Kenzie Lalonde to become first female play-by-play announcer for Canadian NHL team

History will be made Tuesday night when Kenzie Lalonde becomes the first woman to do play-by-play for a Canadian NHL team, as the Ottawa Senators travel to Toronto to take on the Toronto Maple Leafs in Scotiabank Arena.

Lalonde shared the news on social media with an accompanying photo of the Sens mascot Sparty, writing that if the mascot told her she would one day call play-by-play for the Ottawa Senators, she wouldn’t have believe him.

“I am incredibly excited to be in the booth tonight for my first @Senators game on @TSN_Sports,” she wrote.

Lalonde will be part of a rotating trio of announcers, which includes Gord Miller and former NHL forward Matt Cullen.

Two-time Olympic gold medalist and broadcaster Cheryl Pounder congratulated Lalonde on social media, calling her colleague “super talented, knowledgable and prepared.”

Lalonde made history when she became the first woman to do play-by-play for a Quebec Maritimes Junior Hockey League (QMJHL) game. She would go on to call games at the Women’s World Championship, the U18 women’s tournament and report on the 2022 Olympic Winter Games.

Before stepping into the broadcast booth, Lalonde was an accomplished player in her own right, playing five seasons of Canadian university hockey with Mount Allison University between 2012-13 and 2016-17.

Lalonde scored 24 goals and 17 assists for 41 points in 115 career regular-season games, and served as captain of the team in her final two seasons.