Harold Watson Neale (born March 9, 1937) is a Canadian retired
NCAA
The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) is a nonprofit organization that regulates student athletics among about 1,100 schools in the United States, Canada, and Puerto Rico. It also organizes the athletic programs of colleges an ...
,
NHL
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
WHA coach and general manager, and ice hockey broadcaster.
Coaching career
Following his playing career, Neale got his head coaching start at
Hill Park Secondary School
Hill Park Secondary School was the oldest high school on the Hamilton Mountain and was a member of the Hamilton-Wentworth District School Board. The school, located at 465 East 16th Street in Hamilton, was founded in 1955 as a fully composite hi ...
in
Hamilton, Ontario
Hamilton is a port city in the Canadian province of Ontario. Hamilton has a population of 569,353, and its census metropolitan area, which includes Burlington and Grimsby, has a population of 785,184. The city is approximately southwest of T ...
, where he also taught social studies and physical education.
In 1966, he replaced
Glen Sonmor
Glen Robert Sonmor (April 22, 1929 – December 14, 2015) was a Canadian professional ice hockey player, scout and coach. He played 28 games in the National Hockey League with the New York Rangers from 1953 to 1955, though most of his career was ...
at
Ohio State University
The Ohio State University, commonly called Ohio State or OSU, is a public land-grant research university in Columbus, Ohio. A member of the University System of Ohio, it has been ranked by major institutional rankings among the best publ ...
. While at Ohio State, he was a physical fitness trainer for the
Ohio State football
The Ohio State Buckeyes football team competes as part of the NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision, representing Ohio State University in the East Division of the Big Ten Conference
The Big Ten Conference (stylized B1G, formerly the ...
team. He coached the Buckeyes for four seasons compiling a 49-48-3 record. He left Ohio State in 1970 to coach junior hockey in Hamilton.
Neale was hired as assistant coach of the
Minnesota Fighting Saints
The Minnesota Fighting Saints was the name of two professional ice hockey teams based in Saint Paul, Minnesota, that played in the World Hockey Association. The first team was one of the WHA's original twelve franchises, playing from 1972 to 19 ...
of the
WHA in 1972. He replaced Sonmor again as head coach late in the 1972–73 season. He remained head coach until the Fighting Saints franchise folded during the 1975–76 season. Following Minnesota, Neale remained in the
WHA as head coach of the
New England Whalers
New is an adjective referring to something recently made, discovered, or created.
New or NEW may refer to:
Music
* New, singer of K-pop group The Boyz
Albums and EPs
* ''New'' (album), by Paul McCartney, 2013
* ''New'' (EP), by Regurgitator ...
for two seasons from 1976 to 1978. He coached the Whalers to the
Avco Cup
The Avco World Trophy, also known as the Avco Cup, is the playoff championship trophy of the defunct World Hockey Association ( 1972–1979). The trophy's naming rights were sold to the former Avco Corporation (a name originally derived from "Avia ...
Finals where they lost to the
Winnipeg Jets
The Winnipeg Jets are a professional ice hockey team based in Winnipeg. The team competes in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Central Division in the Western Conference, and is owned by True North Sports & Entertainment, p ...
. Between stints at Minnesota and New England, Neale was an assistant coach for the
U.S. team in the
1976 Canada Cup.
Hired by the
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 (NHL), Pacific Division of the Western Conference (NHL), Western Conference, and ...
in
1978, Neale coached the Canucks for almost four seasons. Late in the
1981–82 season, Neale was involved in an altercation with fans during a game in
Quebec City
Quebec City ( or ; french: Ville de Québec), officially Québec (), is the capital city of the Canadian province of Quebec. As of July 2021, the city had a population of 549,459, and the metropolitan area had a population of 839,311. It is t ...
against the
Nordiques and was suspended for ten games. Assistant coach
Roger Neilson
Roger Paul Neilson, (June 16, 1934 – June 21, 2003) was a Canadian professional ice hockey coach, most notably in the NHL, where he served with eight teams in a checkered career. Known as Captain Video because of his technological contributi ...
was promoted to interim coach during the suspension. When the Canucks lost only once in ten games, Neilson was given the job full-time as the team advanced to the
1982 Stanley Cup Finals. At season's end, Neale was promoted to general manager (an arrangement made prior to the suspension).
