Cuthbert’s exit sets pieces in motion at TSN
CFL broadcaster heads to Sportsnet, creating vacuum
When a revered sports broadcaster — admittedly not a spring chicken — crosses the road, there is frenzied activity on both sides.
On Friday, the rather legendary Chris Cuthbert joined Sportsnet’s National Hockey League broadcast team, creating a buzz over there and a hole in TSN’S coverage of Canadian Football League games, should there be any this year.
TSN suddenly needs a lead playby- play caller for their marquee property and the best bet looks like Rod Smith, current host of their panel of expert analysts. He’s also an old pro, yet a handful of years younger than Cuthbert, who is 62. Smith has certified play- byplay chops and the same undying love for the CFL that Cuthbert always exuded, which is a plus.
Rod Black is now TSN’S most senior play- by- play man on football, but he seems to generate too much negative fan reaction to be considered for lead duty.
Fortunately for TSN, they have built some depth at the position. A source said Edmonton- based morning radio host Dustin Nielson warrants more than the eight games he did as a rookie last season. Gord Miller has play- by- play experience too, but is primarily a hockey announcer.
And it appears TSN stress- tested Vancouver- based Farhan Lalji by handing him the hosting duties for the CFL draft earlier this spring. The COVID-19 pandemic rendered the draft a seriously tough gig, as Lalji and analysts Duane Forde, Davis Sanchez and
David Naylor were all set up in their various homes and had to deal with a clunky 1.5- second delay any time they tried to engage in banter. It forced them into a repetitive order of commentary.
Lalji also had to deal with a trade — Calgary sent the No. 1 pick to B.C. — before the show was really even underway, adding to the complications. On balance, he handled it with poise and professionalism and if that was in fact a test of his ability to lead a broadcast, he passed it, and deserves more than the single game of playby- play duty he has been getting most years out on the left coast.
“I’m not leaving them high and dry,” said Cuthbert. “They’ve got a lot of options and I’ll let those guys decide what the best options are. But Dustin is a rising star and what he did last year was just outstanding. I can really appreciate somebody coming in on the fly for the first time. He made an impact right off the hop. Talented guy who treated the game with the respect I think it deserves.”
Cuthbert has worked 25 Grey Cups and more than 800 CFL games as a reporter and announcer, and was in the booth for the past 15 years with TSN, starting with a pre- season tilt in Halifax. His largest regret, he said Friday, is the fact he leaves the gig before that city lands a CFL franchise.
But the clock was ticking on his ability to return to his roots as a hockey announcer for CBC, ESPN, NBC, Super Channel, and Sportschannel America.
“I think what really happened, during the pandemic you start reassessing life,” he said. “I’m in my 60s and there are six more years of the hockey deal (on Sportsnet), so if I waited I’d be pretty well 70 before I had a chance of calling the NHL again.”
The heart strings were being plucked daily too, as Sportsnet replayed standout games and series he had called; Mark Messier’s Game 6 guarantee and Patrick Roy’s last game at the Forum among them.
“You are reminded of those games on Saturday nights; those last a lifetime. It brought me back. Am I going to get that chance again? Did I do enough or is there more I’d like to do,” said Cuthbert. He wanted more.
“As we got closer to my contract expiring, my agent said ‘would you like to find out if there is interest elsewhere?’ He did and there was. I did have an offer from TSN as well. It wasn’t like they were kicking me to the curb. It is tough to leave those people. Stew Johnson, who I had to call, is one of the finest guys in the business. I haven’t had to do much tougher than call him and say I was moving on.”
Once news broke on Twitter, there was an outpouring from people wishing him well, praising Sportsnet for the “get” and wondering about TSN’S replacement options.
“I wouldn’t be going to Sportsnet if I wasn’t excited about the opportunity,” said Cuthbert. “Hockey Night has always meant so much to me. Even when I left I felt there was part of me that always wanted a chance to go back and there are still things I haven’t done.
“But the decision is excruciating because of 15 years of working with great people and doing what you love. The CFL means a lot to me and still will.”
during the pandemic you start reassessing life.