Kevin Weekes

Lore & Background

Weekes' career began with the Owen Sound Platers of the Ontario Hockey League, with a brief stint for the Ottawa 67's. He was chosen 41st overall by the Florida Panthers in the 1993 NHL entry draft.

In 1996, while playing for the Panthers' AHL affiliate, the Carolina Monarchs, Weekes was loaned to the Rochester Americans for the 1996 Spengler Cup and was named MVP of the tournament. He made his NHL debut with the Panthers on October 16, 1997, going 0–5–1 in 11 appearances. The following summer he was traded to the Vancouver Canucks in a deal for Pavel Bure, then traded to the New York Islanders, and later to the Tampa Bay Lightning.

The Carolina Hurricanes acquired Weekes on March 5, 2002. He served as backup to Arturs Irbe during the regular season but played an important part in the Hurricanes' run to the 2002 Stanley Cup Finals.

Weekes played in eight playoff games, including starting games five and six of the first round against the New Jersey Devils, which the Hurricanes won four games to two. He recorded back-to-back shutouts: a 32-save shutout in game six of the first round against the Devils and a 25-save shutout in game one of the second round against the Montreal Canadiens. Weekes was the primary goaltender for the Hurricanes in 2002–03 (51 games, 14–24–9) and 2003–04 (66 games, 23–30–11).

Weekes signed with the New York Rangers as a free agent prior to the 2004–05 lockout, winning his first start on October 5, 2005 against the Philadelphia Flyers. An injury cost him the number one spot to rookie Henrik Lundqvist. He became an unrestricted free agent after the 2006–07 season. On July 5, 2007 he signed with the New Jersey Devils to back up Martin Brodeur.

In 2008–09, Brodeur's injury left Weekes and Scott Clemmensen battling for the number one spot. Weekes was injured on April 3, 2009; Clemmensen took over as backup. The Devils lost to the Carolina Hurricanes in Game 7 of the Eastern Conference Quarterfinals. Weekes announced his retirement on September 27, 2009.

Reader's Guide

Kevin Weekes made history in 2009 when he became the first black analyst in ice hockey. He provides colour commentary for NHL games on NHL Network and Hockey Night in Canada. In The Hockey News 2011 edition of the 100 Most Powerful People in Ice Hockey, Weekes was considered one of the Top 40 under the age of 40.

In 2021, he made his debut as an analyst for the NHL on ESPN, appearing during coverage of the 2021 NHL expansion draft and the 2021 NHL draft. During the 2022 NHL trade deadline, Weekes became a social media darling by reporting trades on video from odd places, starting with simple selfie videos and later adding substance such as reporting from a barber's chair or with the New York City skyline in the background. Fans created memes manipulating the background to place him in space, world landmarks, and fictional locales. Weekes leaned into the bit, even reporting a trade with a small trash bin on his head.

He has continued making such videos since the viral deadline. Weekes also appeared on the soap operas All My Children and One Life to Live, and on the Everybody Hates Chris episode 'Everybody Hates Gretzky' in 2008. In February 2023, he became an American citizen.