Darren Dutchyshen, the long-time sports presenter for the Canadian television channel The Sports Network, has died. He was 57 years old.
“He died surrounded by his closest family. His sharp wit remained with him until his final moments, and he delivered many classic jokes – most of them quite good and all of them inappropriate,” the Dutchyshen family said in a statement Thursday.
TSN, where Dutchyshen hosts the sport Center Show since 1995, confirmed The Hollywood Reporter that he died after a battle with prostate cancer. Dutchyshen first announced that he Diagnosis of cancer on Twitter in 2021. This forced him to severely limit his on-air duties at TSN.
“Darren Dutchyshen was a legend of Canadian sports broadcasting, a great teammate and an integral part of TSN over the past three decades,” said Stewart Johnston, senior vice president of sales and sports at Bell Media, TSN’s parent company, in a statement.
“Darren was a towering personality, his incredible sense of humor and magnetic energy made him a natural presenter who could easily connect with viewers. His enthusiasm reminded us every day why we love sport. But most of all, Darren was a friend to all of us at TSN and we will miss him very much.”
After joining TSN as host of the weekend editions of SportsDesk And CFLLiveDutchyshen became a permanent fixture behind the sport Center desk during a nearly 30-year tenure. He was often seen on air with co-hosts Rod Smith and Jennifer Hedger.
Dutchyshen was also host Olympic Prime Time on TSN during the 2010 Vancouver and 2012 London Games.
Dutchyshen was born in Regina, Saskatchewan, and grew up in Porcupine Plain in that province. His first job as a sports reporter was with STV in Saskatoon, followed by a stint at IMTV in Dauphin, Manitoba. He also hosted the ITV show Sports night in Edmonton.
TSN is planning a TV tribute to Dutchyshen on Thursday night.
“Gamer. Introvert. Problem solver. Creator. Thinker. Lifelong food evangelist. Alcohol advocate.”