Foster Hewitt Memorial Award | |
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Awarded for | "to recognize distinguished members of the radio and television industry who made outstanding contributions to their profession and the game during their career in hockey broadcasting." [1] |
Location | Hockey Hall of Fame, Toronto, Ontario |
Country | Canada |
Presented by | Hockey Hall of Fame |
Reward(s) | Glass plaque |
First awarded | 1984 |
Currently held by | Pierre Houde (2024) |
The Foster Hewitt Memorial Award is an annual accolade honoring ice hockey broadcasters in North America. [1] It was named for the Canadian hockey radio broadcaster and newspaper journalist Foster Hewitt, [2] and it has been presented every year at a media luncheon ceremony that occurs late in the year at the Hockey Hall of Fame in BCE Place, Toronto, Ontario, Canada since 1984. [3] [4] The winner is chosen by a committee of members composed of radio and television figures that make up the NHL Broadcasters' Association. [3] [5] It is given "to recognize distinguished members of the radio and television industry who made outstanding contributions to their profession and the game during their career in hockey broadcasting." [1] Each recipient receives a glass plaque, [6] which is put on display in the Hall of Fame's media section. [4] The ceremony associated with the award is staged separately to the induction of players into the Hockey Hall of Fame because media honorees are not considered full inductees. [7] [8]
The first four winners were Fred Cusick, Foster Hewitt, Danny Gallivan and René Lecavalier in 1984. The award was given out twice in two further consecutive years to both Budd Lynch and Doug Smith in 1985 and Wes McKnight and Lloyd Pettit the following year. [9] It has presented posthumously on four occasions, to Smith in 1985, McKnight the following year, Dan Kelly in 1989 and Bill Hewitt in 2007. [9] [10] Dave Strader was named the recipient in April 2017 but he died of a rare form of bile duct cancer called cholangiocarcinoma on October 1, 2017 before the ceremony to commemorate his career that was held the following month. [11] His three children accepted the award on his behalf. [12] It has been presented to broadcasters who have been affiliated with the CBC Television sports program Hockey Night in Canada seven times, followed by the Montreal Canadiens and the Toronto Maple Leafs on six occasions.
† | Indicates posthumous award |
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Name | Wins |
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Hockey Night in Canada | 7 |
Montreal | 7 |
Toronto | 6 |
Detroit | 4 |
Buffalo | 3 |
ESPN/ABC | 3 |
Los Angeles | 3 |
NBC | 3 |
New York Rangers | 3 |
Fox | 3 |
Boston | 2 |
Chicago | 2 |
Hartford | 2 |
TSN | 2 |
Vancouver | 2 |
RDS | 1 |
The Hockey Hall of Fame is a museum and hall of fame located in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Dedicated to the history of ice hockey, it holds exhibits about players, teams, National Hockey League (NHL) records, memorabilia and NHL trophies, including the Stanley Cup. Founded in Kingston, Ontario, the Hockey Hall of Fame was established in 1943 under the leadership of James T. Sutherland. The first class of honoured members was inducted in 1945, before the Hall of Fame had a permanent location. It moved to Toronto in 1958 after the NHL withdrew its support for the International Hockey Hall of Fame in Kingston, Ontario, due to funding issues. Its first permanent building opened at Exhibition Place in 1961. The hall was relocated in 1993, and is now in Downtown Toronto, inside Brookfield Place, and a historic Bank of Montreal building. The Hockey Hall of Fame has hosted International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF) exhibits and the IIHF Hall of Fame since 1998.
Foster William Hewitt, was a Canadian radio broadcaster most famous for his play-by-play calls for Hockey Night in Canada. He was the son of W. A. Hewitt, and the father of Bill Hewitt.
Robert Cecil Cole was a Canadian sports television announcer who worked for CBC and Sportsnet and a competitive curler. He was known primarily for his work on National Hockey League's Hockey Night in Canada and Olympic ice hockey.
Michael Edward Redmond is a Canadian former professional hockey player. He is currently a colour commentator for Detroit Red Wings games on television for Bally Sports Detroit.
Foster William Alfred Hewitt was a Canadian radio and television sportscaster. He was the son of hockey broadcaster Foster Hewitt and the grandson of Toronto Star journalist W. A. Hewitt.
Patrick Daniel Kelly was a Canadian-born sportscaster best known for his TV/radio play-by-play coverage of the St. Louis Blues of the National Hockey League, from 1968 until his death 21 years later, as well as for his national television work on NHL telecasts in both the United States and Canada.
John Kenneth "Jiggs" McDonald is a sportscaster who has done play-by-play announcing for NHL games for more than 50 years. In 1990, McDonald received the Foster Hewitt Memorial Award from the Hockey Hall of Fame.
David Strader was an American sportscaster, primarily known for his play-by-play commentary of ice hockey. During his career, he worked on telecasts for the Detroit Red Wings, Florida Panthers, Phoenix Coyotes and Dallas Stars of the National Hockey League (NHL). He also worked nationally in the United States for ESPN, ABC, Versus, NBC, and NBCSN.
The Elmer Ferguson Memorial Award is an accolade presented annually to a print newspaper columnist or reporter in recognition of their achievements covering the game of ice hockey. The award is "to recognize distinguished members of the newspaper profession whose words have brought honor to journalism and to hockey."
Rick Peckham is a retired play-by-play broadcaster for the NHL's Tampa Bay Lightning hockey team and the 2020 recipient of the Foster Hewitt Memorial Award. Peckham served as the play-by-play announcer for the Hartford Whalers from 1984 through 1995. He has also broadcast NHL games on ESPN (1987–88) and SportsChannel America (1988–92). Through 1977–84, he called games on television and radio for the AHL's Rochester Americans. Peckham was broadcasting Lightning games with the Florida-based Fox Sports Sun, as well as occasionally doing play-by-play for the NHL on NBC, a role that increased with the passing of Dave Strader. He is a 1977 graduate of Kent State University with a B.A. degree in telecommunications.