Bill Hewitt (sportscaster)
The voice of Hockey Night in Canada for a generation, he inherited a microphone and a national ritual from his famous father.
1928–1996 (age 68)·Canadian sportscaster·Birthday: December 8·The Silent Generation
Biography
Bill Hewitt didn't just broadcast hockey; he was the steady, familiar voice in Canadian living rooms every Saturday night for two decades. The son of broadcasting pioneer Foster Hewitt, who famously coined "He shoots, he scores!" Bill faced the immense challenge of following a legend. He took over the television play-by-play for 'Hockey Night in Canada' in the early 1960s, just as the game was exploding on the small screen. His style was less breathless than his father's radio-centric call, tailored for the visual medium—knowledgeable, clear, and perfectly paced. He described the exploits of legends like Bobby Orr and the great Montreal Canadiens teams, becoming the soundtrack for an era. Hewitt called some of the most iconic moments in the sport's history, including the 1972 Summit Series, though he shared that duty with other broadcasters. He carried the weight of his family name with a quiet professionalism, ensuring the Saturday night tradition his father helped create continued to thrive for a new generation.
The Silent Generation
1928–1945
Born between the Depression and the end of WWII. Too young to fight, old enough to remember. They became the conformist middle managers of the 1950s — and the civil rights leaders who quietly dismantled Jim Crow.
Bill was born in 1928, placing them squarely in The Silent Generation. The events that shaped this generation — world wars, depression, and rapid industrialization — shaped the world they entered and the choices available to them.
#1 When Bill Was Born
The biggest hits of 1928
#1 Movie
The Singing Fool
Best Picture
Wings
Bill's Life & Times
The world at every milestone
1928Born
Alexander Fleming discovers penicillin; Mickey Mouse debuts
President: Calvin Coolidge"Ol' Man River" — Paul WhitemanBest Picture: Wings
1933Started school
FDR's New Deal launches; Prohibition ends
Gas: $0.18/galPresident: Franklin D. Roosevelt"Stormy Weather" — Ethel WatersBest Picture: Cavalcade
1941Became a teenager
Pearl Harbor attack brings the US into WWII
Gas: $0.19/galHome: $3,060Min wage: $0.30/hrPresident: Franklin D. Roosevelt"Chattanooga Choo Choo" — Glenn MillerBest Picture: How Green Was My Valley
1944Could drive
D-Day: Allied forces land at Normandy
Gas: $0.21/galHome: $3,400Min wage: $0.30/hrPresident: Franklin D. Roosevelt"Swinging on a Star" — Bing CrosbyBest Picture: Going My Way
1946Could vote
United Nations holds its first General Assembly
Gas: $0.21/galHome: $5,150Min wage: $0.40/hrPresident: Harry S. Truman"Prisoner of Love" — Perry ComoBest Picture: The Best Years of Our Lives
1949Turned 21
NATO founded; Mao proclaims the People's Republic of China
Gas: $0.27/galHome: $7,450Min wage: $0.40/hrPresident: Harry S. Truman"Riders in the Sky" — Vaughn MonroeBest Picture: All the King's Men
1958Turned 30
NASA founded
Gas: $0.31/galHome: $11,050Min wage: $1.00/hrPresident: Dwight D. Eisenhower"Volare" — Domenico ModugnoBest Picture: Gigi
1968Turned 40
Martin Luther King Jr. and Robert Kennedy assassinated
Gas: $0.34/galHome: $14,950Min wage: $1.60/hrPresident: Lyndon B. Johnson"Hey Jude" — The BeatlesBest Picture: Oliver!
1978Turned 50
First test-tube baby born
Gas: $0.63/galHome: $35,300Min wage: $2.65/hrPresident: Jimmy Carter"Shadow Dancing" — Andy GibbBest Picture: The Deer Hunter
1988Turned 60
Pan Am Flight 103 bombed over Lockerbie
Gas: $0.90/galHome: $74,800Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: Ronald Reagan"Faith" — George MichaelBest Picture: Rain Man
1996Died at 68
Dolly the sheep cloned
Gas: $1.23/galHome: $99,700Min wage: $4.75/hrPresident: Bill Clinton"Macarena" — Los del RioBest Picture: The English Patient
Key Achievements
- Served as the primary television play-by-play announcer for Hockey Night in Canada from 1961 to 1981.
- Broadcast numerous Stanley Cup Finals and the 1972 Summit Series between Canada and the Soviet Union.
- Inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in the Foster Hewitt Memorial Award category for broadcasting excellence (1986).
- Maintained the iconic status of the HNIC broadcast during a period of massive growth for the NHL.
Did You Know?
He was the grandson of W. A. Hewitt, a founding figure of the Ontario Hockey Association and longtime sports editor.
Before his national TV role, he called games for the Toronto Maple Leafs on local radio.
He initially pursued a career in advertising before fully committing to broadcasting.
His father, Foster, famously broadcast from the gondola at Maple Leaf Gardens, while Bill worked from the standard TV booth.
“The game's story is told in the details between the goals.”
