Veteran sportscaster Chuck Kaiton made his return to the broadcast booth for the first time since 2018 when he called Thursday’s game between the St. Louis Blues and Washington Capitals on 101 ESPN.
Kaiton was filling in for Chris Kerber, who is not on the road trip with the team due to the passing of his father.
Former Blue Cam Janssen also was in the booth providing color commentary.
“I just feel like it's a wonderful opportunity to reconnect for a day and enjoy three hours of a broadcast," Kaiton said. "In my opinion, and I listen to a lot of (Kerber's) games, I love the entire broadcast. I think it's if not the best, it's one of the top three broadcasts in the National Hockey League. And I'm just proud to be a part of it.”
Kaiton is no stranger to the NHL. He made his debut in 1979 when he began broadcasting games for the Hartford Whalers, and he moved with the club to Raleigh when they became the Carolina Hurricanes.
Overall, he spent 38 seasons calling games with the organization.
Kaiton is considered one of the best broadcasters in the game. In 1986, he was elected as the President of the NHL Broadcasters' Association and still holds the position today. He was also recognized with the Foster Hewitt Memorial Award in 2004, given to the most outstanding hockey broadcaster by the Hockey Hall of Fame.
Earlier this week, when Kaiton received the call from Kerber with the opportunity to call the game, the idea of broadcasting another game was the last thing on his mind.
“When he called me initially, I thought it was about a matter regarding the Broadcasters' Association,” Kaiton said. “…The subject quickly got to the fact that he lost his father…and then he kind of popped the question and said, ‘Would you be available to do the game in Washington?’ And I said ‘absolutely’…I was ecstatic to hear about that, though I've got mixed emotions because I'm really feeling for the Kerber family.”
Thursday marked Kaiton’s first time wearing the headset since his departure from the Hurricanes in 2018.
