Canadians bid farewell to a familiar face on Thursday as revered broadcaster Darren Dutchyshen died, announced TSN.
Dutchyshen, a long-time host and personality on TSN and known for his sense of humour, is dead at the age of 57 after a protracted battle with prostate cancer. The iconic Canadian sports broadcaster’s death occurred on Wednesday.
“Darren Dutchyshen was a legend of Canadian sports broadcasting, a great teammate, and an essential part of TSN for the last three decades,” said Stewart Johnston, Senior Vice President of Sales and Sports at Bell Media.
Dutchyshen, born in Regina and raised in Porcupine Plain, Saskatchewan, began his sportscasting career with STV in Saskatoon and later worked with IMTV in Dauphin, Manitoba. His first big break came in 1988 when he started hosting Edmonton’s ITV Sports Night, a role that tripled the station’s ratings.
“Darren was very different from the really staid, suit and tie types,” said Ann Stark, his boss at ITV, in a 1990 Edmonton Journal feature.
“We opted for his sort of vibrant personality just to get everybody’s attention,” she added.
In 1995, Dutchyshen took an even bigger role when he joined TSN, hosting weekend editions of SportsDesk and CFL Live. He became a beloved figure on TSN’s flagship program, SportsCentre, co-anchoring late-night editions first with Rod Smith and later with Jennifer Hedger.
“A larger-than-life personality, Darren’s incredible sense of humour and magnetic energy made him a natural broadcaster who connected easily with viewers,” said Johnston.
“His enthusiasm reminded us every day of why we love sports. Most significantly, Darren was a friend to all of us at TSN, and we will miss him dearly,” he added.
Dutchyshen’s career at TSN included hosting the Kraft Celebration Tour and the boxing show In This Corner with Canadian trainer, cutman, and TV personality Russ Anber. Dutchyshen hosted Olympic Prime Time during the Vancouver 2010 Winter Games and the London 2012 Summer Games.
Dutchyshen’s battle with prostate cancer became public when he revealed his ongoing battle on Sept. 9, 2021, forcing him to take a break from SportsCentre for a year to receive treatment.
He returned to the air in 2022, even though the cancer had metastasized throughout his body.
“The place that I feel best is right here,” Dutchyshen said upon his return.
Dutchyshen’s presence and passion for sports broadcasting left a significant impact on his colleagues and viewers.
Rod Smith, who worked with Dutchyshen for several years, described him as “tough, yet friendly, funny, engaging, and kind; truly, one of a kind.”
The beloved broadcaster’s family confirmed that he died “surrounded by his closest loved ones.”
“His sharp wit remained until his final moments, classically delivering plenty of jokes — most of them pretty good and all of them inappropriate,” said Dutchyshen’s family.
In honour of Dutchyshen, TSN plans to air special tributes over the coming days, inviting friends and co-workers to share their memories of the broadcaster.
“RIP Dutchy” is the number one trend on X as of Thursday afternoon.
