Keith Jones (born November 8, 1968) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey player. He was a hockey studio analyst for NBC/NBCSN from 2005–2021 and TNT from 2021-2023. He currently works as the President of Hockey Operations for the Philadelphia Flyers. In 491 NHL games, Jones produced a total of 258 points between 1992 and 2000.
| Keith Jones | |||
|---|---|---|---|
 Jones at the 2017 Stanley Cup Finals | |||
| Born |
November 8, 1968 Brantford, Ontario, Canada | ||
| Height | 6 ft 0 in (183 cm) | ||
| Weight | 200 lb (91 kg; 14 st 4 lb) | ||
| Position | Right wing | ||
| Shot | Left | ||
| Played for |
Washington Capitals Colorado Avalanche Philadelphia Flyers | ||
| NHL draft |
141st overall, 1988 Washington Capitals | ||
| Playing career | 1992–2000 | ||
Minor Hockey
editKeith grew up in Brantford - the hometown of Wayne Gretzky. He played minor hockey for the Paris Wolfpack of the OMHA until Midget before two seasons playing Jr.C. for the Paris Mounties (OHA) at age 17 and 18.
It is believed[by whom?] that Jones is the only player to play Jr.C. level hockey in Ontario at age 18 and eventually crack the National Hockey League. Two others, Hunter Drew (Anaheim) and Ryan Jones (no relation - Edmonton) played Jr.C. at 17 and eventually cracked the NHL. Jones played Midget at 16, Jr.C. at 17 and 18 and then Jr.B. at age 19.[1]
At age 19 he moved up to the Niagara Falls Canucks of the Golden Horseshoe Jr.B. hockey league. It was in Niagara Falls that he secured a hockey scholarship to Western Michigan in 1988.
Playing career
editJones was drafted in the seventh round, 141st overall, of the 1988 NHL Entry Draft by the Washington Capitals. He played his college hockey at Western Michigan University, and professionally for the Capitals, Colorado Avalanche and Philadelphia Flyers. He played in 491 NHL games, scoring 117 goals and assisting on 141 others for a total of 258 points.
While playing with the Flyers, Jones is credited with likely saving Eric Lindros' life by insisting the team send him to the hospital following an injury that caused Lindros to lose three liters of blood overnight.[2]
Sportscasting career
editBeginning with the 2005–06 season, Jones has worked as an in-studio TV analyst alongside host Bill Clement and analyst Brian Engblom for the NHL on NBC (formerly the NHL on Versus) later host Liam McHugh, Mike Milbury, and Patrick Sharp. In addition to his duties at NBC/NBCSN, Jones also worked for NBC Sports Philadelphia as a color commentator and analyst for the Flyers.
In fall 2021, Jones joined TNT/TBS as the lead ice-level analyst joining the lead broadcast team of Kenny Albert and Eddie Olczyk.[3][4][5]
From 2002 until 2023, Jones was a co-host for the show on 94.1 WIP Morning Show.[6] When the show's longtime host, Angelo Cataldi retired, Jones also retired citing a hectic schedule calling hockey games. He made appearances on TSN as an NHL analyst. In 2007, Jones, along with ESPN SportsCenter anchorman John Buccigross, wrote his autobiography Jonesy: Put Your Head Down and Skate. Along with a foreword by Ray Bourque, the book recounts many of the stories that Jones witnessed throughout his career.
