Long-time TSN broadcaster Darren Dutchyshen has died, the network announced Thursday.
TSN said Dutchyshen died Wednesday at age 57. The cause of death was not provided, but his family said in a statement he was “surrounded by his closest loved ones.”
“His sharp wit remained until his final moments, classically delivering plenty of jokes — most of them pretty good and all of them inappropriate,” his family said.
Dutchyshen revealed he had prostate cancer on Sept. 9, 2021, and spent a year away from TSN while receiving treatment.
He returned to the screen alongside Sportscentre co-host Jennifer Hedger in September 2022 — and detailed his timeline.
“A year ago, I didn’t know if I’d be coming back,” Dutchyshen told both Hedger and TSN viewers. “That’s when it was diagnosed that I had cancer…. It started a whole arduous process.”
Dutchyshen shared that the cancer had metastasized throughout his body.
“It’s not the kind of cancer where you ring a bell,” he said. “It’s still in the base of my skull, my ribs, my legs, hips.”
Dutchyshen said the cancer was treatable and that he felt “really, really good.”
“And the place that I feel best is [on Sportscentre].”
‘Giant of a man’
He began his TSN career in 1995 and became a mainstay on the network’s flagship SportsDesk and SportsCentre news programs over the next three decades.
Born in Regina and raised in Porcupine Plain, Sask., Dutchyshen was part of the network’s CFL broadcasts, and also hosted Olympic Prime Time on TSN during the Vancouver 2010 Winter Games and London 2012 Summer Games.
“A larger-than-life personality, Darren’s incredible sense of humour and magnetic energy made him a natural broadcaster who connected easily with viewers,” said Stewart Johnston, senior vice-president for sales and sports at Bell Media, TSN’s parent company.
“His enthusiasm reminded us every day of why we love sports.”
Dutchyshen’s first job as a sportscaster was with STV in Saskatoon, followed by a stint with IMTV in Dauphin, Man. He also spent seven years as the host of ITV’s Sports Night in Edmonton.
A number of Canadian sports media personalities posted online tributes to Dutchyshen, including TSN colleague James Duthie.
“Giant of a man. In stature, personality, humour, heart. Especially heart,” Duthie wrote on X platform, formerly known as Twitter.
“He was SportsCentre. We loved him a ton and will miss him equally.”
Athletes like Hayley Wickenheiser, the retired hockey player and assistant general manager for the Toronto Maple Leafs, also paid tribute.
“Such a wonderful voice for Canadian sport. RIP Dutchy. You did Sask Proud,” she wrote on X.