How do you replace a legend? If you follow the Los Angeles Dodgers’ example, you don’t choose a big name who’s been around the block. Instead, you pick a broadcaster with a terrific voice, a good rapport with his new partner, and… oh yeah, who isn’t even 30 yet.
The Los Angeles Kings and Fox Sports West did just that, choosing 28-year-old Alex Faust to step into the booth next season. Faust signed a multi-year contract to serve as the new Voice of the Kings. Happily, he will do the play-by-play alongside longtime color commentator Jim Fox, and if the words of Fox are anything to go off of, he’ll fit right in where Bob Miller once sat. From the OC Register:
“I thought his call was very clean,” said Fox, the team’s TV analyst since 1990. “You could feel the power of his voice, a God-given talent, and he lets the game shine through with his minimal style. There’s no doubt he’s taken the necessary steps to get this far.”
Jon Rosen has some details about the selection process, which went through last month. It sounds like Faust emerged as a top candidate fairly early and never looked back.
I’ve taken a listen to some of Faust’s calls myself over at his Soundcloud page, and the voice was indeed was struck me first… which is always a good quality to have as a play-by-play announcer. What I’d forgotten is that this wasn’t the first time I had heard his voice; he stepped in for a single NBCSN broadcast this season, for a game between the Tampa Bay Lightning and Chicago Blackhawks on March 27. I remember not recognizing the voice, looking it up, and thinking, “How is this the first time this guy is calling an NHL game?”
Couldn’t have asked for a nicer partner for a debut game. Brian Engblom has been incredibly kind to this rookie. pic.twitter.com/6KERWhFA5B
— Alex Faust (@alex_faust) March 27, 2017
So it didn’t occur to me to think of him as a potential candidate for this particular opening, and it only occurred later on to Faust, who was initially hoping just to get on the Kings’ radar according to the Los Angeles Times.
Totally thrilled to join the @LAKings family! Opportunity of a lifetime, without a doubt. Can’t wait to get to meet Kings fans this summer.
— Alex Faust (@alex_faust) June 1, 2017
He’s got experience, though. Faust called games for the AHL’s Utica Comets for three seasons and had also served as the radio voice of the Frozen Four on Westwood One. He’d shown some versatility in calling basketball and lacrosse for ESPNU and NESN, but he got his hockey start calling games on Northeastern radio in college… which, again, was about a decade ago, tops.
The above info would have been easier to track down, but the resume on his site appears to have been removed. If all goes well, he won’t be needing it for a while.
Alex Faust’s 2017 Hockey Reel, via Vision Sports Group