Brian McFarlane
| Brian McFarlane | |
|---|---|
| Born |
August 10, 1931 New Liskeard, Ontario |
| Nationality | Canadian |
| Alma mater | St. Lawrence University |
| Occupation | Sportscaster, author |
Brian McFarlane (born August 10, 1931) is a Canadian television sportscaster and author. He is also the Honorary President of the Society for International Hockey Research. He is the son of the prolific writer Leslie McFarlane who wrote many of the early Hardy Boys books. He is best known as a broadcaster on Hockey Night In Canada and as an author of hockey books.
Brian McFarlane was raised in Whitby and Ottawa Ontario. He attended St. Lawrence University in Canton, New York, on a hockey scholarship, graduating in 1955. In his four years he scored 101 goals for the Skating Saints, which remains a St. Lawrence record. On three occasions, he scored five goals in a game, a school record shared with several others. McFarlane was honoured as an All-American in 1952.
After graduating, he worked in television at WRGB in Schenectady, New York, before moving to CFRB Radio in Toronto and then CFCF-TV in Montreal, Quebec (where he was sports director) and CFTO TV in Toronto, Ontario. He had a lengthy career in broadcasting and journalism.
He is best known as a commentator on Hockey Night in Canada, beginning in 1964. He made similar broadcasts on NHL games for the major American networks CBS and NBC. McFarlane was a colour commentator on Toronto Maple Leafs local telecasts until 1980, when he made on-air comments that were supportive of Leaf captain Darryl Sittler and critical of Leafs owner Harold Ballard. He was subsequently banned from the Maple Leaf Gardens press box. For Hockey Night in Canada, he was moved off Toronto games at this point, broadcasting the Montreal Canadiens and Winnipeg Jets games. His last year with HNIC was 1991, ending a 28-year association with HNIC.
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