Danny Gallivan
Encyclopedia
Danny Gallivan was a Canadian radio and television broadcaster and sportscaster.
, Nova Scotia
, Gallivan began his broadcast career at a local radio
station in Antigonish, Nova Scotia
while attending St. Francis Xavier University
. He taught high school algebra
and Latin
in Antigonish following graduation and took a stint in the Canadian Army before returning to continue his broadcasting career.
in Halifax where he became sports director. He was spotted by a CBC
producer of Hockey Night in Canada
while in Montreal to broadcast a junior hockey
playoff between Halifax and Montreal and was asked to fill in for a sick announcer in 1950. In 1952, Gallivan began a 32-year stint with Hockey Night in Canada
, mostly calling games involving the Montreal Canadiens
, before retiring after the 1983–1984 season. Immediately after Bill Hewitt
was forced to retire in 1982, Gallivan motored (for a time) to Toronto to announce mid-week Maple Leaf games - he announced the night when Rick Vaive scored his 50th goal of the season, a first in Maple Leaf history. Gallivan did play-by-play for some 1,900 regular season and playoff matches, including 16 Stanley Cup victories for the Canadiens in his career.
defenceman, Serge Savard
, so that the move was also known as "The Savardian Spinarama".
Many players were also known to "dipsy-doodle" with the puck, or come out of their own zone "rather gingerly".
Like many hockey announcers, he would often shout when a goal was scored, but louder with the Montreal Canadiens. On the down-side, his style was unmodulated, nearly always intense, so that a near goal towards the end of a 7-1 game sounded similar as that of a 2-1 game.
When a university professor
wrote to Gallivan protesting that there was no such word as "cannonading," Gallivan wrote back and replied, "There is now." The Canadian Oxford Dictionary
includes an entry for "spinarama."
On October 9, 1970, he had the distinction of announcing the Vancouver Canucks
' first-ever game in the NHL, a 3–1 loss to the Los Angeles Kings
on CKNW radio.
.
1984 - Hockey Hall of Fame Media Honouree
1985 - St. Francis Xavier University bestowed upon him an Honourary Doctor of Laws Degree
Early life and career
Born in SydneySydney, Nova Scotia
Sydney is a Canadian urban community in the province of Nova Scotia. It is situated on the east coast of Cape Breton Island and is administratively part of the Cape Breton Regional Municipality....
, Nova Scotia
Nova Scotia
Nova Scotia is one of Canada's three Maritime provinces and is the most populous province in Atlantic Canada. The name of the province is Latin for "New Scotland," but "Nova Scotia" is the recognized, English-language name of the province. The provincial capital is Halifax. Nova Scotia is the...
, Gallivan began his broadcast career at a local radio
Independent Local Radio
Independent Local Radio is the collective name given to commercial radio stations in the United Kingdom. The same name is used for Independent Local Radio in Ireland.-Development of ILR:...
station in Antigonish, Nova Scotia
Antigonish, Nova Scotia
Antigonish is a Canadian town in Antigonish County, Nova Scotia. The town is home to St. Francis Xavier University and the oldest continuous highland games in North America.-History:...
while attending St. Francis Xavier University
St. Francis Xavier University
St. Francis Xavier University is a post-secondary institution located in Antigonish, Nova Scotia. The school was founded in 1853, but did not offer degrees until 1868. The university has approximately 5000 students.-History:...
. He taught high school algebra
Algebra
Algebra is the branch of mathematics concerning the study of the rules of operations and relations, and the constructions and concepts arising from them, including terms, polynomials, equations and algebraic structures...
and Latin
Latin
Latin is an Italic language originally spoken in Latium and Ancient Rome. It, along with most European languages, is a descendant of the ancient Proto-Indo-European language. Although it is considered a dead language, a number of scholars and members of the Christian clergy speak it fluently, and...
in Antigonish following graduation and took a stint in the Canadian Army before returning to continue his broadcasting career.
Hockey Night in Canada
In 1946, Gallivan moved to a radio stationRadio station
Radio broadcasting is a one-way wireless transmission over radio waves intended to reach a wide audience. Stations can be linked in radio networks to broadcast a common radio format, either in broadcast syndication or simulcast or both...
in Halifax where he became sports director. He was spotted by a CBC
Canadian Broadcasting Corporation
The Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, commonly known as CBC and officially as CBC/Radio-Canada, is a Canadian crown corporation that serves as the national public radio and television broadcaster...
producer of Hockey Night in Canada
Hockey Night in Canada
Hockey Night in Canada is the branding used for CBC Sports' presentations of the National Hockey League...
while in Montreal to broadcast a junior hockey
Ice hockey
Ice hockey, often referred to as hockey, is a team sport played on ice, in which skaters use wooden or composite sticks to shoot a hard rubber puck into their opponent's net. The game is played between two teams of six players each. Five members of each team skate up and down the ice trying to take...
playoff between Halifax and Montreal and was asked to fill in for a sick announcer in 1950. In 1952, Gallivan began a 32-year stint with Hockey Night in Canada
Hockey Night in Canada
Hockey Night in Canada is the branding used for CBC Sports' presentations of the National Hockey League...
