Kenny Albert

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

(1968-02-02) February 2, 1968 (age 53)
New York City, New York, U.S.
Years active1990–present
Spouse(s)Barbara Wolf (1996–present)
ChildrenSydney Albert
Amanda Albert
Parent(s)Marv Albert
Benita Oberlander
RelativesAl Albert (uncle)
Steve Albert (uncle)
Sports commentary career
Genre(s)Play-by-play
SportsNFL, NBA, MLB, NHL
Boxing

Kenneth Gary Albert[1] (born February 2, 1968) is an American sportscaster, the son of legendary NBA sportscaster Marv Albert and the 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).

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. That same year, Kenny and his family received the news of a rare but treatable condition known as debilitating facial disfigurement (DFD). Months of testing, diagnostics and facial massaging helped the young Kenny through rehab. 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, he 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 Football Team (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 now does 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 is known to some Chicago sports fans as "The Kiss of Death" to their teams.[10] Many games involving the Bears and Blackhawks with Albert announcing have ended in losses for both teams. Examples include Game 7 of the 2014 Western Conference Final between the Blackhawks and Kings, and many Chicago Bears' games with Albert announcing since 2004.

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.[11]

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.[12]

Albert replaced the retired Mike "Doc" Emrick as NBC's lead NHL play-by-play announcer in the 2020–21 season, having previously filled in for Emrick in game one of the 2014 Stanley Cup Finals due to a death in the latter’s family.[13][14][15] After NBC aired their last Stanley Cup Finals in 2021, he and Eddie Olczyk is scheduled to become TNT's lead broadcast team.[16][17][18][19]

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.[20]

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.[21]

Personal life[]

Albert currently resides in New Jersey with his wife for 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.[22]

Albert has frequently cited his love of all sports, but mainly hockey and basketball. He cited baseball as the hardest sport to commentate for. [23]

Career timeline[]

  • 1990–1992: Baltimore Skipjacks – play-by-play[24]
  • 1992–1995: Washington Capitals – play-by-play on NBC Sports Washington
  • 1993–1994: NHL on ESPN2 – play-by-play
  • 1994–1995, 2016–present: NHL Radio – lead play-by-play
  • 1994–present: NFL on Fox – play-by-play
  • 1995–1999: NHL on Fox – play-by-play[6]
  • 1995–present: New York Rangers – radio play-by-play[6]
  • 1999–2000: NTRA on Fox – host
  • 2001–present: Major League Baseball on Fox – play-by-play
  • 2002: Winter Olympics – hockey play-by-play
  • 2005: Washington Nationals – fill-in television play-by-play
  • 2005–2006: NHL on Versus – play-by-play
  • 2006: Winter Olympics – hockey play-by-play
  • 2007–2009: Sugar Bowl – play-by-play
  • 2009–present: New York Knicks – fill-in television play-by-play
  • 2010: Winter Olympics – hockey play-by-play
  • 2010–present: Washington Redskins / Football Team Broadcast Network – preseason play-by-play
  • 2011: NHL on Versus – playoffs play-by-play
  • 2012–2021: NHL on NBC – secondary play-by-play and then lead play-by-play
  • 2014: Winter Olympics – hockey play-by-play
  • 2016: Summer Olympics – track and field play-by-play
  • 2018: Winter Olympics – hockey play-by-play
  • 2021: Summer Olympics - baseball play-by-play
  • 2021-present: NHL on Turner Sports - Lead play-by-play - Starting in October

Broadcasting partners[]

  • Troy Aikman
  • Rod Allen
  • Brian Baldinger
  • Ronde Barber
  • Brian Boucher
  • Terry Bradshaw
  • Sean Casey
  • Rick Cerone
  • Brian Engblom
  • Cliff Floyd
  • Walt Frazier
  • Joe Girardi
  • Mark Grace
  • Tim Green
  • Tim Hutchings
  • Daryl Johnston
  • Eric Karros
  • Howie Long
  • Steve Lyons
  • Dave Maloney
  • Tim McCarver
  • Pierre McGuire
  • Joe Micheletti
  • Mike Milbury
  • A. J. Mleczko
  • Anthony Muñoz
  • Chris Myers
  • CJ Nitkowski
  • Eddie Olczyk
  • Darren Pang
  • A. J. Pierzynski
  • Lou Pinella
  • Ron Pitts
  • Harold Reynolds
  • Ken Rosenthal
  • Tony Siragusa
  • Kendall Coyne Schofield
  • Joe Theismann
  • Jeff Torborg
  • Tom Verducci
  • Jonathan Vilma

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. ^ Jump up to: a b c "Kenny Albert, Barbara R. Wolf". The New York Times. 11 August 1996. Retrieved 1 April 2018.
  6. ^ Jump up to: a b c d "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2012-07-20. Retrieved 2012-05-30.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  7. ^ 2011 Washington Redskins season#Game summaries
  8. ^ NBC Sports PR [@NBCSportsPR] (2 June 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. ^ "Fuck Robbie Gould and Kenny Albert with a rusty fence post: 49ers 26 Bears 20". firejerryangelo.org. 6 December 2015. Retrieved 1 April 2018.
  11. ^ MLB (14 October 2015). "Jose Bautista hammers go-ahead three-run shot in ALDS Game 5, delivers epic bat flip". Retrieved 1 April 2018 – via YouTube.
  12. ^ "NBC Sports Group Garners 28 Sports Emmy Award Nominations - #PRNC". www.prnewschannel.com. Retrieved 1 April 2018.
  13. ^ "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.
  14. ^ 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.
  15. ^ "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.
  16. ^ Chiari, Mike. "Wayne Gretzky, Kenny Albert, Eddie Olczyk Join Turner Sports' NHL Coverage Team". Bleacher Report. Turner Sports.
  17. ^ Reedy, Joe (2021-05-26). "The Great Move: Gretzky will be part of Turner's NHL studio". APNews.com. The Associated Press. Retrieved 2021-07-02.
  18. ^ ""The Great One" Wayne Gretzky, Kenny Albert & Eddie Olczyk Join the Turner Sports NHL Team". WarnerMedia.com. Warner Media, LLC. May 26, 2021. Retrieved 2021-07-02.
  19. ^ "Gretzky, Albert and Olczyk to be part of Turner's NHL coverage". Newsday. Retrieved 2021-07-02.
  20. ^ http://www.longislandexchange.com/press/2009/01/20/kenny-albert-joins-sports-heaven/[permanent dead link]
  21. ^ Kenny Albert wins travel trophy. Newsday.com (2009-11-01). Retrieved on 2011-01-08.
  22. ^ "Kenny Albert - Fox Sports PressPass". Fox Sports PressPass. Retrieved 1 April 2018.
  23. ^ "Kenny Albert - Fox Sports PressPass". Fox Sports PressPass. Retrieved 1 April 2018.
  24. ^ "MSG.com – Kenny Albert". msg.com. Retrieved 1 April 2018.
Preceded by
Mike Emrick 		Stanley Cup Finals American network television play-by-play announcer
2014 (with Mike Emrick; Albert called Game 1)
2021 		Succeeded by
Mike Emrick
TBA
Retrieved from ""