René Lecavalier, OC, CQ (July 5, 1918 – September 6, 1999) was a Canadian French-language radio show host and sportscaster on SRC in

Quebec Quebec is Canada's List of Canadian provinces and territories by area, largest province by area. Located in Central Canada, the province shares borders with the provinces of Ontario to the west, Newfoundland and Labrador to the northeast, ...

. During his career in radio Lecavalier won several Radiomonde Trophies. He was also the first commentator for ''

La Soirée du hockey ''La Soirée du hockey'' (literally translated to ''The Night of Hockey'') was the French language equivalent of the English Canadian CBC's NHL broadcasts ''Hockey Night in Canada'' produced by Radio-Canada, which targets on National Hockey League ...

'', the French-language version of ''

Hockey Night in Canada ''Hockey Night in Canada'' (often abbreviated ''Hockey Night'' or ''HNiC'') is a long-running program of broadcast ice hockey play-by-play coverage in Canada. With roots in pioneering hockey coverage on private radio stations as early as 1923, ...

''. He broadcast games for the

Montreal Canadiens The Montreal Canadiens (), officially ' ( Canadian Hockey Club) and colloquially known as the Habs, are a professional ice hockey team based in Montreal. The Canadiens compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Atlantic D ...

on radio and television for over 30 years and retired in

1985 The year 1985 was designated as the International Youth Year by the United Nations. Events January * January 1 ** The Internet's Domain Name System is created. ** Greenland withdraws from the European Economic Community as a result of a n ...

. He was as revered in French Canada as

Foster Hewitt Foster William Hewitt, (November 21, 1902 – April 21, 1985) was a Canadian radio broadcaster most famous for his play-by-play calls for ''Hockey Night in Canada''. He was the son of W. A. Hewitt, and the father of Bill Hewitt. Early life ...

was in English Canada. Lecavalier was best known for his goal call, "Il lance… et compte!" (He shoots… and scores!) Although Hewitt's call of

Paul Henderson Paul Garnet Henderson (born January 28, 1943) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey player. A left winger, Henderson played 13 seasons in the National Hockey League (NHL) for the Detroit Red Wings, Toronto Maple Leafs and Atlanta Flame ...

's goal to win the

1972 Summit Series The Summit Series, Super Series 72, Canada–USSR Series (), or Series of the Century (), was an eight-game ice hockey series between the Soviet Union and Canada, held in September 1972. It was the first competition between the Soviet nation ...

is part of Canadian hockey lore, Lecavalier's call is equally celebrated among Francophones: Rough translation: "Cournoyer moving it up the ice. Oh, Henderson lost the pass! He fell down. And in front of the net. AND HENDERSON SCORES! With 34 seconds to go!"

Honours

He was made an Officer of the

Order of Canada The Order of Canada () is a Canadian state order, national order and the second-highest Award, honour for merit in the system of orders, decorations, and medals of Canada, after the Order of Merit. To coincide with the Canadian Centennial, ce ...

"for his substantial influence on the francization of the language of sports" in 1970 and was made a Knight of the

National Order of Quebec The National Order of Quebec ( French: ), also known as the Order of Quebec, is a civilian honour for merit in the Canadian province of Quebec. Instituted in 1984 when Lieutenant Governor Jean-Pierre Côté granted royal assent to the (Natio ...

in 1987. In 1994, he was inducted into the

Canada's Sports Hall of Fame Canada's Sports Hall of Fame (; sometimes referred to as the Canadian Sports Hall of Fame) is a Canadian sports hall of fame and museum in Calgary, Alberta, Canada. Dedicated to the history of sports in Canada, it serves as a hall of fame and mu ...

. He was awarded the

Foster Hewitt Memorial Award The Foster Hewitt Memorial Award is an annual accolade honoring ice hockey broadcasters in North America. It was named for the Canadian hockey radio broadcaster and newspaper journalist Foster Hewitt, and it has been presented every year at a ...

and the Olivar-Asselin Award.

References

External links

René Lecavalier biography
1918 births 1999 deaths Canadian radio sportscasters Canadian television sportscasters Foster Hewitt Memorial Award winners Knights of the National Order of Quebec Montreal Canadiens announcers National Hockey League broadcasters Officers of the Order of Canada Mass media people from Montreal Burials at Notre Dame des Neiges Cemetery {{Canada-radio-bio-stub