Jackie Redmond is one of the most prominent voices in hockey, a fixture of the NHL Network and NHL on TNT, in addition to being featured in WWE’s Monday Night Raw.
Jackie Redmond is one of the most prominent voices in hockey, a fixture of the NHL Network and NHL on TNT, in addition to being featured in WWE’s Monday Night Raw. She now has her own NHL Network Show on the league’s YouTube channel, after growing up in and getting her broadcasting start in London for 102.3 Bob FM (now Jack FM) and Rogers TV. Reporter Jack Moulton caught up with Redmond about her new show, women’s hockey, and her ties to London. This interview has been edited for length and clarity.
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Q: You recently debuted a new show on the NHL YouTube channel. How are you feeling about having your own show, and what does that mean to you?
A: I never would have predicted it, especially a show with my name in the title. I’m really still wrapping my head around the fact that the NHL wanted to do this with me so I feel very honored and grateful for it. As exciting as it is, it’s also a challenge because this show is going to be interview based. So, we’re trying to find celebrities and people outside of the NHL who love the game to talk hockey with us, and then we’re trying to kind of find the personalities within the game and bring those more to the forefront.
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Q: Something else that’s been at the forefront of hockey news lately is the launch of the PWHL and how much of a success the first couple of games have been. How were you feeling about the reception and do you feel optimistic about its future?
A: I grew up playing hockey. My sister and I were both very athletic kids, very many tomboys, and hockey was our favorite sport, and I remember being a kid and my sister used to say all the time that when she grew up, she wanted to be a hockey player. I, living in the world that I was living at the time, and being young, would be like, ‘You can’t do that. Girls can’t be hockey players.’ So, as an adult now, covering the game and not only seeing this professional league launch, but seeing it be embraced the way that it has been, has been really honestly emotional and special.
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Q: The first game had the intermission panel with all female commentators. It reflects a trend of more women being involved in sports broadcasting, so how does it feel to be one of the more prominent figures as a part of this trend?
A: I’m very grateful for all of the opportunities that I’ve had to my point in this career. I’ve been really fortunate that at many stops along the way, I’ve had people around me in positions of power and that were open to having a woman host your own show, for example, or before this current season, NHL Network, a place that I did a talk show for six seasons. I was very lucky that they were receptive to me wanting to have my own opinion segments, to me wanting to laugh on television and be casual and not be super conservative all the time. It hasn’t always been like that, in this business, for women, and we’ve come a long way.
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Q: What about your upbringing in London has had the most impact on your career?
A: Being and growing up somewhere where girls’ hockey was very normal, very popular, as it is in London with the London Devilettes, I think that probably contributed to me feeling comfortable in the space and wanting to play hockey. But outside of that, I think the most accurate answer really has everything to do with my dad, and I guess the people around me growing up where I was a part of the conversation all the time. It became me and my dad talking hockey, listening to the radio, listening to those Leafs call-in shows after the game where fans would call in and ask questions. He really instilled in me at a young age that I had a seat at the table, that I could be a part of those conversations, that my opinion mattered because he thought it mattered.
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Q: What’s your favorite thing about London?
A: That is a great question. It’s where my family is, that’s the emotional, sappy answer. I loved Prince Albert’s Diner, which I know is not a thing anymore. I would go there in my college years after hitting up the bar scene in London. We would always go to Prince Al’s afterward and every time without fail, I got the loaded perogies with rice and extra sour cream. I have some of my best memories in that place, and I have some of my best memories that I’ll never remember in that place. It will always kind of be my second home, London.
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