Bob McKenzie (broadcaster)
{{short description|Canadian hockey commentator (born 1956)}}
{{for|the fictional television host|Bob and Doug McKenzie}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=March 2017}}
{{Infobox person
|name=Bob McKenzie
| image = 2018_Bob_McKenzie_Headshot.jpg
| alt =
| caption =
| children = 3; including Mike McKenzie
| spouse(s) = Cindy
|birth_date={{birth date and age|1956|08|16}}
|birth_place=Toronto, Ontario, Canada
|known_for=The NHL on TSN
|occupation=Sportscaster
|employer=TSN
}}
Robert Malcomson McKenzie (born August 16, 1956{{cite web|url=https://www.eliteprospects.com/player/68881/bob-mckenzie|title=Bob McKenzie – Elite Prospects|access-date=5 January 2021}}) is a Canadian hockey commentator who has covered hockey since joining TSN in 1986. As a TSN Hockey Insider and TSN's Draft Expert, McKenzie provides analysis for NHL on TSN telecasts, as well as for the IIHF World Junior Championships, NHL Draft, NHL Trade Deadline, Free Agency, and for six Olympic Winter Games.{{citation needed|date=January 2025}}
Early life and education
McKenzie was born in Toronto and attended Bendale Public School.{{cite book |last1=McKenzie |first1=Bob |title=Hockey Dad: True Confessions of a (Crazy) Hockey Parent |date=2009 |publisher=John Wiley & Sons |isbn=978-0-470-15939-2 |page=[https://archive.org/details/hockeydadtruecon00bobm/page/2 2] |url=https://archive.org/details/hockeydadtruecon00bobm |url-access=registration |access-date=November 29, 2019 |language=en}} After graduating from Ryerson Polytechnic University, McKenzie was hired for his first full-time newspaper job at The Sault Star in 1979.{{cite tweet|user=TSNBobMcKenzie|number=1123947746585661441|date=May 2, 2019|title=I'm not one to mark anniversaries or whatever, but it did just occur to me it was 40 years ago this past month I got hired to my first full-time newspaper job. Graduated — well, not quite — from Ryerson in April, 1979 and got hired at The Sault Star in Sault Ste. Marie, Ont.}}
Career
In 1981, McKenzie quit The Sault Star and moved back to Toronto to earn a job in the sports department at one of the mainstream papers. Although he earned a position as a copy editor in The Globe and Mail{{'}}s sports department, he was not offered any full-time positions.{{cite news |last1=Shoalts |first1=David |title=TSN analyst Bob McKenzie knows it's better to be right than simply first |url=https://www.theglobeandmail.com/sports/hockey/tsn-analyst-bob-mckenzie-knows-its-better-to-be-right-than-simply-first/article28944984/ |access-date=November 28, 2019 |publisher=The Globe and Mail |date=February 28, 2016}}
In 1982, McKenzie was offered a position as editor-in-chief of The Hockey News.{{cite news |last1=Fitz-Gerald |first1=Sean |title=20 Questions with TSN's Bob McKenzie: Rivalry with Sportsnet, crazy hockey parents and calling the cops on Phil Esposito |url=https://nationalpost.com/sports/hockey/nhl/20-questions-with-tsns-bob-mckenzie-rivalry-with-sportsnet-crazy-hockey-parents-and-calling-the-cops-on-phil-esposito |access-date=November 29, 2019 |publisher=The National Post |date=May 29, 2015}} McKenzie stayed at the magazine for nine years before joining the Toronto Star as a hockey columnist until 1998.{{cite news |last1=Cowan |first1=Stu |title=Cowan: TSN's Bob McKenzie remains modest with one million Twitter followers |url=https://montrealgazette.com/sports/hockey/nhl/cowan-tsns-bob-mckenzie-remains-modest-with-one-million-twitter-followers |access-date=November 28, 2019 |publisher=Montreal Gazette |date=May 10, 2015}} While with the Toronto Star, McKenzie was reporting from the Tampa Bay Lightning dressing room after a loss when he was asked to leave by Phil Esposito. Upon refusing, a scuffle ensued and McKenzie filed a complaint with Toronto police claiming assault.{{cite web |title=Snow Job in Tampa |url=https://www.si.com/vault/1992/11/02/127476/snow-job-in-tampa-amid-the-ice-shavings-the-tampa-bay-lightning-is-making-phil-esposito-smile |website=si.com |access-date=November 29, 2019 |date=November 2, 1992}}{{cite web |title=Writer accuses Esposito of assault |url=https://www.upi.com/Archives/1992/10/16/Writer-accuses-Esposito-of-assault/3319719208000/ |website=upi.com |access-date=November 29, 2019 |date=October 16, 1992}} McKenzie returned to The Hockey News for three years where he participated in their half-hour segments on The Sports Network (TSN), and was eventually hired as an analyst for Canadian Hockey League games. He was eventually offered a position with TSN's broadcasting team in 2000.