We all have those voices in our heads that we associate with sports broadcasts. Whether it’s the voice of a local sports team, or a national caller who goes where they’re needed. Jim Hughson, voice of the Vancouver Canucks is one of the latter. Born in Fort St. John, British Columbia in 1956, Hughson got into broadcasting early. He was a disc jockey and news reporter for his hometown CKNL Radio. Hughson currently lives in White Rock, BC with his wife Denise and two children, Matt and Jennifer.

Hughson’s thorough play-by-play analysis of the action on-ice is one of the truest examples of how young fans should watch hockey. He calls the action as it is and refrains from interjecting too many homer comments or flashy phrases, like some other broadcasters are prone to. Hughson enthusiastically calls the play as he sees it, and knows when to explain situations in more detail. As the current play-by-play voice for the Vancouver Canucks, fans in the city can experience his exceptional skill many times a week, and almost every Saturday, the rest of Canada can join the fun.

If he hasn’t already, Hughson is establishing himself as a voice of a generation. Decades from now, an NHL player is going to be asked what his favorite memories as a child were, and he’s going to say ‘listening to Jim Hughson call Canucks games on Hockey Night in Canada’, and nobody will question why. Beyond that, he has been the play-by-play announcer for the EA Sports NHL series of video games since 1997, as well as some Triple Play games between 1998 and 2001.

Hughson has been calling sports games for three decades, and his voice is as recognizable in Canada as that of Don Cherry or Ron MacLean. His smooth delivery has earned him five Gemini Awards, most recently in 2004 for sports play-by-play. As a national broadcaster for multiple sports, his exposure is taking him to a level many others only dream of. While he has years of sports-calling left in him, there’s no doubt that one day he’ll be inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame’s broadcaster’s wing, and he’ll certainly have earned it.