BCHL names top broadcaster award after legendary play-by-play announcer

Photo: Contributed

The accolades keep coming in for retired play-by-play broadcaster Jim Hughson.

The BC Hockey League announced Thursday it has renamed its broadcaster of the year award the Jim Hughson Award.

Its the latest in a series of generic awards the league is renaming after stars of the league.

Hughson, who retired last year after a 42 year broadcasting career, began his play-by-play career calling games for the Penticton Vees and Kelowna Buckaroos in the 1970s.

He was the voice of the Vancouver Canucks on radio from 1990 to 1998 and on television from 1999 to 2007.

During that time, he also became a national commentator for Hockey Night in Canada from 2005 to 2021, including 11 years as their lead broadcaster.

He also called 12 Stanley Cup finals and the 2006 and 2014 Olympic men's hockey tournament.

"This is incredibly flattering, humbling and, I hope for some young broadcasters, it's inspiring," said Hughson.

"I hope that, in time, for those broadcasters, I can be an inspiration to them. [The BCHL] was my training ground. It's where I learned to broadcast a game. It's where I learned to love the game even more than I had as a kid and as a player. It's just a fantastic experience. It's a very humbling honour."

Hughson is chairman of the board of the BC Hockey Hall of Fame in Penticton.