THANKS JOHNNY!
Johnny Esaw gave me my first job in television. Well, he didn't exactly give it to me. I earned it, I guess. When news of his death came to light yesterday, I stopped for a moment to reflect. In 1984, I was hosting Bluejays pre and post game shows on radio when I got a call from Mr. Esaw at CTV Sports. He wanted me to host a segment on motocross racing on CTVs "Wide World of Sports". I didn't know much about motocross racing , but Esaw wasn't worried. "Just engage the audience" he said "and you'll be great". The fact that I had no TV experience didn't seem to matter to him. His confidence in my abilities allowed me to relax in front of the camera, and that was nearly 30 years ago.
I had first met Johnny Esaw a few years earlier when I was preparing a documentary on the 10 year anniversary of the 1972 Canada-Russia series. Esaw was a legendary broadcaster, responsible for Olympic coverage, figure skating, CFL football and many other sports, amateur and professional. He was also the man who interviewed Phil Esposito at the conclusion of Game 4 of that '72 series in Vancouver. The fans at the Pacific Coliseum had booed Team Canada off the ice after they had lost to the Russians and fallen behind in the series as it headed to Russia for the final four games. Esaw, speaking on behalf of the Canadian people, asked Esposito how he felt, and the rest is Canadian broadcasting history. Esposito talked about the disappointment he and his teammates were feeling and basically lambasted all Canadian fans for not being supportive. It was fire and brimstone at it's best.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JiilH7jlsFE
A decade later, Esposito agreed to come on my radio show at 1 Yonge Street, atop the Toronto Star building. The studios for 590/CKEY were located there, and with Espo on board, I called Esaw to see if he wouldn't mind sitting in and telling some stories from that series. He agreed, and also brought along a videotape (betamax or VHS, I'm not sure) of the actual interview that had caused such a stir 10 years earlier. When Espo arrived at the studio, Esaw was already there and the tape was loaded into the player, ready for viewing. Now, unbeknownst to any of us, Esposito had never seen the controversial interview. There was no videotape technology that would allow for a "personal copy", and home VCRs were just becoming popular. Besides, Phil was busy trying to win Stanley Cups throughout the 70s, and likely didn't give it much thought. When Esaw played the tape, the look on Espo's face was priceless. He was horrified at how he looked, what he said and the emotion he showed. It was at that very moment that he fully realized what he had done. He had galvanized an entire nation. The support for Team Canada from that day forward would spur them onto perhaps Canada's greatest victory ever. And Johnny Esaw was standing right there when it happened. A witness to Canadian history.
Esaw and Esposito provided a wonderful radio interview that day, especially when Espo accused Johnny of "egging me on" during the live interview back in 1972. My documentary was very well received, and Esaw himself called a few days after it aired to congratulate me. "You're in the wrong business" he said "You should be in television". A year or so later, he made it so, and for that, I am eternally grateful. Thanks Johnny, and rest in peace. You were one of the good guys.
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