Career
Jeff started out by hosting Live Audio Wrestling , the first wrestling/MMA program available on conventional radio. During the early days of the radio show he got the nickname "Gentleman" Jeff Marek. In 2003, after The LAW had moved from The Fan 590 to Talk 640, Jeff began to host the pre-game and post-game shows for Toronto Maple Leafs telecasts, leading to Jeff leaving The LAW, to work full-time on his other on-air and behind the scenes roles at the recently rebranded Mojo Radio - Talk Radio For Guys. Eventually, Jeff would begin to host a daily talk show on the Toronto Maple Leafs in the afternoon, known as Leafs Lunch. He also hosted his own radio show which aired after Leafs Lunch, called The Jeff Marek Show, until Mojo Radio rebranded its station AM 640 - Toronto Radio. In the summer of 2007, Marek became the sole-host of Leafs Lunch, as well as co-host of The Bill Watters Show, the afternoon-drive program on the station hosted by his former Leafs Lunch partner, former Maple Leafs Assistant GM Bill Watters.
On September 7, 2007, Jeff Marek announced that he had accepted a position at Hockey Night in Canada , hosting broadcasts on Sirius Satellite Radio channel 122. Marek signed a one-year contract, which involved him vacating his positions at AM 640 Toronto Radio. His new show began on October 1, 2007, airing from 4-6 pm. The show expanded to a three-hour program the following season. Easily one of the most popular sports shows on Sirius-XM, HNIC Radio with Jeff Marek offers a wide variety of hockey insiders and CBC's Hockey Night in Canada personalities like Kelly Hrudey, Craig Simpson and Cassie Campbell. Moreover, as part of his new duties, Jeff also works with the CBC in their broadcasts of Hockey Night in Canada , he helped debut the I-Desk in the Spring of 2009 with Hockey Hall of Fame sports writer Scott Morrison.. Additionally, Marek continues his position as an on-air personality for Leafs TV broadcasts of Maple Leaf hockey.
Marek called Judo at the 2008 Summer Olympics for CBC. [2]
On July 6, 2011, it was announced that Marek has joined Sportsnet. [3]
Marek left Hockey Night in Canada Radio during the Summer of 2011.
Marek was a co-host on the podcast Marek vs. Wyshynski with Yahoo's Greg Wyshynski for 6 years, ending when Wyshynski moved from Yahoo to ESPN. In the 2021–22 season, Marek was replaced by Caroline Cameron as studio host of Sportsnet's Wednesday Night Hockey, but continued to serve as an inside reporter for the network. He also co-hosted the Sportsnet-produced podcast 32 Thoughts with Elliotte Friedman.
Marek has also spoken at the SMWW Hockey Career Conference.
In July 2024, Marek was quietly dismissed from Sportsnet, with two years remaining on his contract, because he leaked selections from the first round of the 2024 NHL entry draft one or two minutes before they were announced to his friend Mark Seidel; Marek had been presenting on the television broadcast of the draft and was privy to the selections ahead of their official announcement as a member of the crew. [4] While no gambling was involved, Seidel posted the information on Twitter, which alerted league authorities to the potential of a possible leak before the first round have finished; Seidel had previously correctly predicted several first round selections on Twitter moments before the picks were officially announced. [4] Marek had been silent for several weeks after the late June 28 first round of the draft, missing several scheduled radio and podcasts appearances and not posting online, before the separation was officially announced on July 26, though revealed by insiders a day earlier. The incident was investigated by the Nevada Gaming Control Board after the NHL alerted the agency to the leaks. [4]
