Seattle Kraken to Have NHL's First Black Full-Time Play-By-Play Announcer

The Seattle Kraken named Everett Fitzhugh as the team's broadcaster on Friday, the team announced. 

Fitzhugh will become the NHL's first Black full-time team play-by-play broadcaster, according to NHL.com.

The 31-year-old Fitzhugh most recently spent the past five seasons with the ECHL’s Cincinnati Cyclones, an affiliate of the Buffalo Sabres. In addition to providing radio play-by-play, he handled all matters related to broadcasting as well as media-relations duties for the club..

“As someone who’s worked in hockey for over a decade and who has a long-held passion for broadcasting hockey, to be named a part of the broadcast and content team for a brand-new NHL franchise — particularly one with an organization as strong as the Kraken — is a dream come true,” Fitzhugh said in a release. “Getting to the NHL has always been my goal. I look forward to representing the Kraken organization throughout the greater Seattle community.”

In February, The Athletic noted that Fitzhugh, 31, was the only Black play-by-play announcer in all of North American professional hockey at the time.

It remains unclear whether Fitzhugh will do radio or TV broadcasts for the club.

In July, nearly 20 months after the NHL announced it had approved a Seattle expansion team, the new franchise announced its new name and unveiled a logo.

Though the ultimate choice was the Kraken, there were a dozen other options on the table.