Jim Hughson concludes marvelous baseball and hockey announcing career

After 42 years, Hall of Fame PxP commentator Jim Hughson has announced his retirement from broadcasting.

As one of Canada's iconic hockey voices, Jim leaves a lasting legacy at @Sportsnet & across the entire broadcasting industry.

Thank you Jim! 💫

➡️ https://t.co/pbFrpF43Ko pic.twitter.com/JS17MzGWWD

— Sportsnet PR (@SportsnetPR) September 21, 2021

Retired usually means you can't do something anymore. Jim Hughson chose to retire when he was still very good at calling hockey. Hughson took over for Bob Cole as the main voice of Hockey Night in Canada in 2008 on CBC and later on Rogers Sportsnet. Hughson started working as the secondary play-by-play announcer in 2005 on CBC.

Hughson, long known for his play-by-play work in baseball and hockey, did cut back last season, only calling Hockey Night in Canada games literally in Vancouver. Hughson got to work with his former colour analyst John Garrett. We didn't know at the time this was the send-off. He shared some of his reasons for retiring on The People’s Show on Sportsnet 650 in Vancouver.

Still a bit odd that we won't hear him at all. Hughson called the 2020 Stanley Cup playoffs and final in the bubbles in Toronto and Edmonton. His retirement should have been a bigger deal.

Hughson called the Montréal Expos on TSN from 1987-1989 and the Toronto Blue Jays on TSN from 1990-1994 and CBC from 2007-2008. He also called the Toronto Maple Leafs from 1982-1987 and the Vancouver Canucks from 1979-1982 and 1994-2008.

He also called national games of NHL hockey on TSN, CTV Sportsnet, CBC, and Rogers Sportsnet.

Hughson could have easily had a great career as a baseball announcer. Here is Hughson with Ken Singleton on the Montréal Expos on TSN.

https://t.co/WtNioDJEmR pic.twitter.com/THMTysTI3b

— Craig Simpson (@hnicsimmer) September 21, 2021

I was lucky enough to start my hockey broadcast career on the same crew as Jim Hughson in 1983. Jim set the bar for me then, and the standard for all 🇨🇦 play by play announcers over the last two decades. The consummate professional. Congratulations Jim, best wishes in retirement. pic.twitter.com/aXBwkF0KBT

— Chris Cuthbert (@CCpxpSN) September 21, 2021

U.S. NHL coverage has a large hole with Doc Emrick retirement

The Rogers Sportsnet logic was essentially Chris Cuthbert for Dave Randorf during the pandemic, except they could have used Cuthbert and Randorf. Cuthbert and John Bartlett can handle the east most weeks. Harnarayan Singh with Rick Ball and John Shorthouse will deal with the west most weeks.

RJ Broadhead took a day job as the radio voice of the Hamilton Tiger-Cats in the CFL. Mark Lee is available, just saying. Rogers got rid of Paul Romanuk mostly because some Maple Leafs fans thought he was too impartial.

Instead of a question about who will call the Stanley Cup playoffs — Hughson or Cuthbert — the answer is Cuthbert. The only question is the depth chart behind Cuthbert at Rogers Sportsnet.

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Hughson won the Foster Hewitt Memorial Award in 2019, getting into the Hockey Hall of Fame. The award honoured his outstanding contributions as a hockey broadcaster.

Having Hughson do a few regional games, such as the Vancouver Canucks trip to Seattle for the Seattle Kraken home opener on October 23, would be very tempting just to hear him a few more times. Then again, retirement is often stopping, even when you can still do it well. Happy retirement to Jim Hughson.

photo credit: Hockey Night in Canada
Twitter captures: @SportsnetPR; @hnicsimmer; @CCpxpSN
video credit: YouTube/Phenia Films the MLB archives Original Broadcasts (MLB/TSN)