There will be a major change in the Bruins’ television booth in the fall, but familiarity should help with the transition.
After Jack Edwards’ called it a career on his iconic 19-year run behind the microphone last spring, NESN named Judd Sirott as Edwards’ successor on Thursday. Sirott, the Chicago native, has been the B’s radio play-by-play man on 98.5 The Sports Hub for the past seven seasons. He will join long-time analyst Andy Brickley in the booth.
“This job is unrivaled around the National Hockey League,” said Sirott, who credited Edwards for the support he showed him. “It’s not just an Original Six team, it’s the oldest American franchise in the National Hockey League. There’s no market in the country that’s as rich, hockey-wise, as this area here in New England. And I think beyond that, this is such a special city, such a special place. Our family’s been so fortunate to be here for the last number of years.”
While he grew up in Chicago and as a kid started writing letters legendary Blackhawks announcer Pat Foley as well as Mike “Doc’ Emrick to get his foot in the door, Sirott is well-versed in Bruins’ history, name-checking Fred Cusick a couple of times as well as other Boston announcing legends like Gil Santos and Gino Cappelletti.
His career started as a University of Michigan student calling Wolverine games, then did a couple of years calling the now defunct University of Illinois-Chicago games before going to work for the Chicago Wolves, who were then in the International Hockey League. That’s where he met his former partner, Bob Beers, and new partner, Brickley, who were playing for the Utah Grizzlies at the time. He also did national games for HDnet and then worked with the Blackhawks and Cubs for nine years before getting the job covering Bruins’ games.
Sirott, who auditioned in June, said there’s an adjustment to be made going from radio to TV. At morning skates, Sirott works the locker room like a good reporter and has a vast reservoir of knowledge of the game and it’s characters, which should help him in the transition to the tube.
“The craft is different. For Beersie and I on radio, we had to paint the picture. That was the job. Here, we have the picture, so how can we best add to that and make that broadcast sing?” said Sirott.
While one would think owning a pair of Black and Gold sun glasses is part of the gig, Sirott is indeed bullish on the new-look B’s.
“This team is going to be elite defensively once again,” said Sirott. “But now you add in Elias Lindholm, you add in Nikita Zadorov. And for a guy like Lindholm, he’s going to touch so many different aspects of the Bruins’ game, offensively and defensively, on special teams,, winning faceoffs. And I think Nikita Zadorov is going to be very quickly a fan favorite around these parts. That’s going to make the Bruins even better. Plus, as you head into camp, an exciting thing is there’s always a surprise. What is that going to be for the Bruins this season?”
While one vacancy was filled with Sirott taking the TV slot, there’s a play-by-play opening at 98.5. One candidate could be Ryan Johnston, who has hosted The Hockey Show on Saturday mornings during hockey season on the station for a number of seasons.