Joe Micheletti
Encyclopedia
Joseph Robert Micheletti (born October 24, 1954 in International Falls, Minnesota
) is a hockey analyst and reporter. He is also a retired NHL
and WHA
defenseman who played in 142 WHA games with Calgary
and Edmonton
between 1977 and 1979, and 158 NHL games with St. Louis and Colorado
between 1979 and 1982. He is the brother of former NHL player Pat Micheletti
.
where he attended Hibbing High School.
He played college hockey for the legendary Herb Brooks
at the University of Minnesota
, where he was a member of the 1974 and 1976 national championship teams. He broke team records set by Lou Nanne
in both assists and points in his senior year,http://www.newspaperarchive.com/Viewer.aspx?img=Rvj45z7SpqiKID/6NLMW2jjA+G+HdTf5VUltaU83u2dLlL05Xw4PY0IF+CsZYmrz and was also the most valuable player of the 1976 NCAA finals.
in the 1974 NHL Entry Draft, Micheletti instead chose to start his professional career in the rival World Hockey Association
with the Calgary Cowboys
in 1977. He also made his international debut for the United States national team at the 1977 Ice Hockey World Championship tournament in Vienna
.
As a professional, Joe played in 142 WHA games, mainly with the Edmonton Oilers
, totalling 31 goals and 70 assists. He joined the NHL's St. Louis Blues for the 1979–80 season and later concluded his career with the Colorado Rockies
. His NHL career totals were 11–60–71 in 158 games. His playing career ended in the spring of 1982, where he was a member of the United States team at the 1982 Ice Hockey World Championship tournament in Helsinki
.
, the 1994 Winter Olympics
with Jiggs McDonald
for TNT and also worked the 1998 Winter Olympics
for CBS. During his time with NBC, he covered hockey at the 2002
, 2006
, and 2010 Winter Olympics
, paired mainly with Kenny Albert
. In 2009, he became an analyst for NHL on Versus
.
On the local level, Micheletti was first a broadcaster with the St. Louis Blues where he partnered with Dan Kelly
on radio and later with Ken Wilson on television, followed by a lengthy stint with the New York Islanders
, where he worked with Howie Rose
. In 2006, Micheletti became the New York Rangers
color analyst on MSG Network
, partnered with Sam Rosen
. He replaced long-time analyst and former Ranger John Davidson, who had departed to take a position with the St. Louis Blues
as Team President.
International Falls, Minnesota
International Falls is a city in and the county seat of Koochiching County, Minnesota, United States. The population was 6,424 at the 2010 census....
) is a hockey analyst and reporter. He is also a retired NHL
National Hockey League
The National Hockey League is an unincorporated not-for-profit association which operates a major professional ice hockey league of 30 franchised member clubs, of which 7 are currently located in Canada and 23 in the United States...
and WHA
World Hockey Association
The World Hockey Association was a professional ice hockey league that operated in North America from 1972 to 1979. It was the first major competition for the National Hockey League since the collapse of the Western Hockey League in 1926...
defenseman who played in 142 WHA games with Calgary
Calgary Cowboys
The Calgary Cowboys were an ice hockey team that played two seasons in the World Hockey Association from 1975–1977. The Cowboys played at the Stampede Corral in Calgary. The franchise was founded in 1972 as the Miami Screaming Eagles, though it never played a game in Miami...
and Edmonton
Edmonton Oilers
The Edmonton Oilers are a professional ice hockey team based in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. They are members of the Northwest Division in the Western Conference of the National Hockey League ....
between 1977 and 1979, and 158 NHL games with St. Louis and Colorado
Colorado Rockies (NHL)
The Colorado Rockies were an American professional ice hockey team in the National Hockey League that played in Denver, Colorado, from 1976 to 1982. They were a relocation of the Kansas City Scouts, a 1974 expansion team. The franchise moved to East Rutherford, New Jersey, in 1982 and was...
between 1979 and 1982. He is the brother of former NHL player Pat Micheletti
Pat Micheletti
Patrick J. Micheletti is a former American ice hockey center who appeared in a total of 12 National Hockey League regular season games with the Minnesota North Stars in 1987-88 but spent most of his career in the minor leagues. The North Stars selected Micheletti with the 185th overall pick in the...
.
