Vitale named new Blues radio analyst on KMOX

RELATED: Chase leaves broadcast booth after 18 seasons
ST. LOUIS - Joey Vitale grew up a huge fan of the St. Louis Blues and went to games at the Old Arena on Oakland Avenue all the time, but it was rare if he got to watch a game from start to finish.
That's because his dad owned and operated a St. Louis-based concrete and construction company and had to get up for work every day at 3:30 a.m. Typically the Vitales would watch the first period and then get in the car to drive back to their home in Sunset Hills, where they would listen to the rest of the game on the radio.

"My dad would get home from work, throw off his work boots, load the car and he always had enough energy to get us to the game," Vitale told stlouisblues.com. "We'd stay for a period and he'd say 'are you ready to go?' We'd be so bummed that we had to leave, but every now and again he would let us stay for two periods… we were always very appreciative of that."
Starting with the preseason in September, Vitale will get to see every Blues game from now on - from the opening face-off until the final buzzer - because Vitale has been selected to be the new radio color analyst for Blues games on KMOX 1120 AM.
"This is an opportunity you dream about," Vitale said. "The more I dove into the process and got to know Chris (Kerber), everything just fell into place and felt more and more right. I'm on cloud nine right now."

"It's an exciting time for Blues hockey," Kerber added. "There's been a great line of broadcasters and analysts over the years that have brought fun, entertaining and accurate commentary to the Blues, and I think Joey is going to do a great job in continuing that tradition. His work ethic is second to none, he's played in the NHL and he knows what hockey in St. Louis is all about having grown up at every level with it. I know he's excited to get to work and I'm excited to get to work with him."
Vitale was offered the job on Monday morning when Kerber took him to the press box at Enterprise Center and brought him to the KMOX broadcast booth to deliver the news.
Kerber: Pretty good view up here, isn't it? How would you like to watch a game up here one day?
Vitale: I'd love that.
Kerber: How would you like to broadcast every game up here this year?
Vitale: ... (hugs Kerber)
"I was in shock," Vitale recalled. "I knew in that moment the job was being offered to me. I gave him a big hug and said 'where do I sign?' I didn't need to negotiate, I was ready to go. I couldn't wait to go home and tell my wife, Brianna. My three kids - Summer, Harper and Bode - they were wearing Blues jerseys and chanting 'Let's Go Blues' all night. It was just a wonderful day and it was a day I'll never forget. I'm just so grateful for the opportunity."

Youth hockey for Vitale started with the Affton Americans when he was only five years old. He would eventually win a championship with the AAA Blues and also claim three high school state titles with CBC. After high school, Vitale played four seasons of college hockey at Northeastern University.
In 2005, Vitale was selected in the seventh round (No. 195 overall) in the NHL Draft and played parts of four seasons with the Pittsburgh Penguins, scoring eight goals and 27 assists in 163 games.
"Joey was always a great personality in the room and worked hard every night," said former teammate Sidney Crosby. "He is passionate about the game and I am happy for him and his family on this new chapter. I know he'll do great!"
Vitale also played in 71 games with the Arizona Coyotes before a concussion in the 2015-16 season put an end to his playing career.
Since hanging up the skates, Vitale has helped with his dad's construction business but also pursued a small business of his own, making bread under the company name "Joey The Baker."
"Joey Vitale is a great kid from a great St. Louis family. Period," said Kelly Chase, who occupied the color analyst role for the Blues on KMOX for 18 years. "He's always been a hard-working kid with a great attitude, which is why he was such a great teammate in the NHL. I'm really happy for him. He's the logical choice and he's going to be awesome for the Blues."

"He's a very likable guy. You could tell he was a high character guy from the first day I met him," added Blues defenseman Robert Bortuzzo, who was Vitale's teammate for two seasons with the AHL's Wilkes-Barre / Scranton Penguins and two more with the Pittsburgh Penguins.
Vitale's new role with the Blues won't just start and end in the broadcast booth, though. He'll have a desk in the Blues front office, and he'll have a key role working with the club's video production and digital staff to help produce content - whether that's locker room interviews with the players or gameday shows for the Blues' website and mobile app. Vitale also will play an important role in the community, helping to raise money for the Blues for Kids foundation through events such as casino night, youth hockey initiatives and sponsorship events.
Vitale can't wait to get started. Because of injuries, he never got to wear the Blue Note as a player like many of his St. Louis-born peers - players like Paul Stastny, Cam Janssen, Chris Butler, Ben Bishop and now Pat Maroon. But that's still OK with Vitale. To him, taking a position in the broadcast booth is just as good.
"I remember sitting across the table from my wife when I was playing for the Penguins and I said one thing I would love to do is play for the Blues and hopefully retire a Blue," he said. "That would be a perfect finale to all of this. But I got injured in Arizona so I never had that opportunity. But now being a broadcaster, it doesn't feel any different than if I was a player. I already feel like part of this organization and part of this team.
"It's a nice redemption story where I still get to be a St. Louis Blue. Is that not every kid's dream?"

Things will certainly sound different on the radio this season. Kerber and Chase spent 18 years together, and Kerber admits that having a new radio partner after all those years will certainly require a learning curve, at least in the early going. But the potential that's there, well - it's through the roof.
"We did not go out and try to replace Kelly Chase. You can't. It would have been foolish to try," Kerber said. "They broke that mold when they made Chaser and nobody tried to re-make it and glue it together. It's just like the NFL, who has not found a way to replace John Madden. I'm not going to say that Joey Vitale will be like this guy or be like that guy or somebody else. I think Joey Vitale is going to come in here and be Joey, and fans are going to know him as Joey. And they're going to like him. He's going to be great."
One year ago, Vitale was working for his dad's concrete company and actually helped pour the new ice floor at Enterprise Center during the building's Phase 1 renovations - so he's literally worked his way into the broadcast booth from the ground up.
"Looking down at the concrete, I was thinking just how amazing life is," Vitale said. "It's funny the twists and turns it will take you on. Pouring concrete one year, and just a year later I'm in the press box and Chris Kerber is telling me I've got the radio analyst job. It's just too wild."