List of Canadian Stanley Cup Final television announcers

This is a list of Canadian Stanley Cup Final television announcers.

Play-by-play (English)

AnnouncerYearsNetwork(s)Chris Cuthbert–presentCBC/SportsnetBob Cole–CBCDanny Gallivan–; –CBCBill Hewitt–; ; ; ; CBCJim Hughson–CBC/SportsnetDan Kelly–; –CBCCTVCanwest/GlobalJim Robson; ; –CBCDon Wittman–CBC

ABC feed AnnouncerYearsNetwork(s)Sean McDonough (Game 6), , Citytv

Colour commentary (English) AnnouncerYearsNetwork(s)Keith Dancy–CBCJohn Davidson–CBCCanwest/GlobalGary Dornhoefer–CBCBob Goldham, CBCFoster Hewitt–CBCDick Irvin Jr.–; ; ; ; ; –CBCDan Kelly–CBCBrian McFarlane ; ; ; CBCGreg Millen–CBCHarry Neale–CBCBrad Park–CTVMickey Redmond –, CBCRon Reusch–CTVFrank Selke Jr.–CBCCraig Simpson–presentCBC/Sportsnet

Ice level analysts (English) AnnouncerYearsNetwork(s)Glenn Healy–CBC/Sportsnet

ABC feed AnnouncerYearsNetwork(s) Ray Ferraro (Game 6), , Citytv

Rinkside reporters AnnouncerYearsNetwork(s)David Amber–CBC/SportsnetKyle Bukauskas–, –presentCBC/SportsnetChris Cuthbert–, CBCElliotte Friedman–, CBC/SportsnetScott Oake–CBC/SportsnetGene Principe–CBC/SportsnetScott Russell–CBCChristine SimpsonCBC/Sportsnet

ABC feed AnnouncerYearsNetwork(s) Emily Kaplan (Game 6), , Citytv

Studio host(s) AnnouncerYearsNetwork(s)David Amber–presentCBC/SportsnetMike AnscombeCBCSteve Armitage (in Vancouver)CBCWard Cornell–CBCTed Darling–CBCJohnny EsawCBCTom Foley–CBCDave Hodge–CBCCTVDick Irvin Jr.– (in Montreal)CBCDan Kelly, – (in Montreal)CBCRon MacLean–presentCBC/SportsnetBrian McFarlane–, CBCCTVDan Matheson–CTVScott OakeCBCDave Reynolds–CBCTed ReynoldsCBCScott RussellCBCFrank Selke Jr.–CBCGeorge Stroumboulopoulos–CBC/SportsnetJohn Wells– (in Edmonton)CBCScott YoungCBC

ABC feed AnnouncerYearsNetwork(s) Steve Levy (Game 6), , Citytv

Studio analyst(s) AnnouncerYearsNetwork(s)Kevin Bieksa–presentCBC/SportsnetJennifer Botterill–presentCBC/SportsnetBrian BurkeCBC/SportsnetDon Cherry–CBC/SportsnetCassie Campbell-Pascall–CBC/SportsnetElliotte Friedman–presentCBC/SportsnetKelly Hrudey, –presentCBCNick Kypreos–CBC/SportsnetHowie Meeker, –, –CBCBrad Park–CTVFrank J. Selke–CBCCraig SimpsonCBCAnthony StewartCBC/SportsnetP.J. Stock–CBC/Sportsnet

ABC feed AnnouncerYearsNetwork(s) Brian Boucher (Game 6) Citytv Chris Chelios (Game 6) Citytv Erik Johnson Citytv Mark Messier (Game 6), , Citytv P. K. Subban , Citytv

English-language networks CBC (–; –) Sportsnet (–present) Citytv ( (Game 6), , 2026, 2028; ABC feed) CTV (; –) Global (–)

CBC's coverage of Games 3, 4 and 5 of the 1954 Stanley Cup Final were joined in progress at 9:30 p.m. (approximately one hour after start time). Meanwhile, CBC joined Game 6 in at 10 p.m. (again, one hour after start time). Game 7 was carried Dominion wide (nationwide) from opening the face off at 9 p.m. Since Game 7 was played on Good Friday night, there were no commercials (Imperial Oil was the sponsor).

The 1961 Stanley Cup Final were almost not televised in Canada at all. At that time, the CBC only had rights to the Montreal Canadiens and Toronto Maple Leafs' games; home games only during the season and all games in the playoffs. However, with both the Canadiens and Maple Leafs eliminated in the semi-finals, the CBC's worst nightmare became reality. The CBC had to conceive a way to carry the Finals between the Chicago Black Hawks-Detroit Red Wings or face public revolt. According to lore, the CBC found a way to link their Windsor viewers as having a vested interest in the Finals with the across the river Red Wings. Thus, CBC was able to carry the series after inking special contracts with the Red Wings and Black Hawks as a service to the Windsor market. From Windsor, CBC linked the signal to Toronto and they relayed the coverage Dominion-wide. From there, Canadians were able to see the Finals with nary a glitch in the coverage.

