Toronto, ON – Darren Dutchyshen, a cherished personality from TSN and the host of SportsCentre, died on Wednesday after fighting prostate cancer. He was 57.
Dutchyshen started at TSN in 1995, where he first hosted weekend editions of SportsDesk and CFL Live. Over the next thirty years, he became a beloved figure on SportsCentre, co-anchoring the late-night editions with Rod Smith and later Jennifer Hedger.
He played a major role in the Kraft Celebration Tour, bringing SportsCentre to various locations across Canada. Dutchyshen also co-hosted the boxing show In This Corner with Canadian trainer Russ Anber. During the Vancouver 2010 Winter Games and London 2012 Summer Games, he was the host of Olympic Prime Time on TSN.
Dutchyshen was born in Regina and grew up in Porcupine Plain, Saskatchewan. His broadcasting career began with STV in Saskatoon, followed by a stint with IMTV in Dauphin, Manitoba. He also spent seven years hosting ITV’s Sports Night in Edmonton.
In a statement, the Dutchyshen family said, “He passed surrounded by his closest loved ones. Even in his final moments, his sharp wit shone through, delivering plenty of jokes – most of them quite good and all of them inappropriate.”
