Bruce Dowbiggin is a Canadian
sports broadcaster
In sports broadcasting, a sports commentator (also known as sports announcer or sportscaster) provides a real-time commentary of a game or event, usually during a live broadcast, traditionally delivered in the historical present tense. Radio was ...
, journalist and writer. A graduate of the
Mississauga campus of the
University of Toronto
The University of Toronto (UToronto or U of T) is a public research university in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, located on the grounds that surround Queen's Park. It was founded by royal charter in 1827 as King's College, the first institution ...
, Dowbiggin has worked as a journalist for the ''
Calgary Herald
The ''Calgary Herald'' is a daily newspaper published in Calgary, Alberta, Canada. Publication began in 1883 as ''The Calgary Herald, Mining and Ranche Advocate, and General Advertiser''. It is owned by the Postmedia Network.
History
''The ...
'' and ''
The Globe and Mail
''The Globe and Mail'' is a Canadian newspaper printed in five cities in western and central Canada. With a weekly readership of approximately 2 million in 2015, it is Canada's most widely read newspaper on weekdays and Saturdays, although it ...
'' and as a broadcaster for
CBC Newsworld
CBC News Network (formerly CBC Newsworld) is a Canadian English-language specialty news channel owned by the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (CBC). It broadcasts into over 10 million homes in Canada. As Canada's first all-news channel, it is th ...
. He has authored several books about
ice hockey
Ice hockey (or simply hockey) is a team sport played on ice skates, usually on an ice skating rink with lines and markings specific to the sport. It belongs to a family of sports called hockey. In ice hockey, two opposing teams use ice hock ...
and received two
Gemini Awards
The Gemini Awards were awards given by the Academy of Canadian Cinema & Television between 1986–2011 to recognize the achievements of Canada's television industry. The Gemini Awards are analogous to the Emmy Awards given in the United States a ...
for sports broadcasting.
Early life and education
Dowbiggin attended
Lindsay Place High School
Lindsay Place High School (LPHS) is a former public high school situated in Pointe-Claire, Quebec, on the island of Montreal. It was part of the Lester B. Pearson School Board.
It opened in September 1962, named after Lindsay H. Place, a Montre ...
in
Pointe-Claire
Pointe-Claire (, ) is a Quebec local municipality within the Urban agglomeration of Montreal on the Island of Montreal in Canada. It is entirely developed, and land use includes residential, light manufacturing, and retail. As of the 2021 ce ...
, Quebec, and then
Nelson High School in
Burlington, Ontario
Burlington is a city in the Regional Municipality of Halton at the northwestern end of Lake Ontario in Ontario, Canada. Along with Milton to the north, it forms the western end of the Greater Toronto Area and is also part of the Hamilton met ...
after his family moved. In 1974, Dowbiggin was one of the early editors of the
student newspaper
A student publication is a media outlet such as a newspaper, magazine, television show, or radio station produced by students at an educational institution. These publications typically cover local and school-related news, but they may also repor ...
in Mississauga,
''The Medium''.
He graduated from the Mississauga campus of the University of Toronto in 1977, with a degree in English and Drama.
After graduation, he was briefly a
playwright
A playwright or dramatist is a person who writes plays.
Etymology
The word "play" is from Middle English pleye, from Old English plæġ, pleġa, plæġa ("play, exercise; sport, game; drama, applause"). The word "wright" is an archaic English ...
with two plays produced in Toronto, and his poetry and prose were featured in literary collections.
Career
1980s – 1990s
Dowbiggin began his journalistic career with ''
TV Guide
TV Guide is an American digital media company that provides television program
Television, sometimes shortened to TV, is a telecommunication medium for transmitting moving images and sound. The term can refer to a television set, or t ...
'' magazine before transitioning to broadcasting with
CBC Radio
CBC Radio is the English-language radio operations of the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation. The CBC operates a number of radio networks serving different audiences and programming niches, all of which (regardless of language) are outlined below ...
in 1984.
In 1985, he was the television sports anchor at
CBC Toronto for ''The Six O'Clock News'' and ''CBC at Eleven''.
He later co-hosted the television broadcast of the 1988
Caribana
The Toronto Caribbean Carnival, formerly known as Caribana, is a festival of Caribbean culture and traditions held each summer in the city of Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It is a pan-Caribbean Carnival event and has been billed as North America ...
parade, and began broadcasting with
CBC Newsworld
CBC News Network (formerly CBC Newsworld) is a Canadian English-language specialty news channel owned by the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (CBC). It broadcasts into over 10 million homes in Canada. As Canada's first all-news channel, it is th ...
in 1990.
Dowbiggin made his reputation in journalism by investigating
Alan Eagleson
Robert Alan Eagleson (born April 24, 1933) is a disbarment, disbarred Canadians, Canadian lawyer, ice hockey, hockey Sports agent, agent and promoter. Clients that he represented included superstars Bobby Orr and Darryl Sittler, and he was the ...
