Les Lazaruk: The Voice of the Saskatoon Blades

Article content

When it comes to Saskatoon Blades hockey, Les Lazaruk has seen it all and he’s talked about it even more.

Article content

Article content

The longtime Blades play-by-play voice has called over 2,000 games — with Friday’s Western Hockey League game between the Blades and the visiting Wenatchee Wild at SaskTel Centre making it Game No. 2,250, officially.

Although previous radio work conflict meant he couldn’t do a few games back when he also called Saskatoon Hilltops football contests on the radio, he has otherwise missed just one game, during those 31 years, due to illness.

Article content

“Of all games to miss, it was Game 7 of the 2000 first-round series here against Regina,” recalls Lazaruk, who is in his 31st season as the Blades voice.

“The Blades won. R.J. Broadhead actually did that game for me on the radio … He had to do the game for me because I just couldn’t. I had no voice. I had a bad cold and lost my voice and he had to do it.”

Since then, Lazaruk’s distinctive radio voice has endured, and it’s thrived.

Over the past three decades, Lazaruk has called thousands and thousands of goals. He’s seen, but not always agreed with, thousands and thousands of penalties. He’s witnessed hundreds and hundreds of wins along with hundreds and hundreds of losses.

Hundreds of fights, too.

He’s become synonymous with trademark sayings like “Hi-ho, lets go!” and “Winner-winner, chicken dinner,” “Boo-Yah!” “Hoo-Ah,” “Shut the door!” “Ba Doom-Ba,” “Loop-Da-Loop,” “Le But,” and “Oh, sure!”

“How many do I have in my arsenal?” wonders Lazaruk. “Lets see: I can go up to 12 goals in a game. Of course, ‘Winner-winner, chicken dinner” is exclusively for overtime-winning goals. I will do the old Harry Caray, ‘Blades win-Blades win!’ instead of ‘Cubs win-Cubs win!’ and that would make 14, I guess, that I have.”

Article content

Article content

There have been many highlights, too. Many memorable moments.

“There are a few things that stand out,” Lazaruk points out. “One would be the 2013 Memorial Cup. We did a lot of work here at Saskatoon Media Group. Back then, the games were on, I believe on 92.9 The Bull, but we did expanded coverage during that time and we did every (tournament) game and it was fun.

“And I guess the big moment with that — and unfortunately the Blades didn’t win the Memorial Cup that year when they hosted — was when they beat Nathan Mackinnon and company with the Halifax Moosehead team and beat them 5-2 in the Memorial Cup and that was a big, proud moment.

“The other proud moment was just this past spring. I mean, that playoff run that the Blades team had and going through that best-of-seven Eastern Conference final with Moose Jaw and six overtime games out of the seven, it was incredible drama, incredible support, incredible hockey, incredible stories to be told out of that series. That is something that will stay with me for the rest of my life.”

Lazaruk is building a Blades legacy that reaches beyond Friday’s bobblehead night. As Blades director of business operations Tyler Wawryk points out, the Blades have been around for over 60 years and Lazaruk has been around for half of that.

Article content

“Over that time, players come and go, coaches come and go, ownership has changed over but Les has been a part of the Blades for over three decades.,” says Wawryk. “Fans know him to see him. They obviously know his voice on the radio. It’s changed stations over the years that he’s been here.

“He’s well known and respected across the league and just in the hockey world in general, everyone in the NHL, broadcasters know of Les Lazaruk. So he’s kind of that one constant with the team. Logos have changed. Colours have changed. But Les Lazaruk remains the same.

“He’s a walking encyclopedia of Blades stats and knowledge. Nobody knows that more than him. He told me this week that he’s called games in 41 different venues as teams have changed and moved in the league. He’s put on, I would probably venture to guess, a million kilometres of bus travel over the three decades. So he means a lot to us. He means a lot to our fans.”

MANITOBA-BORN AND RAISED

Lazaruk and his wife Verna arrived in Saskatoon in the fall of 1994.

