When Don La Greca received the call from MSG Networks on June 12th asking if he’d be interested in becoming the New Jersey Devils’ play-by-play announcer, he couldn’t believe what he was hearing.
After years of believing his chance to be the voice of an NHL team had passed him by, La Greca’s childhood dream suddenly became reality.
“I was just floored,” La Greca revealed during his appearance on NJ Advance Media’s Speaking of the Devils. “I almost, like the wife in ‘Castaway’ getting the phone call that the husband’s still alive and she passes out … It was kinda like that, like, ‘Oh my god, I can’t believe I’m being offered this gig.’”
What makes this story particularly compelling is how La Greca had genuinely resigned himself to the reality that he might never get this opportunity.
After serving as Kenny Albert’s backup since 2008 and auditioning for both the New York Islanders’ job in 2016 and the Devils position three years ago (which went to Bill Spalding), La Greca had made peace with his broadcasting path.
“Well, it’s funny you mentioned the word accepted because I kind of accepted the fact that it probably wasn’t going to happen for me,” La Greca told NJ Advance Media’s Devils beat reporter Ryan Novozinsky. “Here I am getting into the second half of my 50s and I’m like, I guess, you know, it’s not going to happen.”
For La Greca, this position represents more than just a career achievement – it’s the fulfillment of a lifelong passion. As a member of the Devils fan club in the late 1980s, La Greca has followed the team through its entire history. The Devils organization even presented him with the box score from the first game he ever attended – a 7-0 loss to the Islanders on February 22, 1987.
“If you had told 18-year-old Don La Greca that you’d be doing this someday, I’d be like, there’s no way. There’s no way that’s ever going to happen,” La Greca said. “To be able to call games for the team that you grew up following, it’s still amazing to me.”
La Greca joins an impressive lineage of Devils play-by-play announcers, including Gary Thorne and the legendary Mike “Doc” Emrick, whom La Greca considers “the best to ever do it.”
Following in those footsteps comes with its own pressure, but La Greca’s authentic passion for the team connects with the fanbase uniquely.
The transition hasn’t been without its challenges. Moving from radio to television requires significant adjustments to his announcing style, and he describes his current performance as “a work in progress.”
But for Devils fans, having a broadcaster who once sat where they sit — literally, in the Brendan Byrne Arena stands — brings an authenticity to the broadcasts that’s impossible to manufacture.
“I’m not sure it’s completely sunk in even though I’ve called a dozen games,” La Greca admitted. “But it’s getting there, and it’s a very surreal experience.”
For Devils fans, hearing La Greca’s signature “put a pitchfork in it” call after victories has quickly become a beloved tradition — a fitting capstone to a journey decades in the making.
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