Amateur career
Joe Micheletti was raised in Hibbing, MinnesotaHibbing, Minnesota
Hibbing is a city in Saint Louis County, Minnesota, United States. The population was 16,361 at the 2010 census. The city was built on the rich iron ore of the Mesabi Iron Range. At the edge of town is the largest open-pit iron mine in the world. U.S...
where he attended Hibbing High School.
He played college hockey for the legendary Herb Brooks
Herb Brooks
Herbert Paul Brooks, Jr. was an American ice hockey player and coach. He notably coached the United States' men's hockey team to a 4-3 upset of the heavily favored Soviet Union in the 1980 Winter Olympics in Lake Placid, New York on February 22, 1980...
at the University of Minnesota
University of Minnesota
The University of Minnesota, Twin Cities is a public research university located in Minneapolis and St. Paul, Minnesota, United States. It is the oldest and largest part of the University of Minnesota system and has the fourth-largest main campus student body in the United States, with 52,557...
, where he was a member of the 1974 and 1976 national championship teams. He broke team records set by Lou Nanne
Lou Nanne
Louis Vincent Nanne is a retired ice hockey defenceman and general manager who has made significant contributions to hockey in the United States.- Early life :...
in both assists and points in his senior year,http://www.newspaperarchive.com/Viewer.aspx?img=Rvj45z7SpqiKID/6NLMW2jjA+G+HdTf5VUltaU83u2dLlL05Xw4PY0IF+CsZYmrz and was also the most valuable player of the 1976 NCAA finals.
Professional career
Originally drafted 123rd overall by the Montreal CanadiensMontreal Canadiens
The Montreal Canadiens are a professional ice hockey team based in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. They are members of the Northeast Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League . The club is officially known as ...
in the 1974 NHL Entry Draft, Micheletti instead chose to start his professional career in the rival World Hockey Association
World Hockey Association
The World Hockey Association was a professional ice hockey league that operated in North America from 1972 to 1979. It was the first major competition for the National Hockey League since the collapse of the Western Hockey League in 1926...
with the Calgary Cowboys
Calgary Cowboys
The Calgary Cowboys were an ice hockey team that played two seasons in the World Hockey Association from 1975–1977. The Cowboys played at the Stampede Corral in Calgary. The franchise was founded in 1972 as the Miami Screaming Eagles, though it never played a game in Miami...
in 1977. He also made his international debut for the United States national team at the 1977 Ice Hockey World Championship tournament in Vienna
Vienna
Vienna is the capital and largest city of the Republic of Austria and one of the nine states of Austria. Vienna is Austria's primary city, with a population of about 1.723 million , and is by far the largest city in Austria, as well as its cultural, economic, and political centre...
.
As a professional, Joe played in 142 WHA games, mainly with the Edmonton Oilers
Edmonton Oilers
The Edmonton Oilers are a professional ice hockey team based in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. They are members of the Northwest Division in the Western Conference of the National Hockey League ....
, totalling 31 goals and 70 assists. He joined the NHL's St. Louis Blues for the 1979–80 season and later concluded his career with the Colorado Rockies
Colorado Rockies (NHL)
The Colorado Rockies were an American professional ice hockey team in the National Hockey League that played in Denver, Colorado, from 1976 to 1982. They were a relocation of the Kansas City Scouts, a 1974 expansion team. The franchise moved to East Rutherford, New Jersey, in 1982 and was...
. His NHL career totals were 11–60–71 in 158 games. His playing career ended in the spring of 1982, where he was a member of the United States team at the 1982 Ice Hockey World Championship tournament in Helsinki
Helsinki
Helsinki is the capital and largest city in Finland. It is in the region of Uusimaa, located in southern Finland, on the shore of the Gulf of Finland, an arm of the Baltic Sea. The population of the city of Helsinki is , making it by far the most populous municipality in Finland. Helsinki is...
.
Broadcasting career
Over the years, he has worked as a sideline reporter or color analyst for FOX, ABC/ESPN, and NBC broadcasts of the NHL. Micheletti worked the 2010 Winter Olympics2010 Winter Olympics
The 2010 Winter Olympics, officially the XXI Olympic Winter Games or the 21st Winter Olympics, were a major international multi-sport event held from February 12–28, 2010, in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, with some events held in the suburbs of Richmond, West Vancouver and the University...
