We’ve seen plenty of media members leave to work for professional teams, and it’s perhaps a particularly growing trend in the NHL. A few recent examples include TSN’s Gary Lawless leaving for the Las Vegas Golden Knights and former ESPNer Scott Burnside joining the Dallas Stars. Now, longtime TSN 690 Montreal reporter and anchor Amanda Stein is headed to the New Jersey Devils, as she tweeted Monday:
My Announcement…After 7 years at TSN I have decided to move on… My letter, written the only way I know how: pic.twitter.com/lG4SGXxx6i
— Amanda Stein (@amandacstein) August 7, 2017
Hiring media veterans makes a lot of sense for teams, and perhaps especially for NHL teams. The everlasting waves of sports media cuts have often hit hockey coverage particularly hard, as we saw with ESPN, and it’s very much a buyers’ market when it comes to writers and broadcasters (something we’ve also seen with the expansion of The Athletic and other local sportswriting sites). It’s also not necessarily easy to get fans to think of the team’s own site as a destination for news, analysis or videos about the team, and bringing in respected media members can help with that. There can be challenges with working for a team or league network or site, though, so it’s not always an easy jump.
Stein certainly has plenty of experience in the NHL world, as she regularly covered the Canadiens for TSN 690 and sister station CJAD 800. And as Nick Varney notes at SB Nation Devils’ site All About The Jersey, she had been covering the Devils’ prospects camp earlier this summer (which is where the photo at top comes from). She has significant interviewing experience, and seems like a good fit for an all-access host role, something more and more teams are going towards. We’ll see how Stein does with the Devils.
[Amanda Stein on Twitter]

About Andrew Bucholtz
Andrew Bucholtz has been covering sports media for Awful Announcing since 2012. He is also a staff writer for The Comeback. His previous work includes time at Yahoo! Sports Canada and Black Press.
Recent Posts
Chris Broussard irrationally fears WNBA may turn into G League
Chris Broussard took the bait on Royce White and Enes Kanter "declaring" themselves eligible for the WNBA Draft.
Stephen A. Smith calls for one-year suspensions for Kawhi Leonard, Steve Ballmer
"If it's true, we're talking about banishment for Steve Ballmer as far as I'm concerned for at least a year."
Michael Wilbon has surprising answer when asked to name ‘the face of ESPN’
"I don't consume Pat McAfee."
Steve Stone delivers incredible announcer jinx ahead of rare home run
"This guy is around .300 most of the time and doesn't do himself any favors when he's trying to hit home runs."
Realignment provision in college football bill could put ACC in jeopardy
An amendment to the Protect College Sports Act could break conference realignment wide open once again in a new way.
WNBPA condemns players being used as political pawns
"Hate, abuse, and demonization of any person or group of people, including transgender people, only fuel fear, division, and harm."