Recently, I had the opportunity to interview E.J. Hradek, who co-hosts the NHL Now, a show that airs every weekday on the NHL Network with his co-host, Jackie Redmond. The NHL Now features new guests from inside and outside of the professional ice hockey world and recently their guests have included National Hockey League (NHL) player, Ryan Reaves and the new general manager of the New Jersey Devils, Tom Fitzgerald.
For nearly a decade, Hradek has been one of the most recognizable broadcasters to work for the NHL Network, which is why I was curious to ask him about the journey that has brought him to where he is today. EJ and I had a phone conversation in July, while the COVID-19 pandemic raged on, where we discussed his childhood and the beginnings of his sports journalism and broadcasting career.
E.J.’s Journey to the Pros
EJ Hradek grew up in Westchester County, New York, which is just north of New York City’s Bronx borough. EJ told me that he did not start watching professional ice hockey until the late 1960s.
This was around the time when the National Hockey League’s first expansion took place in 1967. EJ says he was just a boy when he sent five dollars in the mail to the New York Rangers in exchange for a Rangers “blue book,” which did not go as planned.
Westchester county was certainly way more Rangers country [than Islanders because] the Islanders didn’t even exist until ’72, the reason I ended up with the Islanders was I sent the Rangers five dollars in the mail for a Rangers yearbook. If you’re a kid and you’re listening. I put the five dollars in the mail, I never got it, so I always joke I hold a grudge all these years later.”
NHL Network broadcaster, E.J. Hradek.
I could hear the disappointment in E.J.’s voice when he said “I never got it.” Disappointed but not beyond hope, a young Hradek was intrigued by the NHL’s newest team, the New York Islanders in 1972. Pulling no punches for the team he grew up watching, Hradek described what it was like to root for the boys on the isle during their first season as an NHL club.
“That first season was pretty much a disaster, but they did have one crazy win against the Bruins of Esposito and Orr,” Hradek said. “The Bruins…those guys must’ve been out late the night before because it was five-nothing Islanders in the first period, and the Islanders went on to win 9-7 and that was probably the highlight of their first season.”
NHL Network broadcaster, EJ Hradek
Fast-forward eight years and the Islanders, who finished dead last in 1972, were on their way, in 1980 to winning their first-ever Stanley Cup. E.J. shared what it was like to be there at the New York Islanders home arena, the Nassau Coliseum for Game Six 1980 Stanley Cup Finals.
“As a fan and as a young person, I had an unbelievable enjoyment in my life, some pain… but some real joy along the way. Then when [the Islanders] won their four cups, I was at the Nassau Coliseum for the cup-clincher against the Flyers on a Saturday afternoon and I was there for every home playoff game that year with the exception of that first round against the [Los Angeles] Kings.”
The Islanders went on to win the 1980 Stanley Cup thanks to Bobby Nystrom’s game-winning goal in overtime and raise their first-ever Stanley Cup. After 1980, the Islanders would go on to win the next three consecutive Stanley Cups (four cups in four years). Today, they remain the last NHL team to accomplish that feat.
The Payoff
Even though Hradek is an Islanders fan, as a national hockey broadcaster, the 59-year-old tries to be fair to every fan.
“In the job I do, I like to be an honest broker for all fans because I don’t feel it’s appropriate for me as a national guy covering the NHL to have that kind of bias,” Hradek mentioned. “To be honest, I root for the people I like to do well…and I root for the fans.”
His connection with fans resonated with me. It became clear from our interview that E.J. is very appreciative of where he is today: from a kid who loved spending time at the rink to his first job as a professional scout and now a professional broadcaster.
“Hey, listen, it’s a great game, I was a ‘Rink-Rat’ as a little kid, I’ve always loved hockey and I’ve been able to make a whole life out of it, so I’ve been very, very lucky.”
E.J. Hradek
Anthony Paradiso 