Jiggs McDonald saga near a happy ending

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Jiggs McDonald, the Hall of Fame hockey broadcaster who was stuck in Thailand at the end of a vacation trip when political protesters closed the country’s airports, is on his way home.

McDonald’s daughter, Susan DeSimone, said in an e-mail that her father and her mother, Marilyn, made it out of Thailand and on to Hong Kong. They’re scheduled to fly from there to Toronto on Wednesday.

McDonald, 70, was the original voice of the expansion Kings and later called games for the Atlanta Flames, New York Islanders and Florida Panthers.

DeSimone, who lives in Minnesota, thanked the many well-wishers who contacted her after hearing of the adventure that unexpectedly added a week to her parents’ trip.

‘I just wanted to say -– again -– a huge thank you for all that you have done to draw attention to and cover this story,’ she said in an e-mail sent to several reporters. ‘Particularly to those of you who helped us put all of this in motion last Friday -– I’m sure you’ll hear some personal thank you’s from Jiggs when he gets back.’

--Helene Elliott