In the spring of 1993, at a time when it felt like the hockey world was abandoning Minnesota, Al Shaver stuck around. Hired as the radio voice of the expansion Minnesota North Stars in 1967, Shaver had been there through all 26 of their seasons at Met Center.
And when Norm Green took the players and the jerseys and all of the history with him to north Texas, Shaver said, “Nope, not interested.”
Longtime Minnesota North Stars radio broadcaster Al Shaver, the radio play by play broadcaster for all 26 years the team was in Minnesota, passed away on April 22, 2024 after a brief illness on his beloved Vancouver Island, British Columbia, Canada. (Courtesy of the Minnesota Wild)
Shaver, who was retired and living in British Columbia at age 96, died on Monday following a brief illness, according to his family.
Wally Shaver, Al’s son and the long-time voice of Gophers men’s hockey, said he was able to spend a few of those final days with his father, sharing some great stories about their many hockey adventures. Wally said that until the end, Al’s mind and memory remained sharp, but his body was failing.
Educated in Toronto, Al Shaver cut his teeth in a half-dozen Canadian markets before getting his big break with the North Stars, which set up shop in the Minneapolis suburbs as part of the NHL’s six-team expansion “Class of ’67.” He called the goals scored by Bill Goldsworthy, Dino Ciccarelli, Neal Broten and Mike Modano up until the team’s relocation to Dallas.
While other broadcasters and team officials followed the Stars to their new home, Shaver stayed in Minnesota and was the voice of Gophers’ hockey for three more seasons alongside former North Stars coach Glen Sonmor before hanging up the microphone and retiring to a home near the waters of the Pacific on Vancouver Island.
He took a brief hiatus from his retirement to call some of the Minnesota Wild’s games in their inaugural 2000-01 season.
Shaver, for whom the press box at Xcel Energy Center is named, is a member of the Hockey Hall of Fame’s wing for broadcasters, and has handed down his gift to two more generations of his family. Wally is well-known for his college hockey work and grandson Jason has been the play-by-play voice of the AHL’s Chicago Wolves for more than a decade.
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