Neale returned to the Canucks bench in
January 1984 after firing Neilson and again in
November 1984 after firing
Bill LaForge
Bill LaForge (September 2, 1951 – June 19, 2005) was a Canadian ice hockey head coach. LaForge briefly coached the Vancouver Canucks in National Hockey League, but enjoyed more success in junior ice hockey with Western Hockey League and the On ...
twenty games into the season. The Canucks fired Neale from his posts as vice-president, general manager, and head coach in April 1985.
The
Detroit Red Wings
The Detroit Red Wings (colloquially referred to as the Wings) are a professional ice hockey team based in Detroit. The Red Wings compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Atlantic Division (NHL), Atlantic Division in the East ...
hired Neale prior to the
1985–86 season. However, after a poor start, Neale was fired after 35 games.
Head coaching record
College
WHA
NHL
Broadcast career
During his coaching and managerial career, he sometimes worked for ''
Hockey Night in Canada
CBC Television has aired National Hockey League (NHL) broadcasts under the ''Hockey Night in Canada'' (often abbreviated ''Hockey Night'' or ''HNiC'') brand that is primarily associated with its Saturday night NHL broadcasts throughout its hi ...
'' as an analyst in the playoffs, in the event his team missed the playoffs or eliminated from
Stanley Cup
The Stanley Cup (french: La Coupe Stanley) is the championship trophy awarded annually to the National Hockey League (NHL) playoff champion. It is the oldest existing trophy to be awarded to a professional sports franchise in North America, an ...
contention. He then began working as a broadcaster full-time in
1986. That year, he was first teamed with play-by-play man
Bob Cole on CBC. Together, the pair broadcast 20 Stanley Cup Finals. In the playoffs, when Cole was working with other color commentators, he also worked with
Don Wittman
Donald Rae Wittman (October 9, 1936 – January 19, 2008) was a Canadian sportscaster.
Early life and education
Born in Herbert, Saskatchewan, Wittman attended the University of Saskatchewan and got his start in the field of broadcasting a ...
,
Chris Cuthbert
Chris Cuthbert (born September 20, 1957) is a Canadian sportscaster. He is the lead play-by-play commentator for ''NHL on Sportsnet'' and ''Hockey Night in Canada'', since 2021. Formerly, he worked for TSN, NBC, and CBC Sports in a multitude of ...
, and
Jim Hughson
Jim Hughson (born October 9, 1956) is a retired Canadian sportscaster, best known for his play-by-play of the National Hockey League. He was the lead play-by-play commentator for the ''NHL on Sportsnet'' from 2014 to 2021 and ''Hockey Night in Ca ...
. During this time, he also provided colour commentary for locally televised
Toronto Maple Leafs
The Toronto Maple Leafs (officially the Toronto Maple Leaf Hockey Club and often referred to as the Leafs) are a professional ice hockey team based in Toronto. They compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Atlantic Div ...
games. During his tenure, he was paired with play-by-play broadcasters
Jim Hughson
Jim Hughson (born October 9, 1956) is a retired Canadian sportscaster, best known for his play-by-play of the National Hockey League. He was the lead play-by-play commentator for the ''NHL on Sportsnet'' from 2014 to 2021 and ''Hockey Night in Ca ...
,
Ken Daniels
Ken Daniels is a Canadian sportscaster. Currently the play-by-play announcer for the Detroit Red Wings of the NHL on Bally Sports Detroit, entering his 19th season as the voice of the Red Wings, he is best known as a sportscaster with CBC Sp ...
,
Jiggs McDonald
John Kenneth "Jiggs" McDonald (born November 28, 1938) is a sportscaster who has done play-by-play announcing for NHL games for more than 50 years. In 1990, McDonald received the Foster Hewitt Memorial Award from the Hockey Hall of Fame.
Biograph ...
, and
Joe Bowen
Joe Bowen (born April 5, 1951) is a Canadian sportscaster. He is known as "The Voice of the Toronto Maple Leafs", having broadcast over 3,000 Leaf games.
Early life, career, and family
Bowen was born and raised in Sudbury. His father died in 19 ...
. In addition, Neale occasionally worked on
Edmonton Oilers
The Edmonton Oilers are a professional ice hockey team based in Edmonton. The Oilers compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Pacific Division of the Western Conference. They play their home games at Rogers Place, which ...
and
Calgary Flames
The Calgary Flames are a professional ice hockey team based in Calgary. The Flames compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Pacific Division (NHL), Pacific Division in the Western Conference (NHL), Western Conference, and ...
broadcasts. He left the Toronto telecasts after the
2006–07 season to join the
Buffalo Sabres
The Buffalo Sabres are a professional ice hockey team based in Buffalo, New York. The Sabres compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Atlantic Division in the Eastern Conference. The team was established in 1970, along w ...
broadcast team.
