quickly. 


Outside of hockey, Jack has a wide range of sports play by play experience. His career was launched in New Hampshire, working for WGIR radio as both a play by play announcer and as a sports anchor.  He has also worked for WMUR-TV out of Manchester. Jack has also spent time at WRKO in Boston, and as a weekend anchor at WJAR TV in Providence. He has also done a stint at WCVB TV in Boston as well. Jack did his ESPN work while concurrently employed at WCVB. Nationally, he covered alpine skiing at the 1988 Winter Olympics for ABC. He also moved on to WHDH TV in Boston, the CBS affiliate, where he covered the US Open and the 1991 Olympic Winterfest. He has also covered the Davis Cup for ESPN. Jack's resume at ESPN spanned many events, including SportsCenter anchoring, Little League Baseball, the 1996 X games, and the 2002 FIFA World Cup. 


Jack also joined College Sports Television in 2003. 

In addition to his Bruins work on NESN, Jack also participates in a show called "The Instigators", in which he debates hockey topics with such NESN hockey personalities as Andy Brickley, Dale Arnold, Barry Pederson, to name a few. 

Here is an excellent compilation of Jack's work on NESN as the TV voice of the Bruins: 

https://youtu.be/MTcdJCSJDXU 


Be sure to catch Jack and Andy Brickley on the call of Boston Bruins hockey on NESN from October to April. 











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