Gord Miller (sportscaster)

Gord Miller
Miller at the 2013 IIHF Hall of Fame induction ceremony
Born (1965-06-21) June 21, 1965 (age 59)
Edmonton, Alberta, Canada
AwardsPaul Loicq Award (2013)
Sports commentary career
TeamCanadian men's national junior team (2002–present)
Genre(s)play-by-play, reporter, host
Sport(s)Ice hockey, Canadian football, Track and field
EmployerBell Media

Gord Miller (born June 21, 1965) is a Canadian sportscaster for Bell Media's sports cable network TSN. He is the lead play-by-play announcer for TSN Hockey and coverage of international hockey, including the IIHF World Junior Championship. He also covers the annual NHL Entry Draft, provided play-by-play for Canadian Football League games, and does play-by-play for the Stanley Cup playoffs on ESPN in the United States. Miller was awarded the Paul Loicq Award by the International Ice Hockey Federation in 2013, for his contributions to international ice hockey.

Early life

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Miller was born June 21, 1965, in Edmonton, Alberta.[1][2][3] As a student at McKernan Junior High School, Miller fought in City Hall against a proposed curfew for children under 16. He collected over 3,000 names to petition the curfew and won.[4] After graduating from McKernan Junior High School, Miller attended Strathcona High School alongside Guy Gadowsky.[5]

After graduating from high school, Miller accepted a position as a radio reporter at an Edmonton Oilers home game where he had the opportunity to interview Wayne Gretzky.[6]

Career

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Miller began working for the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (CBC) in 1984, where he covered the Edmonton Oilers.[7] He joined TSN as a reporter in 1990 and occasionally calling NHL hockey when needed. In 1994, he began doing hockey play-by-play regularly as the lead announcer on the network's Canadian Hockey League coverage, including the Memorial Cup, as well as more frequent NHL assignments.[1] That year also began his run as a part of TSN's annual World Junior Ice Hockey Championships coverage, first as a rinkside reporter and secondary play-by-play caller, eventually becoming the lead announcer in 2002.[8] He also covered the IIHF World Championships and Women's World Championships.[9][10]

From 1998 to 2001, he was host of That's Hockey and then returned to the broadcast booth in 2001 as the English television play-by-play voice of the Montreal Canadiens on TSN's regional feed for one season.[11]

In 2002, Miller became TSN's lead hockey play-by-play announcer when it reacquired national broadcast rights to the NHL, teaming up with lead color commentator Pierre McGuire on the lead broadcast team.[10][12][13] In 2010, Miller and TSN colleague Chris Cuthbert were selected by Canada's Olympic Broadcast Media Consortium as play-by-play announcers for the men's ice hockey tournament at the Winter Olympics in Vancouver.[6][14] Since TSN lost the national contract in 2014 to rival Sportsnet and its parent Rogers Media, he now serves as the lead play-by-play for Toronto Maple Leafs and Ottawa Senators regional games on TSN and international hockey coverage.[1]

Miller called the track and field events at the 2012 Summer Olympics in London for Canada's Olympic Broadcast Media Consortium, including the 100m final featuring Usain Bolt.[15]

In 2022, Miller joined the announcers of NHL on ESPN for the Stanley Cup playoffs.[16]

Honours and awards

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Miller was nominated for a Gemini Award in 2008 in the Best Sports Play-by-Play Announcer category for the 2008 IIHF World Junior Championship gold medal game.[17]

In 2013, Miller was awarded the Paul Loicq Award by the International Ice Hockey Federation for his contributions to international ice hockey.[1] The award was presented on May 19 in Stockholm, with Miller introduced by Bob Nicholson.[18]

References

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  1. ^ a b c d "Paul Loicq Award - Gord Miller". International Ice Hockey Federation. 2012. Archived from the original on December 20, 2019. Retrieved July 27, 2021.
  2. ^ @GMillerTSN (June 21, 2014). "While I appreciate the happy 50th birthday wishes, my wikipedia page is wrong. I was born in 1965, not 1964. I'll save them for next year!" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
  3. ^ @GMillerTSN (June 21, 2017). "By the way, despite what Wikipedia says, I was born in 1965 not 1964. I entrusted @TSNResearch to fix this, but he has failed miserably" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
  4. ^ Zdeb, Chris (August 26, 2016). "Feb. 14, 1979: Famed TSN sportscaster fought city curfew bylaw as a teen". Edmonton Journal. Retrieved December 20, 2019.
  5. ^ Mandarino, Mikey (November 15, 2017). "Guy Gadowsky Reconnects With Former High School Classmate And NHL Commentator Gord Miller During Notre Dame Series". onwardstate.com. Retrieved December 20, 2019.
  6. ^ a b Crouse, Karen (February 26, 2010). "Narrating Canada's Quest for Gold in Men's Hockey". The New York Times. Retrieved December 20, 2019.
  7. ^ Tait, Cam (December 28, 2011). "Gord Miller and the man who encouraged him to go into broadcasting ... who is he?". Edmonton Journal. Retrieved December 20, 2019.
  8. ^ "TSN Hits the Ice for Comprehensive Coverage of 2003 IIHF WJHC". hockeycanada.ca. December 16, 2002. Retrieved December 20, 2019.
  9. ^ "Play-by-Play - Gord Miller, TSN". hockeycanada.ca. Retrieved December 21, 2019.
  10. ^ a b Houston, William (December 22, 2007). "World junior tournament top priority for TSN". The Globe and Mail. Retrieved September 24, 2023.
  11. ^ "TSN bolsters hockey line-up, adds analyst Pierre McGuire". bce.ca. Retrieved December 20, 2019.
  12. ^ Houston, William (April 17, 2002). "Woman to anchor TSN's NHL games". The Globe and Mail. Retrieved September 24, 2023.
  13. ^ Houston, William (August 13, 2007). "Jays get boost on CBC, but viewers shy away from Sportsnet". The Globe and Mail. Retrieved September 24, 2023.
  14. ^ Houston, William (May 20, 2008). "Broadcasters piecing together on-air rosters". The Globe and Mail. Retrieved September 24, 2023.
  15. ^ "Get ready for 5,000 hours of 2012 Olympic coverage". National Post. July 26, 2011. Retrieved December 19, 2019.
  16. ^ Coryell, Grace (April 30, 2022). "ESPN Drops The Puck on the 2022 Stanley Cup Playoffs presented by GEICO with 12 First Round Games Over Three Days". ESPN. Retrieved May 1, 2022.
  17. ^ "TSN Garners Nine Gemini Award Nominations". mybirdie.ca. March 9, 2008. Retrieved December 19, 2019.
  18. ^ "Celebrities honour Hall of Famers". International Ice Hockey Federation. May 15, 2013. Retrieved December 20, 2019.