The Los Angeles Kings will not renew the contract of play-by-play commentator Alex Faust. On Monday, the team announced that the two sides officially parted ways as the team focuses on a single group of announcers that no longer includes Faust.
Hockey Royalty writer Russell Morgan tweeted on Monday, “BREAKING: The LA Kings will not be renewing the contract of play-by-play announcer Alex Faust for the upcoming season as the organization moves to a singular broadcast team with Nick Nickson, Jim Fox, and Darryl Evans.”
BREAKING: The LA Kings will not be renewing the contract of play-by-play announcer Alex Faust for the upcoming season as the organization moves to a singular broadcast team with Nick Nickson, Jim Fox, and Darryl Evans.#GoKingsGo
— Russell Morgan (@NHLRussell) June 5, 2023
The Kings thanked Faust in a press release that Morgan also provided. They said, “The LA Kings sincerely thank Alex Faust for representing the organization and our community with dignity and class over the last six years.” LA called Faust “an extremely talented and passionate broadcaster with a bright future” and wished him “the utmost success in the years ahead.”
— Russell Morgan (@NHLRussell) June 5, 2023
Before joining the Kings’ announce team, Faust voiced Big East college basketball games for Fox Sports 1. He left the network to join LA’s broadcast team in June 2017. At the time, he replaced fan-favorite and longtime voice Bob Miller.
Faust released a statement on Twitter:
As many of you are no doubt aware, the regional sports TV business is in serious distress, and Los Angeles is one of the many markets affected. The team is currently without a TV rightsholder partner for next season, and I was told my role was a casualty of the current climate.
— Alex Faust (@alex_faust) June 5, 2023
I truly appreciate how the city and the fans in Los Angeles welcomed me with open arms and into their homes for the last six years.
I’ll deeply miss working with my great friend @JimFox19 and our wonderful TV crew.
With gratitude,
Alex— Alex Faust (@alex_faust) June 5, 2023
The network’s decision to shrink to one announce team is interesting, while the regional sports network dynamic shifts dramatically in the United States. Alex Faust is a talented broadcaster with the LA Kings now on his resume, so one shouldn’t expect him to go unclaimed for too long.