Ashbridge’s voice to ring out one last time
Canucks honouring former announcer on NHL’s Hockey Fights Cancer night
If hockey fans think they’re hearing things on Monday night when the Canucks face the Winnipeg Jets at Rogers Arena, they needn’t whack their ears. They will indeed be hearing the voice of the late John Ashbridge.
The longtime Canucks’ public address announcer lost his battle with cancer this summer. With Monday ’s game also being Hockey Fights Cancer night, it was fitting for the NHL team to use this game as the moment to pay tribute to the man known as “Ash.”
“We’re going to pay tribute to him,” said Al Murdoch, the man who took over for Ashbridge behind the Canucks’ microphone, who also considered Ash to be his mentor.
During the first timeout of the first period there will be a video tribute to Ashbridge, Murdoch said.
“It will be really nice, put together so well as always by (Canucks’ executive producer) Mike Hall.”
And in the third period, Murdoch said, there will be a second special moment.
“Ash’s voice will be a part of the third period. I can’t say how, but he will be heard.”
A plaque in Ashbridge’s honour has been placed outside the game presentation booth on Level 500 — it will be displayed to fans at Rogers on the big screen.
Murdoch admitted that Ashbridge probably wouldn’t want such a big presentation, but his former protege believes it’s important to recognize everything that Ashbridge did for the community.
“You can’t get a grasp on the amount of stuff John did just outside of his (Canucks) role,” he said. “I don’t know how he did it. When Ash phoned you up and asked for something, you couldn’t say no.”
Ashbridge was credited with launching and voicing the television campaigns for Crime Stoppers. He worked with the Canucks Alumni. He served for many years on the board of the Royal Columbian Hospital Foundation.
He would do voice work — his time donated, of course — for many organizations, perhaps most notably the New Westminster Chamber of Commerce, Murdoch said.
“I met a woman at Ash’s celebration of life,” he said. “She was from the chamber of commerce (and) talked about all the things John did. ‘Anything to do with the city of New Westminster,’ she said.
“Then she asked me, ‘ Would you be willing to voice the upcoming Platinum Awards for the chamber?’ ”
He said yes, of course. Pro bono, just as Ashbridge would have insisted.
“It’s probably the biggest awards show I’ve ever voiced. He would write the script (for the videos) and then voice them. There are 16, 18 categories. Some had 10 nominees.
“I’d never written a script like that before. She dropped the binder off and there I was, stepping into his shoes.”
Murdoch said he’ll be thrilled Monday when the crowd pays tribute to his old friend, even if he’s no longer here.
“It’s happiness,” he said of how he’ll feel. “It’s kind of like they respected what John Ashbridge did for so many years, and now it’s going to be great to talk about what he did.”
Poke Checks: Monday’s game at Rogers Arena starts at 7 p.m. and will be televised on SNETP and TSN3, plus broadcast on SNET 650 AM radio. The Canucks host the Montreal Canadiens this afternoon at 4 p.m.