Across Vancouver, hockey fans are still reeling from a rollercoaster game Tuesday night against the Dallas Stars, as the Canucks rallied back from a three-goal deficit with only a minute left in the game then won it in overtime. Not only was it a crazy comeback to witness, it was also an NHL record for the latest three-goal comeback leading to a win.
And if you think it was a crazy game to witness as a fan, just imagine trying to be the one calling it. On Wednesday, Sportsnet’s Dan Murphy shared to social media a picture of Canucks play-by-play announcer John Shorthouse’s game sheet from the historic comeback, writing “Shorty’s game sheet from #canucks historic comeback. If you can read his chicken scratch.”
Not only is it entertaining to get a peek behind the curtain at the work of prominent sports personalities, this one is especially interesting considering how Shorthouse had to handle the game’s surprise ending in real time. Looking at the last lines of Vancouver goals scribbled onto the page, you can only imagine the stress of getting all the details correct as the Canucks tucked in one after another. The paper provides a pretty unique perspective on a historic hockey moment, documenting the late collapse of the Stars at the hands of the Canucks.
A favourite in-market, Shorthouse has been involved in Canucks media for decades. The Vancouver-born broadcaster began calling Canucks games on the radio in the late 90s, working alongside colour commentator Tom Larscheid for a long stretch in the early aughts. He began working on CBC hockey broadcasts in 2008 while occasionally calling games on TSN radio. Most recently, he has been the Canucks’ play-by-play voice on Sportsnet Pacific, calling Canucks playoff games on television for the first time in his career last season. Perhaps most notably, he was once a guest contributor to a Monday Mailbag right here at CanucksArmy, as well.
Calling Tuesday night’s game was surely an unenviable task, but also probably a treat for a broadcaster as seasoned as Shorthouse. And if the chicken scratch tells us anything, he was clearly ready for any situation.