To accommodate the American TV coverage on NBC (1966 marked the first time that a Stanley Cup Final game was to be nationally broadcast on American network television), Game 1 of the 1966 Stanley Cup Final was shifted to a Sunday afternoon. This in return, was the first time ever that a National Hockey League game was played on a Sunday afternoon in Montreal. While Games 1 and 4 of the NBC broadcasts were televised in color, CBC carried these games and all other games in black and white.

The most commonly seen video clip of Bobby Orr's famous overtime goal ("The Flight") in Game 4 of the 1970 Stanley Cup Final is the American version broadcast on CBS as called by Dan Kelly. This archival clip can be considered a rarity, since about 98% of the time, any surviving kinescopes or videotapes of the actual telecasts of hockey games from this era usually emanate from CBC's coverage. According to Dick Irvin Jr.'s book My 26 Stanley Cups (Irvin was in the CBC booth with Danny Gallivan during the 1970 Stanley Cup Final), he was always curious why even the CBC prototypically uses the CBS replay of the Bobby Orr goal (with Dan Kelly's commentary) instead of Gallivan's call. The explanation that Irvin received was that the CBC's master tape of the game (along with others) was thrown away in order clear shelf space at the network.

In , Hockey Night in Canada moved all playoff coverage from CBC to CTV to avoid conflict with the lengthy NABET strike against the CBC. Eventually, MacLaren Advertising, in conjunction with Molson Breweries and Imperial Oil/Esso, who actually owned the rights to Hockey Night in Canada (not CBC) decided to give the playoff telecast rights to CTV. Initially, it was on a game by game basis in the quarterfinals (Game 1 of the Boston-Toronto series was seen on CFTO Toronto in full while other CTV affiliates, but not all joined the game in progress. Game 1 of the New York Rangers–Montreal series was seen only on CFCF Montreal while Game 4 not televised due to a lockout of technicians at the Montreal Forum), and then the full semifinals and Stanley Cup Final. Because CTV did not have 100% penetration in Canada at this time, they asked CBC (who ultimately refused) to allow whatever one of their affiliates were the sole network in that market to show the playoffs. As a result, the 1972 Stanley Cup playoffs were not seen in some of the smaller Canadian markets unless said markets were close enough to the United States border to pick up the signal of a CBS affiliate that carried Games, 1, 4, or 6 (Games 2, 3 and 5 were not nationally broadcast in the United States).

In 1980, Bob Cole, Dan Kelly and Jim Robson shared play-by-play duties for CBC's coverage. Cole did play-by-play for the first half of Games 1 and 2. Meanwhile, Kelly did play-by-play for the second half Games 1–5 (Kelly also did call the overtime period of Game 1). Finally, Robson did play-by-play for first half of Games 3 and 4 and Game 6 entirely. Except for Game 5, Kelly did play-by-play for the first period and first half Games 5, and Jim Robson play-by-play for the rest of Game 5. In essence this meant that Bob Cole or Jim Robson would do play-by-play for the first period and the first half of the second period. Therefore, at the closest stoppage of play near the 10 minute mark of the second period, Cole or Robson handed off the call to Kelly for the rest of the game.

In , CBC televised Games 1 and 2 nationally while Games 3–5 were televised in Edmonton only. CTV televised Games 3–5 nationally while games were blacked out in Edmonton. Dan Kelly, Ron Reusch, and Brad Park called the games on CTV. In , CBC only televised Games 1 and 2 in Montreal and Calgary. CBC televised Games 3–5 nationally. When CTV televised Games 1 and 2, both games were blacked out in Montreal and Calgary. Like in the year prior, Dan Kelly, Ron Reusch, and Brad Park called the games for CTV.

Unlike the split CTV/CBC coverage of and , the Canwest-Global telecasts from - were network exclusive, except for Game 7 of the Stanley Cup Final if they were necessary. When CBC and Global televised Game 7 of the 1987 Stanley Cup Final, they used separate production facilities and separate on-air talent.

Sportsnet gained the national broadcast rights starting in . Under a sub-licensing agreement beginning with the 2015 Stanley Cup Final, the CBC broadcast has been produced by Sportsnet; all Stanley Cup Final games have been also simulcast on Sportsnet since . The CBC simulcasts ended after the Final with the network no longer renewing its sublicensing deal with Sportsnet. Since Game 6 in , Sportsnet's sister station Citytv has simulcast the American broadcast feed for simultaneous substitution purposes.

Play-by-play (French)

AnnouncerYearsNetwork(s)Richard Garneau–SRCPierre Houde–RDSSRCRene Lecavalier–SRCJacques MoreauTVAClaude Quenneville–SRCFelix Seguin–presentTVA

Colour commentary (French) AnnouncerYearsNetwork(s)Jean-Maurice Bailly –SRCMichel Bergeron–SRCBenoit Brunet–RDSMarc Denis–RDSPatrick Lalime–presentTVSYvon Pedneault –RDSGilles Tremblay–SRCTVAMario TremblaySRC

French-language networks RDS (–) SRC (–) TVA (; –present)

References