Former Islanders Play By Play Broadcaster Jiggs McDonald Took the Art to Its Highest Level

Jiggs McDonald is the hockey play-by-play man’s play-by-play man.

Please, don’t quarrel with me; I know!

Having worked alongside “John Kenneth” — his real name — for fifteen years, I can assure you that if Jiggs didn’t invent the art of NHL play-by-play it sure sounded as if he did.

New York Islanders fans who remember as far back as 1980, when McDonald invaded Uniondale, know what The Maven means… So do ex-Islanders such as former goalie Glenn (Chico) Resch.

“While Jiggs didn’t invent the art of calling a game,” Resch explained, “he certainly lifted his craft to a new, higher level.”

McDonald honed his NHL warbling to sharpness as the original Los Angeles Kings version of a hockey auctioneer in 1967 with the first NHL expansion.

Jiggs with Gordon Lightfoot and the Stanley Cup

His boss, owner Jack Kent Cooke, insisted that his new ice-talker delete Ken from his name and pick something more original — more catchy! Having grown up reading the then famed comic strip, “Bringing Up Father,” our man chose Jiggs from the strip. He was the henpecked husband of the strip’s Maggie.

At first the nickname, Jiggs, felt strange to the former Kenneth but he got over it because fans loved it as much as they admired his impeccable puck-calling.

When the Atlanta Flames made their NHL debut in 1972, the Jigger was hired by g.,m. Cliff Fletcher. McDonald’s sidekick was Hall of Famer Boom Boom Geoffrion. And what a pair they were.

“The two of them were like the Abbott and Costello of hockey broadcasting” said hockey author Alan Greenberg. “They helped sell the NHL to the Southland.”

No doubt they could have owned the gig forever but when the Flames did an orderly retreat to Calgary, Jiggs said nix to that and wound up with us on Long Island. He succeeded Steve Albert behind the Isles mike and teamed with Isles legend Ed (#18) Westfall.

If Easy Ed was the violin, Jiggs was the bow and they made beautiful music together. Over the decades there never has been a better one-two combo on an NHL screen, and one especially beloved by fans of the Blue and Orange.

From a purely technical viewpoint, McDonald was as good as anyone before or since and better than most. Veteran tv critic Gus Vic put it this way:

“In an era when too many play by play folks are caught up in shtick or decibel level, Jiggs has always been able to hit the sweet spot in all aspects of calling a game. Gifted with excellent pipes, Jiggs on camera presence has long exuded credibility with his knowledge of the NHL as well as providing his audience with the ‘big game feel.’

“It’s the pureness of his call which most resonates Jiggs’ cadence and command of hockey parlance have long worked in perfect harmony; his crescendo building at only the most appropriate moments in calling a play close to the net or on a resounding open ice hit.”

Jiggs sense of humor and humility always impressed me. Try this on for size:

“While I took paychecks from SportsChannel and MSG,” said Jiggs, “I always felt that I was hired by the fans. I knew that if what I was doing didn’t sit right with the fans, then I’d be gone. It was the fans who ‘paid’ me.”

Interestingly, long after Jiggs retired from full-time work, he was brought back to the island to pinch hit for Howie Rose for some games and, more recently, Brendan Burke.

All in all, McDonald’s hockey-calling spans seven decades which is only one of many reasons why he won the Foster Hewitt award in 1990 for excellence at his job. Jerry Passaro, Jiggs’ producer-boss at SportsChannel, explained:

Passaro: “Jiggs was one of the top hockey announcers of his time. He had all the tools for play by play greatness. He was a student of the game and had relationships throughout the league. What’s more, he developed a good chemistry with his broadcast partners. On top of that, Jiggs had a terrific call of the game that set a standard that many followed.”

I love the guy and not because both of us have been mistaken for the fisherman who appears on the club’s alternate uniform!

With our eternal friendship in mind, I decided to get in touch with Jiggs and toss a few topics at him. McDonald’s replies follow:

* PLAY BY PLAY LEGENDS WHO INFLUENCED HIM:

“The great Danny Gallivan, who broadcast Canadiens games, among others, was a big influence as well as Norm Marshall who was with CHML in Hamilton and did the Junior games. I thought he was the person I’d most like to sound like. Overall, I probably married some of Danny and Norm along with that of the great Foster Hewitt who created hockey play by play as far back as the 1920’s. I coupled them all into what became my cadence. The thing that was so special about Foster Hewitt was his voice. It cut through the crowd noise and exuded excitement leading up to scoring opportunities.”

* HIS YOUTHFUL HOCKEY FAVORITES:

” Like every kid growing up in Ontario, I was a Maple Leafs fan. That is, until we got a tv set. It was then that I realized that the Lears weren’t the best. One of my favorites was their captain,(Hall of Famer) Ted Kennedy. In addition, I’d also listen to Rex Stimers doing the St.Catherines Teepees of the Ontario Hockey

Association’s Junior A Division. Several of their players graduated to the Chicago Black Hawks. Players such as Chico Maki, Stan Mikita, Bobby Hull and Pat Stapleton, among others. They inspired me to become a Black Hawks fan.”

* BREAKS THAT ENABLED HIM TO REACH THE NHL:

“When the NHL expanded from six to twelve teams in 1967 that created broadcasting opportunities. That said, at first I didn’t really think about the NHL. My feeling was that I might be able to replace someone in the minors who was moving up to one of the new NHL teams. I was thinking about farm teams in either the American Hockey League or the International Hockey League.”

