ST. LOUIS — Longtime St. Louis Blues TV broadcaster John Kelly is not going to return subsequent season, the group and its broadcast companions FanDuel Sports activities Community and 101 ESPN introduced Thursday evening.
The choice to half methods with the veteran tv broadcaster was “a joint” one between the Blues and FanDuel Sports activities Community, the group’s enterprise CEO Chris Zimmerman mentioned Friday.
“Our broadcasters have at all times been staff of the regional community,” Zimmerman mentioned. “The choice is a joint choice.”
The group has determined to simulcast its video games beginning with the 2025-26 season, utilizing longtime radio play-by-play man Chris Kerber and analyst Joey Vitale as its voices for each tv and radio.
“In the end, together with FanDuel, we’re charging ourselves with creating probably the most partaking, entertaining, in addition to informative product as we will,” Zimmerman mentioned. “We predict Kerbs, his skills are unquestioned. We consider that we’ve obtained among the best within the enterprise, and between the 2 of them, they’ve a chemistry, a dedication to the sport, a dedication to studying, a dedication to our model that’s going to present us a dynamic, recent broadcast.”
Chris Kerber and Joey Vitale will simulcast video games on @FanDuelSN_MW and @101espn; John Kelly departs amid strategic realignment and expanded pre and postgame protection. #stlblues
DETAILS ➡️ https://t.co/yzbuBsWz7u https://t.co/yzbuBsWz7u
— St. Louis Blues (@StLouisBlues) July 10, 2025
The Blues announced a multiyear contract with Diamond Sports activities Group final October, after which Diamond rebranded Bally Sports activities to FanDuel Sports activities. The corporate had been in chapter and had since undergone adjustments, resulting in suspicion that the choice was a cost-cutting transfer.
“I undoubtedly wouldn’t characterize it as a cost-cutting transfer,” Zimmerman mentioned. “I feel backdrop does have to start out with the adjustments within the enterprise. The final two years have most likely been probably the most difficult, actually in managing native media rights. For many of that point, our companion was in chapter.
“Are there some prices saved by not having two separate productions? Certain. However if you have a look at the scope of our enterprise, what we’re investing in, how we’re investing, it’s simply not the motive force … This transfer wouldn’t be occurring until it was a part of a dedication to consider that we may be higher. Our objective is to have one of the best broadcast within the league.”
The announcement that Kelly would not be on the published after 21 seasons with the Blues — following within the footsteps of his father Dan Kelly, a broadcasting legend who introduced the household to St. Louis from Ottawa in 1968 — was a shock.
The Blues’ take care of FanDuel runs by way of the 2026-27 season. The contracts of Kelly and TV analyst Jamie Rivers expired after the playoffs, and, in accordance with a supply briefed on the matter who is just not licensed to talk publicly concerning the subject, the 2 have been negotiating new offers with FanDuel as not too long ago as three weeks in the past.
However not too long ago, there was a change, and on Wednesday, Kelly was notified that he wouldn’t be returning and Rivers’ function was modified to an analyst on the pre- and postgame present.
Zimmerman mentioned the uncertainty of the Blues’ path ahead with their broadcast and the delay of their choice stemmed from FanDuel bringing in new senior manufacturing and programming management in Norby Williamson and Jay Rothman.
“We hadn’t met till two months in the past,” he mentioned. “They got here on after FanDuel got here out of chapter. They introduced lots of recent concepts and so they’re coming into the image and desirous to carry a little bit bit totally different really feel to the manufacturing has additionally performed a job.
“So the timing — why couldn’t we’ve got gotten right here sooner? We couldn’t have. These aren’t regular instances and so they haven’t been. Our relationship and the place we’d be broadcasting subsequent 12 months, all of this stuff, have been a fluid, ongoing evaluation. We didn’t end that evaluation and checking out what we have been doing with FanDuel.”
When requested if the Blues have been conserving the Kelly household’s lengthy historical past with the Blues, and the broadcaster’s loyalty to the franchise in thoughts in the course of the course of, Zimmerman replied: “On daily basis.”
“On daily basis that we labored on this, evaluating the choice, working with our companion — daily John Kelly and the Kelly household have been with out query central,” he mentioned. “This was probably the most tough choice that possibly I’ve been concerned in. He’ll eternally be celebrated by the Blues and our followers. For the enterprise wants and the challenges that we’ve got, all of this stuff, they’ve been completed with as a lot care as we consider that we might carry to this. We extremely valued the Kelly household, what they contributed to this model. John has continued that and he’s somebody that we are going to honor and have the utmost respect for.”
Kelly didn’t instantly return a message when contacted by The Athletic, however he did present an announcement through social media.
“The Blue Observe will at all times maintain a particular place in our household, and it has been a privilege to be a part of this group’s journey,” he wrote. “My late father, Dan Kelly, helped pioneer the sport of hockey in St. Louis, and having the chance to hold on that legacy on this metropolis has been one of many best honors of my life.”
Thanks, St. Louis. pic.twitter.com/Y4qteWG5u3
— John Kelly (@Jkellyhockey) July 11, 2025
The Blues will probably be including Hockey Corridor of Fame defenseman Chris Pronger to the pre- and postgame present, becoming a member of Rivers and Bernie Federko. Andy Strickland will broaden his function as a rinkside reporter for all Blues video games, residence and away, and also will host the pre- and postgame present for the away video games.
“I consider that this group goes to succeed,” Zimmerman mentioned. “This choice is about working to construct one thing along with our companion that we consider could be a success. That’s all that’s sensible for us to be taking a look at proper now — what’s proper forward of us and the way we proceed to evolve.
“There could also be another parts that we proceed to evolve over the summer time round our technique. But it surely’s a really gifted, dynamic group in (Kerber and Vitale), and a extremely sturdy group to placed on TV and radio and assist construct our model.”
A model that may not embrace Kelly.
After some widespread backlash from the choice Friday, Zimmerman was requested what he’d say to these upset Blues followers.
“I’d say I utterly perceive,” he mentioned. “It’s a difficult announcement to listen to and it’s sudden. However I’d say that — simply as we do on the ice — we’re working to carry what we consider may be one of the best product and one of the best expertise viewing our video games as doable. We’ve made a really onerous choice and we make it with huge respect for John and what he means and can at all times imply to our group, and his household as effectively.”
(Photograph: Mark Buckner / NHLI through Getty Photos)
