Matt Gilroy is the husband of Jenny Taft, the American sports television personality and commentator. They met and started dating in 2005 when they were both freshmen at Boston University and later got married in 2015. They are parents to a baby girl named Gigi.
Matt Gilroy is a former American ice hockey defenseman who played in the National Hockey League (NHL) from 2009 to 2019. He has an impressive career, winning several awards such as the Hobey Baker Award and the NCAA title which earned him the admiration of many fans who are curious to know more about his career. Among the juicy details people want to know about is his personal life, including his marriage to professional American sports personality Jenny Taft.
Summary of Matt Gilroy’s Biography
Matt Gilroy is a Former Ice Hockey Player
Jenny Taft is married to a former professional ice hockey player named Matt Gilroy. The athlete was born on July 20th, 1984 in North Bellmore, New York, USA, and is the second of the ten children born to his parents – Frank Gilroy and Peggy Ann Gilroy.
Matt comes from a family of athletes as his father and brothers are also into sports. His father was drafted by the Philadephia 76ers and eventually became a member of St John’s Basketball Hall of Fame. Matt’s older brother, Frank Jr., played basketball in high school in college while his younger brother Kevin played hockey for the Terriers alongside Matt in 2009. His late older brother, Timmy, was also a hockey player who played on the same teams with Matt growing up before he had a bicycle accident that claimed his life.
The former hockey star studied at St. Mary’s High School in Manhasset, graduating in 2003. Being involved in hockey long before he got into high school, Matt carried on with the sport at St. Mary’s and even served as captain of the school’s hockey team, joining them to two New York State championships. He also played lacrosse and was so good at it that he was named the team’s most valuable player in his junior year, in addition to being named to all-league selections during his junior and senior years.
As a high school student, Matt Gilroy played in the Quebec International Pee-Wee Hockey Tournament with the New Jersey Devils minor ice hockey team in 1998. Subsequently, he joined the Eastern Junior Hockey League (EJHL) for his junior ice hockey career, playing with the then-Walpole Jr. Stars (now known as South Shore Kings).
Matt Kicked Off His Professional Career While Still In College
After high school, the athlete continued his college career at Boston University with the Boston Terries. Although he made the team as a walk-on and had a natural talent as a forward, he had to play in the eighth defenseman position as that was the only vacant role on the team. Matt played for three seasons before attracting attention from the National Hockey League as an undrafted free agent. However, he intended to complete his degree program at Boston University.
During his senior year in 2008–09, he was made the Terries’ team captain and he helped his team win an NCAA championship. He also won a Hobey Baker Award. As he made progress in his career, he landed a two-year contract worth $3.5 million with the New York Rangers of the National Hockey League on April 17th, 2009. Moving on, he signed a one-year contract as a free agent with the Tampa Bay Lightning on July 2nd, 2011.
A few months to the end of the contract, Matt was traded to the Ottawa Senators in exchange for Brian Lee at the NHL trade deadline. He went further and signed to an American Hockey League contract with the Connecticut Whale on October 7th, 2012.
In January 2013, he landed a one-year contract with the Rangers of which they later released him to free agency in the off-season. On July 8th, 2013, the Florida Panthers contacted him and he signed a one-year contract. He later left to join the San Antonio Rampage for the remaining part of the season after he had made 16 appearances for the Florida Panthers.
Matt Gilroy got signed to his first-ever European club, a Russian club named Atlant Moscow Oblast, on June 25th, 2014. After one year, he signed to another club, Spartak Moscow. On May 15th, 2018, the hockey player made a final move to the Swiss club SC Rapperswil-Jona Lakers following a one-year deal.
The Former NHL Player Now Works As A Coach
Although Matt is no longer in the NHL, he is not idle. According to a report published by California Rubber on February 28, 2021, after he left the NHL, he took up a job as a head instructor and coach with a Southern California-based youth hockey training camp known as Rapid Athlete Development (RAD).
Gilroy, who is friends with the owner and founder of RAD, Brett Beebe, revealed that he has always loved working with and helping children. “And I think that comes from coming from a huge family, being the second oldest of 10 kids. Helping my brothers and sisters growing up was always second nature to me,” he explained.
Speaking further, the ice hockey defenseman said it has been very rewarding working with RAD and that he has had so much fun doing it. As such, he looks forward to being there every day. While some players may find it hard transitioning from playing professional hockey to whatever else, Matt said “coaching these kids” has been an easy easy switch for him.
What Is Matt Gilroy’s Net Worth?
The former hockey star is said to have an estimated net worth of $2 million, most of which he made from his career. Matt earned varying amounts of money from his different contract deals, beginning with $3.5 million for his first career contract, a two-year deal with the New York Rangers. His one-year contract with the Tampa Bay Lightning in 2011 was worth $1,000,000 while he made $650,000 after signing with the Connecticut Whale.
