Former Belleville and Ottawa Senators broadcaster Jack Miller has officially called it a career.
Miller, the first voice of the Belleville Senators and a broadcaster for more than five decades, officially retired last week, closing the book on a fine 51-year broadcasting career. Miller’s work reached beyond the B-Sens to junior and international hockey, and even a few seasons spent calling Ottawa Senators games.
Miller began his career in his hometown of Cornwall before moving to Belleville in September 1974 for a job on CJBQ radio, and it didn’t take long before hockey became his specialty. In 1979, he began filling in on Bulls broadcasts, and his work in hockey took off from there.
For many Ottawa fans, they heard Miller’s voice for the first time on the Global TV Game of the Week between 1988 and 2002. For much of that era, regular-season NHL games were only on once or twice per week, so a little extra hockey on TV on Saturday afternoons was well received, particularly when the 67s were on the card.
Miller also served as a play-by-play announcer and colour commentator for Ottawa Senators radio broadcasts from 1998 to 2002. Internationally, Miller worked on TSN Radio’s coverage of the World Juniors for 13 years, including tournaments across Europe.
Over the course of his career, Miller figures he called more than 3,000 games at the various levels.
“My departure comes after a full career filled with things I never thought I’d be doing, or even set out to do,” Miller said in an interview on the CHL website when he announced his decision back in July. “I’ll miss the sports coverage on the air, going around doing hockey games.”
When the Belleville Senators joined the AHL in 2017, Miller was the natural choice to become their first play-by-play guy. He held that role until 2022, when the City of Belleville and the Senators organization honoured him on Jack Miller Day, by renaming the B-Sens press box the Jack Miller Broadcast and Media Centre.
Miller, who was inducted into the Belleville Sports Hall of Fame in 2019, was presented with a Belleville Senators jersey by team staff members this week, including David Foot, who succeeded him in the booth.
The jersey number was 51, honouring his 51 years in broadcasting. That's truly a remarkable feat, to be in the volatile, ever-shrinking radio industry for that long and going out on his own terms. Not many do anymore.
For Belleville sports fans who grew up with his voice, as it emanated from either the rink or the station, Miller’s official retirement marks the end of an era. The Hockey News wishes one of the industry's true gentlemen a very happy retirement.
By Steve Warne
The Hockey News Ottawa
This article originally appeared on The Hockey News website:
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