Foster Hewitt Memorial Award

This article is about the award presented by the Hockey Hall of Fame. For the discontinued award that was presented by the Alliance of Canadian Cinema, Television and Radio Artists, see ACTRA Foster Hewitt Award.

Foster Hewitt Memorial Award
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]
LocationHockey Hall of Fame, Toronto, Ontario
CountryCanada
Presented byHockey Hall of Fame
Reward(s)Glass plaque
First awarded1984
Currently held byPierre 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.

  1. ^ a b c Afterberry, Tara; Sams, Amanda, eds. (2006). "Foster Hewitt Memorial Award". Awards, honors & prizes: United States and Canada. Vol. 1 (25th ed.). Farmington Mills, Michigan: Thomson Gale. p. 536. ISBN 0-7876-7806-6. Retrieved May 28, 2021 – via Internet Archive.
  2. ^ Blevins, Dave (2012). "Hafey to Hynes". The Sports Hall of Fame Encyclopedia. Lanham, Maryland: The Scarecrow Press. p. 444. ISBN 978-0-8108-6130-5. Archived from the original on June 25, 2021. Retrieved May 29, 2021 – via Google Books.
  3. ^ a b Poulton, J. Alexander (2012). "Foster Hewitt Memorial Award". Everything About Hockey. Canada: Overtime Books. p. 172. ISBN 978-1-897277-71-3. Retrieved May 28, 2021 – via Internet Archive.
  4. ^ a b Cite error: The named reference Winner2015LATimes was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  5. ^ Hollander, Zander, ed. (1993). "Hockey Hall of Fame". The Complete Encyclopedia of Hockey (Fourth ed.). Detroit, Michigan: Visible Ink Press. p. 315. ISBN 0-8103-9419-7. Retrieved May 29, 2021 – via Internet Archive.
  6. ^ Cite error: The named reference Winner2014CT was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  7. ^ "TSN/RDS Broadcast Zone". Hockey Hall of Fame. Archived from the original on September 27, 2007. Retrieved December 28, 2007.
  8. ^ "Hockey Hall of Fame Announces Legends Classic Tour 2005 Featuring Canada Vs. Russia". Legends of Hockey. Hockey Hall of Fame. September 7, 2005. Archived from the original on October 28, 2005. Retrieved December 28, 2007.
  9. ^ a b Cite error: The named reference Winners was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  10. ^ Cite error: The named reference 2007Winner was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  11. ^ Leahy, Sean (November 6, 2017). "Trevor Strader honors late dad with stirring rendition of U.S. anthem (Video)". NBC Sports. Archived from the original on June 2, 2021. Retrieved May 29, 2021.
  12. ^ "Hockey Hall of Fame honors the late Dave Strader". Fox Sports Arizona. November 15, 2017. Archived from the original on June 2, 2021. Retrieved May 29, 2021.