Ted Darling
Edgar Lee "Ted" Darling (June 9, 1935 – December 19, 1996) was a Canadian sports announcer 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. Prior to his work with the Sabres, he hosted Hockey Night in Canada telecasts from Montreal.[2]
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(s) | Buffalo Sabres |
| Genre(s) | play-by-play |
| Sports | Ice hockey |
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. 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. 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. After a five-year battle with the illness, he died on December 19, 1996 at the age of 61.[3]
Awards and accolades
- 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.[4]
- The press box at KeyBank Center is named the "Ted Darling Memorial Press Box" in his honor.
Memorable calls
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.[5]
References
- "Edgar L. Darling: Social Security Death Index (SSDI) Death Record - GenealogyBank". genealogybank.com.
- Cichon, Steve. "Ted Darling: The Voice of the Sabres At His Finest". Staffannouncer.com. Retrieved September 22, 2012.
- Anderson, Dale (December 20, 1996). "TED DARLING, VOICE OF THE BUFFALO SABRES FOR 22 YEARS, DIES AT 61". The Buffalo News.
- "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.
| Preceded by Tim Ryan |
Stanley Cup Finals American network television play-by-play announcer 1976 (with Marv Albert; Darling called Game 2) |
Succeeded by Dan Kelly |