Darling, Edgar Lee “Ted”

  • From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia: See full biography at: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ted_Darling
  • Wiki Biography:
    • Edgar Lee “Ted” Darling (June 9, 1935 – December 19, 1996) was a Canadian-American sports announcer. He is best known as the original “Voice of the Buffalo Sabres” ice hockey team for twenty-two seasons, calling the team’s games on television from the team’s inaugural season in 1970 to 1991. The title was originally bestowed by Sabres defenceman Jim Schoenfeld.
    • Before his work with the Sabres, he hosted Hockey Night in Canada telecasts from Montreal. Darling won the Sabres play-by-play job after submitting an audition tape of him calling a fictitious Sabres broadcast.
    • Darling was close friends with Rick Jeanneret, with whom he rotated television and radio play-by-play duties from 1971 onward. For games that were not televised, Darling and Jeanneret would often work as a tandem, though neither had playing experience typical of most color commentators.
    • In October 1991, Darling was diagnosed with Pick’s disease, an Alzheimer’s-like degenerative illness, and thus, was on medical leave from October 16 to November 20. He returned to call 6 more games before being relieved of his duties by the executive producer of Sabres broadcasts, Paul Wieland, on December 12, 1991. Darling called a total of 11 games during the 1991–92 season. He was brought back, however, as a studio analyst for games on WUTV in the 1992–93 season before announcing his retirement. The illness took a significant toll on his health and after a five-year battle with the illness, he died on December 19, 1996, at the age of 61.
  • Third Great Grandson of United Empire Loyalist listed in Loyalist Directory: https://uelac.ca/loyalist-directory/detail/?wpda_search_column_id=6742
  • Find A Grave: https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/109641127/edgar-lee-darling