Joe Micheletti
Joe Micheletti | |
|---|---|
| Born | October 24, 1954 Hibbing, Minnesota, U.S. |
| Occupation(s) | Ice hockey defenseman, broadcaster, coach |
| Years active | 1977–1982 (player), post-1982 (broadcaster and coach) |
| Known for | Professional ice hockey career in WHA and NHL; NHL broadcaster for MSG Network |
Joseph Robert Micheletti (born October 24, 1954) is a former American ice hockey defenseman and current analyst. His professional playing career included 142 games in the World Hockey Association (WHA) with the Calgary Cowboys and Edmonton Oilers between 1977 and 1979, as well as 158 National Hockey League (NHL) contests for the St. Louis Blues and Colorado Rockies from 1979 to 1982. He is the sibling of ex-NHL player Pat Micheletti.
Amateur career
Growing up in Hibbing, Minnesota, Micheletti attended Hibbing High School before playing collegiate hockey at the University of Minnesota under coach Herb Brooks. He contributed to national championship victories in 1974 and 1976, setting university records for assists and points during his senior year, where he also earned MVP recognition at the 1976 NCAA finals.
Professional career
Selected 123rd overall by the Montreal Canadiens in the 1974 draft, Micheletti launched his professional journey in 1977 with the Calgary Cowboys of the WHA. That same year, he represented the United States at the Ice Hockey World Championship held in Vienna.
Throughout his WHA career—predominantly with the Edmonton Oilers—he amassed 31 goals and 70 assists across 142 games. Transitioning to the NHL in 1979, Micheletti played for the St. Louis Blues before concluding his playing tenure with the Colorado Rockies. His NHL statistics include 11 goals and 60 assists over 158 games. He wrapped up his on-ice career after competing for the U.S. team at the 1982 World Championship in Helsinki.
Broadcasting career
Following retirement from playing, Micheletti moved into broadcasting roles as an ice-level reporter and color commentator for networks such as Fox, ESPN/ABC, and NBC’s NHL coverage. He provided commentary for hockey during several Winter Olympic Games (1994, 1998, 2002, 2006, and 2010), frequently working alongside Kenny Albert, and called four Stanley Cup Finals from 2016 through 2019 on NBC Sports Radio.
At a local level, he began as a color analyst for St. Louis Blues broadcasts with Dan Kelly and Ken Wilson, ultimately forming a permanent partnership with Wilson starting in 1992. Micheletti also contributed to Minnesota North Stars television coverage during the 1991–92 season after serving three years as an assistant coach. In 1998, he joined Howie Rose on New York Islanders broadcasts.
In 2006, Micheletti succeeded John Davidson as the New York Rangers color commentator on MSG Network, teaming up with Sam Rosen—a pairing that gained strong approval among Rangers supporters.
Coaching career
On June 10, 1987, Micheletti was appointed assistant coach for the St. Louis Blues, working alongside Doug MacLean under head coach Jacques Martin. The following year saw Bob Berry join as assistant coach under new head coach Brian Sutter. Micheletti remained in this coaching position for four seasons.
Regular season and playoffs
| Regular season | Playoffs | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season | Team | League | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | ||
| 1970–71 | Hibbing High School | HS-MN | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1971–72 | Hibbing High School | HS-MN | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1972–73 | Hibbing High School | HS-MN | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1973–74 | University of Minnesota | WCHA | 21 | 2 | 5 | 7 | 10 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1974–75 | University of Minnesota | WCHA | 42 | 7 | 13 | 20 | 44 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1975–76 | University of Minnesota | WCHA | 33 | 7 | 24 | 31 | 46 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1976–77 | University of Minnesota | WCHA | 39 | 9 | 39 | 48 | 53 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1976–77 | Calgary Cowboys | WHA | 14 | 3 | 3 | 6 | 10 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1977–78 | Edmonton Oilers | WHA | 56 | 14 | 34 | 48 | 56 | 5 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 4 | ||
| 1978–79 | Edmonton Oilers | WHA | 72 | 14 | 33 | 47 | 85 | 13 | 0 | 9 | 9 | 2 | ||
| 1979–80 | St. Louis Blues | NHL | 54 | 2 | 16 | 18 | 29 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1980–81 | St. Louis Blues | NHL | 63 | 4 | 27 | 31 | 53 | 11 | 1 | 11 | 12 | 10 | ||
| 1981–82 | St. Louis Blues | NHL | 20 | 3 | 11 | 14 | 28 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1981–82 | Colorado Rockies | NHL | 21 | 2 | 6 | 8 | 4 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1981–82 CHL season | Fort Worth Texans | CHL | 17 | 3 | 14 | 17 | 26 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1982–83 | WAT Stadlau | AUT | 31 | 18 | 46 | 64 | 77 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| WHA totals | 142 | 31 | 70 | 101 | 151 | 18 | 0 | 11 | 11 | 6 | ||||
| NHL totals | 158 | 11 | 60 | 71 | 114 | 11 | 1 | 11 | 12 | 10 | ||||
International
| Year | Team | Tournament | Games Played | Goals | Assists | Points | Penalty Minutes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1977 | United States | WC | 10 | 0 | 5 | 5 | 8 | |
| 1982 | United States | WC | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | |
| Career totals (Senior level) | 15 | 0 | 5 | 5 | 10 | |||
External links
- Pages with script errors
- Articles with short description
- Articles with hCards
- No local image but image on Wikidata
- 1954 births
- Living people
- American men's ice hockey defensemen
- American television sports commentators
- Calgary Cowboys players
- Cincinnati Stingers draft picks
- Colorado Rockies (NHL) players
- Edmonton Oilers (WHA) players
- Ice hockey players from Minnesota
- Minnesota Golden Gophers men's ice hockey players
- Montreal Canadiens draft picks
- MSG Network people
- National Hockey League broadcasters
- New York Islanders announcers
- New York Rangers announcers
- St. Louis Blues announcers
- St. Louis Blues coaches
- St. Louis Blues players