Last August, the Seattle Kraken named Everett Fitzhugh the team's first play-by-play broadcaster in team history.
Fitzhugh, who spent the previous five seasons as the play-by-play broadcaster and director of media relations for the ECHL's Cincinnati Cyclones, is believed to be the first Black broadcaster to be hired by an NHL franchise in the league's history.
Tom Reed, Dave Molinari and I spoke with Fitzhugh for our 66 to 87 podcast this week to talk about his background, his impressions of the Kraken's picks in the expansion draft and more, an interview that starts at the 34:40 mark of this episode:
Here is the full transcript of the interview with Fitzhugh:
Reed: You're from Detroit originally. You have certainly paid your dues, working up through the minor leagues to get this job. Cincinnati Cyclones, you did some Bowling Green hockey, my hometown Youngstown Phantoms. It's all hockey. Growing up in Detroit, do I need to ask, were you were Red Wings fan? Is that how you got into hockey so much?
Fitzhugh: Yeah, I think initially, it definitely was the Red Wings. When I was really young getting into the sport of hockey, they were going through that back-to-back Cup run in 97-98. But I actually became a hockey fan by watching the Edmonton Oilers, they had two Black players on their team. And for me, it was a really cool thing to see. It was an inspiring thing to see. Because, you know, I'd never seen someone who looked like me playing the game of hockey. So I became an Oilers fan, but the Red Wings were my hometown team, so whenever they won or going through those playoff matchups, it was a lot of fun watching it. I give a lot of credit to those late '90s Red Wings teams, and of course the Edmonton Oilers for really birthing my hockey fandom.
Reed: Also, Everett becoming some history of his own, the first full-time African American broadcaster in the NHL and the only Black play-by-play announcer in any professional level of hockey. So I'm sure you take great pride in like you just saying, kind of the reason you got into this in some ways or your appreciation for the Oilers was getting to see people like you out there. And you are now kind of an inspiration for for some broadcasters out there who love the game.
Fitzhugh: Yeah, it was huge for me. And I tell folks all the time that you never set out to be the first, you never set out to be the trailblazer but if you find yourself in that position, I think it's very important to take on that responsibility. Because I didn't have a whole lot of Black influences within the game of hockey growing up. So when I did see the Georges Laraque of the world, Jarome Iginla, Kevin Weekes, Anson Carter, Mike Grier, I can go on and on. When I did see those guys playing the game, it let me know that I had a place in the game of hockey. And I want to be that same inspiration if I can for the next generation of broadcasters or hockey fans or hockey players. I want that young Black kid who is in Detroit right now or South Seattle or wherever to say, you know what, there is a place for me in this game. There's a place for my voice and my fandom within the game of hockey, and that's really important to me to have that representation within our sport.
Reed: When you look at this roster the team put together, one of the things that kind of stands out is this is kind of a physical team. You look at Brandon Tanev -- we'll get to him a little bit more in a second -- but Adam Larsson, Yanni Gourde, Jamie Oleksiak, was that intentional? In talking with Ron Francis and the head coach there Dave Hakstol, how did that come together?
Fitzhugh: You know, I think it was kind of a mixed bag because you want balance on your team. You've got a guy in Ron Francis who is very big on character. He wants guys who are going to lead by example, represent this team on the ice, in the locker room, in the community. And then Dave Hakstol, who is a guy who really is a fan of fast hockey, he wants his teams to be fast. He wants his teams to set the pace, make other teams play Seattle Kraken hockey, and within that is the physicality aspect of it. Again, you mentioned it -- Larsson, Oleksiak, Tanev -- right there three players who I think are quickly going to endear themselves to the Seattle community and our fan base just for being hard players to play against, players who are willing to block shots and hit and and lay a heavy body on guys and disrupt other teams. I think that is the big piece of this team, and like I said, it was a mixed bag of what they do. But I do believe the overarching theme of this team is going to be a tough, competitive, hard team.
Reed: Taylor was mentioning that it didn't look like it's taken long for Brandon Tanev to already kind of have a little bit of a fan base out there in Seattle with what we saw on the show. What do you think about him, a guy like that with the way he plays the game, when you just mentioned about how Dave Hakstol like speed, they want to be hard to play against, a guy that is he is the very definition of both of those things.
Fitzhugh: You know, I think he will quickly become one of the workhorses of this team, one of the No. 1 options on this team. For that reason, I think you can use him in a variety of situations, in a variety of areas on the ice, and you know, again, a guy who might not be a Crosby might not be an Mc David, but he can go out there and do things that other players can't. And I think that's what Dave's looking for. I think that's what Ron is looking for. And everyone that I talked to in the area here, you know that this is a new NHL market, not necessarily a new hockey market. We've got Western Hockey League teams here and all that. But you know, a lot of folks that I talked to are there on the train of man, I hope we have some fighters. I hope we have some heavy hitters. I hope we have some edge to this team. And I don't think it gets edgier than Brandon Tanev.
Haase: I'm just looking forward to seeing what his headshot is going to look like, his picture. I know he joked about that where he said he saw a ghost.
