JAMES A. PRIOR Jr.

Dear Prior Family,
A word to let you know that you are all in our thoughts and prayers. The Arlington Hockey Club brought a lot of good people together over the years with you being part of it. We'll always have good memories to carry on.
Love,
John & Carol Kilban

It was obvious that Jim loved his family including his extended hockey community family. Besides his booming voice, he possessed an exuberant smile. I will always remember when he visited the referees locker room seeking a good story. Many, many times he exited the room laughing and shaking his head. Thanks for the memories Jim, RIP.

I first met Jim in 1989 when I joined Hockey Night In Boston as a fledgling PA guy. I was immediately trained in "The Prior Way" of the do's and don'ts of hockey announcing. We had a great working relationship during our 20 or so years together at HNIB. His immediately recognizable voice and signature "Let's Play Hockey!" will be missed by all in the Greater Boston and Massachusetts hockey community. My condolences to the Prior family. Absolutely a class act!

My condolences to the Prior family. I had the privilege of sharing the booth with Jim over the last four seasons of BU hockey. He would playfully tease me every time I made a mistake on the scoreboard. I always looked forward to seeing him. I will miss his smile, our game day traditions & we will all miss his voice.

It all started in 1978 at the Arlington Sports Center where Jim found his love for announcing.
Jim called me to ask if he could announce the Arlington Catholic Hockey Games. I said "Why not?" and that was when he first started with "The teams are ready, Let's play hockey" and the rest is history. He did it for more than 25 years and never would accept a dime for his services. He always felt that that is where he got his start. Eventually the demands on his art were just too much on him and...

I had the good fortune to work for Jim in the Accounting Department at Stone & Webster many years ago. Jim was a terrific manager - a nice man who cared about his employees, worked hard, and always did the right thing. My sincere condolences to the Prior family. - Bob Perry

Jim was such a great guy, heard him for thirty years at BU games, announcing the teams are ready, let's play hockey. He will be greatly missed.

My condolences to the Prior family. I had some great moments in the booth with Jim. It was a privilege and I will miss seeing him at Agganis on game days.