Jeffrey James Marek[1] (born Keegan Sean Laughlin, July 9, 1969) is a television personality and radio host for properties originating from Stouffville, Ontario, Canada. Jeff has hosted Live Audio Wrestling, Leafs Lunch (cohosted with former Toronto Maple Leaf executive Bill Watters) and The Jeff Marek Show, as well as making notable television appearances on TSN Off The Record and Leafs TV After the Horn. On October 1, 2007, he started as the host of Hockey Night in Canada Radio, signing a one-year contract with Sirius Satellite Radio in mid-August, 2007. From 2011-2024, Marek worked with Sportsnet, before being dismissed due to leaking NHL draft selections to a friend while part of the broadcasting panel. He was the host of Hockey Central and also hosts The CHL on Sportsnet. Between 2014 and 2016 he occasionally hosted Hockey Night in Canada games that were played in the morning.
Jeff Marek | |
|---|---|
| Born | Keegan Sean Laughlin[1] July 9, 1969 Stouffville, Ontario, Canada |
| Occupation | sportscaster |
| Known for | Hockey Night in Canada |
Career
editJeff started out by hosting Live Audio Wrestling, the first wrestling/MMA program available on conventional radio. During the early days of the radio show he got the nickname "Gentleman" Jeff Marek. In 2003, after The LAW had moved from The Fan 590 to Talk 640, Jeff began to host the pre-game and post-game shows for Toronto Maple Leafs telecasts, leading to Jeff leaving The LAW, to work full-time on his other on-air and behind the scenes roles at the recently rebranded Mojo Radio - Talk Radio For Guys. Eventually, Jeff would begin to host a daily talk show on the Toronto Maple Leafs in the afternoon, known as Leafs Lunch. He also hosted his own radio show which aired after Leafs Lunch, called The Jeff Marek Show, until Mojo Radio rebranded its station AM 640 - Toronto Radio. In the summer of 2007, Marek became the sole-host of Leafs Lunch, as well as co-host of The Bill Watters Show, the afternoon-drive program on the station hosted by his former Leafs Lunch partner, former Maple Leafs Assistant GM Bill Watters.
On September 7, 2007, Jeff Marek announced that he had accepted a position at Hockey Night in Canada, hosting broadcasts on Sirius Satellite Radio channel 122. Marek signed a one-year contract, which involved him vacating his positions at AM 640 Toronto Radio. His new show began on October 1, 2007, airing from 4-6 pm. The show expanded to a three-hour program the following season. Easily one of the most popular sports shows on Sirius-XM, HNIC Radio with Jeff Marek offers a wide variety of hockey insiders and CBC's Hockey Night in Canada personalities like Kelly Hrudey, Craig Simpson and Cassie Campbell. Moreover, as part of his new duties, Jeff also works with the CBC in their broadcasts of Hockey Night in Canada, he helped debut the I-Desk in the Spring of 2009 with Hockey Hall of Fame sports writer Scott Morrison.[1] Archived 2022-01-23 at the Wayback Machine. Additionally, Marek continues his position as an on-air personality for Leafs TV broadcasts of Maple Leaf hockey.
Marek called Judo at the 2008 Summer Olympics for CBC.[2]
On July 6, 2011, it was announced that Marek has joined Sportsnet.[3]
Marek left Hockey Night in Canada Radio during the Summer of 2011.
Marek was a co-host on the podcast Marek vs. Wyshynski with Yahoo's Greg Wyshynski for 6 years, ending when Wyshynski moved from Yahoo to ESPN. In the 2021–22 season, Marek was replaced by Caroline Cameron as studio host of Sportsnet's Wednesday Night Hockey, but continued to serve as an inside reporter for the network. He also co-hosted the Sportsnet-produced podcast 32 Thoughts with Elliotte Friedman.
Marek has also spoken at the SMWW Hockey Career Conference.
In July 2024, Marek was quietly dismissed from Sportsnet, with two years remaining on his contract, because he leaked selections from the first round of the 2024 NHL entry draft one or two minutes before they were announced to his friend Mark Seidel; Marek had been presenting on the television broadcast of the draft and was privy to the selections ahead of their official announcement as a member of the crew.[4] While no gambling was involved, Seidel posted the information on Twitter, which alerted league authorities to the potential of a possible leak before the first round had concluded; Seidel had previously correctly predicted several first round selections on Twitter moments before the picks were officially announced.[4] Marek had been silent for several weeks after the June 28 first round of the draft, missing several scheduled radio and podcasts appearances and not posting online, before the separation was officially announced on July 26, though revealed by insiders a day earlier. The incident was investigated by the Nevada Gaming Control Board after the NHL alerted the agency to the leaks.[4]
Personal life
editJeff was adopted.[5] He has since reconnected with his biological mother; however, he has never met his biological father. On the January 5th, 2016 podcast episode of Marek Vs Wyshynski, Jeff declared his desire to find his biological father but didn't know where to begin.[6]
He's married to Claire, and has two sons, Brody and T.J. He has been a vegan since 2008.
Jeff has said that "Dope Fiends and Boozehounds" by the Rheostatics is his favourite song. [7]
Marek was originally slated to pursue a Ph.D. in English before accepting an entry-level position with TheFan590, which would eventually become Sportsnet radio.[4]
References
edit- ^ a b Marek, Jeff; Wyshynski, Greg (March 17, 2014). "Marek vs. Wyshynski". Sportsnet.ca (Podcast). Sportsnet. Event occurs at 6:50. Retrieved May 22, 2014.
{{cite podcast}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link) - ^ Houston, William (June 25, 2008). "TSN goes whole hog on CFL football". The Globe and Mail.
- ^ "New signing: Marek joins Sportsnet team". Sportsnet.ca. July 6, 2011.
- ^ a b c d "Why was a beloved hockey broadcaster pulled off the air?". The Athletic. New York Times. August 1, 2024. Retrieved August 1, 2024.
- ^ Jeff Marek [@JeffMarek] (27 January 2010). "@toleafgirl well I was adopted..." (Tweet) – via Twitter.
- ^ "Marek Vs Wyshynski Podcast". Fan 590. January 5, 2016.
- ^ "Michael Phillip Wojewoda: Toronto Mike'd Podcast Episode 1346". TorontoMike.com. October 19, 2023.