Although the worth of most of Matt Gilroy’s contracts is not known, there is no doubt that he made reasonable amounts from them. With his coaching career going just fine, his net worth will surely keep going up in the years ahead.
More Facts About Matt Gilroy
- Despite being a celebrity, Matt does not have any social media account and is not active on any known social media platform
- He wears jersey number 97 in tribute to his late brother Timmy.
- The athlete has revealed that he was a late bloomer in hockey
- Matt recorded a college career-high 36 points in 43 games
- He is ranked on the list of the most popular hockey players.
- He is three years and a few months older than his wife
The Ice Hockey Player Met His Wife Jenny Taft In College
Matthew Gilroy and Jenny Taft met and started dating in 2005 when they were both freshmen at Boston University. Just like Matt, Jenny was also involved in sports in college. While Matt played ice hockey, she played lacrosse with the school’s team. Without a doubt, it was their love for sports that brought them close to each other and helped them bond. However, while Matt went on to play ice hockey professionally, Jenny’s love for sports led her to become a sports TV personality.
Due to the nature of their jobs, the couple’s relationship was a long-distance one as they were hardly in the same cities. For instance, Jenny told USA Today in 2017 that she lived in Los Angeles when her then-boyfriend, Matt Gilroy, was with the Lightning and Panthers. And traveling to see him was not such as easy thing because according to her, “a six-hour flight from L.A. to Florida is long too”.
They Tied The Knot Ten Years After They Started Dating
As hard as it was to stick together as a result of the distance, Matt and Jenny were able to make it work. They eventually got married in 2015 and at the time, Matt was no longer in the US as he had moved to Europe the year before to continue his career. However, that was not much of a problem for the duo because they had already made peace with the fact that that was their life.
Meanwhile, the day after they tied the knot, Jenny had to leave to cover a soccer tournament and one month later, Matt went back to Moscow for training camp. As of the time of her interview with USA Today, the sports TV star said they had not had a honeymoon. “I keep reminding him that will happen one day,” she added.
The distance that separated them notwithstanding, the couple still made an effort to keep their marriage intact. As such, Jenny made out time from her busy schedule to travel to Europe whenever she could. Speaking through phone from Germany, Gilroy told USA Today that it was difficult, but they make it work. According to him, “It’s great to be able to explore the world with your wife and see different people and cultures”.
Gilroy explained that it gives them room to try things they don’t usually get a chance to do. The couple has since been enjoying a blissful marriage for six years now without any rumor of separation or divorce. This can be attributed to their total support for each other’s chosen career path, which, according to Matt Gilroy, is the best part of their relationship.
How Many Children Does Jenny Taft Have?
The All-American girl is becoming an All-American mom ????
Congratulations, @JennyTaft! pic.twitter.com/IisGApOZEr
— FOX College Football (@CFBONFOX) December 5, 2021
Jenny Taft and her husband do not have any children for now, but that will change very soon as they are already expecting their first child together. On the 4th of December 2021, the television personality revealed that she was pregnant and due for delivery in March 2022.
She made the revelation on Fox while reporting from the sidelines of the Big Ten championship game between Iowa and Michigan on the said date. This was after the sports commentator, Gus Johnson, asked her to show her baby bump.
On Monday, 6 December 2021, Shannon Sharpe and Skip Bayless congratulated her and presented her with two pairs of Jordan sneakers for her little daughter during Skip and Shannon: Undisputed on Fox Sports 1.
Where Does Jenny Taft Work Now?
Jenny Taft currently works as a sideline reporter for college football alongside Gus Johnson and Klatt on Fox and Fox Sports 1. She is also a moderator on Fox Sports 1’s Undisputed alongside Sharpe and Bayliss. However, it is been hinted that she might eventually leave the latter program as she is presently finalizing a new deal to remain with Fox Sports.
Just like her husband, Jenny Taft also comes from a family of athletes. Her father, John Taft, was a former professional ice hockey defenseman just like her husband too, and he was also at the 1976 winter Olympics as a part of the United States men’s national ice hockey team. Her mother Mary Taft, on the other hand, was a professional skater while her younger brother named Charlie Taft is also part of the hockey team as a senior member at Colorado College in Colorado Springs.
Coming from such an athletic family, it was only natural for Jenny to grow up playing sports. As a student of Edina High School, she took part in different sports such as tennis, hockey, lacrosse, soccer, etc. Moving on to Boston University, she carried on with lacrosse while majoring in Broadcast Journalism.
But despite being good at playing sports, Jenny ended up pursuing a career in sports journalism, kick-starting her career at Fox Sports North in 2011. She eventually moved over to the Fox Sports 1 channel in August 2013 and her first assignment was to work as a track reporter in motorcycling racing series which was organized by Supercross.
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