Ted Darling
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Ted Darling | |
|---|---|
| Born | Edgar Lee Darling June 9, 1935[1] Kingston, Ontario, Canada |
| Died | December 19, 1996 (aged 61) Lockport, New York, U.S. |
| Sports commentary career | |
| Team | Buffalo Sabres |
| Genre | play-by-play |
| Sport | Ice hockey |
Edgar Lee "Ted" Darling (June 9, 1935 – December 19, 1996) was a Canadian-American sports announcer. He is best known as the original "Voice of the Buffalo Sabres" ice hockey team for twenty-two seasons, calling the team's games on television from the team's inaugural season in 1970 to 1991. The title was originally bestowed by Sabres defenceman Jim Schoenfeld.[2]
Career[edit]
Prior to his work with the Sabres, he hosted Hockey Night in Canada telecasts from Montreal.[3] Darling won the Sabres play-by-play job after submitting an audition tape of him calling a fictitious Sabres broadcast.[2]
Darling was close friends with Rick Jeanneret, with whom he rotated television and radio play-by-play duties from 1971 onward. For games that were not televised, Darling and Jeanneret would often work as a tandem, though neither had playing experience typical of most color commentators.[2][4]
In October 1991, Darling was diagnosed with Pick's disease, an Alzheimer's-like degenerative illness, and thus, was on medical leave from October 16 to November 20.[5] He returned to call 6 more games before being relieved of his duties by the executive producer of Sabres broadcasts, Paul Wieland, on December 12, 1991.[6][7] Darling called a total of 11 games during the 1991–92 season. He was brought back, however, as a studio analyst for games on WUTV in the 1992–93 season before announcing his retirement.[8] The illness took a significant toll on his health and after a five-year battle with the illness, he died on December 19, 1996, at the age of 61.[4][9][10]
Darling's son, Joel Darling, is an executive producer with Hockey Night in Canada, having begun his broadcast career as a gofer under his father and Jeanneret.[2]
Awards and accolades[edit]
- Inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1994.
- Inducted into the Greater Buffalo Sports Hall of Fame in 1995.
- Inducted into the Buffalo Broadcasters Association Hall of Fame in 2002.[11]
- The press box at KeyBank Center is named the "Ted Darling Memorial Press Box" in his honor.
Memorable calls[edit]
When the Great Lakes Blizzard of 1977 hit the city of Buffalo, Darling called a game between the Sabres and Montreal Canadiens at the Montreal Forum from his apartment—phoning in his commentary while watching the action on his television.[12]
References[edit]
- ^ "Edgar L. Darling: Social Security Death Index (SSDI) Death Record - GenealogyBank". genealogybank.com.
- ^ a b c d Lenzi, Rachel (2023-08-19). "How Rick Jeanneret paid homage to Ted Darling, the original voice of the Sabres". Buffalo News. Retrieved 2023-08-20.
- ^ Cichon, Steve. "Ted Darling: The Voice of the Sabres At His Finest". Staffannouncer.com. Retrieved September 22, 2012.
- ^ a b Anderson, Dale. "TED DARLING, VOICE OF THE BUFFALO SABRES FOR 22 YEARS, DIES AT 61". Buffalo News. Retrieved 2023-02-19.
- ^ Warner, Gene. "DISEASE TAKES CRUEL TOLL ON DARLING, FAMILY EX-VOICE OF SABRES STRUGGLES WITH ALZHEIMER'S-LIKE ILLNESS". Buffalo News. Retrieved 2023-02-19.
- ^ Pergament, Alan (1991-12-13). "TV VOICE DARLING IS REMOVED FROM SABRES' BROADCAST TEAM". Buffalo News. Retrieved 2024-04-10.
- ^ Staff (1992-01-01). "SABRES TAP GURTLER TO DO PLAY BY PLAY". Buffalo News. Retrieved 2024-04-10.
- ^ Pergament, Alan (1992-06-12). "GURTLER TO COME BACK WITH LORENTZ, SABRES PARE ROBITAILLE FROM TV BOOTH". Buffalo News. Retrieved 2024-04-10.
- ^ "ANNOUNCER DIES". Tampa Bay Times. Retrieved 2023-02-19.
- ^ "Hall of Fame broadcaster Darling dies - UPI Archives". UPI. December 20, 1996. Retrieved 2023-02-19.
- ^ "Hall of Fame - 2002 Inductees". Buffalo Broadcasters Association. Archived from the original on March 27, 2013. Retrieved September 22, 2012.
- ^ "Ted Darling: Buffalo Sabres Broadcaster". Greater Buffalo Sports Hall of Fame. Retrieved September 22, 2012.
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