Jack Michaels was born on January 23,1974 and is an American ice hockey announcer who is currently the play-by-play announcer for Edmonton Oilers broadcasts on 880 CHED and Sportsnet television.
32 Facts About Jack Michaels
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Jack Michaels was previously the announcer for the Colorado Gold Kings of the West Coast Hockey League from 1999 to 2002, and the Alaska Aces of the ECHL from 2002 to 2010.
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Between 2004 and 2010, Jack Michaels served as the play-by-play announcer for four ECHL All-Star Games.
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Jack Michaels was born in Meadville, Pennsylvania on January 23,1974.
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Jack Michaels is the son of Mary and Lloyd Michaels, who is an English professor at Allegheny College.
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Jack Michaels's father Lloyd was a sports fan and read him the sports section of the newspaper at a young age, hoping it would nurture his interest in other literature.
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Jack Michaels graduated from Meadville Area Senior High School in 1991, and attended Ithaca College to pursue broadcasting.
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Jack Michaels co-hosted a sports program on Ithaca College Television.
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Penguins commentators Mike Lange and Matt McConnell were in the building and heard Jack Michaels' calling the game; after the game ended in double-overtime, they approached him and encouraged him to focus on announcing hockey games full-time.
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Jack Michaels subsequently sent out recordings of his hockey broadcasts to pro teams across the country, and was hired by the Colorado Gold Kings of the West Coast Hockey League in Colorado Springs later that year.
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Jack Michaels started in Colorado Springs as the Gold Kings' director of broadcasting in August 1999, calling the team's games on KKCS.
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Jack Michaels was hesitant to join the Aces at the time, as the team was poorly managed to the point that the owners tried to sell the team on eBay.
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Nonetheless, of the two options, Jack Michaels believed the Aces had more potential with its devoted fan base, and accepted the offer to work in Anchorage.
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The Anchorage Aces announced Jack Michaels' hiring as the team's new broadcaster and director of media relations on August 25,2002.
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Jack Michaels sold sponsorships and advertisements, and managed the team's website.
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Jack Michaels continued his work with the Aces and announced the 2004 ECHL All-Star Game, with Neil Smith as colour commentator.
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Jack Michaels's call of the game-winning goal was broadcast nationally, and subsequently voted by listeners of ESPN Radio as the "Homer Call of the Week".
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Jack Michaels has cited the extra income from his additional responsibilities, as well as a reluctance to move his family, as reasons he rejected several broadcasting positions with teams in the American Hockey League ; this was despite the AHL being a higher-tier league and thus a path to a broadcasting career in the National Hockey League.
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Jack Michaels returned as the play-by-play commentator for the ECHL All-Star Games in 2008,2009 and 2010.
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In January 2016, Jack Michaels was inducted into the Alaska Aces Hall of Fame.
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The Edmonton Oilers of the NHL had an open play-by-play position in the summer of 2010, which Jack Michaels did not take seriously at the time.
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Jack Michaels had previously unsuccessfully applied for the position with the Florida Panthers and New York Islanders, and was doubtful an American would be hired by a Canadian team, based on tradition and issues with immigration.
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Jack Michaels recounts making the sudden decision to apply while driving to the airport for a family vacation, which led him to turn around and mail in a rushed application.
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Jack Michaels flew to Edmonton for an interview a month later, and was offered a position a week and a half later, while on vacation in Hawaii.
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Jack Michaels later described himself as "one of the few people who can say I got my dream job in the dream location, with a week in Hawaii to celebrate".
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Jack Michaels later attributed the success of his application to a positive recommendation from a former Alaska Aces player that lived next to a member of the Oilers' hiring committee, and his inclusion of NBC national ice hockey announcer Mike Emrick on his reference list.
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In December 2013, Jack Michaels made his NHL television debut on Sportsnet as a fill-in for Oilers television announcer Kevin Quinn.
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Jack Michaels was joined by former Oilers forward Louie DeBrusk, who replaced Drew Remenda as colour commentator.
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In November 2021, Jack Michaels called two Oilers games on Hockey Night in Canada.
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Jack Michaels is married to Emily Jack Michaels, who graduated from Meadville Area Senior High School a year after him in 1992.
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The Colorado Gold Kings folded three months later, leading Jack Michaels to leave for a job in Anchorage, Alaska while Emily stayed behind to fulfill her commitment as a teacher for the local school district.
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Jack Michaels ended up spending his first nine months in Anchorage away from his wife, until she moved to join him.