From Penalty Box to Broadcast Booth: The Rise of Jody Shelley as a Top Analyst

Jody Shelley has had one of the more interesting careers of any NHL player. His first game established what was to come in what turned into a 627-game NHL career along with nine postseason games.

In his NHL debut in the inaugural 2000-01 season of the Columbus Blue Jackets, Shelley did something that is still talked about to this day. In just 1:33 of ice time, he got into two fights and secured 10 penalty minutes.

Shelley quickly became a fan favorite with the Blue Jackets. Known for his toughness and consistent trips to the penalty box, he retired in 2013 with at the time the most regular-season major penalties for fighting.

Shelley spent time with the Sharks, Rangers and Flyers in his career. But it was the parts of seven seasons with the Blue Jackets in which he’s most remembered for. He never scored more than three goals in a season. He averaged just over six minutes per game of ice time in his career. In that time, he amassed 1,538 penalty minutes or one penalty minute for every two minutes and 30 seconds of ice time he saw.

Shelley’s role was easily seen. It was a tough job but one in which he always rose to the occasion when the moment called for it. That’s why he had the ultimate respect of other players then and has their respect now in his current role.

Shelley Turns to Broadcasting

Shelley retired from the NHL in August 2013. It was then that he re-joined the Blue Jackets’ organization as a team ambassador and broadcast associate. He’s been with the team since.

Blue Jackets’ fans know Shelley for all the years of broadcasting excellence he’s had. First with Jeff Rimer and Bob McElligott and now with Steve Mears, Shelley has been an important voice of the Blue Jackets since he retired as a player.

Just as with all people in their jobs, everyone has to start somewhere. It was no different with Shelley. His rise to the broadcast booth started as a player with different conversations with those on the teams he was on.

Looking back now, Shelley credits several individuals with helping him get to where he is today.

“I credit Jeff Rimer a lot,” Shelley said. “I would always talk to Jeff about what he was doing and he thought it would be something to look at post-hockey. When you’re in it, you don’t really think that way. But I started getting curious about it. And then was I was in Philadelphia, I hung out with Bill Clement and we had Keith Jones on the plane. I wasn’t playing much. I was doing a little stuff with Paul Holmgren there. And when I retired, I thought ‘Well, I want to be in hockey operations.’ But really it was John Davidson who said ‘There’s nothing for you in hockey operations.’ Try broadcasting.”

“I would say that I wasn’t really sure about it until I tried it with Bob McElligott on radio. And then I realized ‘Oh, this is fun!'”

Fans will see Shelley between the benches for Wednesday Night’s Game 3 between the Penguins and Flyers on TNT. Kenny Albert and Brian Boucher will have the call of the game.

Shelley credits both Albert and Boucher for helping him become a better analyst. But there was one person Shelley went out of his way to mention that’s been a huge influence for him and his broadcasting career. To this day, this individual still helps him.

“Joe Whalen also,” Shelley said. “I have to mention him. He was a huge help with me and my career. All my producers have been great, but Joe Whalen was really good and he still helps me today. He was a producer with MSG. Davidson had him at MSG Network with the Rangers. We brought him in here for a (few years.) I still talk to him quite regularly just about the landscape and what I should be doing. And I have a few mentors too that help me.”

Shelley’s Multiple Roles & Humility

Shelley in recent years has risen to prominence in the broadcast booth. A big reason for that? He’s generally doing something everyday in different parts of the country.

Besides being the color analyst for the Blue Jackets, Shelley is in that role on Amazon Prime Hockey Monday in Canada alongside John Forslund. Then depending on the week, Shelley might find himself on assignment on TNT.

There was one week in which Shelley was in Vancouver on a Monday night then flew cross country to meet the Blue Jackets in Florida on a Tuesday. Wednesday then saw him on TNT doing a national broadcast. On Thursday, he was back with the Blue Jackets getting ready for their next game.

Shelley is always on the move. The way he grinds is noticed by many. Few work as hard and prepare as much as he does while putting in the miles he does on a weekly basis.

And yet, it’s the grind that Shelley likes about his role.

“I like the work,” Shelley said. “I like talking to players, talking to coaches. And of course, it’s a privilege to be around the National Hockey League. So it’s one of those things that I like being at the rink. I like having conversations about hockey and I love being in the NHL.”

One of the biggest things any broadcast has to accomplish is keeping fans engaged and informed about what’s going on during play. In Shelley’s role, he has a lot to consider when delivering what he wants to say.

To him, it’s being able to tell the full story of what’s going on beyond just what you see on your TV set. That’s what he hopes fans get from him.

“It’s a combination of entertainment, educating and just bringing them the story of the game,” Shelley said. “I want to make sure each game that the fans that are watching closely get the story of what happened, why the team won or lost or what the situation was throughout that night.”

Shelley has carved himself out a great post-hockey career. He will continue to become a more prominent voice including in this year’s playoffs on TNT. In the end, it’s the way he respects the game and the people in it that have him in a great position as being one of hockey’s best TV analysts going.

“I respect the NHL and the people in it and always have,” Shelley said. “I feel like we all do. I’m just humbled to be around this league everyday and contribute where ever I can. It’s not about me. It never has been. I’m blessed to be able to be in this position and I thoroughly enjoy it.”