- Don Taylor (Canadian sportscaster)
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Don Taylor (born September 25, 1959 in Vancouver, British Columbia) is a Canadian television and radio sportscaster.
He currently hosts Rogers Sportsnet Pacific's nightly sports news program Sportsnet Connected and also co-hosts the weekday afternoon radio show BMac and Taylor on The Team 1040.
Taylor is known for his canned delivery of the nightly sports highlights,[1] which consists largely of a set of recurring themes including:
- Referring to obscure players or players with unusual names. For example, Taylor might refer to Brad Isbister as "The Isbisterian One".[2]
- Similarly, Taylor might refer to a play by the same player as having been performed "in Isbisterian fashion."
- Taylor also facetiously inflates the esteem of groups of lesser-known players. For example, a line of players named Adams, Barrett, and Carnegie might be referred to as the "dreaded Adams-Barrett-Carnegie line" when they score a goal.
- Describing the colors of either the home or visiting teams jerseys in unusual levels of detail. For example, he might refer to the Anaheim Ducks as "wearing their home blacks with white and gold trim."
- Associating current players of a particular jersey number with another player from the same team who wore the same number during an earlier era. For example, Taylor might refer to Vancouver Canucks forward Mason Raymond as "wearing Cam Neely's old number 21." The trivia is typically related to long-retired players or little-known players, especially with a Canadian or west coast connection.
- Associating a play in terms of particular qualities of an obscure or long-forgotten player, especially for goalies. For example, Taylor might describe a goaltender's performance as being "like a modern-day Gerry Cheevers".
- Taylor is also known for his lacking, yet recognizable, imitation of Jerry Lewis's babbling when describing frantic plays (usually in front of the net in hockey).
- Remarking, "the mesh ripples" or "top shelf where mom keeps the peanut butter" when a goal is scored.
- Describing a goaltender as having saved the puck, "in rapier-like fashion".
- Referring to sportscasters Hazel Mae and Jim Van Horne as imaginary referees in deciding the victor of a hockey fight
In describing basketball highlights, one of Taylor's recognizable comments is an imitation of Marv Albert's signature, "and it was a gorgeous move."
Before working for Sportsnet, he was the longtime co-host of CKVU's nightly sports news show Sports Page and was also briefly a radio broadcaster with CKNW.
He has also provided color commentary for different hockey video games including NHL 2002, NHL 2003, as well as NHL Rock The Rink which all were released by EA Sports
Don Taylor is a graduate of Alpha Secondary School in Burnaby.
External links
References
- ^ Usinger, Mike (March 20, 2008). "Sportsnet Pacific's Don Taylor needs a new routine". Georgia Straight. http://www.straight.com/article-138128/sportsnet-pacifics-don-taylor-needs-a-new-routine. Retrieved 28 February 2011.
- ^ Rose, Mark (May 28, 2010). "Click: 15 Sportscasters That Force Me to Change the Channel". Bleacher Report. http://bleacherreport.com/articles/398314-click-15-sportscasters-that-force-me-to-change-the-channel/page/6. Retrieved 28 February 2011.
Categories:- 1959 births
- Living people
- Canadian radio sportscasters
- Canadian television sportscasters
- Sportspeople from Vancouver
- People from Coquitlam
- Referring to obscure players or players with unusual names. For example, Taylor might refer to Brad Isbister as "The Isbisterian One".[2]
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