, mostly calling games involving the Montreal Canadiens
Montreal Canadiens
The Montreal Canadiens are a professional ice hockey team based in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. They are members of the Northeast Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League . The club is officially known as ...
, before retiring after the 1983–1984 season. Immediately after Bill Hewitt
Bill Hewitt
Foster William Alfred Hewitt was a Canadian radio and television sportscaster. He was the son of hockey broadcaster Foster Hewitt and the grandson of Toronto Star sports journalist W. A. Hewitt.Hewitt excelled at football, track & field and hockey, while at Upper Canada College...
was forced to retire in 1982, Gallivan motored (for a time) to Toronto to announce mid-week Maple Leaf games - he announced the night when Rick Vaive scored his 50th goal of the season, a first in Maple Leaf history. Gallivan did play-by-play for some 1,900 regular season and playoff matches, including 16 Stanley Cup victories for the Canadiens in his career.
Colourful descriptions
Gallivan was known for his colourful descriptions of action on the ice. Hard shots became "cannonading drives"; saves were "scintillating" or "larcenous" rather than merely spectacular; and, after a save, pucks tended to get caught in a goalie's "paraphernalia" (goalie equipment). If the goaltender made a fantastic or impossible save, he would refer to it as a "hair raising save" or that the goalie "kicked out his pad in rapier-like fashion" to foil a "glorious scoring opportunity". He would use words such as "anemic" to describe an ineffective offense or powerplay. He also coined phrases like "nowhere near the net", when a shot would go wide, comment that "there has not been a multitudinous amount of shots" to describe a game with a "dire dearth" of shots on net, would mention that a defender was "wasting valuable seconds in the penalty" when they were ragging the puck, and would almost always announce, "and the penalty has expired!" at the end of a penalty. The ultimate Gallivanism was a word he coined: the "spinarama," which described a player evading a check or when a player would deke a defender with a sudden 180- or 360-degree turn. Its chief practitioner was Montreal CanadiensMontreal Canadiens
The Montreal Canadiens are a professional ice hockey team based in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. They are members of the Northeast Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League . The club is officially known as ...
defenceman, Serge Savard
Serge Savard
Serge Aubrey "The Senator" Savard, OC, CQ is a retired professional ice hockey defenceman, most famously with the Montreal Canadiens of the National Hockey League . He is also a local businessman in Montreal, and is nicknamed the Senator.-Playing career:Savard played minor league hockey with the...
, so that the move was also known as "The Savardian Spinarama".
Many players were also known to "dipsy-doodle" with the puck, or come out of their own zone "rather gingerly".
Like many hockey announcers, he would often shout when a goal was scored, but louder with the Montreal Canadiens. On the down-side, his style was unmodulated, nearly always intense, so that a near goal towards the end of a 7-1 game sounded similar as that of a 2-1 game.
When a university professor
Professor
A professor is a scholarly teacher; the precise meaning of the term varies by country. Literally, professor derives from Latin as a "person who professes" being usually an expert in arts or sciences; a teacher of high rank...
wrote to Gallivan protesting that there was no such word as "cannonading," Gallivan wrote back and replied, "There is now." The Canadian Oxford Dictionary
Canadian Oxford Dictionary
The Canadian Oxford Dictionary is a dictionary of Canadian English. First published by Oxford University Press Canada in 1998, it quickly became the standard dictionary reference for Canadian English. Until September 2008, Oxford maintained a permanent staff of lexicographers in Canada, led by...
includes an entry for "spinarama."
On October 9, 1970, he had the distinction of announcing the Vancouver Canucks
Vancouver Canucks
The 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,...
' first-ever game in the NHL, a 3–1 loss to the Los Angeles Kings
Los Angeles Kings
The Los Angeles Kings are a professional ice hockey team based in Los Angeles, California. They are members of the Pacific Division of the Western Conference of the National Hockey League...
on CKNW radio.
Later life
Gallivan was active in retirement, working with several charities, and was the recipient of several television/broadcast industry awards. He made a cameo appearance in the 1975 Canadian feature film The Million Dollar Hockey Puck. Gallivan also had a cameo as the voice of sportcaster Ferlin Fielddigger in the 1981 animated TV special, The Raccoons On IceThe Raccoons
The Raccoons is a Canadian animated television series which was originally broadcast from 1985 to 1991 with four preceding television specials beginning in 1980. The series was created by Kevin Gillis, and produced at Atkinson Film-Arts first-hand from 1984 to 1985, then at Hinton Animation Studios...
.
Honours and Awards
1974 - ACTRA Sportscaster of the Year Award1984 - Hockey Hall of Fame Media Honouree
1985 - St. Francis Xavier University bestowed upon him an Honourary Doctor of Laws Degree
TV Video
- His voice heard for the Beliveau goal at 0:14 of the first period in game 7 of the 1965 Stanley Cup finals between Montreal and Chicago
- Describing game 2 of the 1967 Stanley Cup finals between Montreal and Toronto
- Describing the last moments of the third period of the 1979 Stanley Cup semi-finals between Montreal and Boston
- Describing the last moments of overtime of the 1979 Stanley Cup semi-finals between Montreal and Boston