Maven's Memories: Inside Jiggs McDonald's Hall of Fame Career

Jiggs McDonald did not invent modern, play-by-play hockey broadcasting; it just seemed that way. He was that good; and even THAT'S an understatement.

A Hockey Hall of Famer -- he's won the Foster Hewitt broadcasting award -- the former Islanders' mic icon recently hauled in yet another broadcasting bauble. Jiggs visited Troy, New York -- the Isles once had a farm team there -- where he was voted into the New York State Hockey Hall of Fame. (Very immodest note, The Maven also is a member.) His speech inspired a standing ovation.

"For a young, aspiring broadcaster like me, Jiggs was better than a textbook," says TNT lead play-by-play man Kenny Albert. "His knowledge, cadence, style and terrific rapport with his sidekick Eddie Westfall were just some of his Hall of Fame attributes."

Another veteran sportscaster who welcomed McDonald's nomination was New Jersey Devils veteran radio play-by-play man Matt Loughlin.

"When I was a rookie on the local broadcast scene, Jiggs already was a veteran," Loughlin recalls. "He could have treated me in a 'sink or swim' manner. Instead, he regarded me with respect as if I was a longtime member of the crew. This titan of the industry built my confidence and helped me along my career path."

McDonald -- real name is Kenneth; Jiggs was an old comic strip character -- cut his puck broadcasting teeth as a kid listening to legendary hockey icons Foster Hewitt out of Toronto and Danny Gallivan in Montreal, among others.

Listening to Hewitt was one thing; anybody could have done that, but being the second coming of Foster or Danny was no small feat. Jiggs was gladly willing to pay the toll on the bridge to the NHL.

He broke into The Show with the Los Angeles Kings, promoted by Canadian entrepreneur Jack Kent Cooke. After Jiggs made a name for himself on the Left Coast, he handled Atlanta Flames games while flamboyant Boom Boom Geoffrion did the coaching.

McDonald's arrival at Uniondale in 1980 neatly followed the club's first Stanley Cup triumph over the Philadelphia Flyers. SportsChannel, which then telecast the Islanders games, aligned Jiggs with former team captain Ed Westfall who handled the analysis.

The duet melded like two perfectly-meshed gears. With a keen eye from his playing days, Ed provided rare insights and since both had a nifty sense of humor, there were plenty of laughs.

"My Dad (GM Bill Torrey) considered Jiggs the best of the best," says Richard Torrey. "Bow Tie Bill saw McDonald as a steady, calming presence who always had just the perfect comment, observation or story. Personally, I've never met anyone who didn't love the man. And, by the way, (Islanders coach) Al Arbour also loved Jiggs.'

When McDonald began his SportChannel career in the fall of 1980, the club was on a serious march to dynasty status, finishing the 80-81 regular season leading the Patrick Division with a 48-18-14 record and 110 points; 13 more than runner-up Philadelphia.

McDonald: "Looking backward at the Islanders success, I'd like to thank those 14 teams that failed to select Mike Bossy before the Islanders called his name in the 1977 Draft. Then, 19 picks later, John Tonelli was available to the Islanders as well.

"I also can't help but draw parallels to 2015 when five centers were selected ahead of Mathew Barzal and Mat became the 16th player chosen in the first round," Jiggs added.

Rich Torrey likens the McDonald-Westfall team to the most popular duets in show business history. In fact, Jiggs was the unofficial member of the Arbour family, and "My Dad loved him like a brother," adds Rich Torrey.

The Maven often has said that McDonald is "the modern reincarnation of Foster Hewitt or Danny Gallivan." Meanwhile, many radio-tv critics have long admired Jiggs ability to do a home team telecast with rare objectivity without being a homer while simultaneously being totally exciting at all times.

"Jiggs never failed to understand that we are in the entertainment business," Loughlin adds. "His calls were great, his story-telling sublime. He deserves every accolade that has come his way."

Once the 1981 playoffs began -- the first for Jiggs in Uniondale -- his Isles breezed along with the breeze, knocking off Toronto, Edmonton and the Rangers in short order before reaching the Final Round against the upstart Minnesota North Stars. "That five-game series was our easiest fourth round of all," wrote Mike Bossy in his autobiography.

In a sense the 1981 run was too easy, but as Jiggs became more embedded, the club kept getting better -- 54-16-10 for 118 points in '81-'82 -- because it had to since the competition was becoming increasingly mean. The Penguins came close to scoring a huge upset in the 1982 first round while the nasty Rangers were tough in the encore. After that it was a romp as the Arbourmen swept Quebec and then Vancouver in four straight each. Jiggs had gone two for two.

Hiis broadcasting career peaked with the Nassaumen in 1983 when the Islanders set a record as the first Stateside team ever to win four consecutive Stanley Cups. To do so they first had to dispose of the Capitals, Rangers and Bruins. Then came the unreal ending -- wiping out the challenging Wayne Gretzky-Mark Messier Oilers in four games.

"I always loved the crescendo in Jiggs voice when the Islanders scored," says Associated Press reporter Allan Kreda, co-author of Kenny Morrow's autobiography. "McDonald is one for the ages."

In The Maven's view, five little words uttered by Matt Loughlin sum up the heraldry of Jiggs' hockey voice.

"He made the broadcast fun!"