Calling The Shots
- Shawn Smith
- 17 Dec 2015
While growing up a Boston Bruins fan may not have made Reed Duthie the most popular person on the Maple Leafs’ friendly play- grounds of Hamilton, it certainly did give him something to talk about.
Duthie grew up in the east end, where becoming the voice of Hamilton sports for this generation seemed little more than a dream. As he plugged NHL cartridges into his gaming system, he would lower the volume to mute the commentators and provide his own colour commentary.
Spend a few minutes speaking with Duthie and it’s not hard to imagine his yelling at the screen: “Bourque scores! They’ve done it! The Boston Bruins are Stanley Cup Champions!”
The velvet-toned voice of Fred Cusick, long- time commentator for the Bruins, introduced Duthie to the art of the play-by-play. “He very rarely missed a play,” Duthie said of Cusick. “He studied the names and never made a mistake.” Since this first encounter at the age of five, Duthie never looked back.
He may have been an adult before the Bruins finally captured that elusive Stanley Cup, but Duthie’s desire to become a colour commentator never changed.
Today, Duthie’s commentary is no longer exclusive to his home. He’s called Junior A, Junior B and Senior A hockey, lacrosse and mixed martial arts. But what Duthie has most become known for in the sporting community is his work with the McMaster Marauders football team and the Ontario Hockey League’s new Hamilton Bulldogs, who recently moved to Hamilton from Belleville.
Through his emphatic calls and intelligent, well-researched commentary, Duthie has been informing sports fans through his work about the next generation of Hamilton athletes for nearly a decade now.
“It is a lifelong dream for me to be a voice for sports in this city, in my hometown,” Duthie said. “Getting to represent the excitement and enthusiasm of what sports mean to this city is more than I could ever ask for. It’s an honour.”
It’s been a long time coming for Duthie, whose first-ever call was on a closed-captioned broadcast of the American Hockey League’s incarnation of the Hamilton Bulldogs.
“I didn’t even know I was calling the game until 4 p.m. that day,” Duthie remembers. “I found the loudest jacket I could find — I don’t think my tie even matched — and off I went.”
Quickly, people began to take notice. In June 2009, he began doing Junior B and Senior A hockey broadcasts for Cable 14. His unabashed enthusiasm and incredible knowledge of sports was infectious; every game was an education and an adrenaline rush.
Duthie says he’s “perfectly happy” being the voice of the Hamilton Bulldogs, but it’s not a secret that his eventual goal would be to join an NHL team.
“Like anyone, you always want to be the biggest and the best. I’d like to spend some time at the pinnacle.”
With the Hamilton Tiger Cats new stadium and the new Hamilton Bulldogs, sports have never been more at the forefront of con- versation than they currently are in Hamilton. Although the Bulldogs have struggled for sup- port throughout their first few months as a franchise, the tide is slowly turning.
The enthusiasm that Duthie has for the team, both on social media and in his commentary, is contagious. After a disappointing out- ing from the young team, few fans can find the positive side like Duthie.
His love for sports makes you want to bring the same kind of passion to your life. Infectious isn’t strong enough of a word: You want to live vicariously through the energy he brings to a broadcast.
The McMaster Marauders or Hamilton Bulldogs will bring a championship trophy back to the city of Hamilton someday. If we’re lucky, Reed Duthie will be on the call.
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