Fitzhugh: I interviewed him, and the last question that I asked him, I said, 'So give me an interesting fact that people may not know about you.' And he goes, 'Well, have you ever seen any of my headshots whenever the camera lens turns on me? My eyes get pretty wide.' And that was that was the end of the interview. I couldn't stop laughing. So yeah, I'm looking forward to that first Brandon Tanev headshot.
Haase: Ron Francis, he did kind of allude to this, but do you think how Vegas strong-armed teams to cut side deals a few years ago, cut down on that from happening this time around? Teams are smarter this time around?
Fitzhugh: I think so. But that said, I also think because of the cap situation, teams are kind of forced now to maybe expose players, and we saw it this past week, teams were forced to expose players that they may not have wanted to expose because of that salary cap room. I think now with the Kraken with the trade of Tyler Pitlick, you now have $30 million in cap space to play with. And I think the Kraken are going to be in a position to be massive, massive players in free agency. And you already drafted a pretty good core group of guys in the expansion draft. And now you can use that core to go out and lure some potential big free agents. You're now trying to see if you can get some assets to trade. I wouldn't be surprised if that trade market doesn't open up here before free agency to a get a couple of pieces, get a couple of assets and make that more enticing for free agents when they want to sign on the 28th.
Haase: There were some big names who are exposed by other teams. I mean, the Kraken did select Mark Giordano but they pass on some big names like Carey Price, P.K. Subban, Vladimir Tarasenko, James van Riemsdyk. Were you surprised by how much restraint Ron French showed in passing on some of those guys?
Fitzhugh: Yes and no. I think the hockey fan in me sees Gabriel Landeskog and Carey Price and Tarasenko, and the hockey fan in me is like 'What are you doing?!' We got an All-Star, Hall of Fame roster here!' But I think the analyst in me, the hockey guy in me, you know, there's a method to Ron Francis's madness, so to speak. And he plays things very close to the vest, doesn't give a whole lot away. So we knew that coming into the expansion draft, there was going to be a game of chess being played in that. Ron Francis wants to make sure that we have enough money, we have enough room to play with when it comes to the free agency market. There are going to be some players that we may want to take, but their price is going to be a bit too high. Let's pass on these guys. Let's see what we can get in the free agency market. And also remember this, there are some players that were passed up in an expansion draft that are UFA, RFAs coming up. So what's to say? And I don't know this for sure, but what if Ron Francis didn't talk to one or two of those guys and say, 'Hey, we're not gonna select you. But you know, gentleman's handshake agreement. You know what, we'll come back to you on the 28th of July.' Again, I don't know if that happened. But what's to say that wasn't the case? So there is a big chess game going on, obviously, in this league and within the hockey ops department here in Seattle. But with that salary cap being what it is for the next few seasons, I think the Kraken are in a good spot to really get a good core in place going into October.
Molinari: Brandon Tanev is one of two guys on the Kraken who were members of the Penguins at this time a week ago. There hasn't been that much talk, though, about Jared McCann. Where do you think he fits into the plans out there?
Fitzhugh: This is a guy who I kind of feel bad for him. He was traded to Toronto only to be exposed, right? I like the move for him. At 25 years old, he's got a pretty low cap hit, 32 points in 43 games last year, you really can't argue with that. I really like where he fits in, in this role. And I also think to start that power play, I think he's a good option there. I do see him making this team, I do see him having an impact on this team. And again, his ability to play on any of the top three lines from what we've seen in this past. He can really be a Swiss Army knife, if you will, a guy that if you need him on the top line, great. If you need him on the second and third lines, great. Kill penalties, the power play. I like where he fits in with this team. And I think he'll be a guy that in pretty short order becomes one of those really big glue pieces for this franchise.
Molinari: There was a time when you could assume that an expansion team wouldn't finish its first season with anything more than the first pick in the next year's draft. Vegas obviously changed that in 2017, making it all the way to the Cup Final in its first year. What's a realistic goal for Seattle? As things stand now, obviously, there will be a lot of personnel change between now and the end of the season for the Kraken. But going into the season, what's reasonable to expect for this club?
Fitzhugh: I honestly feel like playoffs, that's the low bar. Because given the players that were drafted, the free agents that are available in the division, I mean, Vegas is really the only guarantee when it comes to playoffs in the division, or Edmonton. If you broke down this year's playoffs by the normal non-COVID divisions, Vegas and Edmonton were your top two teams, and then I believe there was a 15-point gap between Edmonton at two, and I believe it was Calgary at three. So there really is only one guaranteed team to make the playoffs. And I think that the Kraken should mentally contend for a playoff spot and be in the playoffs. Depending on what happens in the year, obviously, I think that it's not out of the realm of possibility to see the Kraken contending for a division. Vegas was very, very good out of the gate, maybe hit a little bit of a dip midway through the season. But they were able to get back and make the Cup Final in their first season. So you're spot on as well with with expansion teams not being in a position to make the playoffs. If I'm not mistaken, I read the article two weeks ago that said the Vegas Golden Knights were the first expansion team since 1964 to finish the season with a winning record across sports -- basketball, football, baseball, hockey, anything. The Vegas Golden Knights are the only team to finish with a record above .500, let alone make the playoffs. So things have changed. Things have changed in the expansion market. And I definitely see this Kraken team as a playoff team minimum this season.
