TORONTO — Former NHL goaltender Kevin Weekes says he always knew he was going to become a broadcaster once his hockey career ended, it just came down to timing.
“It was just a matter of where, when and with whom,” Weekes said in an interview Tuesday. “Those questions have been answered.”
The CBC announced this month that Weekes would work as a colour analyst on Hockey Night in Canada this season. Weekes, 34, capped his on-ice career by playing 16 games with the New Jersey Devils last season.
“This is my second career and I’m all into this,” Weekes said. “I’m really looking forward to this now.”
Weekes, who also worked as an analyst for the NHL Network during the playoffs last spring, will work on HNIC broadcasts for West Coast games.
The Toronto native said that moving from the ice to the broadcast booth is often a natural transition for netminders.
“We see the game from a unique perspective,” Weekes said. “I think, much like quarterbacks in football or a catcher in baseball, it’s a very unique vantage point in terms of not only how you see the game, but how you process the game as well. . . . I think that’s why you see so many former goaltenders that have gone into this side of the business.
“We have a certain sense about the game and how we read it. We’re able to translate that.”
Former NHL Players’ Association director of player affairs Glenn Healy is returning to the CBC this season. Fellow former goaltenders Kelly Hrudey and Greg Millen are also on the HNIC lineup.
In addition to the Devils, Weekes played for the Florida Panthers, Vancouver Canucks, New York Islanders, Tampa Bay Lightning, Carolina Hurricanes and the New York Rangers over 11 NHL seasons.