Long-time TSN anchor Darren Dutchyshen sadly passes away at age 57

 

Veteran TSN broadcaster Darren “Dutchy” Dutchyshen, long-time host of SportsCentre, has died. He was 57.

“Darren Dutchyshen was a legend of Canadian sports broadcasting, a great teammate, and an essential part of TSN for the last three decades,” said Stewart Johnston, Senior Vice President, Sales & Sports, Bell Media, in a statement to TSN.

“A larger-than-life personality, Darren’s incredible sense of humour and magnetic energy made him a natural broadcaster who connected easily with viewers. His enthusiasm reminded us every day of why we love sports. Most significantly, Darren was a friend to all of us at TSN, and we will miss him dearly. Our thoughts and heartfelt condolences are with his loved ones.”

In the ensuing thirty years, Dutchyshen, who started his TSN career in 1995, established himself as a staple.

He grew up in Porcupine Plain, Saskatchewan, having been born in Regina. He began his career in broadcasting with early positions at IMTV in Dauphin, Manitoba, and STV in Saskatoon. He then hosted ITV's Sports Night in Edmonton (now Global Edmonton) for seven years.


Prior to taking over as presenter of the late-night SportsCentre program, he started his TSN career as the weekend anchor of SportsDesk and CFL Live.

 In 2021, Dutchyshen received a prostate cancer diagnosis that prompted him to leave the broadcast desk in order to attend to his health. In September 2022, despite having metastatic cancer spread throughout his body, he made a comeback to the broadcast.