Beasley Media Group Boston’s 98.5 The Sports Hub (WBZ-FM) has announced that Ryan Johnston will assume play-by-play duties for the Boston Bruins radio broadcasts. He replaces Judd Sirott, who recently moved to NESN to cover the team on television.
He will join analyst Bob Beers for game coverage.
Johnston has been with The Sports Hub since 2009. Since 2010, he has served as a play-by-play fill-in on WBZ and the Boston Bruins Radio Network. He has been the main host of the station’s Saturday morning Sports Hub Hockey Show since 2012. For the past three years, Johnston has been a regular fill-in for Toucher & Rich, now Toucher & Hardy.
As for his play-calling, he was in the booth for Boston College hockey on The Sports Hub for two seasons and handled play-by-play duties for the Beanpot tournament and the Hockey East semifinal and championship games aired on the station. He also spent nine seasons as the voice for the Lowell Lock Monsters and Lowell Devils AHL franchises.
Since 2012, Johnston has freelanced as a college hockey play-by-play announcer, calling games for UMass Lowell, Merrimack College, and the University of New Hampshire on NESN, ESPN+, and Fox Sports.
He is a past recipient of the Massachusetts/Rhode Island Associated Press Award for Best Play-By-Play.
Ryan Johnston said, “This is truly my dream job, and I could not be more excited for this opportunity. I’m thankful to the management team at 98.5 The Sports Hub and the Bruins organization for putting their faith in me. I’m fortunate to work alongside Bob Beers, who is one of the best analysts in the NHL. Really looking forward to the season and providing listeners with the quality broadcast they’ve come to expect.”
Sports Hub Program Director Rick Radzik remarked, “Ryan and Bob will make a great pairing. Our listeners and hockey fans in the region are obviously very familiar with them. They’ve spent time together over the years calling some Bruins games, the Beanpot tournament, as well as co-hosting our Saturday Sports Hub Hockey Show. I can’t wait for them to get started.”
Boston Bruins President Cam Neely commented, “We are excited to welcome Ryan as the new radio voice of the Bruins. Ryan comes into this role with a deep familiarity and knowledge of the Boston Bruins team, fans, and organization, and we are confident he will bring a fresh perspective on-air.”
