Lead hockey play-by-play broadcaster Albert joins podcast ahead of calling tournament for TNT
© Steve Babineau/NHLI
Kenny Albert gives his impressions of J.T. Miller‘s impact so far on the New York Rangers, talks about his excitement for the upcoming 4 Nations Face-Off, tells some stories and eloquently walks around a question for predictions during his 20-minute interview on this episode of the “NHL @TheRink” podcast presented by SKIP.
Albert, whose remarkable resume includes his roles as lead NHL play-by-play broadcaster on TNT and locally on radio for the Rangers, opens his chat with co-hosts Dan Rosen and Shawn P. Roarke talking about Miller and what he’s meant to the Rangers since they acquired the forward from the Vancouver Canucks on Friday. He said he thinks the forward has and will continue to bring his new teammates into the fight.
The 4 Nations Face-Off begins with Team Canada against Team Sweden at Bell Centre in Montreal on Feb. 12 (8 p.m. ET; MAX, truTV, TNT, SN, TVAS). Miller and Team USA open against Team Finland on Feb. 13 (8 p.m. ET; ESPN, ESPN+, SN, TVAS).
Albert talked about his role at 4 Nations, where will be on the call with Brian Boucher, Eddie Olczyk and Jackie Redmond for a TNT doubleheader at TD Garden in Boston on Feb. 17, when Canada plays Finland at 1 p.m. ET and the United States against Team Sweden at 8 p.m. ET. He’s been researching and planning for those games for a while, but even he said only about 5-10 percent of the information he gets and the stories he is told will be used on the broadcast because calling the game is his No. 1 priority.
Roarke, though, asked Albert if he would offer his prediction for who would win the 4 Nations Face-Off and the Super Bowl. Albert, who calls NFL games for FOX, said he never gives predictions, especially for games he is calling, because more often than not they would be wrong. It’s a funny moment during an interview that has plenty of them, including a great story about Sidney Crosby and Jack Johnson from their time together at Shattuck St. Mary’s.
In addition, Rosen and Roarke break down the Miller trade from the Canucks’ angle, talking about the pressure that now falls on Elias Pettersson‘s shoulders. They ask and answer if the Detroit Red Wings and New York Islanders are for real or just middling teams on a hot streak, and they talk about when Alex Ovechkin could break Wayne Gretzky‘s NHL goal record. Ovechkin is 17 goals away from passing The Great One.
They also discuss Finland’s chances at 4 Nations, who should be the starting goalie for Finland and Sweden, and who should replace Alex Pietrangelo on Canada’s defense.
The “NHL @TheRink” podcast presented by SKIP is free and listeners can subscribe on all podcast platforms. It is also available on NHL.com/multimedia/podcasts and the NHL app.