, the 1994 Winter Olympics
1994 Winter Olympics
The 1994 Winter Olympics, officially known as the XVII Olympic Winter Games, was a winter multi-sport event celebrated from 12 to 27 February 1994 in and around Lillehammer, Norway. Lillehammer failed to win the bid for the 1992 event. Lillehammer was awarded the games in 1988, after having beat...
with Jiggs McDonald
Jiggs McDonald
John Kenneth "Jiggs" McDonald is a sportscaster who did play-by-play announcing for NHL games for almost 40 years. In 1990, McDonald received the Foster Hewitt Memorial Award from the Hockey Hall of Fame....
for TNT and also worked the 1998 Winter Olympics
1998 Winter Olympics
The 1998 Winter Olympics, officially the XVIII Olympic Winter Games, was a winter multi-sport event celebrated from 7 to 22 February 1998 in Nagano, Japan. Seventy-two nations and 2,176 participans contested in seven sports and 72 events at 15 venues. The games saw the introduction of Women's ice...
for CBS. During his time with NBC, he covered hockey at the 2002
2002 Winter Olympics
The 2002 Winter Olympics, officially the XIX Olympic Winter Games, were a winter multi-sport event that was celebrated in February 2002 in and around Salt Lake City, Utah, United States. Approximately 2,400 athletes from 77 nations participated in 78 events in fifteen disciplines, held throughout...
, 2006
2006 Winter Olympics
The 2006 Winter Olympics, officially known as the XX Olympic Winter Games, was a winter multi-sport event which was celebrated in Turin, Italy from February 10, 2006, through February 26, 2006. This marked the second time Italy hosted the Olympic Winter Games, the first being the VII Olympic Winter...
, and 2010 Winter Olympics
2010 Winter Olympics
The 2010 Winter Olympics, officially the XXI Olympic Winter Games or the 21st Winter Olympics, were a major international multi-sport event held from February 12–28, 2010, in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, with some events held in the suburbs of Richmond, West Vancouver and the University...
, paired mainly with Kenny Albert
Kenny Albert
Kenny Albert , is an American sportscaster, and the son of sportscaster Marv Albert and the nephew of sportscasters Al Albert and Steve Albert...
. In 2009, he became an analyst for NHL on Versus
NHL on Versus
The NHL on Versus was the former branding used for National Hockey League games broadcast on Versus. Versus became the NHL's cable partner in the United States beginning in the 2005-06 season from previous partner ESPN, providing coverage of regular season games, playoff games, and select games...
.
On the local level, Micheletti was first a broadcaster with the St. Louis Blues where he partnered with Dan Kelly
Dan Kelly (sportscaster)
Patrick Daniel "Dan" Kelly was a Canadian-born sportscaster best known for his radio play-by-play coverage of the St...
on radio and later with Ken Wilson on television, followed by a lengthy stint with the New York Islanders
New York Islanders
The New York Islanders are a professional ice hockey team based in Uniondale, New York. They are members of the Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League...
, where he worked with Howie Rose
Howie Rose
Howie Rose is an American sportscaster. He is currently the radio voice of the New York Mets on WFAN, and the television announcer for the New York Islanders on MSG Plus.-Early life and career:...
. In 2006, Micheletti became the New York Rangers
New York Rangers
The New York Rangers are a professional ice hockey team based in the borough of Manhattan in New York, New York, USA. They are members of the Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League . Playing their home games at Madison Square Garden, the Rangers are one of the...
color analyst on MSG Network
MSG Network
The MSG Network, now shortened to simply MSG, is a regional cable television and radio network serving the Mid-Atlantic United States. It is focused on New York City sports teams...
, partnered with Sam Rosen
Sam Rosen (sportscaster)
Sam Rosen is an American sportscaster, best known as the primary play-by-play announcer for the New York Rangers games on MSG. On June 8, 2008, Rosen was inducted into the National Jewish Sports Hall of Fame....
. He replaced long-time analyst and former Ranger John Davidson, who had departed to take a position with the St. Louis Blues
St. Louis Blues
The St. Louis Blues are a professional ice hockey team based in St. Louis, Missouri. They are members of the Central Division of the Western Conference of the National Hockey League . The team is named after the famous W. C. Handy song "St. Louis Blues", and plays in the 19,150-seat Scottrade...
as Team President.