After seeing the backlash directed at the St. Louis Blues for moving on from veteran announcer John Kelly, Joe Buck believes the criticism is warranted.
Earlier this month, the Blues left their fanbase stunned by announcing the decision to part ways with Kelly, who joined their TV broadcast in 2005. The Blues and FanDuel Sports Network will opt to simulcast their games beginning in the 2025-26 NHL season, using radio play-by-play voice Chris Kerber and analyst Joey Vitale on TV and radio.
Recently, Buck appeared on 101 ESPN’s morning show in St. Louis where he was asked about the Blues letting Kelly go, and the current voice of Monday Night Football didn’t hide his disappointment.
“They deserve the criticism. It makes no sense,” Buck said while admitting he has no knowledge about the inner workings of the Blues. He also made sure to emphasize the gripe has nothing to do with Kerber and Vitale.
“They are phenomenal, “Buck said of the Blues current broadcast team. “Kerber blows me away with how good he is on radio hockey play-by-play, I cannot imagine doing anything more difficult than radio hockey play-by-play.”
Despite having a good team of announcers in waiting, Joe Buck was still confused by the organizational decision to move on from a broadcaster with the kind of legacy and connection to the Blues that Kelly has. His father, Dan Kelly is in the Blues Hall of Fame after serving as their play-by-play voice for 21 seasons, beginning in 1968. Additionally, the Blues named their broadcast booth in Dan Kelly’s memory in 2006.
“How can you make this move with a trusted voice and somebody who’s got the legacy there,” Buck continued. “And somebody who’s just been all in and is a comforting person to listen to?”
Buck then reiterated something he’s said before. As a Blues fan, he wants to hear local announcers in the playoffs instead of the national broadcast, which interestingly, was a complaint many baseball fans used to have when Buck was calling the World Series.
And Joe Buck admits he can relate.
“You want the voices telling you about the game that you feel like they’re on your side,” Buck told the 101 ESPN morning show. “And you always knew where John stood. You always knew where his heart was. I don’t get it. I’m sure there are reasons for it. I haven’t read a ton about the reasons for it. But I do not understand it and it’s disappointing.”
“It feels like you threw a guy out that we all knew where he stood. We knew his dedication to the organization, we knew what it means to his family,” Buck continued. “But John Kelly on his own, who he is, what he is, how great he is on the air, what he believes in with the organization, it doesn’t have anything to do with Dan Kelly. It’s about John Kelly. And that was shocking to me.”
Joe Buck said he was at the American Century Celebrity Golf Tournament in Tahoe when the news was announced. Further, he was having dinner with NHL stars Matthew Tkachuk and T.J. Oshie. Tkachuk grew up in a St. Louis suburb, Oshie began his career with the Blues, and both players know what Kelly meant to the organization.
“They were both shocked, beyond shocked,” Buck said of their reactions. “I can’t say it 17 different ways. It’s just stunning and disappointing to me. I’m sure there’s reasons…but this is one that I just don’t understand at all.