Dave Hodge

Dave Hodge
Born	January 8, 1945 (1945-01-08) Montreal, Quebec
Occupation	sports announcer

Dave Hodge (born January 8, 1945) is a Canadian sports announcer who currently works for TSN, and has worked in the past for the CBC and CFRB 1010 radio in Toronto.

Broadcasting career

Hodge served as play-by-play announcer for the Buffalo Sabres broadcasts in their inaugural season 1970–71, before ceding those duties to current play-by-play man Rick Jeanneret and the late Ted Darling. Joining the CBC the following season, he hosted Hockey Night in Canada from 1971 until 1987, working 15 Stanley Cup Finals. He was often joined in the studio by colourful analysts, such as Howie Meeker and Don Cherry. He also announced the Toronto Argonauts Canadian Football League radio broadcasts from 1974 to 1980,

Controversy

On March 14, 1987, Hodge was the in-studio host as the CBC carried a game between the Calgary Flames and Toronto Maple Leafs, which ended early. The network then switched over to a regional game between the Philadelphia Flyers and Montreal Canadiens for the end of the third period. It ended in a tie just before 11:00 PM Eastern Time, meaning it would require overtime. CBC executives, however, decided that only viewers in Quebec, who had seen the game from the start, would get to continue watching after 11:00, while the rest of the network would cut away. "That's the way things go these days in sports and at this network," Hodge said in disgust, flipping his pencil in the air. "We'll leave you in suspense. Good night from Hockey Night in Canada." Hodge was replaced the following week by western correspondent Ron MacLean and eventually fired from the network.

On January 23, 2012, the 2011 Stanley Cup champion Boston Bruins visited the White House to meet with United States President Barack Obama, but goalie Tim Thomas declined to go for his own personal reasons. Later that day, Hodge made the following comment on his Twitter account: "Don't know if it's fair to point this out, but Tim Thomas has three children named Kiley, Kelsey and Keegan." Given the first letters of each child's name can be put together to form KKK, many assumed that Hodge believed Thomas' refusal to meet with Obama was racially motivated.

After the CBC

Afterward, he was hired by Can-West Global to host their coverage of the 1987 and 1988 Stanley Cup playoffs, which included some games in the finals. Hodge was then the lead play-by-play broadcaster for the CFL-produced Canadian Football Network from 1987 to 1990. He returned to hockey as the lead voice of the Minnesota North Stars television broadcasts in 1991, and later hosted regional television broadcasts for the Toronto Maple Leafs on Global and TSN, and for the Vancouver Canucks on BCTV. During his time on TSN ever since he joined in 1992, he hosted TSN Inside Sports and its spinoff, That's Hockey. He also co-hosted the 1998 NHL Entry Draft.

Currently, Hodge hosts a Sunday morning show called The Reporters, as well as providing commentary for the network's NHL coverage.

External links

• Dave Hodge's Biography at tsn.ca
• Dave Hodge at the Internet Movie Database
• Dave Hodge on Twitter