Kenny Albert

Last updated
Kenny Albert
Kenny Albert 2015.jpg
Albert in 2015
Born
Kenneth Gary Albert

(1968-02-02) February 2, 1968 (age 56)
New York City, U.S.
Years active1990–present
SpouseBarbara Wolf (m.1996)
Children2
Parent(s) Marv Albert
Benita Oberlander
Relatives Al Albert (uncle)
Steve Albert (uncle)
Sports commentary career
Genre Play-by-play
Sport(s) NFL, NBA, MLB, NHL
Boxing

Kenneth Gary Albert [1] (born February 2, 1968) is an American sportscaster, the son of NBA sportscaster Marv Albert and nephew of sportscasters Al Albert and Steve Albert. He is the only sportscaster who currently does play-by-play for all four major professional sports leagues in the United States and Canada (NFL, NBA, MLB, NHL).

Contents

Early life

Albert's parents gave him a tape recorder for his fifth birthday to practice his broadcasting. [2] On his sixth birthday in 1974, his father took him along to a New York Rangers game. One of the statisticians had to leave in the middle of the game, so Albert got to do the stats for the rest of the game. At 14, he became the official statistician for the Rangers on the radio. At 16, he wrote content for the Rangers program. Aside from his father, his idol was Vancouver Canucks play-by-play broadcaster Jim Robson. From 1981 to 1986, Albert, growing up in Sands Point, covered high school sports for the Port Washington News [3] at Paul D. Schreiber High School, an Anton Community Newspapers publication. [4]

Albert graduated from New York University [5] in 1990 [6] with a degree in broadcasting and journalism. He was a member of the Sigma Phi Epsilon fraternity. Albert worked in the sports department at WNYU radio. While working there he was able to pick up his quick responses while announcing local games.

Broadcasting career

Albert is the radio voice of the New York Rangers, as well as a play-by-play announcer and field-level reporter for Fox's coverage of Major League Baseball, [5] the National Football League, [5] and previously, the Sugar Bowl.

Previously, Albert was the radio broadcaster for the American Hockey League's Baltimore Skipjacks from 1990 to 1992. He later handled TV play-by-play for the Washington Capitals and Washington Bullets (now the Washington Wizards), and was a part-time announcer on Washington Nationals telecasts in 2005. Additionally, he does TV play-by-play for the Washington Commanders (formerly the Washington Redskins) preseason games with Joe Theismann. [7] Albert called the international broadcast of Super Bowl XLVI with Theismann.

When Fox had the network contract for the National Hockey League in the 1990s, Albert also worked on Fox NHL Saturday telecasts. Albert previously did play-by-play for the NHL on NBC and formerly with Versus (now called NBCSN). Albert called Game 1 of the 2014 Stanley Cup Finals for NBC, filling in for Mike Emrick, who was dealing with a death in the family. [8] He has done work for NBC's Olympics coverage, as a play-by-play announcer for men's and women's ice hockey at every Winter Olympic Games since Salt Lake City in 2002.

Albert has also done college basketball for ESPN Plus and is a substitute play-by-play announcer for televised New York Knicks games on MSG Network. [6] For the 2011 playoffs, Albert broadcast for two playoff teams in the same market, doing the play-by-play for the New York Rangers on WEPN 1050 ESPN radio and filling in on MSG Network doing play-by-play for the New York Knicks. [9]

Albert was the play-by-play announcer for the 2015 American League Division Series between the Texas Rangers and the Toronto Blue Jays. In the top of the 7th inning of Game 5, he helped explain the rule regarding the errant throw by Toronto Blue Jays catcher Russell Martin, which resulted in Texas scoring the go-ahead run. In the bottom of the inning, he called Jose Bautista's go-ahead home run. [10]

In 2016, Albert was nominated for the Sports Emmy Award for Outstanding Sports Personality, Play-by-Play in a list that included fellow Fox and NBC colleagues Kevin Burkhardt, eventual winner Mike Emrick, and even his own father. [11]

After Emrick's retirement, Albert became NBC's lead play-by-play announcer for the 2020–21 NHL season, paired with Emrick's long-time partner Eddie Olczyk, having previously filled-in for Emrick in game one of the 2014 Stanley Cup Finals due to a death in the latter's family. [12] [13] [14] With NBC losing its NHL rights starting in the 2021–22 season, the pair moved to Turner Sports to serve in the same capacity. [15] [16]

Albert is a frequent guest on WNYU-FM's sports talk program, The Cheap Seats. He has also made many appearances on the popular New York sports internet radio show Sports Heaven with Mark and Evan. [17]

Four sports in four days

On October 25, 2009, Albert called the play-by-play of the Minnesota Vikings – Pittsburgh Steelers NFL game for Fox and then hosted the New York Yankees' locker room celebration after clinching the American League Championship Series that night. The following night he broadcast a Rangers game on radio and on October 28, he called the play-by-play of the New York Knicks season opener on MSG Network. [18]

Personal life

Albert currently resides in New Jersey with his wife of 20 years, Barbara (Wolf), and their two daughters, Amanda and Sydney. Albert was introduced to his wife by close friend and Baltimore sports reporter, Jerry Coleman. [19]