.
Dowbiggin was the first Canadian journalist to report on investigations into Eagleson and how
National Hockey League
The National Hockey League (NHL; french: Ligue nationale de hockey—LNH, ) is a professional ice hockey league in North America comprising 32 teams—25 in the United States and 7 in Canada. It is considered to be the top ranked professional ...
players' pensions were mismanaged, with a series of articles in 1991. Dowbiggin later collaborated with American journalist
Russ Conway
Russ Conway, DSM (born Trevor Herbert Stanford; 2 September 1925 – 16 November 2000) was an English popular music pianist and composer. Conway had 20 piano instrumentals in the UK Singles Chart between 1957 and 1963, including two number one ...
on another set of articles in February 1993. Dowbiggin was critical of how slowly the
Law Society of Upper Canada
The Law Society of Ontario (LSO; french: Barreau de l'Ontario) is the law society responsible for the self-regulation of lawyers and paralegals in the Canadian province of Ontario. Founded in 1797 as the Law Society of Upper Canada (LSUC; frenc ...
investigated the allegations against Eagleson, prior to another article published by
Stevie Cameron. CBC Sports did not initially show interest in the investigations, and his work was aired by ''
The National'' and ''
A Current Affair
''A Current Affair'' may refer to:
* ''A Current Affair'' (Australian TV program), 1971–present Australian current affairs program that airs on Nine Network
* ''A Current Affair'' (American TV program), a 1986–1998 American television news ...
'' instead. Dowbiggin later said that television sports "ignore
the real problems when they come up", and also criticized sportcasters by saying "the idea of having to turn on one of their own is too difficult for them". His investigative reporting on Eagleson earned him a
Gemini Award
The Gemini Awards were awards given by the Academy of Canadian Cinema & Television between 1986–2011 to recognize the achievements of Canada's television industry. The Gemini Awards are analogous to the Emmy Awards given in the United States ...
in 1993.
Later in 1993, Dowbiggin released a book on Eagleson titled ''The Defense Never Rests''.
Dowbiggin later investigated the influence of money in sports. He wrote the article "Pedal to the Medal", where he contrasted the efforts of Olympic hopeful
Tanya Dubnicoff
Tanya Dubnicoff (born November 7, 1969 in Winnipeg, Manitoba) is a Canadian cycling coach and retired track cyclist. She won four gold medals at the Pan American Games. She represented Canada at three consecutive Summer Olympics: 1992 in Barce ...
to athletes that had better funding.
In 1996, he won his second Gemini Award as the best sports broadcaster. He was given the opportunity to anchor CBC's television coverage of the
1994 Commonwealth Games
The 1994 Commonwealth Games ( French: ''XVéme Jeux du Commonwealth'') were held in Victoria, British Columbia, from 18 to 28 August 1994. Ten types of sports were featured at the Victoria Games: athletics, aquatics, badminton, boxing, cycling, ...
and
1996 Summer Olympics
The 1996 Summer Olympics (officially the Games of the XXVI Olympiad, also known as Atlanta 1996 and commonly referred to as the Centennial Olympic Games) were an international multi-sport event held from July 19 to August 4, 1996, in Atlanta, ...
, as well as radio coverage of the
1998 Winter Olympics
The 1998 Winter Olympics, officially known as the and commonly known as Nagano 1998 ( ja, 長野1998), was a winter multi-sport event held from 7 to 22 February 1998, mainly in Nagano, Japan, with some events taking place in the ...
.
Dowbiggin moved from
Toronto
Toronto ( ; or ) is the capital city of the Canadian province of Ontario. With a recorded population of 2,794,356 in 2021, it is the most populous city in Canada and the fourth most populous city in North America. The city is the ancho ...
to
Calgary
Calgary ( ) is the largest city in the western Canadian province of Alberta and the largest metro area of the three Prairie Provinces. As of 2021, the city proper had a population of 1,306,784 and a metropolitan population of 1,481,806, makin ...
in 1998 to work for the ''
Calgary Herald
The ''Calgary Herald'' is a daily newspaper published in Calgary, Alberta, Canada. Publication began in 1883 as ''The Calgary Herald, Mining and Ranche Advocate, and General Advertiser''. It is owned by the Postmedia Network.
History
''The ...
''.
2000s – present
In 2002, he released a book titled ''The Stick: A History, A Celebration, An Elegy'' which detailed the history of the hockey stick and players relationships with it. In 2003, Dowbiggin authored a book titled ''Money Players'' which was a finalist for the 2004
National Business Book Award
The National Business Book Award is an award presented to Canadian business authors. The award, presented every year since 1985, is sponsored by Bennett Jones, ''The Globe and Mail'', and The Walrus, DeGroote, and supported by CPA Canada and with ...
