The New England-born Forslund will call his first national game geared toward a Canadian audience in the first of six games this season on Amazon's weekly Monday package.
The New England-born Forslund will call his first national game geared toward a Canadian audience in the first of six games this season on Amazon's weekly Monday package.
For the past few years, Toronto Maple Leafs games have been called by either Chris Cuthbert from Sportsnet and Hockey Night in Canada, or Gord Miller on TSN. However, that’s set to change as John Forslund will handle play-by-play duties for the first of six games starting Monday when the Leafs face the Tampa Bay Lightning at Scotiabank Arena.
"It's so humbling to be offered the opportunity. And then to be able to do a package like this is just incredible," Forslund said in an interview with The Hockey News on Sunday. "And then when you get to the Leafs, it's like another level."
Entering a passionate hockey market like Toronto can be intimidating for newcomers, but Forslund brings 40 years of play-by-play experience. He began with seven years in the American Hockey League before spending 33 years as the former TV voice of the Hartford Whalers/Carolina Hurricanes. Forslund has also been a national broadcaster for NBC, now TNT, and is currently the local TV voice of the Seattle Kraken.
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While Forslund has previously called games in Canada, this will be his first time working exclusively for a Canadian audience. Before this, Canadian fans could only catch his broadcasts through streaming packages of out-of-town games or when Sportsnet simulcast NBC playoff games.
"Some Canadian fans know of me. Others will get to know me, but I think I've been at this long enough that they've probably been exposed to my style and how I do a game," Forslund explained. "And if not, I hope they like it. More importantly, the goal is to put the game ahead of everything else. The presentation, the production, the way it's packaged, and the way people consume this, I think will be really cool. All the resources you need to make it a big, big show, which the fans deserve. So, yeah, it's very exciting."
In April, Rogers Communications, the current Canadian rights holder for Maple Leafs games, entered into a two-year sub-licensing deal with Amazon, which secured the rights to air Monday night national broadcasts in Canada.
Last month, Amazon announced its broadcast team, featuring Forslund as the play-by-play announcer. He’ll be joined by analysts Jody Shelley, Shane Hnidy, and Thomas Hickey, all former NHL players providing in-depth game analysis. Mark Messier, a six-time Stanley Cup champion, will also make appearances, sharing insights from his storied career. Canadian broadcasters Adnan Virk and Andi Petrillo will co-host the studio segments, while former professional women’s hockey player Blake Bolden will serve as an analyst, bringing her extensive knowledge of the game.
The Hockey News spoke to several talents and producers when Amazon unveiled their plans last month in downtown Toronto, including Mark Askin, who came out of retirement following a 36-year career producing Maple Leafs games for Sportsnet and the now-defunct Leafs TV channel to join Amazon’s broadcast team. He was drawn by the vast resources Amazon has committed to providing Canadians with a top-tier NHL broadcast.
Amazon's debut came earlier this month during the Leafs' final preseason game against the Detroit Red Wings, followed by their first regular-season game in Canada last week when the Montreal Canadiens hosted the Pittsburgh Penguins at Bell Centre in Montreal.
"I've done a ton of national television. And I'm American. But this is different because everything we do matters, but it really matters here," Forslund said. "I feel like this is akin to doing football in the U.S. It’s that big of a deal. So it's exhilarating for me. I had a ball with it."
Forslund decided at a young age that he wanted to be a hockey broadcaster. He was influenced by Canadian announcers like Dan Kelly, who called games in the U.S. and was the local voice for the St. Louis Blues, as well as Fred Cusick, the long-time voice of the Boston Bruins.
Thanks to modern broadcasting technology, Forslund’s familiar voice won’t sound too different to Leafs fans tuning in with out-of-market games and social media clips of Forslund available like never before. With his wealth of experience, Forslund has no plans to change his style, which could be the case for someone new to the role.
From Canadian broadcasters like Dan Kelly to American influences like Fred Cusick and Doc Emrick, Forslund is expected to deliver a familiar and energetic call that should resonate with a Canadian national audience.
"I think I'm just going to do my thing and the way I do it. And we'll just go from there," Forslund said.
The Future of Amazon's Broadcasts in Canada
When Amazon aired its first Canadian broadcast last week in Montreal, NHL commissioner Gary Bettman was among the notable attendees. He highlighted Amazon's vast reach and hinted that, with Canadian NHL rights expiring after the 2025-26 season, Amazon's Maple Leafs broadcasts might be a preview of bigger things to come if the tech giant secures a larger portion of the broadcasting rights in the next deal.
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