Gay hockey broadcaster celebrates 500th game by calling eight goals in front of his parents

As career paths go, professional sports broadcaster is one of the more daunting ones.

For play-by-play voices, there are only 30-something jobs available at the highest level in each of the major sports. It can be harder for a broadcaster to make it to the big leagues than it is for some of the athletes they cover.

Gay hockey announcer Jon Kliment is one of those aspiring voices working his way up the ladder with hopes of one day calling games in the NHL. 

This past Friday, October 23rd, Kliment achieved a significant career milestone as he broadcast his 500th game. It was a triumph of skill and perseverance as well as a tribute to his love of the sport. 

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Kliment’s career journey has taken him all over the country from Elmira, N.Y. to Biloxi, Miss., to his current home in Kansas with the Topeka Scarecrows of the Federal Prospects Hockey League.

Along the way, he published his coming out story in 2020, detailing the conscious decision he made to made to live openly as a gay man in hockey and sports broadcasting.

In a message to Outsports before he took the mic for his milestone evening, Kliment reflected on the games that were at the forefront of his mind from across his career.

“Looking back, I think the ones that stick out are the special ones,” he remarked, “My first call (which was awful), I was so young and inexperienced. My first playoff game, every time I start with a new team or work in a new building.

“Doing a Hockey For All Night and being part of the Boston Bruins Hockey is for Everyone Night two years ago. Those are the ones that stick with me. The ones that meant something.”

Later that evening, the Scarecrows gave Kliment plenty of new memories to stick with him.

Before the game, the team showed a Kliment collage on the Jumbotron along with the message “Congrats, Jon! 500 Games Called.”

Then they went out and gave Kliment an opportunity to use his “GOAL!” call eight times, thrashing the Monroe Moccasins 8-1.

“I’m not really sure I can say a lot went through my head during the game except how special it was,” he reflected afterward, “The team recognized me and people applauded. There’s a lot of times you don’t necessarily feel appreciated or valued and then to have that…it really meant something to me. Like a whole lot.”

Making the evening even more special, Kliment’s parents journeyed to Topeka to be in attendance for their son’s achievement. He also received congratulatory messages from numerous players, owners, and fans he’d met along his journey.

The Scarecrows also gave Kliment a number 500 jersey with his name on the back as well as a game puck.

With all that he’d been through during the previous 499 games, Kliment made sure to take a moment and reflect on what made his career so special.

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“When it ended and I was about to sign off for the night, I felt so grateful,” he said. “I thanked everyone. I wanted to tell everyone how much I appreciated being hired and being listened to.

“It all means so much for so many different reasons and I genuinely just felt gratitude.”

The next night, he got to call another eight-goal outburst for Topeka as he began the path to his next 500.

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