Roger Clemente Posted January 20, 2008 Share Posted January 20, 2008 One of the legends of Canadian sports broadcasting is gone. Don Wittman lost his battle with cancer at the age of 71. In all honesty, I never knew he was battling it. But it's tragic nonetheless and I certainly send my sympathies with his family.Anyone who's watched pretty much ANY sport on CBC has likely heard Don Wittman call it. Olympics, Curling, Skiing, Figure Skating, NHL Playoffs, Track and Field, you name he's done it. (Actually the only thing I can think of that I do NOT recall him ever doing is Blue Jays games, though he probably may have at one time.) It's going to be unusual watching any sort of CBC Sports Saturday programming and not hear him involved anymore. Or even in the NHL Playoffs when he winded up covering a Canadian team's series that did not involve Toronto (like this year, it was the Calgary/Detroit series). And pretty much every CFL game that wasn't covered by Chris Cuthbert. (And it's remarkable that as high as Cuthbert's voice can be, Wittman's was even higher when he was excited by the play.)R.I.P. Don, you will be missed. Follow me on Twitter if you care: @Animal_Clans.My opinion may or may not be the same as yours. The choice is up to you. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
officeglenn Posted January 20, 2008 Share Posted January 20, 2008 I saw something on the CBC not too long ago about Wittman's induction into the CBC Sports Hall of Fame. He was in a wheelchair then, and it looked like he had lost a lot of weight. But everyone seemed optimistic that he would pull through, so it was a surprise to me to hear of his passing today.It was always a treat to tune in and hear him call curling or, as Roger said, the occasional NHL playoff series (even if he was saddled with Greg Millen, but that's a rant for a another time). He was truly an icon of Canadian sports broadcasting, and he will truly be missed. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BCBoy Posted January 20, 2008 Share Posted January 20, 2008 Did not see this coming at all either, I couldn't believe my ears when I heard it.Don was great. RIP. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lee. Posted January 20, 2008 Share Posted January 20, 2008 RIP to the CBC's go-to guy, and a fine, fellow Winnipegger. Welcome to DrunjFlix Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
scooter13 Posted January 20, 2008 Share Posted January 20, 2008 Not living within CBC's viewing area for 8 years now, I have missed watching both the Canadian men's and the women's curling championships. But it is sadder knowing now that if I ever get to see them again that Mr. Wittman won't be the voice of the broadcast. Detroit Dragons - 2010 ULL Gait Cup ChampionsDetroit Cougars - 2010 and 2011 WAFA Wills Cup Champions Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
habsfan1 Posted January 20, 2008 Share Posted January 20, 2008 Is he the guy who called this year's grey cup game? Or did he retire at some point? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DEAD! Posted January 20, 2008 Share Posted January 20, 2008 Is he the guy who called this year's grey cup game? Or did he retire at some point?He did not call the Grey Cup. I can't the remember the last time he called the Grey Cup even though he still did CFL games. I will definitely miss his voice at the Olympic games. Watching an athletics event will NEVER be the same I saw, I came, I left. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mantleisthebest7 Posted January 20, 2008 Share Posted January 20, 2008 I can't say that I have ever seen or heard much of Don Wittman. But my condolences still go out to his family and friends. He sounded like a great guy, I'm sure he will be missed. Jimmy Eat World Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
officeglenn Posted January 20, 2008 Share Posted January 20, 2008 Is he the guy who called this year's grey cup game? Or did he retire at some point?He did not call the Grey Cup. I can't the remember the last time he called the Grey Cup even though he still did CFL games. I will definitely miss his voice at the Olympic games. Watching an athletics event will NEVER be the same Indeed. He and Geoff Gowan were *the* voices of track and field in Canada.And I believe it was Mark Lee and Chris Walby who did the Grey Cup this year. They were CBC's A-team for the CFL after Chris Cuthbert was let go. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
habsfan1 Posted January 21, 2008 Share Posted January 21, 2008 Is he the guy who called this year's grey cup game? Or did he retire at some point?He did not call the Grey Cup. I can't the remember the last time he called the Grey Cup even though he still did CFL games. I will definitely miss his voice at the Olympic games. Watching an athletics event will NEVER be the same Indeed. He and Geoff Gowan were *the* voices of track and field in Canada.And I believe it was Mark Lee and Chris Walby who did the Grey Cup this year. They were CBC's A-team for the CFL after Chris Cuthbert was let go.His voice sounded alot like the one of the 2 mentionned above. They sounded similar at first. I can't tell anyone apart. I do remember him calling CFL football games in the 90s though. RIP. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NorthStar74 Posted January 21, 2008 Share Posted January 21, 2008 Such a sad day yesterday.. I tuned into the Scotiabank preshow show to see a pic of Don and etc.. dang makes me sad as cancer has claimed another good soul... I have seen Don on tv on CBC Sports over the years, whether it be in the NHL playoffs, CFL games and more.. .he will be missed very much for sure! Ice Hockey International Winnipeg Braves (Bobby Hull Division 18-3-0 1st place as of March 14, 2011)2010-11 O'Brien Trophy for Bobby Hull Division championship & Jack Riley Cup for top team in league regular season Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
johnnysama Posted January 23, 2008 Share Posted January 23, 2008 RIP to one of the greatest North American sportscasters ever put out to us.And, he was the play-by-play for CBC's coverage of the Grey Cup from 1980-95 (exclusively from 1987 onward). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Archived
This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.