Management career
editOn May 11, 2023, Jones was named the President of Hockey Operations for the Philadelphia Flyers after the 2023 Stanley Cup Finals on TNT.[7][8][9][10][11]
Thoroughbred racing
editKeith Jones was one of the partners that owned Wild Desert, winner of the 2005 Queen's Plate.[12] Canada's most prestigious Thoroughbred horserace and the oldest continuously run event in North America, the Queen's Plate is the first leg of the Canadian Triple Crown series.[13]
Jones is a resident of Shamong Township, New Jersey.[14]
Career statistics
edit| Regular season | Playoffs | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season | Team | League | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | ||
| 1985–86 | Paris Mounties | NDJCHL | 30 | 26 | 13 | 39 | 61 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1986–87 | Paris Mounties | NDJCHL | 30 | 39 | 38 | 77 | 136 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1987–88 | Niagara Falls Canucks | GHL | 40 | 50 | 80 | 130 | 113 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1988–89 | Western Michigan University | CCHA | 37 | 9 | 12 | 21 | 65 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1989–90 | Western Michigan University | CCHA | 40 | 19 | 18 | 37 | 82 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1990–91 | Western Michigan University | CCHA | 41 | 30 | 19 | 49 | 106 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1991–92 | Western Michigan University | CCHA | 35 | 25 | 31 | 56 | 77 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1991–92 | Baltimore Skipjacks | AHL | 6 | 2 | 4 | 6 | 0 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1992–93 | Baltimore Skipjacks | AHL | 8 | 7 | 3 | 10 | 4 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1992–93 | Washington Capitals | NHL | 71 | 12 | 14 | 26 | 124 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 10 | ||
| 1993–94 | Portland Pirates | AHL | 6 | 5 | 7 | 12 | 4 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1993–94 | Washington Capitals | NHL | 68 | 16 | 19 | 35 | 149 | 11 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 36 | ||
| 1994–95 | Washington Capitals | NHL | 40 | 14 | 6 | 20 | 65 | 7 | 4 | 4 | 8 | 22 | ||
| 1995–96 | Washington Capitals | NHL | 68 | 18 | 23 | 41 | 103 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 7 | ||
| 1996–97 | Washington Capitals | NHL | 11 | 2 | 3 | 5 | 13 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1996–97 | Colorado Avalanche | NHL | 67 | 23 | 20 | 43 | 105 | 6 | 3 | 3 | 6 | 4 | ||
| 1997–98 | Hershey Bears | AHL | 4 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 2 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1997–98 | Colorado Avalanche | NHL | 23 | 3 | 7 | 10 | 22 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 13 | ||
| 1998–99 | Colorado Avalanche | NHL | 12 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 20 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1998–99 | Philadelphia Flyers | NHL | 66 | 18 | 31 | 49 | 78 | 6 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 14 | ||
| 1999–2000 | Philadelphia Flyers | NHL | 57 | 9 | 16 | 25 | 82 | 18 | 3 | 3 | 6 | 14 | ||
| 2000–01 | Philadelphia Flyers | NHL | 8 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| NHL totals | 491 | 117 | 141 | 258 | 765 | 63 | 12 | 12 | 24 | 120 | ||||
Awards and honours
edit| Award | Year |
|---|---|
| All-CCHA First Team | 1991–92 |
References
edit- ^ Han, Giana (May 11, 2023). "10 things to know about Keith Jones, the Flyers' new president of hockey ops". The Philadelphia Inquirer. Retrieved May 11, 2023.
- ^ "Lindros letters expose feud". The Globe and Mail. June 8, 2000. Retrieved May 11, 2023.
- ^ "Gretzky joins Turner Sports as NHL studio analyst". NHL.com. Retrieved May 27, 2021.
- ^ Chiari, Mike (May 26, 2021). "Wayne Gretzky, Kenny Albert, Eddie Olczyk Join Turner Sports' NHL Coverage Team". Bleacher Report. Retrieved September 10, 2021.
- ^ "Turner Sports Bolsters NHL Game and Studio Commentator Team | Pressroom". pressroom.warnermedia.com. Retrieved September 14, 2021.
- ^ Tornoe, Rob (February 17, 2023). "After three decades, WIP's Angelo Cataldi hosts his final show". The Philadelphia Inquirer. Retrieved February 17, 2023.
- ^ Reiner, Olivia (May 10, 2023). "Source: Flyers to hire former player Keith Jones as president of hockey operations". The Philadelphia Inquirer. Retrieved May 10, 2023.
- ^ Smith, Brian (20 May 2023). "A Familiar Night, In Many Ways". NHL.com. Retrieved 2023-07-28.
- ^ "Keith Jones Gets Granted Time Away From New Job With Flyers". FlyersInsider. Retrieved 2023-07-28.
- ^ Bausman, Chuck (2023-05-17). "Flyers President Keith Jones Finishing His TNT Gig? Bravo!". Philly Hockey Now. Retrieved 2024-02-23.
- ^ REEDY, JOE. "TNT readies for first Stanley Cup Final; first one exclusively on cable since 1994". USA TODAY. Retrieved 2024-02-23.
- ^ "Woodbine.com 2018 Woodbine Media Guide" (PDF). Woodbine.com. Archived from the original on 15 October 2020. Retrieved 9 July 2022.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link) - ^ "Thoroughbred Report - Frequently Asked Questions - Horse Racing History, etc". www.thoroughbredreport.com. Archived from the original on 15 June 2016. Retrieved 14 July 2016.
- ^ Leakan, Paul. "Reeve Paralysis Foundation cause hits home Med. Lakes family to host fund-raiser", Burlington County Times, March 6, 2005. Retrieved February 4, 2013. "Dana Reeve, country-music star Kenny Rogers, Philadelphia Eagles offensive tackle Jon Runyan, who lives in Mount Laurel, and former Philadelphia Flyers right-winger Keith Jones, a resident of Shamong, are among those scheduled to attend, Miles said."
External links
edit- Biographical information and career statistics from NHL.com, or Eliteprospects.com, or Hockey-Reference.com, or The Internet Hockey Database