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Jack Edwards (born March 1957)[2][1] is an American former sports commentator and reporter. From 2005 to 2024, he provided play-by-play commentary for Boston Bruins games on NESN television. From 1991 to 2003, he worked for ESPN as an anchor for their sports news program SportsCenter, as well as a play-by-play commentator for their NHL, MLS, Little League Baseball, and 2002 FIFA World Cup broadcasts. Edwards provided commentary for the Konami soccer video game MLS Extra Time 2002.
Jack Edwards | |
|---|---|
.jpg) Edwards in 2006 | |
| Born | March 1957 (age 67) |
| Alma mater | University of New Hampshire |
| Years active | 1980s–2024 |
| Spouse | Lisa Kraus |
| Sports commentary career | |
| Teams |
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| Genre | Play-by-play |
| Sport(s) | Ice hockey, association football |
| Employer |
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Early career
Edwards started as a play-by-play announcer for the University of New Hampshire hockey team.[3] He then moved on to play-by-play and sports anchor positions at WGIR radio and WMUR-TV in Manchester, New Hampshire.[4] During the early 1980s, he worked as a talk radio host for WRKO in Boston and as a weekend anchor at WJAR-TV in Providence.[4] He then moved to a sports reporter position at WCVB-TV in Boston.[3] While at WCVB-TV, Edwards also served as a freelance play by play announcer for ESPN. Among the events he called were the Davis Cup finals and Frozen Four.[5][6] He also served as a reporter for ABC's coverage of alpine skiing at the 1988 Winter Olympics.[7]
In 1988, Edwards became the weekend sports anchor for Boston's WNEV-TV/WHDH-TV.[8] While working for the then-CBS affiliate, Edwards also called some events for the network, including the US Open and the 1991 Olympic Winterfest.[4][9]
ESPN
In 1991, Edwards joined ESPN as a SportsCenter anchor and reporter.[3] Edwards also did announcing for Little League baseball from 1995 to 2002, the X Games in 1996, ESPN National Hockey Night from 1999 to 2003, and soccer, including coverage of the 2002 FIFA World Cup.[4]
Post-ESPN
In 2003, Edwards joined College Sports Television, a newly launched speciality cable sports channel.[10] Edwards also became play-by-play announcer for Chicago Fire soccer broadcasts on Fox Sports Net Chicago.[11]
Boston Bruins
Edwards began calling Boston Bruins games during the 2005–06 NHL season for NESN, handling the road games while Dale Arnold covered the home games.[4] At the start of the 2007–08 NHL season, Edwards began calling all Bruins games. He received a 2011 Stanley Cup Championship ring for his play-by-play work with the Bruins.[12]
Edwards announced on April 16, 2024, that he would retire from broadcasting following the first round of the 2024 Stanley Cup playoffs.[13] He called his final game on May 2, 2024, a game 6 loss against the Toronto Maple Leafs; rights to broadcasting game 7 were held exclusively by ABC/ESPN+.[14] His final game came one day after that of longtime Boston Celtics play-by-play commentator Mike Gorman, who also announced his retirement prior to the Celtics' 2023–24 season.[15][16]
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Edwards is married to Lisa Kraus.[17] They live in Simsbury, Connecticut.[18] Edwards began seeking speech therapy in the early 2020s as a result of slowed speech, which particularly became noticeable during Edwards' play-by-play commentary.[2]
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