Don Taylor (Canadian sportscaster)
Encyclopedia
Don Taylor is a Canadian television and radio sportscaster
.
He currently hosts Rogers Sportsnet Pacific's
nightly sports news program Sportsnet Connected
and also co-hosts the weekday afternoon radio show BMac and Taylor on The Team 1040.
Taylor is known for his canned delivery of the nightly sports highlights, which consists largely of a set of recurring themes including:
In describing basketball highlights, one of Taylor's recognizable comments is an imitation of Marv Albert's
signature, "and it was a gorgeous move."
Before working for Sportsnet, he was the longtime co-host of CKVU's nightly sports news show Sports Page
and was also briefly a radio broadcaster with CKNW.
He has also provided color commentary for different hockey video games including NHL 2002
, NHL 2003
, as well as NHL Rock The Rink which all were released by EA Sports
Don Taylor is a graduate of Alpha Secondary School in Burnaby.
Sportscaster
In sports broadcasting, a commentator gives a running commentary of a game or event in real time, usually during a live broadcast. The comments are normally a voiceover, with the sounds of the action and spectators also heard in the background. In the case of television commentary, the commentator...
.
He currently hosts Rogers Sportsnet Pacific's
Rogers Sportsnet
Sportsnet was launched on October 9, 1998 as CTV Sportsnet. The name was chosen to match the regional "Fox Sports Net" operations across the United States...
nightly sports news program Sportsnet Connected
Sportsnet Connected
Sportsnet Connected is the flagship sports news program on Sportsnet in Canada. Originally known as Sportscentral and later Sportsnetnews, it was re-branded as Sportsnet Connected on January 7, 2008 with an emphasis on more local coverage of sports teams...
and also co-hosts the weekday afternoon radio show BMac and Taylor on The Team 1040.
Taylor is known for his canned delivery of the nightly sports highlights, which consists largely of a set of recurring themes including:
- Referring to obscure players or players with unusual names. For example, Taylor might refer to Brad IsbisterBrad IsbisterBrad Isbister is a retired professional ice hockey left winger who played 541 regular season games in the National Hockey League. He is currently an assistant coach for the Calgary Dinos men's ice hockey team.-Playing career:...
as "The Isbisterian One".- Similarly, Taylor might refer to a play by the same player as having been performed "in Isbisterian fashion."
- Taylor also facetiously inflates the esteem of groups of lesser-known players. For example, a line of players named Adams, Barrett, and Carnegie might be referred to as the "dreaded Adams-Barrett-Carnegie line" when they score a goal.
- Describing the colors of either the home or visiting teams jerseys in unusual levels of detail. For example, he might refer to the Anaheim DucksAnaheim DucksThe Anaheim Ducks are a professional ice hockey team based in Anaheim, California, USA. They are members of the Pacific Division of the Western Conference of the National Hockey League...
as "wearing their home blacks with white and gold trim." - Associating current players of a particular jersey number with another player from the same team who wore the same number during an earlier era. For example, Taylor might refer to Vancouver CanucksVancouver CanucksThe Vancouver Canucks are a professional ice hockey team based in Vancouver, :British Columbia, Canada. They are members of the Northwest Division of the Western Conference of the National Hockey League . The Canucks play their home games at Rogers Arena, formerly known as General Motors Place,...
forward Mason RaymondMason RaymondMason Evan Raymond is a Canadian professional ice hockey winger currently playing for the Vancouver Canucks of the National Hockey League . Born in Cochrane, Alberta, he played Junior A in the Alberta Junior Hockey League for two seasons, where he captured league and regional titles with the...
as "wearing Cam Neely'sCam NeelyCameron Michael Neely is a retired Canadian professional ice hockey player. He played right wing for the Vancouver Canucks and Boston Bruins of the National Hockey League from 1983 to 1996. He currently serves as the president of the Boston Bruins.-Playing career:Cam Neely was born in Comox,...
old number 21." The trivia is typically related to long-retired players or little-known players, especially with a Canadian or west coast connection. - Associating a play in terms of particular qualities of an obscure or long-forgotten player, especially for goalies. For example, Taylor might describe a goaltender's performance as being "like a modern-day Gerry Cheevers".
- Taylor is also known for his lacking, yet recognizable, imitation of Jerry LewisJerry LewisJerry Lewis is an American comedian, actor, singer, film producer, screenwriter and film director. He is best known for his slapstick humor in film, television, stage and radio. He was originally paired up with Dean Martin in 1946, forming the famed comedy team of Martin and Lewis...
's babbling when describing frantic plays (usually in front of the net in hockeyHockeyHockey is a family of sports in which two teams play against each other by trying to maneuver a ball or a puck into the opponent's goal using a hockey stick.-Etymology:...
). - Remarking, "the mesh ripples" or "top shelf where mom keeps the peanut butter" when a goal is scored.
- Describing a goaltender as having saved the puck, "in rapier-like fashion".
- Referring to sportscasters Hazel MaeHazel MaeHazel Mae is a sportscaster in Canada. She was the former lead anchor for the New England Sports Network's SportsDesk news program and most recently the anchor on MLB Network. She is the current anchor for Rogers Sportsnet's 6PM broadcast of Sportsnet Connected. Mae worked for Sportsnet until...
and Jim Van HorneJim Van HorneJim Van Horne is a Canadian sports anchor.Van Horne began his broadcasting career on CKMP in Midland, Ontario, in 1971. From 1972 to 1980, Van Horne was one of the top disc jockeys in Canada at 1050 CHUM in Toronto. He was named Billboard Magazine's Disc Jockey of the year in 1972, the only...
as imaginary referees in deciding the victor of a hockey fight
In describing basketball highlights, one of Taylor's recognizable comments is an imitation of Marv Albert's
Marv Albert
Marv Albert is an American television and radio sportscaster. Honored for his work as a member of the Basketball Hall of Fame, he is commonly referred to as "the voice of basketball." From 1967–2004, he was also known as "the voice of the New York Knicks."Including Super Bowl XLII, Marv has called...
signature, "and it was a gorgeous move."
Before working for Sportsnet, he was the longtime co-host of CKVU's nightly sports news show Sports Page
Sports Page
Sports Page was a sports highlights television program that aired on CKVU-TV Vancouver from September 1977 until August 31, 2001, and later on CHEK-TV Victoria, British Columbia, from September 2, 2001 until September 2, 2005...
and was also briefly a radio broadcaster with CKNW.
He has also provided color commentary for different hockey video games including NHL 2002
NHL 2002
- External links :* *...
, NHL 2003
NHL 2003
NHL 2003 is the eleventh edition of the popular EA Sports NHL series, a hockey video game, released on the successor to NHL 2002. Jarome Iginla appears as the cover athlete and spokesperson of the game. Iginla appears in the Behind The Scenes video to show the player how the game was...
, as well as NHL Rock The Rink which all were released by EA Sports
EA Sports
EA Sports is a brand of Electronic Arts that creates and develops sports video games. Formerly a marketing gimmick of Electronic Arts, in which they tried to mimic real-life sports networks by calling themselves "EA Sports Network" with pictures or endorsements of real commentators such as John...
Don Taylor is a graduate of Alpha Secondary School in Burnaby.