Albert has frequently cited his love of all sports, but mainly hockey and basketball. He has cited baseball as the hardest sport to commentate for. [19]

Kenny Albert released his first book, an autobiography entitled "A Mic For All Seasons," on October 10, 2023, with Triumph Publishing. The book documents his 30 years of broadcasting, citing stories about his career rise, relationships with broadcasters and athletes, and his family. [20]

Career timeline

Books

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Marv Albert</span> American sportscaster

Marv Albert is an American former sportscaster. Honored for his work by the Basketball Hall of Fame, he was commonly referred to as "the voice of basketball". From 1967 to 2004, he was also known as "the voice of the New York Knicks". Albert worked for Turner Sports as the lead announcer for NBA games on TNT.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Eddie Olczyk</span> American ice hockey player and coach

Edward Walter Olczyk Jr. is an American former center in the National Hockey League for 16 seasons with the Chicago Blackhawks, Toronto Maple Leafs, Winnipeg Jets, New York Rangers, Los Angeles Kings, and Pittsburgh Penguins. He won the Stanley Cup with the Rangers in 1994. Olczyk was also the head coach of the Pittsburgh Penguins from June 2003 to December 2005.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mike Emrick</span> American ice hockey commentator

Michael "Doc" Emrick is an American former network television play-by-play sportscaster and commentator noted mostly for his work in ice hockey. He was the lead announcer for National Hockey League national telecasts on both NBC and NBCSN. Among the many awards Emrick has received is the NHL's Lester Patrick Award in 2004, making him the first of only five to have received the award for media work, and the Foster Hewitt Memorial Award by the Hockey Hall of Fame in 2008. He has also won nine national Emmy Awards for excellence in sports broadcasting, the only hockey broadcaster to be honored with even one. On December 12, 2011, Emrick became the first member of the media to be inducted into the United States Hockey Hall of Fame. In 2017, Sports Illustrated listed Emrick as the sportscaster of the year.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mike Breen</span> American sportscaster

Michael Breen is an American play-by-play sports commentator. He has been the lead announcer for NBA games on ABC and ESPN since 2006, including the NBA Finals. He is also the lead announcer for New York Knicks games on the MSG Network. Breen previously called NFL regular season games for both NFL on Fox and NFL on NBC, as well as New York Giants preseason games.

The MSG Network (MSG) is an American regional cable and satellite television network, and radio service owned by MSG Entertainment, Inc.—a spin-off of the main Madison Square Garden Company operation.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gary Thorne</span> American sportscaster

Gary Francis Thorne is an American sportscaster. He was the lead play-by-play announcer for Baltimore Orioles games on MASN from 2007 to 2020. He has also worked for ESPN and ABC, including National Hockey League, Major League Baseball, college football, and the Frozen Four hockey tournament. He also works for World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE), where he is the narrator for the WrestleMania Rewind program on its WWE Network streaming video service.

Alan Trautwig is a sports commentator who worked with MSG Network, ABC, NBC, NBC Sports Network, and USA Network. He most recently did pre-game and post-game shows for the New York Knicks and New York Rangers, as well as fill-in play-by-play for both teams.

Sam Rosen is a German-born American sportscaster and Hockey Hall of Famer, best known as the primary play-by-play announcer for the National Hockey League's New York Rangers games on MSG. On June 8, 2008, Rosen was inducted into the National Jewish Sports Hall of Fame. On November 14, 2016, Rosen was enshrined as the Foster Hewitt Memorial Award winner for outstanding contributions as a broadcaster by the Hockey Hall of Fame. Rosen is currently the longest-tenured active broadcaster in the NHL.

John Arthur Davidson is a Canadian-American professional ice hockey executive and former player, who serves as president of hockey operations, alternate governor, and interim general manager for the Columbus Blue Jackets of the National Hockey League (NHL). As a goaltender, he played in the NHL for the St. Louis Blues and New York Rangers, notably helping the Rangers reach the 1979 Stanley Cup Finals.

<i>NHL on NBC</i> Former American television series

The NHL on NBC is an American presentation of National Hockey League (NHL) games produced by NBC Sports, and televised on NBC properties, including MSNBC, CNBC, Golf Channel, USA Network and NBCSN in the United States.

Joseph Robert Micheletti is an American ice hockey analyst and reporter, and a former defenseman who played in 142 World Hockey Association (WHA) games with the Calgary Cowboys and Edmonton Oilers between 1977 and 1979, and 158 National Hockey League (NHL) games with the St. Louis Blues and Colorado Rockies between 1979 and 1982. He is the brother of former NHL player Pat Micheletti.

From 2006 to 2008, NBC's studio show was originally broadcast out of the rink at New York's Rockefeller Center, at the foot of NBC's offices during January and February. This allowed the on-air talent, including commentators for NHL on NBC, and their guests to demonstrate plays and hockey skills. From April onwards, and during inclement weather, the studio show moved to Studio 8G inside the GE Building, where NBC produces its Football Night in America program. For the Stanley Cup Finals, the show was usually broadcast on location.

