Breaking: Vegas hires former Sportsnet reporter and recently retired NHL goalie

This just in, the Vegas Golden Knights have made some changes to their broadcast team for the 2019-20 season. The team has hired recently retired NHL goaltender Mike McKenna and former Sportsnet host Darren Millard, as well as Vegas native Stormy Buonantony as rinkside reporter.

Check it out:

The 36 year old McKenna split last season between the Ottawa Senators and Philadelphia Flyers’ organization, but spent the majority of his time on the bench as a backup. In total, McKenna played for seven NHL teams: Flyers, Senators, Dallas Stars, Arizona Coyotes, Columbus Blue Jackets, New Jersey Devils and Tampa Bay Lightning over the course of his professional career. 

Millard, known best as the former host of Sportsnet’s Hockey Central at Noon program, left the Rogers-owned broadcaster in 2018 and has been working as a freelance journalist ever since.

For the full press release announcement of today’s hirings, read below:

VEGAS (August 29, 2019) - Vegas Golden Knights President Kerry Bubolz announced today, August 29, new additions to the Vegas Golden Knights broadcast team. These additions will be featured prominently on all regionally televised AT&T SportsNet game broadcasts, AT&T SportsNet's behind-the-scenes show Vegas Golden Knights: Knight Life, Vegas Golden Knights produced digital content and team charitable appearances and events throughout the Las Vegas Valley.

Industry veteran Daren Millard has been named the lead pregame, intermission and postgame host, while former NHL goaltender Mike McKenna will serve as the lead studio analyst on the pregame, intermission and postgame panel. In addition, the team has selected Las Vegas native Stormy Buonantony as the club's rinkside reporter. Darren Eliot will also be featured as an analyst in select games throughout the 2019-20 season, while also serving in his current role as Vice President of Hockey Programming and Facility Operations for the Golden Knights.

"We are very excited for Daren Millard, Mike McKenna and Stormy Buonantony to join our broadcast team and to have Darren Eliot take on an increased role," said Vegas Golden Knights President Kerry Bubolz. "The group will deliver unique insights and engaging commentary to our audiences each and every telecast and be prominent fixtures in the Las Vegas community. Daren and Mike will be an outstanding top pair on the desk and we are proud to welcome Stormy back home as our first ever 'Vegas Born' broadcaster."

The group will join the Golden Knights current lineup of broadcast personalities including TV play-by-play announcer Dave Goucher, TV color commentator Shane Hnidy, VGK Insider Gary Lawless, radio play-by-play announcer Dan D'Uva, Deportes Vegas radio play-by-play announcer Jesus Lopez, and Deportes Vegas radio analyst Herbert Castro.

Millard brings nearly three decades of experience to the Golden Knights broadcasting team. The Brandon, Manitoba native was one of the first hires ever made by Rogers Media's Sportsnet in 1998 and he worked as an on-air host with Sportsnet for 20 years. In addition to his role as host, Millard covered events such as the 2010 Winter Olympics, multiple Stanley Cup Finals, as well as the 2017 NHL Expansion Draft at T-Mobile Arena. In December of 2018 Millard started his own hockey podcast, "The Chirp", featuring interviews from prominent figures around the NHL.

McKenna, a native of St. Louis, was drafted by the Nashville Predators in the sixth round of the 2002 NHL Draft. The recently retired goaltender had a career that spanned 14 years in professional hockey. After playing four years of college hockey at St. Lawrence University, McKenna made his pro debut with the ECHL's Las Vegas Wranglers during the 2005-06 season. Since February 2019, McKenna has hosted his own podcast, "6 Degrees with Mike McKenna."

Buonantony is returning to her hometown of Las Vegas to be the rinkside reporter for the Golden Knights after spending the 2017-19 seasons as the in-stadium emcee and broadcast reporter for the NFL's Carolina Panthers. Her extensive portfolio includes time with ESPN, SEC Network, Raycom Sports and NBC News, in addition to three years spent as a reporter and host for the Mountain West in Colorado. She's received numerous awards for her work including the NATAS Heartland Emmy for Technical Achievement, the Cynopsis Sport Leaderboard Award for Excellence in Social Media, and a NATAS Pacific Southwest Emmy for Outstanding Production in Sports.

Eliot came to Vegas in February of 2019 to serve as the Vice President of Hockey Programming and Facility Operations. Eliot, a former goaltender, was All-American at Cornell, played for Team Canada in the 1984 Olympics and played professionally for the Los Angeles Kings, Detroit Red Wings and Buffalo Sabres. He has covered the NHL for the past twenty-two seasons as a regional analyst for the Anaheim Ducks and Atlanta Thrashers and as a national analyst for Versus, TSN, NHL Radio and SI.com, garnering two Emmy's along the way. From 2011-2019, Eliot appeared as the in-studio analyst for Fox Sports Detroit's coverage of the Red Wings, while sitting in as game analyst for select NHL road games.

AT&T SportsNet, the official TV home of the Vegas Golden Knights, will produce and televise 76 games during the 2019-20 regular season. The first regular season game to air on AT&T SportsNet will be October 4th, against the San Jose Sharks, a rematch of the first round of the 2019 Stanley Cup Playoffs. The network broadcasts will include both pre-game and post-game shows. Territorial restrictions apply. Subject to blackouts.