Courtesy New York Daily News

(March 16, 2010) Devils radio analyst Sherry Ross, the former Daily News sportswriter who became the first woman to do play-by-play of a full NHL game in English in November, will be honored on Monday by the New Jersey State House as part of its Women's History Month celebration.

The New Jersey State Assembly will present Ross with a ceremonial resolution recognizing her for the breakthrough broadcast on Nov. 25, 2009.

"Growing up, it was important to me and I paid attention to all that, the first woman doctors, the first woman to go into space, things like that were important to me," Ross said before Monday night's broadcast of the Devils-Bruins game at the Rock in Newark. "So to be put in that position is a great honor for me."

Ross took over the play-by-play duties for the Devils' 3-1 win over the Senators when Matt Loughlin missed the game due to the death of his father-in-law.

Ross has broken the gender barrier in hockey broadcasting twice before. She was the first woman to broadcast a professional male sport in her first stint with the Devils from January 1992 through their 1995 Stanley Cup run. In 1994, with NHL Radio, Ross became the first woman to broadcast the Stanley Cup Finals when she did color-commentary with Kenny Albert.

Ross, who covered hockey and horse racing for The News for more than a decade, said she received an overwhelmingly positive response from her play-by-play stint. She's been congratulated by broadcasters around the league, players, coaches and former colleagues. The honor from her home state, however, caught her off guard.

"This is the biggest surprise," Ross said. "This is something I never expected, but it's a great honor."

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