A summer of change for the broadcasting side of hockey in the Calgary market continues.

On Wednesday, Kelly Hrudey posted a video on social media. In that video, he revealed that Sportsnet has not extended his contract for the 2026-27 season.

For a lot of fans, especially Calgary Flames fans, Hrudey’s been a huge part of their game experience for a long time.

An Edmonton product, Hrudey rose to prominence in the Western Hockey League with the Medicine Hat Tigers. He was a second round selection by the New York Islanders in the 1980 NHL Draft. Known for his trademark bandana, which he wore under his goalie mask, Hrudey played 677 career NHL games between the Islanders (1983-89), Los Angeles Kings (1989-96) and San Jose Sharks (1996-98). He received Vezina Trophy votes in seven of his 15 NHL seasons, being named a finalist in 1987-88, and backstopped the Kings to an appearance in the 1993 Stanley Cup Final.

Blessed with the gift of the gab, upon retirement, Hrudey moved into Act 2: broadcasting. He was a fixture on Hockey Night in Canada for years, first with the CBC and later on Sportsnet, providing a goaltender’s and veteran player’s perspective on various hockey happenings. He was part of the Hockey Night in Canada panels on Saturday nights and when he wasn’t in Toronto for those segments, he was doing colour commentary on Flames regional broadcasts alongside Rick Ball (2014-24) and Jon Abbott (2024-26). He also wrote a fascinating book about his career, Calling The Shots, which provided a ton of perspective about the unique challenges he faced as an up-and-coming goalie.

From a personal standpoint, it’s been an absolute treat to get to work alongside Hrudey over the past decade. He’s an incredibly kind, thoughtful person, and getting to know him and learn from him over the years has been a pleasure. He’ll be missed around the rink, and we’re all looking forward to his third act.

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