Kevin Weekes

Lore & Background

Weekes was born in Toronto, Ontario and went to Dr. Norman Bethune Collegiate Institute. His parents had emigrated from Barbados to Canada. As a youth, he played in the 1989 Quebec International Pee-Wee Hockey Tournament with the Toronto Red Wings minor ice hockey team. His career began with the Owen Sound Platers of the Ontario Hockey League. He also had a brief stint with the Ottawa 67's. He was chosen 41st overall by the Florida Panthers in the 1993 NHL entry draft. He made his NHL debut with the Panthers on October 16, 1997. He was traded to the Vancouver Canucks, then to the New York Islanders, then to the Tampa Bay Lightning. The Carolina Hurricanes acquired him on March 5, 2002. He played for the Hurricanes during their run to the 2002 Stanley Cup Finals. He signed with the New York Rangers as a free agent prior to the 2004–05 NHL lock-out. On July 5, 2007 he signed with the New Jersey Devils to serve as a backup to All-Star Martin Brodeur. He announced his retirement on September 27, 2009.

Reader's Guide

Weekes made history in 2009, when he became the first black analyst in ice hockey. He provides colour commentary for NHL games on the NHL Network and Hockey Night in Canada. In 2021, he made his debut as an analyst for the NHL on ESPN. During the 2022 NHL trade deadline, Weekes became a social media darling for reporting trades on video from odd places, including with a small trash bin on his head. He has continued making such videos since.

Did You Know?

• Weekes wore jersey number 80 because the NHL does not allow single or double zero jerseys, and 80 most closely resembles 00.
• He wore 00 in junior hockey with the Ottawa 67's and as a member of the Carolina Monarchs in the AHL.
• Weekes appeared on the soap operas All My Children and One Life to Live.
• He and Willie O'Ree appeared in the Everybody Hates Chris episode 'Everybody Hates Gretzky' in 2008.
• In February 2023, Weekes became an American citizen.