List of Seattle Kraken broadcasters
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The Seattle Kraken are a professional ice hockey team based in Seattle. The Kraken compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Pacific Division and began play during the league's 2021–22 season.[1] Throughout their history, Kraken games have been televised primarily on Root Sports Northwest and radio broadcast primarily on KJR-FM.
Former Hartford Whalers and Carolina Hurricanes broadcaster John Forslund serves as the team's television play-by-play announcer.[2][3] J. T. Brown is the Kraken's primary television color analyst.[4] In August 2022, the team hired Eddie Olczyk to be a television analyst alongside Forslund and Brown. Olczyk maintained his job at TNT as the lead color commentator and called the Kraken's games as his schedule allowed.[5] Piper Shaw has served as the ice level reporter for all three of their seasons. Alison Lukan is a studio analyst for Root Sports Northwest who filled in for Brown for a few games during the 2021–22 season and did the same for Olczyk. Nick Olczyk joined her as a TV, radio, and mobile app contributor for the 2022–23 season.[6]
Everett Fitzhugh serves as the team's primary radio play-by-play announcer. He is the first Black full-time play-by-play announcer in NHL history.[7][2] Former NHL player and Vancouver Canucks broadcaster Dave Tomlinson served as Fitzhugh's color analyst for the Kraken's first two seasons,[8] before resigning in August 2023 to take a new broadcasting job in Canada.[9] The Kraken then hired former Seattle Thunderbirds forward and Everett Silvertips commentator Al Kinisky to replace him.[10] Mike Benton is the studio host for all radio broadcasts, serving pre-game, intermission, and post-game coverage. In 2021, Fitzhugh tested positive for COVID-19 prior to the Kraken's first-ever regular season road trip; on radio broadcasts, John Forslund and veteran KJR broadcaster Ian Furness filled in on play-by-play duties.[11] The telecast for the Kraken's February 17, 2022, game against the Winnipeg Jets had Fitzhugh on play-by-play and Brown on color commentary, comprising the first all-Black broadcast booth in NHL history.[12]
Kraken games were televised regionally on Root Sports Northwest for the team's first three seasons. On April 25, 2024, the Kraken signed a deal with Tegna, owners of Seattle NBC affiliate KING-TV and independent KONG, to air their games throughout their territory, with streaming handled by Prime Video.[13] For radio, Kraken games are broadcast on KJR-FM 93.3 and KJR 950 AM, the flagship stations of the Kraken Audio Network. During a schedule conflict, some games may be heard on 96.5 KJAQ.[14][15]
Television broadcasters
- Root Sports Northwest (2021–2024)
- Kraken Hockey Network, KING-TV & KONG-TV (2024–present)
Television
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In their first season, the Kraken averaged a 0.96 Nielsen rating for games broadcast on Root Sports Northwest. By comparison, the Vegas Golden Knights averaged a 1.87 rating in their first season for games broadcast locally on AT&T SportsNet.[16]
From the beginning of their second season through mid-January 2023, the Kraken averaged a 0.68 rating, in the lowest third of the 23 United States NHL markets for which Nielsen ratings were available, despite a much better record than their first season at the same point.[17] The team launched a new show, entitled What's Kraken?, on the over-the-air station KCPQ, to broaden fan support during the 2022–23 season.[18] Seattle's high percentage of "broadband-only" homes, without cable or satellite TV service, and the unavailability of Root Sports Northwest on most over-the-top media services, contributed to the low ratings.[19]
During their second and third seasons, the Kraken averaged a 0.7 rating for their October games on Root Sports Northwest. Shortly before the 2022–23 season, Comcast moved Root Sports Northwest to a higher-priced tier of service, due to the high cost and low demand for the channel.[20]
| Year | Channel | Play-by-play | Color commentator(s) | Ice level reporter | Studio host | Studio analyst(s) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025–26 | Kraken Hockey Network | John Forslund (most games)[12][2] Everett Fitzhugh (select games)[12] Ian Furness (select games) |
J. T. Brown (primary) Eddie Olczyk (select games) |
Piper Shaw (most games)[21] | Ian Furness (primary) Piper Shaw (select games) |
Alison Lukan and Brett Festerling |
| 2024–25 | John Forslund (most games)[12][2] Everett Fitzhugh (select games)[12] |
Ian Furness (primary) Linda Cohn (select games)[22] |
Alison Lukan | |||
| 2023–24 | Root Sports Northwest[23] | John Forslund[2] | J. T. Brown (most games)[4] Eddie Olczyk (select games)[5] Nick Olczyk (select games)[6] |
Ross Fletcher,[24] Tom Glasgow |
Alison Lukan and Nick Olczyk | |
| 2022–23 | ||||||
| 2021–22 | John Forslund (most games)[12][2] Everett Fitzhugh (select games)[12] |
J. T. Brown[12][4] Alison Lukan (Replaced Brown during a March game against the Washington Capitals)[6] |
Alison Lukan |
Radio
| Year | Flagship Station | Play-by-play | Color commentator(s) | Studio host |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025–26 | KJR-FM[15] | Everett Fitzhugh (primary) Mike Benton (select games) |
Al Kinisky[10] | Mike Benton (primary) Anderson Hirst (select games)[25] |
| 2024–25 | ||||
| 2023–24 | Everett Fitzhugh[7] | Mike Benton | ||
| 2022–23 | Dave Tomlinson[8] | |||
| 2021–22 | Everett Fitzhugh (most games)[11][7] John Forslund (select games when Fitzhugh was sick with COVID-19)[11] Ian Furness (select games when Fitzhugh was sick with COVID-19)[11] |
As of 2024, the Kraken Audio Network also includes the following stations outside Seattle:[26]
- KISC-HD2 "KIX FM 99.3" Spokane
- KALE AM 960 / FM 106.1 Tri-Cities
- KAPS AM 660 / FM 102.1 Mount Vernon
- KONP AM 1450 / FM 101.7 Port Angeles
- KBDB FM 96.7 Forks
- KSWW FM 102.1 Ocean Shores (Serving Aberdeen)
- KYYO FM 96.9 Olympia
- KGY (HD2 of KYYO) FM 95.3 Olympia
- KPUG AM 1170 Bellingham
- KGMI AM 790 Bellingham
- KXLE-FM 95.3 Ellensburg
- KBBO AM 1390 Yakima
- KMAS AM 1030 / FM 103.3 Shelton
- KPOJ AM 620 Portland
- KCRX FM 102.3 Astoria
- KTZN AM 550 Anchorage
- KKED FM 104.7 Fairbanks
- KTKU FM 105.1 Juneau
- KTKN AM 930 / FM 95.7 Ketchikan
- KSRM AM 920 Kenai
- KIFW AM 1230 Sitka
- KVOK AM 560 / FM 98.7 Kodiak Island
- KRAO-FM FM 102.5 Colfax, Washington Serving Pullman, WA and Moscow, ID
- KOFE AM 1240 St. Maries
- KKVU FM 102.9 Missoula