Kelly Hrudey's replacement on Calgary Flames broadcasts has been revealed
It appears that Sportsnet has already chosen a replacement for Kelly Hrudey on Calgary Flames regional television broadcasts.
Sports media insider Jonah Sigel reported on Friday that Kevin Sawyer will take over as the Flames colour commentator on television.
“I am told [Kevin Sawyer] is your Kelly Hrudey replacement,” Sigel said via social media. “He will for sure be on the Calgary Flames regional games.”
Sawyer is a former NHL enforcer who racked up 403 penalty minutes in 110 games with the St. Louis Blues, Boston Bruins, Phoenix Coyotes, and Anaheim Mighty Ducks before playing his last professional game during the 2002-03 season.
The 52-year-old from Christina Lake, B.C. had been working on Winnipeg Jets regional broadcasts with TSN since the 2017-18 season.
Kevin Sawyer is leaving TSN for Sportsnet. (TSN)
Hrudey revealed on Wednesday that he had departed Sportsnet after they did not renew his contract. The 65-year-old had been a fixture on Hockey Night in Canada since retiring from pro hockey in 1998, and even appeared on national broadcasts during the final years of his playing career.
Flames broadcasts on Sportsnet have undertaken big changes in recent years. Play-by-play man Rick Ball left for a job with the Chicago Blackhawks in 2024, and was replaced by Jon Abbott. Ryan Leslie took a job with the Toronto Maple Leafs last year, with Brendan Parker stepping in as the new host. And now Sawyer joins the ranks, in place of Hrudey.
Just what will become of Flames broadcasts on radio is still to be determined after Rogers pulled the plug on Sportsnet 960. While Rogers has retained the radio rights in Vancouver and plans to broadcast Canucks games on one of the city’s FM stations, in Calgary they simply relinquished the Flames radio broadcast rights.
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