NHL history keeps being made in Seattle. Just two weeks after the league’s 32nd franchise revealed its name and logo comes another major announcement. Everett Fitzhugh, currently the radio voice of the ECHL’s Cincinnati Cyclones, will become the play-by-play voice of the team. It will make Fitzhugh the first Black team broadcaster in league history.
Kraken CEO and Team President Tod Leiweke read a profile of Fitzhugh on The Athletic in February. He said it wasn’t the first time he had heard the name. NBC’s Doc Emerik had sung Fitzhugh’s praises to Leiweke previously.
In a new story for the site, Ryan S. Clark describes the Kraken’s pursuit of Fitzhugh for the job. It was the team that reached out to Fitzhugh, and despite some hiccups created by Covid-19, the two sides reached a deal that will bring the broadcaster to Seattle.
Fitzhugh told Clark that one of the ways the team sold him on the opportunity was by involving his fiancée in the process.
“They even asked Shelly, ‘What are your reservations?’” Fitzhugh recalled. “[Leiweke] told her, ‘This is not just about Everett. We want to make sure everyone’s happy and feels welcomed into the organization.’ That was really cool to share with her, and it helped me feel more comfortable because it was not just about me.”
Leiweke says he is happy that the Kraken will bring some diversity to the ranks of NHL broadcasters. That isn’t the team’s end goal though. Leiweke says he wants Fitzhugh to be one of the best.
“He has options, and his name was out there, and I want him to come here and make beautiful music and help us turn Seattle into a great hockey town.”
The team has not settled on Everett Fitzhugh’s specific role. He will be calling games on either radio or television. In the meantime, he will serve as a team ambassador in the city.