* HOW HE LANDED THE LOS ANGELES KINGS GIG:

“I kiddingly say that Kings owner Jack Kent Cooke hired me because I’d work cheap. And, come to think of it, I did! The fact is that I only applied to one expansion team and that was because I had known about Cooke from my Ontario home. I was aware of his history of success with radio stations as well as his Toronto Maple Leafs baseball team in the International League. He had already proven to be a successful sports mogul in Canada and I felt he’d be the same at the NHL level.”

* MOVING ON FROM L.A. TO ATLANTA:

“My original Kings contract was for five years. When we began negotiating a new contract Cooke’s offer was short of my expectations, so I resigned and wound up getting a job in Atlanta with the Flames and did eight seasons with them. But when the Flames were sold to Calgary interests I was told up front from the new ownership they had no interest in moving a broadcaster to Calgary. In fact, I was told that announcers were a dime a dozen. Okay!”

ABOUT GETTING THE ISLANDERS GIG:

“As president of the NHL Broadcasters’ Association, I presented the coach of the year award to Pat Quinn of the Flyers. The luncheon was on Long Island and it was there that I was approached about doing Islanders telecasts. It turned out that the previous Islanders play-by-play guy, Steve Albert, was moving on to take a baseball broadcasting job. The Islanders job now was open but I also had calls from two other teams and had placed a call to a third. But my decision to work on the Island was easy. I mean how do I not give consideration to a team that had just won the (1980) Stanley Cup!”

BROADCASTERS THAT PRECEDED JIGGS ON LONG ISLAND:

“Steve Albert had been doing the (SportsChannel) cable tv load while Tim Ryan was handling the over the air WOR-Tv and would continue to do so. Bob Lawrence was doing radio. The way it worked out was that I’d do cable games and I’d do radio on the games that Tim was doing. As it happened, Tim’s workload at CBS Sports increased that first year and I probably did ten over the air games on WOR-TV as well.”

THE EASY TRANSITION TO DOING ISLES GAMES:

“Fitting in went very smoothly for me. What made it easier is that I knew Islanders people from previous years. For example, I knew Billy Smith and Butch Goring from our days together with the Kings. As for Bill Torrey, he had been an executive with Charlie Finley’s Oakland Seals NHL club during that time as well and had always been friendly with me. On top of that, I knew Al Arbour who previously had worked for the Flames prior to becoming Islanders coach. As well, I already had a friendship with Islanders trainers Ron Waske and Jim Pickard”

TEAMING WITH COLOR COMMENTATOR ED WESTFALL:

“I couldn’t have picked a better partner in the tv booth than ‘Eighteen.’

I like to think that we clicked immediately. I had previously known members of Eddie’s family. His brother, George, had played Intermediate and Senior hockey on teams in the same league in which I had been working. Another of Ed’s brothers, Stan, had refereed in Ontario leagues. I’d met the parents as well.

Looking backward, I’d say that Ed and I just seemed to mesh with ease.”

POSITIVE FEELINGS ABOUT THE ISLANDERS:

“Right from training camp I recognized just how business-like this franchise was. Sure there was time for fun, but everything was geared toward making the playoffs and being in the best of condition for games in April and May. Examining the way Torrey and Arbour had constructed the team, it went

something like this. Their Islanders let the opposition set the style of play and then would go about beating them. It didn’t matter whether it was a speed game or a skill game or a physical game. It simply didn’t matter; they would adjust to any kind of game.”

JIGGS’ FIVE FAVORITE ISLANDERS MOMENTS:

“Picking favorites is roughly equivalent to someone asking me, ‘Which of your two girls do you like the best?’ When I think about my years doing the Islanders games, so many episodes come to mind. Here are some off the top of my head:

1. The playoffs of 1982, especially the opening round against Pittsburgh and the Islanders overcoming a 3-1 Pitt lead in the decisive game, sending it to overrtime. First Smitty stops hard-shooting Mike Bullard of the Penguins and then John Tonelli scored the winner. When I think back to that game, I realize that The Cup run came close to ending at two..

2. The third Cup was won in Vancouver. I’ll never forget the flight home on the charter that night. Seeing each member of the team getting his time alone with the Cup on the plane. Seeing the emotions flow spoke volumes as to how

each guy loved this game and how the rewards came with winning.

3. The 1983 Cup win over Edmonton was at home. My mother was at the game as well as my great friend, Gordon Lightfoot. They got to enjoy all the post-game celebrations. Gord was in the dressing room with me post-game. I don’t think we got home til just before 6 a.m. and Mom was still ready to celebrate.

4. The Easter Epic or marathon game against the Capitals in Landover, Maryland. Four overtimes before Pat LaFontaine got the winner. Kelly Hrudey played the greatest game of his life in goal, winning the Game Seven.

5. Upsetting the Penguins in the seventh game of the 1993 playoff. That was the year when Mario Lemieux’s club was going for their third straight Cup. We beat them in overtime on Ray Ferraro’s pass to David Volek who beat Tom Barrasso.

6. So many big wins against the Rangers stand out. I’ll never forget the playoff game when Bob Bourne wound up behind his net and went through the entire Rangers team to score. Or, the deciding playoff game in 1984 when Kenny Morrow beat the Rangers Glen Hanlon for the winner.

* FOLLOWING THE TEAM THESE DAYS:

“I watch as many games as I can; or I’m listening on the radio if I happen to be in my car. Being a play by play critic, I enjoy Brendan Burke’s work and Butch Goring’s insights. Also on radio, Chris King’s enthusiasm and call is infectious.

* LIKING THE NEW ARENA AND TEAM:

“UBS Arena was long overdue. Now that it’s a reality, the players have

everything they could possibly need, including a dedicated ownership, it’s a huge plus. The ownership is dedicated not just to be competitive but to winning the Stanley Cup. I see the core of the Islanders — with an injection of youth, speed and scoring — as a team that will be fun to watch over the next several seasons.”