They’ll celebrate their 33^rd wedding anniversary on Saturday.

Like so many of those born and raised in Winnipeg, Lazaruk is of Ukrainian heritage on both sides of his family.

Article content

He spent his “first half of my life” in Winnipeg, other than a stop in Brandon for his first radio gig, and now the second half in Saskatoon.

Lazaruk started out in the newspaper business, first with the Manitoban school newspaper at the University of Winnipeg and then as an intern with the Winnipeg Free Press and a short time, full-time, at the Winnipeg Tribune before it folded.

“That’s what I really wanted to do, to be a newspaper sportswriter,” he says. “I wanted to be like Reyn Davis with the Winnipeg Free Press or Pat Doyle with the Winnipeg Tribune and follow the NHL Jets all over North America.”

From there, Lazaruk transitioned into radio and hasn’t looked back.

He was inspired by his idol, Ken Nicholson; other early influences included Bob Irving and Peter Young.

“What I love best about the job is just the fact that I’m involved in sports, which I’ve always been, and I’m involved with a great league, first and foremost, a great team and the franchise, in particular,” Lazaruk proudly points out.

His loves include his wife and their dog Jet, his job as a hockey broadcaster, golf and music.

Article content

He loves to sing and is always willing to give karaoke a go.

Lazaruk sang the national anthem before the COVID-19 pandemic prior to a game between the Blades and Regina Pats. He’s also singing both the Canadian and American national anthems, for his first time, at Friday’s game between the Blades and the Wild.

NEVER IN HIS WILDEST DREAMS

Lazaruk never imagined he’d become a bobblehead for the Blades.

“God no, god no. Why me? I just talk, describe. I don’t score goals or stop the puck or anything like that. It’s weird that it was decided that I would be the bobble-head this year,” he admits, adding that he certainly appreciates the thought and the recognition.

“It means a lot. It’s humbling. It’s an honour. It’s a little embarrassing, almost. They couldn’t find anybody else to give it to? I’m kidding when I say that.

“It’s funny because last year, in June, I was emceeing the Season-ticket holder barbecue and we were doing a question-and-answer thing with various fans. It was Brennan Sonne and Wacey Rabbit, at the time, doing the answering. One of the questions asked was, ‘Who’s going to be the bobble-head next year?’ And I asked (the panel), does anybody want to take a crack at that? And Tyler Wawryk in the back, says, ‘Geez, we haven’t really thought about it. Maybe it will be you, Les.’ I laughed and said, ‘Well, OK.’ ”

Article content

Lazaruk will turn 66 in late February but he has no plans to slow down.

“My one sister will come into town for Friday’s game with her husband and she will ask me, ‘When are you going to retire?’ And the easy answer is, ‘I don’t know.’ The more complicated one is this year is the last season of our radio contract with CJWW and the Blades.

“I suspect there will be a new one. …. If they still want me around, I’m prepared to continue to do this. As long as I have my health and eyesight and I’m not stumbling around or falling down or have major issues, as long as I still have the passion to do it, I’ll continue to do it.”

Any milestone left to hit?

“If I were to do it, it would be 3,500 games, it would be a historic-type number. Do I want to do another four years? Yeah, possibly. It would get me to (age) 70 and that’s a nice round number. Maybe by then, people would be sick and tired of me, as they should be by now but aren’t for some silly reason. That could be a possibility. I don’t know.

“Sometimes it’s not the same, what you want and what you end up getting. Life throws you so many curve-balls. It’s hard to say for sure.”

[email protected]

The Saskatoon Star Phoenix has created an Afternoon Headlines newsletter that can be delivered daily to your inbox so you are up to date with the most vital news of the day. Click here to subscribe.

With some online platforms blocking access to the journalism upon which you depend, our website is your destination for up-to-the-minute news, so make sure to bookmark thestarphoenix.com and sign up for our newsletters so we can keep you informed. Click here to subscribe.

Article content