Al Shaver, the play-by-play radio announcer for the entirety of Minnesota North Stars history, died on Monday. He was 96.

His family said he passed away after a brief illness on "his beloved Vancouver Island, British Columbia."

Read Patrick Reusse's column on Al Shaver.

Shaver joined the North Stars broadcast team for their inaugural 1967-68 season and was behind the mic for all 26 seasons, choosing not to move with the team to Dallas in 1993. He broadcast Gophers men's hockey games for three seasons before retiring in 1996; the press box at Xcel Energy Center bears his name. His son, Wally, has been a longtime Gophers announcer as well.

Shaver received the Foster Hewitt Memorial Award in 1993 and is a member of the media section of the Hockey Hall of Fame in Toronto. He is also a member of the Minnesota Broadcasting Hall of Fame.

He was born on Oct. 25, 1927 in London, Ontario, and attended the Lorne Green School of Radio Arts in Toronto, graduating in 1948 before starting his play-by-play career. While working in Medicine Hat, Alberta, he met his wife, Shirley; they were married for 67 years until her death in 2019.

The Shavers had five children in Edmonton, Alberta, as he worked across Canada before landing the North Stars gig. The team was heard on WCCO Radio, then KSTP and WAYL.

Shaver is survived by sons Wally, Jim and Gary and daughters Judy and Sue; nine grandchildren, 11 great-grandchildren and two great-great-granddaughters.