John Ashbridge, the voice of the Vancouver Canucks for almost 1,000 games, is back in action Wednesday night after a health scare sidelined him for the final games of the regular season.
The 64-year-old veteran public address announcer has only missed 10 home games for the Canucks during his career, but he sat out the last two after suffering a heart blockage. Now he's returning to Rogers Arena with a brand new pacemaker.
"I had a very brief collapse at home, and it was diagnosed, essentially as I like to describe it, as an electrical problem with the heart," he told CTV News.
"Time will tell, but hopefully I'm fresh and ready to go for the playoffs come tonight."
Well before the puck dropped on the first game between the Canucks and the Chicago Blackhawks, Ashbridge started preparing.
"There really are no tough parts to this job. You know, there's no heavy lifting."
But his job does go beyond just being the narrator of the game.
"I'm the one who honks the goal horn, let the record show. I'm the one who goes ‘honk,'" he said. "No premature honking."
He's popular with the fans, and says he's often asked to record voicemail messages. "Yeah, happy to do it," is his answer.
But still, Ashbridge remains humble.
"I would certainly not say that it's the most recognizable voice in the province. I'd hate to be tainted with that," he said.
With a report from CTV British Columbia's Jason Pires
