It was the end of an era last Friday as Dave LeBlanc retired as “The Voice of the Cape Breton Eagles” at their Home Opener.
Blog cover picture above of Dave and I last December at the Mooseheads New Year’s game when he visited Moose Country.
(Above: When Dave Leblanc was inducted into the Cape Breton Sports Hall of Fame earlier this year.)
Dave has been the Public Address Announcer at Centre 200 in Sydney for about 40 years since it opened in the mid 1980’s from the days of the Cape Breton Oilers of the AHL, including when they won the Calder Cup in 1993, to the Eagles today.
He’s 75 now and has decided to hang up the microphone.
The Eagles have hired Sydney radio veteran Rob MacNamara to take over from Dave.
The team did a tribute to Dave before last Saturday’s game.
Dave has been a mentor to many of us in radio and a mentor to me in hockey PA announcing.
(Above: Dave and Ian at the 2022 CJCB-CKPE-FM radio reunion.)
I grew up listening to him on CJCB Sports and was lucky to work with him in the mid 1980’s.
Thanks to Patrick McNeil and the Eagles for inviting me to be a part of Dave’s tribute video, an honour.
Happy Retirement Dave and you’re always gonna 1st Star in our books and thanks for blazing the trail!
-Ian (Halifax Mooseheads Public Address Announcer since 1997.)
Credits: Ian Robinson photos and Cape Breton Eagles.
