Los Angeles Kings Original Broadcaster Returning to Booth
By Ian Smith
The Los Angeles Kings are truly coming full circle during their 50th anniversary celebration. Jiggs McDonald, the original voice of the Kings, is returning to the broadcast booth to call the upcoming game between the Kings and Florida Panthers.
He’ll pair with color commentator Jim Fox for the matchup, as part of the reduced workload that Bob Miller agreed to this season.
Miller was expected to call only home games and a few select road games after undergoing quadruple bypass surgery last season.
In the wake of his mild stroke about a week ago, it’s unclear whether Miller will still call home games like originally planned, but this McDonald substitution isn’t related to the most recent Miller health scare, considering that it’s a road game.
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McDonald served as the very first play-by-play announcer for the Kings when they entered the NHL as an expansion team for the 1967 season.
He called the first 5 seasons in franchise history before leaving in 1972. Roy Storey then spent a season as the new play-by-play broadcaster before Miller took over.
McDonald has the special distinction of having called the very first preseason, regular season, and postseason games in franchise history.
This is expected to be the final broadcast for McDonald before he officially retires, and it has certainly been a remarkable career.
He worked as a broadcaster for the Atlanta Flames, but when they moved to Calgary he joined the New York Islanders. He spent 15 seasons calling Islanders games, and the team won 3 Stanley Cups during his tenure.
Later in his career, he served as the play-by-play announcer for the Toronto Maple Leafs on telecasts and the Panthers on radio, and has filled in from time to time with some of his former teams in recent years.
He was given the Foster Hewitt Memorial Award by the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1990 for broadcasting excellence.
There’s definitely a lingering sadness associated with the occasion because of Miller’s health problems, but it’s simultaneously remarkable that McDonald gets to take one final bow where it all started for him.
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Fans of hockey in general should try to catch this game if they have the means. McDonald is one of the greatest broadcasters of all time, and the added emotions connected to this circumstance warrant attention.