E.J. Hradek

E.J. Hradek joined NHL Network/NHL.com as a Senior Reporter in May 2011, working across the League's multiple media platforms. He serves as the regular co-host for "NHL Live" (Monday through Friday, 5-7 p.m. ET), discussing the game's hot topics with players, coaches, executives and fans. He is also featured on various segments within NHL Live, including "The EJ 5".

Prior to arriving at NHL Network, E.J. spent 13 years as a Senior Writer for ESPN The Magazine. He was part of the original staff that helped launch the magazine in March 1998. During his time at ESPN, Hradek's work appeared across all the company's media platforms. He appeared as an NHL analyst for ESPN on "SportsCenter", ESPN News, "First Take" and "NHL 2Nite", as well as delivering daily columns for ESPN.com. Prior to leaving ESPN, he served as host of the company's hockey webcast, "Inside the NHL".

From 1996-98, Hradek served as a part-time professional scout for the Dallas Stars, filing reports on more than 100 NHL and AHL games per season during that span. That experience afforded him a unique look at the game from the inside.

Hradek began his professional career through opportunities with SportsTicker, Sterling Publications, the New York Post, Beckett Hockey Monthly and SportsFan Online starting in the late 1980s.

Hradek's experience as a player dates to his college days at Pace University, where he captained and later coached the school's club hockey team. A lifelong "rink rat," Hradek fondly remembers some long afternoons of outdoor hockey on the frozen lakes and ponds in Westchester, N.Y. These days, he attempts to bring that same enthusiasm for the game to his work.