Chick Hernandez Announces Departure from NBC Sports Washington after 17 Years

All good things must come to an end, is what the saying is. However, sometimes it’s difficult to embrace. On Tuesday, while the city of Washington is celebrating their Capitals being on the brink of winning its first Stanley Cup, sports fans’ excitement was tempered a bit when D.C. sportscaster Chick Hernandez announced he is leaving NBC Sports Washington at the end of the week after 17 years.

Hernandez made the announcement via social media, explaining the decision was not his, but he is ready to embrace the new chapter of his life.

As Hernandez noted, he returned to the D.C. area after being hired by Steve Buckhantz, who then was the sports editor at WTTG FOX-5. Hernandez spent seven years there and a brief stint with the defunct FOX SportsNet before joining Comcast SportsNet, now named NBC Sports Washington, in its inception.

The Silver Spring native enjoyed covering the teams that he loved growing up. For 17 years he was an integral part to NBC Sports Washington’s success. His wit and humor is what drew Buckhantz to him when he submitted his video tape to WTTG, as he became the eventual replacement for Gus Johnson, now a national play-by-play announcer for FOX Sports. Hernandez’s wit and humor is what drew D.C. sports fans to him. They gravitated to him and became a fan favorite.

Hernandez had opportunities to go national. It’s well publicized he once turned down an opportunity at ESPN. Given his style, he’d seemingly been a perfect fit for the network and its flagship show SportsCenter. However, he wanted to remain at home. He once expressed his aspirations to finish his career with NBC Sports Washington.

“It may sound goofy, but I want to end my career with this network, Hernandez told the Washington Post in 2014. “I don’t have aspirations to go anywhere else.”

Now, he is faced with moving on to another chapter of his career. Hernandez says he is not done and hopes to find something locally.