.
When an opportunity arose to replace longtime journalist Bill Houston at ''
The Globe and Mail
''The Globe and Mail'' is a Canadian newspaper printed in five cities in western and central Canada. With a weekly readership of approximately 2 million in 2015, it is Canada's most widely read newspaper on weekdays and Saturdays, although it ...
'', Dowbiggin earned a job writing the media column.
He stayed with ''The Globe and Mail'' from 2009 until 2013.
In 2014, Dowbiggin wrote ''Ice Storm: The Rise and Fall of the Greatest
Vancouver Canucks
The Vancouver Canucks are a professional ice hockey team based in Vancouver. They compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Pacific Division of the Western Conference, and play their home games at Rogers Arena. Bruce B ...
Team Ever''. The following year he worked with former
National Hockey League
The National Hockey League (NHL; french: Ligue nationale de hockey—LNH, ) is a professional ice hockey league in North America comprising 32 teams—25 in the United States and 7 in Canada. It is considered to be the top ranked professional ...
player
Grant Fuhr
Grant Scott Fuhr (born September 28, 1962) is a Canadian former ice hockey goaltender in the National Hockey League and former goaltending coach for the Arizona Coyotes, who is best remembered for a decade of stellar play for the Edmonton Oilers i ...
to write Fuhr's biography, ''Grant Fuhr: Portrait of a Champion''.
In 2018, he released a book co-authored by Ryan Gauthier titled ''Cap in Hand'' which was a critique on the use of
salary cap
In professional sports, a salary cap (or wage cap) is an agreement or rule that places a limit on the amount of money that a team can spend on players' salaries. It exists as a per-player limit or a total limit for the team's roster, or both. Sever ...
in professional sports.
Dowbiggin is a columnist at ''Not the Public Broadcaster'' alongside Rhys and Evan Dowbiggin,
and works as a sports columnist for Troy Media. , he contributes to
SiriusXM Canada
Sirius XM Canada Holdings Inc. (commonly referred to as Sirius XM Canada) is a Canadian radio broadcasting company, which operates as a Canadian affiliate of Sirius XM Radio. The company received approval from the Canadian Radio-television and Te ...
Talks Channel 167, and hosts a
podcast
A podcast is a program made available in digital format for download over the Internet. For example, an episodic series of digital audio or video files that a user can download to a personal device to listen to at a time of their choosing ...
titled ''The Full Count With Bruce Dowbiggin''.
Publications
List of publications:
* ''The Defense Never Rests'' (1993)
* ''Of Ice and Men'' (1999)
* ''The Stick: A History, A Celebration, An Elegy'' (2002)
* ''Money Players: How Hockey's Greatest Stars Beat the NHL at its Own Game'' (2003)
* ''The Trouble with Hockey'' (2004)
* ''Money players: The Amazing Rise and Fall of Bob Goodenow and the NHL Players Association'' (2006)
* ''The Meaning of Puck: How Hockey Explains Modern Canada'' (2008)
* ''Ice Storm: The Rise and Fall of the Greatest Vancouver Canucks Team Ever'' (2014)
* ''Grant Fuhr: Portrait of a Champion'' (2015)
* ''Cap in Hand'' with
Ryan Gauthier (2018)
Personal life
Dowbiggin is one of five sons born to Mary and Bill Dowbiggin in
Montreal
Montreal ( ; officially Montréal, ) is the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, second-most populous city in Canada and List of towns in Quebec, most populous city in the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian ...
. His brother
Ian Dowbiggin
Ian Robert Dowbiggin (born 1952) is a professor in the Department of History at the University of Prince Edward Island and writer on the history of medicine, in particular topics such as euthanasia and physician-assisted suicide. His research and ...
is a professor and author. His father Bill, served in the
Royal Canadian Air Force
The Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF; french: Aviation royale canadienne, ARC) is the air and space force of Canada. Its role is to "provide the Canadian Forces with relevant, responsive and effective airpower". The RCAF is one of three environm ...
as a bomber pilot. Dowbiggin's grandfather fought in
World War I
World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...
, and four of his family members fought in
World War II
World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...
for Canada.
References
Bibliography
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Dowbiggin, Bruce
Living people
Year of birth missing (living people)
20th-century Canadian dramatists and playwrights
20th-century Canadian non-fiction writers
20th-century Canadian poets
21st-century Canadian non-fiction writers
Anglophone Quebec people
Canadian columnists
Canadian investigative journalists
Canadian male dramatists and playwrights
Canadian male poets
Canadian podcasters
Canadian radio sportscasters
Canadian Screen Award winners
Canadian sports journalists
Canadian sportswriters
Canadian television news anchors
CBC Radio hosts
The Globe and Mail people
TV Guide
University of Toronto alumni
Writers from Calgary
Writers from Montreal