Eugene Charles "Gene" Hart (June 28, 1931 – July 14, 1999) was an American
sports announcer
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 ...
for the
Philadelphia Flyers
The Philadelphia Flyers are a professional ice hockey team based in Philadelphia. The Flyers compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Metropolitan Division in the Eastern Conference. The team plays its home games in Wells ...
of the
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 ...
and the
Philadelphia Phantoms
The Philadelphia Phantoms were a professional ice hockey team that played in the American Hockey League (AHL) from 1996 to 2009. The club was based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and played most of its home games at the Spectrum (arena), Spectrum ...
of the
American Hockey League
The American Hockey League (AHL) is a professional ice hockey league based in the United States and Canada that serves as the primary Minor league#Ice hockey, developmental league for the National Hockey League (NHL). Since the 2010–11 AHL se ...
.
Biography
Hart was born in New York City in 1931
and soon moved to Southern New Jersey, where he graduated from
Pleasantville High School in
Pleasantville, New Jersey
Pleasantville is a city in Atlantic County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. As of the 2020 U.S. census, the city's population was 20,629, which was an increase of 380 from the 2010 census count of 20,249, which reflected an increase of 1,237 ...
. He graduated from
Trenton State College
The College of New Jersey (TCNJ) is a public university in Ewing Township, New Jersey. It is part of New Jersey's public system of higher education. Established in 1855 as the New Jersey State Normal School, TCNJ was the first normal school, or ...
with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Education. After serving time in the military, Hart began officiating high school football, baseball, and basketball in South Jersey. After one game at
Atlantic City High School
Atlantic City High School (ACHS) is a comprehensive public high school in Atlantic City, in Atlantic County, New Jersey, United States. It is the lone secondary school of the Atlantic City School District.
The current school building opened i ...
, the school's athletic broadcaster Ralph Glenn was walking around frantically to find a person to go with him to
Trenton to announce a game. He explained his situation to Hart and Hart agreed to go with him, which began his announcing career in hockey.
Professional career
Hart continued to announce with Glenn on a regular basis in Southern New Jersey, and kept several side jobs as well. One of which was teaching high school history classes with Bernard Boggs at Lenape High School in Medford as well as in Audubon High School New Jersey. When Philadelphia was granted an NHL expansion team in 1966, Hart submitted his tapes to the team, which would be called the Flyers. Since the Flyers could not afford one of the more experienced Canadian announcers, Hart got the job. Although he only expected to be on the staff for a few years until the Flyers could afford a better broadcaster, Hart stayed on as the voice of the Philadelphia Flyers for 29 years, from the team's inception until the end of the 1994–1995 season. Hart's colleagues as a Flyers announcer included
Stu Nahan
Stu Nahan (June 23, 1926 – December 26, 2007) was an American sportscaster best known for his television broadcasting career in Los Angeles from the 1950s through the 1990s. He is also remembered for his role as a boxing commentator in the firs ...
and
Don Earle Donald Earle Clement (March 29, 1929 – December 12, 1993) was an American ice hockey announcer.
Earle, who got his start broadcasting high school hockey games on radio, called Boston Bruins games on WSBK-TV from 1967–1971.
From 1971–1977, E ...
. Known for his rapid fire delivery, Hart's style was heavily influenced by famous hockey broadcaster
Foster Hewitt
Foster William Hewitt, (November 21, 1902 – April 21, 1985) was a Canadian radio broadcaster most famous for his play-by-play calls for ''Hockey Night in Canada''. He was the son of W. A. Hewitt, and the father of Bill Hewitt.
Biography
...
.
Like Hewitt, Hart's slightly high pitched, action describing delivery was perfect for both radio and early generation sports television. Hart announced more than 2,000 NHL games, 6 separate Stanley Cups, 5 NHL all-star games, and the NHL Soviet Union all-star series.
[ His most famous call came when he announced the end of Game 6 of the 1974 Stanley Cup Finals:
Gene Hart's call triggered the biggest celebration in Philadelphia sports history. More than 2 million attended the parade celebrating the Flyers' win.]
His signature goal call was:
Tasty Baking Company was (and still is as of 2020) a Flyers sponsor and awarded a case of their desserts whenever a Flyer scored. The cases are usually given to charity in the player's name.
In the early 1980s, he was also one of the voices of the NHL on USA Network
The ''NHL on USA'' was the de facto title of a television show that broadcast National Hockey League games on the USA Network.
History
Before the USA Network came to be (1969-1980)
Manhattan Cable and HBO (1969–1977)
Manhattan Cable (subseque ...
. His signature phrase, which he used at the end of games, was "Good night and good hockey!" Hart succeeded Hall of Famer Roy Shudt as the announcer at Brandywine Raceway in Wilmington, DE in 1984. He called the horse races there until the track closed in 1989.
Hart and hockey historian Bruce C. Cooper co-authored ''"The Hockey Trivia Book"'' published by Leisure Press in 1984, and his autobiography entitled ''"SCORE!"'' (co-authored with Buzz Ringe) was published by Bonus Books in 1990. A feature-length documentary film about Hart's life entitled ''"All Hart"'' is currently in production by Green Creek Films.
