While he was a recipient of the Hockey Hall of Fame's Foster Hewitt
Award for broadcasting excellence in 1996, he is not a member of the
Hall of Fame itself (which is the case for all Foster Hewitt Award
winners).
He began his broadcasting career as an announcer and newsreader in
Newfoundland in 1956. In 1960, he gave some demo tapes to Foster Hewitt
in Toronto, and received invaluable advice on his announcing and
commentary style.