MSG Sportsnet is an American regional sports network owned by MSG Entertainment; it operates as a sister channel to MSG Network. The network serves the New York City metropolitan area, whose reach expands to cover the entire state of New York, Northern New Jersey, Southwestern Connecticut and Northeastern Pennsylvania; MSG Sportsnet carries sports events from several of the New York area's professional sports franchises, as well as college sports events.

<i>NHL on USA</i> Television series

The NHL on USA was the de facto title of a television show that broadcast National Hockey League games on the USA Network.

David Strader was an American sportscaster, primarily known for his play-by-play commentary of ice hockey. During his career, he worked on telecasts for the Detroit Red Wings, Florida Panthers, Phoenix Coyotes and Dallas Stars of the National Hockey League (NHL). He also worked nationally in the United States for ESPN, ABC, Versus, NBC, and NBCSN.

Robert Wischusen is an American sports commentator who is currently a hockey, college football and basketball voice for ESPN and the radio voice announcer for the New York Jets on WEPN-FM.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Steve Cangialosi</span>

Steven Donato Cangialosi is a television play-by-play announcer for MLS on Apple TV. He was the New York Red Bulls announcer on the MSG Network, and also worked on MLS, Serie A, La Liga, DFB Pokal, Bundesliga and international soccer matches for ESPN.

Ed Cohen is a sportscaster known for his work with ESPN Plus, MLB.com, NHL Network, Rutgers University, MSG Network, and ONE World Sports. He currently serves as the radio play-by-play voice of the New York Knicks.

References

  1. ↑ "Born to the Booth".
  2. ↑ "New York Media Jobs - Jobs in NYC". www.mediabistro.com. Retrieved 1 April 2018.
  3. ↑ Port Washington News
  4. ↑ The Voice of a Generation: Rangers’ Kenny Albert Archived 2010-11-14 at the Wayback Machine . Antonnews.com (2010-11-12). Retrieved on 2011-01-08.
  5. 1 2 3 "Kenny Albert, Barbara R. Wolf". The New York Times. 11 August 1996. Retrieved 1 April 2018.
  6. 1 2 3 4 "MSG.com - Kenny Albert". Archived from the original on 2012-07-20. Retrieved 2012-05-30.
  7. ↑ 2011 Washington Redskins season#Game summaries
  8. ↑ NBC Sports PR [@NBCSportsPR] (June 2, 2014). "@KennyAlbert will call Gm 1 of Stanley Cup Final on Wed on NBC. Doc Emrick is dealing w a death in the family. He will return for Games 2-7" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
  9. ↑ "Monroe, King added to Knicks' playoff studio team". timesunion.com. 12 April 2011. Retrieved 1 April 2018.
  10. ↑ MLB (14 October 2015). "Jose Bautista hammers go-ahead three-run shot in ALDS Game 5, delivers epic bat flip". Archived from the original on 2021-11-18. Retrieved 1 April 2018– via YouTube.
  11. ↑ "NBC Sports Group Garners 28 Sports Emmy Award Nominations - #PRNC". www.prnewschannel.com. Retrieved 1 April 2018.
  12. ↑ "NEW YORK RANGERS FACE LOS ANGELES KINGS IN STANLEY CUP FINAL – GAME 1 WEDNESDAY AT 8 P.M. ET ON NBC". NBCSportsGroupPressbox.com. NBC Universal. 2014-06-02. Retrieved 2021-07-02.
  13. ↑ Dougherty, Pete (2014-06-04). "Albert to fill in for Emrick on Game 1 of Stanley Cup Final". blog.timesunion.com. Hearst. Retrieved 2021-07-02.
  14. ↑ "TAMPA BAY LIGHTNING LOOK TO WIN THE STANLEY CUP TONIGHT AT 8 P.M. ET ON NBC AND PEACOCK". NBC Sports Pressbox. 2021-07-07. Retrieved 2021-07-13.
  15. ↑ "Gretzky joins Turner Sports as NHL studio analyst". NHL.com. Retrieved 2022-08-29.
  16. ↑ Chiari, Mike. "Wayne Gretzky, Kenny Albert, Eddie Olczyk Join Turner Sports' NHL Coverage Team". Bleacher Report. Turner Sports.
  17. ↑ "Long Island News - Kenny Albert Joins Sports Heaven | Long Island Exchange". www.longislandexchange.com. Archived from the original on 7 September 2012. Retrieved 22 May 2022.
  18. ↑ Kenny Albert wins travel trophy. Newsday.com (2009-11-01). Retrieved on 2011-01-08.
  19. 1 2 "Kenny Albert bio - Fox Sports". Fox Sports. Retrieved 23 June 2023.
  20. ↑ "A Mic For All Seasons Reviewed". www.scatteredbooks.com. Retrieved 9 February 2023.
  21. ↑ "MSG.com – Kenny Albert". msg.com. Retrieved 1 April 2018.
Preceded by Stanley Cup Finals Americannetwork television play-by-play announcer
2014 (with Mike Emrick; Albert called Game 1)
2021-present
(alternating with ABC's Sean McDonough in odd numbered years beginning in 2022)		Succeeded by
Mike Emrick
Incumbent
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.