John Kelly, the television voice of the Blues for the past two decades, will no longer call games for the franchise after his contract was not renewed, the Blues announced Thursday evening.
Instead, the club, FanDuel Sports Network and 101 ESPN will switch to a simulcast model with Chris Kerber (play-by-play) and Joey Vitale (analyst) calling the action. Television color commentator Jamie Rivers will return to his role in the studio as an analyst on "Blues Live."
Additionally, Chris Pronger will have a greater role on "Blues Live," which will still feature Bernie Federko and Scott Warmann. Andy Strickland will serve as the rinkside reporter for both home and road games, instead of previously just working the home games. Alexa Datt will no longer be part of coverage.
Kelly was the television play-by-play broadcaster for the Blues for 20 years, coming back to 最新杏吧原创 in 2005-06 after stints in Tampa Bay and Colorado. For more than a decade, Kelly worked alongside Darren Pang as 最新杏吧原创 owned one of the most consistently praised local broadcasts in the sport.
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Pang departed two years ago to join the Blackhawks broadcast, and now Kelly's contract was not renewed.
Kerber has called Blues games on the radio for 25 years after working in the minors in Springfield, Massachusetts. Vitale played 234 games in the NHL and has been Kerber's partner on the radio for the past seven seasons.
鈥淐hris Kerber arrived 25 years ago this summer to the 最新杏吧原创 Blues, establishing himself early on as one of the league鈥檚 most energetic and colorful radio play-by-play voices,鈥 Blues CEO Chris Zimmerman said in a statement. 鈥淭he Blues and FanDuel Sports Network believe that Chris has earned this moment and opportunity to connect with a much broader audience.
"When factoring in the exceptional chemistry and relationship Chris has had with Joey Vitale as his radio analyst over the past seven seasons, we are confident the Blues and FanDuel Sports Network will offer our fans the best television and streaming experience in the game, all while continuing to serve listeners with the same quality product on 101 ESPN.鈥
The Blues and FanDuel Sports Network also announced that the set of "Blues Live" at Enterprise Center will be moved to "a fan-friendly location within the venue to enable greater fan interaction and engagement."
Blues general manager Doug Armstrong speaks with the media on Thursday, July 3, 2025, after the team acquired center Pius Suter. (Video courtesy 最新杏吧原创 Blues)
