John Forslund facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
John Forslund
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Forslund in February 2012
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| Born | February 14, 1962 |
| Education | BA, Springfield College MA, Athletic Management, Adelphi University |
| Occupation | Broadcaster |
| Spouse(s) | Natalie |
| Children | 3 |
John Forslund is an American sports announcer. He is famous for calling exciting hockey games. Currently, he is the TV voice for the Seattle Kraken. Before that, he worked for the Carolina Hurricanes. He was with them from 1991 to 2020. He started when they were the Hartford Whalers.
Early Life and Learning
John Forslund was born on February 14, 1962. He grew up in Springfield, Massachusetts. From a young age, John knew he wanted to be a hockey announcer. He would practice by turning down the TV sound. Then he would call the games himself. His dad would even pretend to be the "color commentator." This is someone who adds extra details during a game.
John went to Cathedral High School. After that, he studied at Springfield College. He later earned a master's degree from Adelphi University. This degree was in athletic management.
Starting His Career
After finishing college, John began his career. From 1984 to 1991, he worked for the American Hockey League's Springfield Indians. He did both TV and radio broadcasts for them. In 1989, he won the Ken McKenzie Award. This award goes to the best publicist or announcer in the AHL.
In 1991, John joined the Hartford Whalers team. He started as their public relations director. By 1995, he became the main TV announcer for the Whalers. He also worked as a radio analyst for games not shown on TV.
When the Whalers team moved to Carolina in 1997, it was a big moment. John said the final game in Hartford was very emotional. Everyone involved was sad to see the team leave.
Calling NHL Games
During his time with the Carolina Hurricanes, John Forslund became a well-known voice. He called games for many big sports networks. These included ESPN National Hockey Night, NHL on Versus, NBCSN, and NBC Sports. He also announced college basketball games. He covered teams from the ACC and SEC.
Because of his great work, John won awards. He was named the North Carolina Sportscaster of the Year in both 2018 and 2019. These awards came from the National Sports Media Association.
John's contract with the Hurricanes ended in 2020. He then started calling games for NBC Sports during the 2020 Stanley Cup playoffs. On January 26, 2021, John announced his new job. He became the TV play-by-play announcer for the new Seattle Kraken team. They started playing in the NHL in the fall of 2021. In 2022, John also joined the NHL on TNT team. He sometimes calls games for them too.
In April 2024, a big change happened for Canadian hockey fans. Rogers Communications made a deal with Amazon Prime Video. This deal meant some Monday night NHL games would be shown on Prime Video. In September, it was announced that John Forslund would be the main announcer for Prime Monday Night Hockey. The first game was on October 14, 2024.
About His Family
John Forslund is married to his wife, Natalie. They have three children together. They have two daughters and one son. His son Matthew plays ice hockey. He even plays with the son of Brad McCrimmon, who used to work with John.
