Albert's parents gave him a tape recorder for his fifth birthday to practice his broadcasting.[2] On his sixth birthday in 1974, his father took him along to a New York Rangers game. One of the statisticians had to leave in the middle of the game, so Albert got to do the stats for the rest of the game. At 14, he became the official statistician for the Rangers on the radio. At 16, he wrote content for the Rangers program. Aside from his father, his idol was Vancouver Canucks play-by-play broadcaster Jim Robson. From 1981 to 1986, Albert, growing up in Sands Point, covered high school sports for the Port Washington News[3] at Paul D. Schreiber High School, an Anton Community Newspapers publication.[4]
Albert graduated from New York University[5] in 1990[6] with a degree in broadcasting and journalism. He was a member of the Sigma Phi Epsilon fraternity. Albert worked in the sports department at WNYU radio. While working there he was able to pick up his quick responses while announcing local games.
Albert has also done college basketball for ESPN Plus and is a substitute play-by-play announcer for televised New York Knicks games on MSG Network.[6] For the 2011 playoffs, Albert broadcast for two playoff teams in the same market, doing the play-by-play for the New York Rangers on WEPN 1050 ESPN radio and filling in on MSG Network doing play-by-play for the New York Knicks.[8]
After Emrick's retirement, Albert became NBC's lead play-by-play announcer for the 2020–21 NHL season, paired with Emrick's long-time partner Eddie Olczyk, having previously filled in for Emrick in game one of the 2014 Stanley Cup Finals due to a death in the latter's family.[11][12][13] With NBC losing its NHL rights starting in the 2021–22 season, the pair moved to Turner Sports to serve in the same capacity.[14][15]
Albert is a frequent guest on WNYU-FM's sports talk program, The Cheap Seats. He has also made many appearances on the popular New York sports internet radio show Sports Heaven with Mark and Evan.[16]
Albert has been an announcer with the NFL on Fox since Fox acquired the rights to the NFL in 1994. On October 13, 2024, Albert became the first play-by-play broadcaster to call 500 regular season or postseason games for the same network; CBS's Jim Nantz would reach the milestone later that year.[17]
Four sports in four days
On October 25, 2009, Albert called the play-by-play of the Minnesota Vikings – Pittsburgh Steelers NFL game for Fox and then hosted the New York Yankees' locker room celebration after clinching the American League Championship Series that night. The following night he broadcast a Rangers game on radio, and on October 28, he called the play-by-play of the New York Knicks season opener on MSG Network.[18]
Personal life
Albert currently resides in New Jersey with his wife of 20 years, Barbara (Wolf), and their two daughters, Amanda and Sydney. Albert was introduced to his wife by close friend and Baltimore sports reporter, Jerry Coleman.[19]
Albert has frequently cited his love of all sports, but mainly hockey and basketball. He has cited baseball as the hardest sport to commentate.[19]
Kenny Albert released his first book, an autobiography entitled "A Mic For All Seasons", on October 10, 2023, with Triumph Publishing. The book documents his 30 years of broadcasting, citing stories about his career rise, relationships with broadcasters and athletes, and his family.[20]
