John Kelly
North 1978
National Hockey League fans are familiar with the voice of John Kelly, who for many years has provided play-by-play announcing for the St. Louis Blues.
Kelly began his career calling American Hockey League games on the radio for the St. Catharines Saints and the Adirondack Red Wings. In 1988, he became the NHL’s radio announcer for the New York Rangers. For three seasons, 1989- 92, he provided play-by-play for both radio and television simulcasts for the St. Louis Blues. He then joined the Tampa Bay Lightning expansion team for three seasons before moving his microphone to Denver, where he announced games on FSN Rocky Mountain for the Colorado Avalanche. After the Avalanche won the Stanley Cup in 1996 and 2001, he emceed the celebrations to an audience of more than 100,000 fans in downtown Denver. He returned to St. Louis in 2005 to again announce games for the Blues on the Fox Sports Midwest network and KPLR-TV.
During the 1997-98 NHL season, Kelly provided national broadcasts for Fox Sports. Additionally, he was privileged to broadcast play-off games for the Outdoor Life Network (now Versus Network). He obtained his realtor’s license while the NHL was on strike in 2004-05.
A native Canadian, John is the son of the late Dan Kelly, who announced games for the St. Louis Blues for 21 years. His younger brother, Dan, also is a professional hockey announcer.
Kelly assists numerous not-for-profit organizations, including the Dan Kelly Memorial Golf Tournament, which has raised thousands of dollars for the American Cancer Society and the St. Louis Blues Fourteen Fund. He has helped other organizations by emceeing events, playing charity tournaments, donating tickets, autographing hockey memorabilia, and modeling in a fashion show with his daughter.
A graduate of Southern Illinois University-Edwardsville, Kelly graduated with a B.S. degree in mass communications in 1983.
He and his wife, Jennifer, have three children.