Ken Daniels: The Voice of Hockeytown

Ken Daniels first heard there would be an opening in the television play-by-play booth for the Red Wings’ 1997-98 season from sportscaster Dave Strader. Strader, the Red Wings announcer from 1985 to 1996, was already an industry legend. But he was only the messenger — it was color analyst and Red Wings All-Star Mickey Redmond who wanted Daniels to apply for the job.

At the time, Daniels was a reporter for the long-running CBC show Hockey Night in Canada. “Dave Strader came into my booth, and he said, ‘They’re making a change in Detroit, and Mickey wanted to make sure you got your tape in,’” recalls Daniels.

Daniels had already signed a deal with CBC, but when the opportunity in Detroit came that September, he jumped at it. The Red Wings were coming off their first Stanley Cup win since 1955, and Daniels would be working alongside Redmond, whom he grew up watching. But the celebration was cut short, and a heavy air hung in Joe Louis Arena to start the 1997-98 season.

On June 13, just six days after winning the Stanley Cup, Red Wings players Vladimir Konstantinov, Slava Fetisov, and team masseur Sergei Mnatsakanov were involved in a limousine accident. Konstantinov, whom the Red Wings relied on for his punishing physicality and blue-line defense, suffered severe head injuries and paralysis. His playing days were over.

“Once you started calling games, you realize that Vladdy wasn’t going to be there,” Daniels says. “You walked into the dressing room and saw the rock with ‘Believe’ written on it and his jersey, so it was never out of mind.”

While fans and players continued mourning the loss of a promising career, both the team and announcing duo found their stride early.

“I quickly realized that Mickey was the guy here, and I wasn’t going to do anything to disrupt that,” says Daniels. “I still say I’m riding his coattails, but it didn’t take long to develop a chemistry.”

There was no shortage of chemistry on the ice either — despite the absence of star forward Sergei Fedorov to start the season, the Red Wings were playoff bound. After bulldozing their way through the first three rounds, the Red Wings were set to face off against the Washington Capitals in the Stanley Cup Finals. Konstantinov’s presence carried through each round, but it was in game four that his energy was truly felt.

“I remember game four and Vladdy being there and the scoreboard showing him,” says Daniels. “I knew he was there, and I was sensing that moment and the guys recognizing that.”

Doug Brown’s pair of goals and Chris Osgood’s 31 saves were both key to completing the four-game sweep, but there’s no doubt Konstantinov’s presence was game-changing. In a moment that solidified captain Steve Yzerman’s leadership status, the first stop he made after hoisting the cup was to “Vlad the Impaler.”

Although Daniels didn’t call that series, he was in attendance for the win. He remembers the feeling of walking into the Red Wings locker room and seeing the Conn Smythe Trophy — awarded to the most valuable player during the playoffs — sitting among jockstraps and gear in Yzerman’s stall.

Fedorov wasted no time in involving Daniels in the celebrations, pouring champagne on his head as he walked in.

While the Red Wings didn’t defend the championship in 1999 for a three-peat, it took just four seasons before their roster was etched into Lord Stanley again. The first round of the playoffs got off to a rocky start, however, with the Red Wings down two games to the Vancouver Canucks. On the plane ride to Vancouver following a 4-3 overtime loss at home, it was clear the tide had shifted.

“Ken Holland and Scotty Bowman were already on the plane, and I walk on, and I’m right behind Steve Yzerman,” recalls Daniels. “Steve looked at both of them and said, ‘We’re not going to lose the series.’ Boy, did that make me feel better.”

Sure enough, the losing streak was over, and Detroit won out to take the series.

One of Daniels’s most memorable in-booth moments came during game six of the 2008 Stanley Cup Finals against the Pittsburgh Penguins. What made the call so memorable wasn’t what Daniels said but what he didn’t say.

Longtime radio announcer Ken Kal was scheduled to call the game but had come down with a case of laryngitis, which kept him off the mic but still in the booth. Daniels was a last-minute call-up to replace Kal at Mellon Arena in Pittsburgh. As time began to wind down, and it looked as though the Red Wings were going to win the Stanley Cup, Daniels wanted to make sure Kal was in his rightful place for the final seconds.

“I told Ken he was calling the final seconds of the game,” says Daniels. “He said, ‘No, I’m not,’ and I said, ‘Suck it up; yes, you are.’ With about 15 seconds left, I said, ‘Here’s Ken Kal to bring it home.’”

The Red Wings hung onto their lead, and Kal had the privilege of hoarsely yelling, “The Detroit Red Wings are the 2008 Stanley Cup champions!”

It’s just this type of selflessness that has made Daniels one of the league’s best play-by-play announcers. Few have mastered the art form of letting the game breathe — and not smothering the action in commentary — like Daniels and Redmond. When Patrick Kane scored his 500th goal, the ecstatic duo made sure to take pause and let the enormity of the achievement linger.

The dedication to their craft is what makes Daniels and Redmond so talented, but it’s their chemistry that sets them apart from the rest.

“It’s nice to be in the gondola with someone you can call one of your best friends in the world,” says Daniels.

Despite their lengthy tenure with the Red Wings, neither Daniels nor Redmond have any plans to retire — it will be a sad day for hockey fans everywhere when that time comes. It’s been almost twenty years since the Red Wings’ last Stanley Cup win, but Daniels hopes to be there for one last run.

“To be a part of three Stanley Cup celebrations — you can’t beat that,” says Daniels. “I want to do it again someday.”

It’s unclear whether the Red Wings will make another cup run during his career, but there’s no doubt Daniels has been on the call for some of the most important moments in Red Wings history. Although he’s never worn the Winged Wheel jersey, Daniels has certainly earned his place in the rafters.