Gigi Marvin's passion for hockey, broadcasting unite

Gigi Marvin played 152 games in her Gophers hockey career, but the two she missed because of injury are having a big influence a dozen years later.

"In those two games, I went upstairs and did the color in the press box,'' said Marvin, a broadcast communications major at Minnesota. "I really enjoyed doing that.''

So much so that the Warroad, Minn., native, 2005 Minnesota Ms. Hockey and Olympic gold medalist is ramping up her career in broadcasting. Fox Sports North on Monday announced that Marvin will join the network's Wild broadcast crew. Marvin, who lives in the Boston area, has worked as a color analyst on Northeastern University hockey broadcasts. She will make her debut on March 14 with Mark Parrish during the "Wild Live'' pregame and postgame shows and in the booth with Anthony LaPanta and Ryan Carter. She'll also be on the March 16 "Wild Live'' shows and will work more games once FSN's schedule is finalized.

"I'm very excited to do more games and be part of the broadcast team officially,'' said Marvin, who turns 34 on Sunday. "It's so fun and they're playing so well. It'll be nice to actually witness them in person.''

Marvin is ready to use her experience as a player to hone her broadcasting skills.

"With the Olympic teams, I've been on camera quite a bit,'' said Marvin, who won gold in Pyeongchang in 2018 and silver in Sochi in 2014 and Vancouver in 2010. "I've been on the interviewee side for so much of my life that talking in front of a camera has gotten to be second nature, but it'll be really enjoyable to learn a new skill like breaking down the game and providing more in-depth analysis. It'll be a little bit new, but it will be really fun.''

She hasn't given up on her playing career, though. Marvin moved to the Boston area in 2011 and splits time between New England and Minnesota. She's still playing hockey for the New Hampshire region of the Professional Women's Hockey Players Association, the group of high-level players across North America that is trying to start a pro league that will be on better financial footing than the NWHL. Marvin played in both Dream Gap Tour games in the New York area last weekend, including Sunday's first-ever women's professional game at Madison Square Garden. The tour moves to the Chicago area this weekend, and Saturday's 2 p.m. game between Marvin's New Hampshire team and the Minnesota region of the PWHPA will be televised on NBC Sports Network.

"We're really grateful that we're able to play some games officially and that the Dream Gap Tour has started,'' Marvin said. "We're very excited for the Chicago weekend coming up. … The whole purpose is to get a league, and a sustainable one, so we're hopeful all this is going toward that.''

A week after the Chicago tour stop, Marvin will be at Xcel Energy Center to start her FSN duties. She sees parallels between being a player and a broadcaster.

"It'll be like I always feel on game day,'' she said. "There's always some nerves – that nervous excitement. Once the puck drops, you're ready to go. I'm fully aware that's how I compete, and I'm sure that's how it's going to be when I'm broadcasting.''