It's the end of an era for Bruins television broadcasts. NESN play-by-play man Jack Edwards announced on Tuesday that he is retiring at the end of this Bruins season after 19 years as the lead voice on the team's TV broadcasts.
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“I grew up a Bruins fan, and who had more fun than us over the last two decades?” Edwards said in a statement. “In collaboration with Bruins and NESN leadership, I recently decided that the time has come for me to finish my shift as the voice of the Boston Bruins. I am no longer able to attain the standards I set for myself, to honor the fans, the players, the Bruins organization and NESN with the best they all deserve.”
“I retire from broadcasting not with a heavy heart, but gratefulness for a 19-year-long joyride,” he continued. “I owe my career, my own pursuit of happiness, to the love and support of my family. I thank every member of the Bruins and NESN for your loyalty, helping me to achieve and live out a lifetime goal, high above the ice.”
Edwards will be on the call for his final regular-season game Tuesday night against the Ottawa Senators. He will also continue to work through the first round of the playoffs, as NESN will carry those games before every series moves exclusively to national TV in the second round and beyond.
Edwards, 66, has dealt with some sort of speech issue in recent seasons that has caused him to slow down his calls and sometimes stumble over words. He opened up about it to The Boston Globe back in February, saying that he had undergone extensive testing and speech therapy, but that the root cause of the problem had remained unclear.
NESN says that it will conduct a "nationwide search" to find their next Bruins play-by-play voice to join color commentator Andy Brickley for the 2024-25 season.
“Congratulations to Jack on a remarkable career of calling Boston Bruins hockey on NESN,” said Sean McGrail, president and CEO of NESN. “Jack brought a distinctive and colorful personality to our broadcast that was unmistakably his own. I’d like to join everyone at NESN in thanking Jack for his contributions over the past 19 years.”
The Bruins will honor Edwards before Tuesday's regular-season finale and plan to further celebrate his career at some point next season.
“I join the Bruins organization, NESN and hockey fans everywhere in congratulating Jack on an incredible career,” said Charlie Jacobs, CEO and alternate governor of the Bruins. “Jack’s voice has been the soundtrack for generations of Bruins fans that have experienced so many incredible moments. His presence has been felt around the globe and he will forever be a part of the Bruins legacy.”