Calgary Flames fans now know who will be calling games for the team on Sportsnet next season.
Following the departure of longtime Flames broadcaster Rick Ball this summer, the team announced that veteran hockey PxP man Jon Abbott would take over the job starting in the 2024-25 season.
Abbott has an extensive history calling NHL games, having worked for TSN as the PxP man for both the Vancouver Canucks and the Ottawa Senators. He also had the radio call for Toronto Maple Leafs games in the early-to-mid 2010s.
He most recently was the PxP call for the Senators on TSN.
“It is an honour to join both the Sportsnet and Flames families,” Abbott said in a release from the team. “I look forward to many years of great hockey memories in Calgary.”
“I can’t be more thankful to be able to live out that dream starting in October.”@AbbsPxP is ready for the season to get underway 🙌 pic.twitter.com/R2GhXbOz1n
— Calgary Flames (@NHLFlames) August 26, 2024
Abbott will join fellow Flames Sportsnet colleagues Kelly Hrudey and Greg Millen in the booth alongside host Ryan Leslie, who will return for another season covering the Flames.
It’s an exciting addition to the Flames regional broadcast team that Sportsnet is also looking forward to come October.
“Jon Abbott is a fantastic addition to the Flames on Sportsnet broadcast booth, especially as we begin our new 11-year regional broadcast partnership with Calgary,” said Rob Corte, VP of Sportsnet and NHL Production, in a release. “His passion for hockey and this industry is infectious.”
Abbott will move to Calgary in October with his wife and three young children. He can hardly wait to call the city home.
Our family is incredibly thankful for the opportunity to join the @Sportsnet team and excited to become part of the broadcast crew covering the Flames. We can’t wait to call Alberta home! Flames fans, is it October yet?! https://t.co/pV3QK6xZSl
— Jon Abbott (@AbbsPxP) August 26, 2024
If fans are eager to see how the new guy sounds on the broadcast, the Flames have you covered. The team posted a YouTube video of Abbott calling some of last season’s best goals from the club.
It’s been a summer of change for Flames fans after the team started construction on a brand-new arena and unveiled a new and improved jumbotron that is set to hang in the Saddledome rafters this upcoming season.
One can only hope that Abbott’s first year on the job will be filled to the brim with Flames goal calls.