A former Windsor Spitfire and NHL defenceman is trading skates for a microphone.
The NHL's Florida Panthers announced Tuesday morning that Ed Jovanovski would be joining their TV broadcast team. Fox Sports Florida, which broadcasts Panthers games, said Jovanovski will serve as an analyst for pre-game, intermission, and post-game coverage.
Jovanovski will make his broadcast debut alongside another former NHL defenceman, Jeff Chychurn, according to the team and the cable channel.
Born in Windsor, Jovanovski played for the Spitfires from 1993 to 1995 and was chosen by the Panthers first overall in the 1994 NHL Entry Draft. He opened his NHL career with Florida in 1995 and also played for the Vancouver Canucks and Phoenix [Arizona] Coyotes before returning to the Panthers. He retired as a player in 2015.
Nicknamed "Jovo-Cop", he scored a total of 137 NHL goals for 500 points in the regular season, plus 11 goals for 30 points in the playoffs. Jovanovski played for the 1996 Florida team that won the Eastern Conference title but lost to Colorado in the Stanley Cup Finals.
Chychurn played his junior hockey for the former OHL Kingston Canadians. His NHL career spanned nine seasons with the Philadelphia Flyers, Pittsburgh Penguins, Los Angeles Kings and Edmonton Oilers. His son Jakob currently plays for the Arizona Coyotes.
The Panthers begin their regular season Thursday night on the road against the Tampa Bay Lightning.