Congratulations Cape Breton Eagles Public Address Announcer Dave LeBlanc who is being inducted into the Cape Breton Sports Hall of Fame this Saturday!
Dave has been the voice of Cape Breton sports for over than 50 years.
There hasn’t been a sporting event that Dave hasn’t covered.
I remember growing up Dave reading the sports on CJCB and CKPE in Sydney, plus doing the play-by-play for many local sporting events.
(Above some 1980’s pictures of Dave who was the stations Sports Director.)
He was there for collage hockey games, there for the Metro hockey Tournaments at Sydney Forum and at the County Arena in Coxheath.
The Centre 200 opening in 1987, the Cape Breton Oilers winning the AHL Calder Cup 1993 championship, just to name a few.
(Above: Dave and Ian in Timberlea, NS in 2002 and in 2022 at the CJCB/CKPE reunion in Sydney.)
Luckily, I got to work with Dave when starting out in radio as a teenager in 1984 and here 40 plus years later we’re fellow QMJHL Public Address Announcers in Nova Scotia, Dave in Sydney with the Eagles and me with the Halifax Mooseheads. It was a thrill to have him visit the booth last season, photo below.
The official ceremony takes place this Saturday, May 31st, at Centre 200.
Thanks for blazing the trail both on radio and in the rink for this kid from Big Bras d’Or, and congratulations my friend!
-Ian
Credits: Cape Breton Eagles and Ian Robinson photos.
