Dick Irvin, Jr.

Dick Irvin, Jr., CM, or James Dickinson Irvin III, (born March 4, 1932 in Calgary, Alberta), is a retired Canadian sports broadcaster and author. In 1988, the Hockey Hall of Fame presented Irvin with the Foster Hewitt Memorial Award, for his contributions to hockey broadcasting.[1] In 2004, Irvin was inducted into the Canadian Association of Broadcasters Hall of Fame.

Broadcasting career
Dick Irvin is a graduate of McGill University, where he obtained a Bachelor of Commerce degree from the Desautels Faculty of Management. While attending university from 1951 to 1956, Irvin played for the varsity hockey team and worked part-time as an assistant to the equipment manager of the Montreal Canadiens, the team his father coached at the time.

After several years in commerce, he turned to sports broadcasting, first as a media liaison for the Canadiens and then, starting in 1966, a colour commentator on their radio and television broadcasts, alongside the play-by-play of Danny Gallivan. Through the 1970s and early 1980s, Irvin often acted as both the colour commentator and the studio host for Hockey Night in Canada telecasts from Montreal. This meant he often missed the beginnings and ends of periods as he moved from ice level to the broadcast booth and back.

Gallivan often playfully addressed Irvin as "Richard," even though Irvin's used name is a diminutive of Dickinson. After Gallivan's retirement in 1989, Irvin worked as the play-by-play broadcaster for regional games from Montreal, and as a secondary color commentator (or "third man" in the booth) for national games alongside Bob Cole and Harry Neale. He also provided radio play-by-play commentary for Canadiens' games that were not on HNIC until 1997.

At his retirement, Irvin was the longest-serving member of CBC Television's Hockey Night in Canada, with a broadcasting career spanning from 1966 to 1999. Though retired, Irvin still contributes yearly to the annual "Hockey Day in Canada" broadcast, along with other occasional appearances. For example, he was part of CBC's broadcast crew of the first Heritage Classic game from Commonwealth Stadium in Edmonton on November 22, 2003, as the festivities included a game between Canadiens and Edmonton Oilers alumni teams. Then on December 4, 2009, Irvin returned to co-host the Montreal Canadiens centennial pre-game ceremony along with long-time French-language broadcaster Richard Garneau, introducing many of the former Canadiens participating in the event as they arrived onto the ice.

Irvin is a fount of hockey knowledge, having spent a lifetime in the game. His record for longevity with Hockey Night in Canada has since been surpassed by Bob Cole and Harry Neale. Irvin was also the sports director of CFCF radio and CFCF-TV, a CTV affiliate in Montreal.

Honours
In 2013, he was appointed a Member of the Order of Canada "for his contributions to hockey as a beloved broadcaster and author, as well as for his charitable activities."[3]

Books
Irvin wrote five books during his broadcasting career and one after his retirement. These books are Now Back to You, Dick (1988), The Habs (1991), Behind the Bench (1993), In the Crease (1995), Tough Calls (1997) and My 26 Stanley Cups (2001).[2]

Personal life[edit]
Although known as Dick Irvin Jr., he is the third generation to be named James Dickenson Irvin, after his father and grandfather.[4] Irvin's father, known as Dick Irvin, Sr., was a noted NHL player and coach.

His wife, Wilma, died in 2003.