René Lecavalier, OC, CQ (July 5, 1918 – September 6, 1999) was a Canadian French-language radio show host and sportscaster on SRC in

Quebec Quebec ( ; )According to the Government of Canada, Canadian government, ''Québec'' (with the acute accent) is the official name in Canadian French and ''Quebec'' (without the accent) is the province's official name in Canadian English is ...

. During his career in radio Lecavalier won several Radiomonde Trophies. He was also the first commentator for ''

La Soirée du hockey ''La Soirée du hockey'' (literally translated to ''The Night of Hockey'') was a Canadian ice hockey television show. It was the French language Radio-Canada equivalent of the English Canadian CBC show ''Hockey Night in Canada''. The show used "T ...

'', the French-language version of ''

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 his ...

''. He broadcast games for the

Montreal Canadiens The Montreal CanadiensEven in English, the French spelling is always used instead of ''Canadians''. The French spelling of ''Montréal'' is also sometimes used in the English media. (french: link=no, Les Canadiens de Montréal), officially ...

on radio and television for over 30 years and retired in

1985 The year 1985 was designated as the International Youth Year by the United Nations. Events January * January 1 ** The Internet's Domain Name System is created. ** Greenland withdraws from the European Economic Community as a result of a ...

. He was as revered in French Canada as Foster Hewitt was in English Canada. Lecavalier was best known for his goal call, "Il lance ... et compte!" (He shoots ... and scores!) Although Hewitt's call of

Paul Henderson Paul Garnet Henderson, (born January 28, 1943) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey player. A Winger (ice hockey), left winger, Henderson played 13 seasons in the National Hockey League (NHL) for the Detroit Red Wings, Toronto Maple L ...

's goal to win the

1972 Summit Series The Summit Series, Super Series 72, Canada–USSR Series (russian: Суперсерия СССР — Канада, Superseriya SSSR — Kanada), or Series of the Century (french: Série du siècle, Séries of the Century), was an eight-game ic ...

is part of Canadian hockey lore, Lecavalier's call is equally celebrated among Francophones: Rough translation: "Cournoyer moving it up the ice. Oh, Henderson lost the pass! He fell down. And in front of the net. AND HENDERSON SCORES! With 34 seconds to go!"

Honours

He was made an Officer of the

Order of Canada The Order of Canada (french: Ordre du Canada; abbreviated as OC) is a Canadian state order and the second-highest honour for merit in the system of orders, decorations, and medals of Canada, after the Order of Merit. To coincide with the c ...

"for his substantial influence on the francization of the language of sports" in 1970 and was made a Knight of the

National Order of Quebec The National Order of Quebec, termed officially in French as ''l'Ordre national du Québec'', and in English abbreviation as the Order of Quebec, is an order of merit in the Canadian province of Quebec. Instituted in 1984 when Lieutenant Govern ...

in 1987. In 1994, he was inducted into the

Canada's Sports Hall of Fame Canada's Sports Hall of Fame (french: Panthéon des sports canadiens; sometimes referred to as the Canadian Sports Hall of Fame) is a Canadian sports hall of fame and museum in Calgary, Alberta, Canada. Dedicated to the history of sports in Canad ...

. He was awarded the Foster Hewitt Memorial Award and the

Olivar-Asselin Award The Olivar-Asselin Award (in French: ''Prix Olivar-Asselin'') is an award created in 1955.Le prix Olivar-Asselin< ...

References

External links

René Lecavalier biography
1918 births 1999 deaths Canadian radio sportscasters Canadian television sportscasters Foster Hewitt Memorial Award winners Knights of the National Order of Quebec Montreal Canadiens announcers National Hockey League broadcasters Officers of the Order of Canada People from Montreal Burials at Notre Dame des Neiges Cemetery {{Canada-radio-bio-stub