The Man Who Painted Hockey With Words: Danny Gallivan

The voices of the game: Danny Gallivan

If there is one voice I associate with the Montreal Canadiens, it is Danny Gallivan’s. He was the perfect storyteller who connected the whole story together. If I was listening to him on the radio, I could see what was happening in my head. The man was a classic play-by-play announcer. He was probably one of the best voices I’ve ever heard. I might not like the Montreal Canadiens—in fact, I hated them—but I totally respected Danny Gallivan because he was the best at what he did.

Danny spent 32 years announcing the Montreal Canadiens’ games, including 16 Stanley Cup championship seasons. Danny will always be associated with the Montreal Canadiens on Hockey Night in Canada. His voice was the picture of Montreal. His best play-by-play was probably the goal by Guy Lafleur, right after the ‘too many men on the ice’ call against the Boston Bruins.

Here’s something that I never knew: Danny announced Toronto Maple Leafs games in the mid-week games of the 1981-82 season after Foster Hewitt’s retirement. I was out of the country, so I have no idea who was doing the games back then.

Danny received the ultimate award given to play-by-play announcers, the ACTRA Sportscaster of the Year Award, in 1974. Danny was elected to the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1984.

Danny had his own language

Danny had some colourful language. No, not that kind of language! I’m talking about Gallivanisms, his personal contributions to the English language. There are many examples, but I’m going to list my two favourite sayings of Danny Gallivan.

The spinorama

The spinorama was probably one of my favourites of Danny’s terms. It was made famous by Serge Savard’s famous spin to get around the defenseman to break in on goal. I’m unsure who gained more glory for the spinorama, Savard for performing it or Danny for describing it. Because of him, the Canadian Oxford Dictionary now includes an entry for “spinarama”.

The stimulating shot

I loved this description of a shot. It perfectly described the dangerous shot. Danny always gave the perfect description of what was going on. If you were only listening to the game, you knew it would be hard, and it was precisely put exactly where it was supposed to go. I’m unsure which player inspired this term. I suspect Boom Boom Bernie Geoffrion had something to do with it. What came to my mind when I heard this term was the shot’s velocity. I was not old enough to see him play, but I knew that Bernie had the hardest shot known to man.

Last word

Danny Gallivan was a superhero. He gave me a few hours of enjoyment every night. I loved to listen to him. I miss him more every time I think of him. He was one of the highlights of my hockey childhood. He was a vital part of the great game we call hockey. A hockey hero, a hockey legend, Danny lives forever in our hearts.

Randy