Hart did the play-by-play for the 1973 Finals of the North American Soccer League The North American Soccer League may refer to:
*North American Soccer League (1968–1984), a former Division I league
*North American Soccer League (2011–2017)
The North American Soccer League (NASL) was a professional men's soccer league b ...
between the Philadelphia Atoms
The Philadelphia Atoms were an American soccer team based out of Philadelphia that played in the North American Soccer League (NASL). They played from 1973 to 1976, at Veterans Stadium (1973–75) and Franklin Field (1976). The club's colors wer ...
and the Dallas Tornado
The Dallas Tornado was a soccer team based in Dallas, Texas that played in the North American Soccer League (NASL) from 1967 to 1981. Of the twelve teams that comprised the U.S. in 1967, the Tornado franchise played the longest–15 seasons.
...
. Future USMNT
The United States men's national soccer team (USMNT) represents the United States in men's international soccer competitions. The team is controlled by the United States Soccer Federation and is a member of FIFA and CONCACAF.
The U.S. team ha ...
coach Walter Chyzowych
Walter Chyzowych ( ua, Володимир Чижович, Volodymyr Chyzhovych) (April 20, 1937 – September 2, 1994) was a Ukrainian-born football (soccer), soccer player who played for Philadelphia Ukrainians, Philadelphia Ukrainian Nationals a ...
provided color commentary.
Post broadcasting career
Hart was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame
, logo = Hockey Hall of Fame Logo.svg
, logo_upright = 0.5
, image = Hockey Hall of Fame, Toronto.jpg
, caption = The Hall's present location on Yonge Street since 1992
, map_type =
, former_name =
, established = 1943
, location = 30 Y ...
in November 1997, receiving the Foster Hewitt Memorial Award
The Foster Hewitt Memorial Award is an annual accolade honoring a member of the ice hockey broadcasting world. It was named for the Canadian hockey radio broadcaster and newspaper journalist Foster Hewitt, and it has been presented every year at a ...
. He came out of retirement in 1997 to announce for the Philadelphia Phantoms, the Flyers’ minor league affiliate. He announced the team's Calder Cup
The Calder Cup is the trophy awarded annually to the playoff champions of the American Hockey League. It was first presented in 1937 to the Syracuse Stars.
The cup is made of sterling silver mounted on a base of Brazilian mahogany. In its curr ...
championship series before retiring at the end of the 1999 season. Hart also was the host of a little-known local radio talk show on WBCB 1490 AM in Bucks County, Pennsylvania
Bucks County is a county in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. As of the 2020 census, the population was 646,538, making it the fourth-most populous county in Pennsylvania. Its county seat is Doylestown. The county is named after the Englis ...
. It featured former and current Flyers players and coaches as well as players from the minor league Philadelphia Phantoms.
Death and family
Gene Hart died from a variety of illnesses on July 14, 1999. He had been a resident of Cherry Hill, New Jersey
Cherry Hill is a township within Camden County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. As of the 2020 U.S. census, the township had a population of 74,553, which reflected an increase of 3,508 (+4.94%) from the 71,045 counted in the 2010 census. .
Hart's daughter, Lauren Hart
Lauren Hart (born January 10, 1967) is an American singer based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. She is best known for singing the American and Canadian national anthems prior to Philadelphia Flyers games, the team for which her father Gene Hart was ...
, is a professional recording artist, and regular performer of "The Star-Spangled Banner
"The Star-Spangled Banner" is the national anthem of the United States. The lyrics come from the "Defence of Fort M'Henry", a poem written on September 14, 1814, by 35-year-old lawyer and amateur poet Francis Scott Key after witnessing the b ...
" and "O Canada
"O Canada" (french: Ô Canada, italic=no) is the national anthem of Canada. The song was originally commissioned by Lieutenant Governor of Quebec Théodore Robitaille for the 1880 Saint-Jean-Baptiste Day ceremony; Calixa Lavallée composed the mus ...
" before many Flyers home games. She also performs a duet of "God Bless America
"God Bless America" is an American patriotic song written by Irving Berlin during World War I in 1918 and revised by him in the run up to World War II in 1938. The later version was notably recorded by Kate Smith, becoming her signature s ...
" with a taped version of Kate Smith
Kathryn Elizabeth Smith (May 1, 1907 – June 17, 1986) was an American contralto. Referred to as The First Lady of Radio, Smith is well known for her renditions of Irving Berlin's "God Bless America" & "When The Moon Comes Over The Mountain". ...
on several occasions, especially big games, among them games in the 2010 Stanley Cup Finals
The 2010 Stanley Cup Finals was the championship series of the National Hockey League's (NHL) 2009–10 season, and the culmination of the 2010 Stanley Cup playoffs. It was contested between the Western Conference champion Chicago Blackhawks a ...
. She wears number 68 on her Flyers jersey to honor the age of her father when he died.
The Broadcast Pioneers of Philadelphia
The Broadcast Pioneers of Philadelphia is a state-chartered, federally recognized, 501(c)(3) non-profit organization, devoted to collecting information about and promoting cultural work related to broadcasting and communications in Philadelphia, Pe ...
inducted Gene Hart into their Hall of Fame in 2001.
References
External links
Hockey Hall of Fame Induction
Broadcast Pioneers of Philadelphia
{{DEFAULTSORT:Hart, Gene
1931 births
1999 deaths
Pleasantville High School (New Jersey) alumni
The College of New Jersey alumni
Philadelphia Flyers announcers
American Hockey League broadcasters
National Hockey League broadcasters
North American Soccer League (1968–1984) commentators
Philadelphia Phantoms
Foster Hewitt Memorial Award winners
People from Cherry Hill, New Jersey
People from Pleasantville, New Jersey
Sportspeople from the Delaware Valley
Burials in New Jersey
St. Louis Blues announcers
Lacrosse announcers