Jack Edwards, a renowned commentator for the Boston Bruins on NESN, faces a significant health issue affecting his speech. While his overall health remains strong, and his cognitive assessments show no concerns, Edwards’s speech has noticeably slowed, drawing attention from audiences and peers alike.

His changed speech patterns are particularly discernable during live broadcasts of Bruins games, with his speech appearing more measured and sometimes slurred, making it necessary to elongate the pronunciation of words.

The shift in his speech became apparent during the 2022 annual reading of the Declaration of Independence, a family tradition. This prompted Edwards to seek medical expertise, leading to extensive testing and consultations with specialists at Massachusetts General Hospital. Yet, a clear diagnosis or specific name for his speech condition has not been identified.

Potential medical explanations such as dementia or stroke have been eliminated, but a conclusive diagnosis is yet to be made. Edwards has pursued intensive speech therapy for over a year.

Edward treats his speech issue as if it were an injury during the season, maintaining a hopeful outlook that regular speech therapy will yield improvements in his delivery. On days without games, he dedicates 40-60 minutes to speech exercises, and shortens this to 10 minutes on game days. Despite these hurdles, Edwards is thankful for the support from coworkers, especially commentator Andy Brickley, and the Bruins fanbase.

Even with the slowdown in speech, Edwards is determined to continue in his role and support the Bruins. Although he contemplates retirement, he wishes to do so gracefully at the appropriate time, with hopes of dedicating around 100 days annually to skiing. Edwards’s story highlights the importance of confronting health issues that affect professional life and the value of support from the community and healthcare professionals.

What Kind of Speech Therapy is Jack Edwards Receiving?

To address the changes in his speech, such as the slower pace and periodic slurring, Jack Edwards has undertaken speech therapy, devoting 40-60 minutes on days without games and about 10 minutes on game days. The therapy is intensive and aims to retrain his brain to adapt to the limitations in his speech.

The goal is to manage and possibly mitigate the changes in his speech through rigorous therapy, following the mindset of treating it like an injury. Edwards’s efforts are a testament to his determination to overcome this challenge, with each session aimed at improving his speech. It’s a collaborative effort, buoyed by support and encouragement from all sides, indicative of the progress being made and fostering hope for Edwards’s continuous improvement and his ability to sustain his broadcasting career.