Vancouver Canucks honour John Garrett in final home game as colour commentator

The Vancouver Canucks honoured departing Sportsnet colour commentator John Garrett with a video tribute during the first period of Saturday’s game against the Calgary Flames at Rogers Arena.

Garrett, 71, has been calling Canucks games for two decades. In late March, he announced on the air that the 2022–23 season will be his final one as the Canucks’ television colour commentator.

Canucks play-by-play commentator John Shorthouse narrated the tribute video, which played on the scoreboard at Rogers Arena during Saturday’s game. The Canucks subsequently posted the video on their official Twitter account.

“His days with the Canucks date back 40 years, but for the last 20, my friend and broadcast partner John Garrett has been the voice and the brain who brings insight amid chaos, who strikes a perfect balance of seriousness and fun, and whose passion for the game is rivaled only by his respect for those who play it,” Shorthouse said. “His ability to communicate and to educate is nothing short of brilliant, and his team-first attitude is second to none, whether applied to the Canucks he covers or the broadcast team he captains.

“‘Cheech’ greets every situation with a smile and always has time for an autograph, a selfie, a joke, or a story. He’s the everyman who eats what he likes and nothing else. He doesn’t have time for a bad mood and he never puts himself above anyone at any moment. In his distinguished career, ‘Cheech’ has worked with 40 different play-by-play broadcasters, and I feel so fortunate and proud to have spent the last 15 years partnered with my great friend Dan Murphy and the guy we like to call our other dad. Thank you, ‘Cheech, from all of us. It won’t be the same without you.”

It’s currently unclear whether Garrett came to the decision to leave the Canucks’ broadcast team himself, although he hinted during Saturday’s game that he may still appear on certain Sportsnet properties going forward.

Either way, it seems Saturday’s game against the Flames will be the last Canucks contest Garrett calls alongside Shorthouse for the foreseeable future. Thus far, Vancouver leads Calgary by a 2–0 score midway through the second period at Rogers Arena.