Jeff Marek facts for kids

Jeffrey James Marek, born Keegan Sean Laughlin on July 9, 1969, is a well-known television and radio host from Stouffville, Ontario, Canada. He is famous for his work in sports broadcasting, especially hockey. Jeff has hosted popular shows like Live Audio Wrestling and Leafs Lunch. He also appeared on TV shows such as TSN's Off The Record and Leafs TV's After the Horn.

In 2007, Jeff became the host of Hockey Night in Canada Radio. He worked with Sportsnet from 2011 until 2024. During his time there, he hosted Hockey Central and The CHL on Sportsnet. He also sometimes hosted Hockey Night in Canada games that were played in the morning.

Jeff's Broadcasting Journey

Jeff Marek began his career by hosting Live Audio Wrestling. This was one of the first radio shows about wrestling and mixed martial arts. During these early days, he earned the nickname "Gentleman" Jeff Marek.

In 2003, Jeff started hosting pre-game and post-game shows for the Toronto Maple Leafs hockey team. This led him to leave The LAW to work full-time in sports radio. He then hosted a daily talk show about the Maple Leafs called Leafs Lunch. He also had his own radio show, The Jeff Marek Show.

Joining Hockey Night in Canada

On September 7, 2007, Jeff announced he would join Hockey Night in Canada. He became a host for their broadcasts on Sirius Satellite Radio. His new show started on October 1, 2007. It quickly became one of the most popular sports shows on Sirius-XM.

The show featured many hockey experts and personalities from CBC's Hockey Night in Canada. These included Kelly Hrudey, Craig Simpson, and Cassie Campbell. Jeff also worked with the CBC on their Hockey Night in Canada broadcasts. He helped launch the I-Desk in 2009.

Jeff also continued to be an on-air personality for Leafs TV. He called the Judo at the 2008 Summer Olympics for CBC.

Moving to Sportsnet

On July 6, 2011, it was announced that Jeff Marek had joined Sportsnet. He left Hockey Night in Canada Radio that summer.

Jeff was also a co-host on the podcast Marek vs. Wyshynski for six years. He later co-hosted another Sportsnet podcast called 32 Thoughts with Elliotte Friedman.

Jeff Marek is also a speaker at the annual NHL Draft Hockey Career Conference. This conference is for the online sports-career training school Sports Management Worldwide.

In July 2024, Jeff left Sportsnet. This happened because he shared information about the 2024 NHL entry draft selections a few moments before they were officially announced. He was part of the broadcast team and knew the picks ahead of time. While no betting was involved, the information was posted online. This alerted league officials to a possible rule break.

Jeff's Life Outside Work

Jeff Marek was adopted. He has since connected with his biological mother. He has two sons, Brody and T.J., with his wife, Claire.

Since 2008, Jeff has been a vegan. He once said that "... Fiends and ..." by the Rheostatics is his favorite song.

Before starting his career in radio, Jeff had planned to study for a Ph.D. in English. However, he accepted an entry-level job at TheFan590, which later became Sportsnet radio.