As a
colour commentator, Neale has covered the
1998,
2002, and
2006 Winter Olympics and the
1996 World Cup of Hockey and
2004 for CBC. He is known for the same
sense of humour
Humour (English in the Commonwealth of Nations, Commonwealth English) or humor (American English) is the tendency of experiences to provoke laughter and provide amusement. The term derives from the humorism, humoral medicine of the ancient Gre ...
he was famous for as a coach, often referring to the
puck as "..bouncing like an Indian Rubber (
lacrosse
Lacrosse is a team sport played with a lacrosse stick and a lacrosse ball. It is the oldest organized sport in North America, with its origins with the indigenous people of North America as early as the 12th century. The game was extensiv ...
) ball", as well as for his estimations of exact distances on the ice.
Neale spent five seasons, from
2007–08 to
2011–12, as the colour commentator for the
Buffalo Sabres
The Buffalo Sabres are a professional ice hockey team based in Buffalo, New York. The Sabres compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Atlantic Division in the Eastern Conference. The team was established in 1970, along w ...
serving alongside
Rick Jeanneret
John Richard Jeanneret (born July 23, 1942)Pergament, Alan (October 5, 2014)‘I feel like an American,’ Jeanneret says, as he gets cancer treatment here ''The Buffalo News''. Retrieved October 5, 2014. “Jeanneret received his first radiatio ...
, a personal friend of Neale's and fellow
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 ...
winner. He spent the
2012–13 season as a studio analyst for the Sabres' pregame show and intermission reports.
During the
2013–14 season, Neale served as colour commentator for Toronto Maple Leafs broadcasts on
Leafs TV
Leafs Nation Network (formerly Leafs TV) was a Canadian English language Category B regional specialty channel owned by Maple Leaf Sports & Entertainment Ltd. Leafs Nation Network broadcasts programming related to the Toronto Maple Leafs Natio ...
. He retired at the end of the 2013–14 season.
On March 25, 2022 Neale served as colour commentator for the
Buffalo Sabres
The Buffalo Sabres are a professional ice hockey team based in Buffalo, New York. The Sabres compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Atlantic Division in the Eastern Conference. The team was established in 1970, along w ...
, once again alongside
Rick Jeanneret
John Richard Jeanneret (born July 23, 1942)Pergament, Alan (October 5, 2014)‘I feel like an American,’ Jeanneret says, as he gets cancer treatment here ''The Buffalo News''. Retrieved October 5, 2014. “Jeanneret received his first radiatio ...
in a guest appearance, for a game involving the
Buffalo Sabres
The Buffalo Sabres are a professional ice hockey team based in Buffalo, New York. The Sabres compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Atlantic Division in the Eastern Conference. The team was established in 1970, along w ...
and
Washington Capitals
The Washington Capitals (colloquially known as the Caps) are a professional ice hockey team based in Washington, D.C. The team competes in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Metropolitan Division in the Eastern Conference (NHL) ...
during the first and second periods.
Honours
In 2010, he was elected as an inaugural inductee into the
World Hockey Association Hall of Fame
The World Hockey Association Hall of Fame is an independent organization dedicated to honoring the World Hockey Association (WHA) which operated from 1972 to 1979 as a major professional ice hockey league.
Officially partnered with the United Stat ...
in the coaching category.
In 2013, Neale received 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 ...
and thus was honored by the
Hockey Hall of Fame.
Personal life
Neale grew up in
Sarnia, Ontario and moved to
East Amherst, New York
East Amherst is a suburban hamlet northeast of downtown Buffalo, Erie County, New York, United States. It straddles the towns of Amherst and Clarence, and comprises the majority of ZIP code 14051.
History
East Amherst is centered in an are ...
in 1987.
He has five children.
References
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Neale, Harry
1937 births
Living people
Buffalo Sabres announcers
Canadian ice hockey coaches
Canadian television sportscasters
Detroit Red Wings coaches
Edmonton Oilers announcers
Foster Hewitt Memorial Award winners
Ice hockey people from Ontario
Memorial Cup winners
Minnesota Fighting Saints coaches
National Hockey League broadcasters
New England Whalers coaches
Ohio State Buckeyes men's ice hockey coaches
Sportspeople from Sarnia
Toronto Maple Leafs announcers
Toronto Marlboros players
Vancouver Canucks coaches
Vancouver Canucks general managers
World Hockey Association coaches