{{cite web |title=TSN's Bob McKenzie inducted into Whitby Sports Hall of Fame |url=https://www.tsn.ca/tsn-s-bob-mckenzie-inducted-into-whitby-hall-of-fame-1.1071250 |website=tsn.ca |access-date=November 29, 2019 |date=April 28, 2018}}{{cite web |last1=Dryden |first1=Steve |title=BOB MCKENZIE GOES FROM THN TO TSN TO HHOF |url=https://thehockeynews.com/news/article/bob-mckenzie-goes-from-thn-to-tsn-to-hhof |website=thehockeynews.com |access-date=November 29, 2019 |date=November 7, 2015}}
In honour of his reporting skills, McKenzie won the Gemini Award for Best Studio Analyst for his work on the 2008 IIHF World Junior Championship: Gold Final.{{cite web |title=CBC big winner of Geminis for news, sports and documentaries |url=https://www.cbc.ca/news/entertainment/cbc-big-winner-of-geminis-for-news-sports-and-documentaries-1.758753 |website=cbc.ca |access-date=November 29, 2019 |date=October 20, 2008}}
In October 2014, McKenzie and Darren Dreger began appearing as full-time contributors on NBCSN. This was because TSN lost their NHL broadcasting rights package to Sportsnet.{{cite web|url=https://www.sbnation.com/nhl/2014/10/7/6935735/bob-mckenzie-darren-dreger-nbcsn-tsn|title=Dreger, McKenzie set to join NBCSN|date=October 7, 2014 |access-date=March 17, 2017}}{{cite web|url=https://www.si.com/more-sports/2014/10/06/espn-nba-television-deal-media-circus|title=Meet NBC's new hockey personalities in this week's Media Circus|first=Richard|last=Deitsch|date=October 6, 2014 |access-date=March 17, 2017}} Two years later, he received the 2016 Canadian Screen award for Best Sports Analyst.{{cite web |title=TSN Leads Sports Category in Nominations and Wins at Canadian Screen Awards |url=https://www.bellmedia.ca/the-lede/press/tsn-leads-sports-broadcasters-in-nominations-and-wins-at-canadian-screen-awards/ |website=bellmedia.ca |access-date=November 28, 2019 |date=March 9, 2016}}
McKenzie was awarded the 2015 Elmer Ferguson Memorial Award, as selected by the Professional Hockey Writers Association.{{cite news |last1=Cowan |first1=Stu |title=TSN's Bob McKenzie wins Elmer Ferguson Memorial Award |url=https://montrealgazette.com/sports/stu-on-sports/tsns-bob-mckenzie-wins-elmer-ferguson-memorial-award |access-date=November 28, 2019 |publisher=Montreal Gazette |date=June 4, 2015}} He was inducted into the Whitby Sports Hall of Fame in 2017.{{cite web |title=McKenzie,Bob |url=http://www.whitbysportshalloffame.com/hall-of-fame/inducted/362-bob-mckenzie |website=whitbysportshalloffame.com |access-date=November 28, 2019}} In 2019, McKenzie signed a five-year contract extension with TSN.{{cite web |title=TSN Hockey Insider Bob McKenzie signs new contract with TSN |url=https://www.tsn.ca/bob-mckenzie-signs-new-contract-with-tsn-1.1375380 |website=tsn.ca |access-date=November 29, 2019 |date=October 2, 2019}}
Personal life
McKenzie and his wife Cindy have three sons, all of whom played hockey. Although one of his sons quit the sport due to concussions, his son Mike McKenzie went on to play professionally. Cindy is the older sister of John Goodwin, a former professional ice hockey player.{{cite news |last1=Purvis |first1=Michael |title=Goodwin takes us back to prolific 1980-81 season |url=https://www.saultstar.com/2013/03/07/goodwin-takes-us-back-to-prolific-1980-81-season/wcm/ba0603c3-b7b2-1af6-8617-5055819cb621 |access-date=November 29, 2019 |publisher=Sault Star |date=March 6, 2013}}
References
{{Reflist}}
External links
- [https://www.tsn.ca/tsn_talent/bio/?fid=76 TSN.ca biography of Bob McKenzie]
- [https://athletique.com/1330005/2019/10/31/from-smoker-to-the-bobfather-the-evolution-of-tsns-bob-mckenzie-the-first-nhl-insider/]
- {{Twitter}}
{{NHL on TSN}}
{{NHL on NBC}}
{{Authority control}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:McKenzie, Bob}}
Category:Canadian newspaper editors
Category:Canadian male journalists
Category:Elmer Ferguson Memorial Award recipients
Category:National Hockey League broadcasters
Category:Olympic Games broadcasters