This November day marks the 46th birthday of a Flyers fan favorite. Keith Jones or “Jonesy” was a gritty two-way player for the Flyers for parts of three seasons. His hockey career in Philadelphia lasted just 155 games -regular season and playoffs – however his style of play and personality fit right in with the fans of the Orange and Black.
Originally drafted in the seventh round in 1988 by the Washington Capitals, Jones had a successful run in college at Western Michigan University. He finally cracked the Capitals lineup in the 1992-93 season, scoring 12 goals in 71 games. He played for four seasons in Washington until being traded to the Colorado Avalanche in November of 1996 along with a 1st round pick for Curtis Leschyshyn and Chris Simon.
That 96-97 Avalanche team won the Presidents’ Trophy but lost in a grueling six-game series to the Detroit Red Wings for the Western Conference title. The Red Wings went on to sweep the Flyers that year in the Stanley Cup Finals.
After a disappointing year in 1997-98 that saw Jones play in just 23 games due to injury, he was dealt to the Flyers on November 12 for left winger Shjon Podein. He immediately fit with the Flyers, their personality and their work ethic. In 66 games for the Flyers, Jones had 18 goals and 31 assists.
In the 1999-2000 season, he played in 57 games and 18 more in the Flyer playoff run that fell short to the NJ Devils in seven tough games. That season, Jones was given the Yanik Dupre Memorial Class Guy Award, to the player who best exemplifies a strong rapport with the media. The following season, a concussion, along with numerous left knee problems he had accumulated over his a career forced Jones to retire from hockey in November of 2000.
Since his retirement, Jones' second career in the media has made him just as popular in Philadelphia and with the NHL community. Jones started doing color commentary for the Flyers in 2006-07 and has never looked back. He has turned himself into a polished broadcaster and analyst for the NHL’s national coverage on NBCSN and also chips in with a spot on the 94 WIP morning radio show.
With his quick witted jovial personality and “spot on” analysis of the game, Jones' work in the booth as been as exemplary as it was on the ice.
Happy Birthday, Keith. Enjoy!
Mike Watson is a contributing writer for Flyerdelphia. Follow him on twitter @Mwats_99.
