Colourful commentator John Garrett set to retire from Canucks broadcasts
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Garrett, who has been the team’s TV colour analyst since 2002, announced during Thursday’s game that he was retiring from the regional broadcast at the end of the season
Published Mar 23, 2023 • Last updated 1 hour ago • 3 minute read
John Garrett, a former NHL goalie and colour commentator for Sportsnet Pacific, poses for a photo in the press box before the Calgary Flames played the Vancouver Canucks in 2016. Photo by AL CHAREST /POSTMEDIA Article content
An era is coming to an end for the Vancouver Canucks.
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John Garrett, who has been the team’s TV colour analyst since 2002, announced during Thursday’s game that he was retiring from Sportsnet’s regional broadcast at the end of the season.
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Garrett made the announcement during Thursday’s 7-2 win over the San Jose Sharks.
In the announcement, an emotional Garrett says he will still appear in some other Sportsnet properties.
“If you’ve been watching and listening all these years, you know how much I’ve enjoyed my experience and my time doing this job. And a lot of the reason is the great people I work with,” he said.
“I’d like to thank John Shorthouse, Dan Murphy and our producer Greg Shannon. Your camaraderie and friendship will never be forgotten and we will be lifelong friends. But most of all, I’d like to thank the fans, whose unwavering support has lasted for these 20 years and beyond. Your enthusiasm and passion for the game and for this team will never be forgotten.
“We are all Canucks, thanks.”
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Hail to our king John Garrett. It won’t be the same without you. You brought a natural charm and charisma that is a much needed commodity in sports and I always looked forward to any game you were a part of calling. pic.twitter.com/cKnz7PvqpD
— Wyatt Arndt (@TheStanchion) March 24, 2023
Garrett’s final Canucks broadcast will be on April 13 against the Arizona Coyotes.
A former Canucks goalie, Garrett always brought humour, often of a self-deprecating nature, to his commentary, but also added insight gathered from a career in professional hockey that stretched back to the 1970s.
Sportsnet host Dan Murphy told Postmedia he plans to say more about his longtime colleague on air during the upcoming road trip, but was ready with a quick though.
“There have been a lot more losses than wins the last decade. But Cheech (and Shorty) never, ever made the broadcast a downer. Personality and humour and not taking himself too seriously was the perfect recipe for some trying times. I’m not sure anyone could have navigated it better than those two guys,” he said.
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Garrett played a couple seasons in the minors before breaking into the big leagues with the Minnesota Fighting Saints of the World Hockey Association in 1973. He also played for the Toronto Toros, Birmingham Bulls and New England/Hartford Whalers in the WHA and stayed with the Whalers when they swapped over to the NHL in 1979.
The Whalers traded him to the Quebec Nordiques during the 1981-82 season before a trade to the Canucks late in 1982-83.
Boston’s Jim Nill battles for the puck with Vancouver goaltender John Garrett with Ron Delorme in the background in 1984. Photo by Collin Price /PNG
He was nearly the MVP of the 1983 All-Star Game, a wild appearance where he represented the Canucks despite having only started one game after being traded to the team the week before.
He was briefly the Canucks’ assistant general manager in the summer of 1985, but his tenure only lasted a few weeks as general manager Harry Neale was fired not long after he accepted the position. He played one final season as the Canucks’ third-string goalie — he never suited up in a game but did appear in three AHL games for the short-staffed Fredricton Express — before retiring and eventually moving into broadcasting.
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John Garrett with John Shorthouse in 2010. Photo by Mark van Manen /Vancouver Sun
He worked for Hockey Night in Canada beginning in 1986, then became a studio analyst for the fledgling CTV Sportsnet in 1998. He was colour analyst for Edmonton Oilers and Calgary Flames regional broadcasts and joined the Canucks’ regional broadcast on Sportsnet Pacific in 2002.
The Canucks organization issued a statement after the announcement, thanking Garrett for being “a great ambassador for the hockey club.”
“We want to thank John for two decades worth of entertaining and engaging with Canucks fans on regional TV,” said president of hockey operations Jim Rutherford. “Cheech has been a great ambassador for the hockey club, whether it was in goal as a player or in the broadcast booth as an announcer. His smart wit, sense of humour and an innate ability to break down the ins and outs of the game so effortlessly has made him a huge fan favourite. We wish him nothing but the best in the future.”
— with a file from Mike Raptis
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