Toronto - Aug. 10, 2020: Twitter Statement today from Bob McKenzie of TSN.
Today is the last day of my working life as I have known it for more than 40 years – not as much as the end of the road as it is a move into the slow lane.
I’ve been talking about and planning semi-retirement for quite some time. The 2020 Stanley Cup final in June as to be my last. July 1 was to be my final day of work as a 24/7 Hockey Insider, who has to varying degrees been chasing stories, leads, tips, rumours, jobs, a career and whatever else made sense to me on any given day since graduating from Ryerson’s journalism program in 1979.
But along came COVID and, well, who amongst us expected 2020 to unfold like this?
So after tonight’s NHL draft lottery, I’m going to sit out the balance of the 2020 Stanley Cup playoffs. I’ve got a few weeks of vacation time coming before my existing contract with TSN expires in early September.
This isn’t goodbye as much as it is, see you later. As reported in the spring, I have a new five-year contract with TSN. I’ll still be kicking around some but not nearly as much.
I’ll still be doing TSN’s draft rankings three times a year. I’ll still be covering the World Junior Hockey Championships annually for TSN. I’ll still turn up on TSN’s NHL Deadline Day TradeCentre and Free Agent Frenzy. I’ll still be doing a handful of Toronto Maple Leaf regional games for 20-21, whenever it gets going.
I’ll still be showing up on NBC Sports – some mid-week NHL regular season broadcasts as well as the 2020 and 2021 NHL drafts – for another year too.
So you can’t get rid of me that easily. But whatever it is I’ve been doing for parts of five decades, it’s not going to be the same after today.
There are far too many people to thank so I won’t even try. At least not individually. You know who you are and how much you have meant to me, personally and professionally, especially my TSN family.
And to anyone who has ever read or listened or viewed or consumed or loved or hated any of my work, thank you, too. It’s been an honour to try to be of some service.
I turn 64 in six days. I’m excited to be starting a new chapter in my life.
Memenot Mori, as the saying goes.
So thanks again for being along for the ride. See you down the road a bit.
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