If you listened to the 1972 Canada-Soviet Union Summit Series over the radio — as some of us did with a wire running up one arm and into an ear speaker while pretending to pay attention in a classroom — it wasn’t the voice of Hockey Hall of Famer Foster Hewitt calling the play-by-play. It
The Toronto Maple Leafs have not won the Stanley Cup since 1967. The reason? Two words: Harold Ballard. The curmudgeonly owner ruined the team in the ’70s and ’80s with a tight-fisted reign of error that played out almost daily in that era’s sports pages. The man who caused Leaf’s captain Darryl Sittler to rip
Ralph Mellanby was the guy who put Don Cherry in Coach’s Corner. The Hamilton, Ont. native died last Saturday, Jan. 29, at 87. Raised near Windsor, Ont., the innovative executive producer of Hockey Night in Canada was one of the country’s most influential television broadcasters. Back in the ’60s, he was quick to embrace modern
Brian Williams had a front seat to many of the greatest sports moments of the past half century. At 75, after starting at CHUM Radio in Toronto, moving on to CBLT and CBC and then the last 15 or so years at CTV Sports and TSN, he decided that now was the time to retire.
The new CTV series Transplant stars Hamza Haq as Dr. Bashir “Bash” Hamed, a Syrian refugee who fled in hopes of starting a new life in Canada. Bash’s second chance comes at Toronto’s York Memorial Hospital, where the foreign-trained MD must repeat his residency in order to work in the emergency department. The actor who
First, Hockey Night in Canada got rid of The Coach. Then The Leafs got rid of their coach. Both moves seem to have a winning feel so far. Week Two of Hockey Night in Canada PC (Post Cherry) saw a slick, speedy and timely approach to how the first intermission segment can add value for
There are two things Canadians are usually very good at – hockey, and saying sorry. Ron MacLean tried to combine the two Saturday night on Hockey Night in Canada following the dismissal this past Monday of his long-time pulpit mate Don Cherry. There were mixed results. MacLean, smarting from a week of sleepless nights, stickhandled
Don Cherry often boasted that his first intermission segment on Hockey Night in Canada drew higher ratings than that week’s actual game. How true that statement was over the many years is a matter for Numeris to verify. One thing is for sure, however — it will be true this Saturday night. Curiosity is building