Kenneth Gary Albert (born February 2, 1968) is an American sportscaster, the son of NBA sportscaster Marv Albert and nephew of sportscasters Al Albert and Steve Albert. He is the only sportscaster who currently does play-by-play for all four major professional sports leagues in the United States and Canada (NFL, NBA, MLB, NHL).
Early life
Albert's parents gave him a tape recorder for his fifth birthday to practice his broadcasting. 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 at Paul D. Schreiber High School, an Anton Community Newspapers publication.
Albert graduated from New York University in 1990 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.
Broadcasting career
Albert is the full time TV play-by-play announcer of the New York Rangers on MSG Network as of the 2025–26 NHL season, after serving as the primary radio voice of the team since 1995. He is also a play-by-play announcer and field-level reporter for Fox's coverage of Major League Baseball, He has done work for NBC's Olympics coverage, as a play-by-play announcer for men's and women's ice hockey at every Winter Olympic Games since Salt Lake City in 2002.
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.
Albert was the play-by-play announcer for the 2015 American League Division Series between the Texas Rangers and the Toronto Blue Jays. In the top of the 7th inning of Game 5, he helped explain the rule regarding the errant throw by Toronto Blue Jays catcher Russell Martin, which resulted in Texas scoring the go-ahead run. In the bottom of the inning, he called Jose Bautista's go-ahead home run.
In 2016, Albert was nominated for the Sports Emmy Award for Outstanding Sports Personality, Play-by-Play in a list that included fellow Fox and NBC colleagues Kevin Burkhardt, eventual winner Mike Emrick, and even his own father.
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 Final due to a death in the latter's family. With NBC losing its NHL rights starting in the 2021–22 season, the pair moved to Turner Sports to serve in the same capacity.
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.
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.
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.
Personal life
Albert currently resides in New Jersey with his wife of 29 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.
Albert has frequently cited his love of all sports but mainly hockey and basketball. He has cited baseball as the hardest sport to commentate.
Career timeline
{| class="wikitable sortable"
|-
! Year !! Title !! Role !! Network
|-
| 1990–1992 || Baltimore Skipjacks || Play-by-play || MSG Network
|-
| 1992–1995 || Washington Capitals || Play-by-play || Home Team Sports
|-
| 1993–1994 || NHL on ESPN2 || Play-by-play || ESPN2
|-
| 1995–present || New York Rangers || Play-by-play || MSG Network
|-
| 1994–present || NFL on Fox || play-by-play || rowspan="4"|Fox
|-
| 1995–1999 || NHL on Fox || Play-by-play
- 2026: Winter Olympics - hockey play-by-play
Radio
- 1994–1995, 2016–2020: NHL Radio – lead play-by-play
- 1995–2025: New York Rangers – radio play-by-play