BOSTON (AP) — Jack Edwards is retiring after 19 years as the Boston Bruins' play-by-play announcer, the team announced Tuesday.

Edwards has described the position broadcasting for the Bruins on NESN as his “dream job,” which he started in 2005 after spending more than a decade at ESPN. He will continue calling Bruins games through the end of the playoffs.

The 67-year-old Edwards has struggled recently with slowed speech, for which he has received therapy. He spoke about the issue to The Boston Globe in February.

Edwards was recognized before the Bruins’ regular-season finale against the Ottawa Senators and presented with a golden stick in honor of his nearly two decades with the team. Edwards put his hand over his heart in thanks and lifted the stick up as fans cheered during the pregame ceremony.

A New Hampshire native and a graduate of the University of New Hampshire, Edwards said he grew up a Bruins fan and was grateful to finish out his 45-year broadcasting career covering the club.

“I retire from broadcasting not with a heavy heart, but gratefulness for a 19-year-long joyride,” Edwards said in a release. “I owe my career, my own pursuit of happiness, to the love and support of my family. I thank every member of the Bruins and NESN for your loyalty, helping me to achieve and live out a lifetime goal, high above the ice.”

Edwards worked for television stations in Rhode Island and Boston before joining ESPN in 1991.

___

AP NHL: https://apnews.com/hub/nhl