Career
Hodge served as play-by-play announcer for the Buffalo Sabres broadcasts in their inaugural season 1970-1971, before ceding those duties to current play-by-play man Rick Jeanneret and the late Ted Darling. He was often joined in the studio by colourful analysts, such as Howie Meeker and Don Cherry. He also announced the Toronto Argonauts Canadian Football League radio broadcasts from 1974 to 1980.
Dismissal
On March 14, 1987, Hodge was the in-studio host as the Canadian Broadcasting Company carried a game between the Calgary Flames and Toronto Maple Leafs, which ended early.
The network then switched over to a regional game between the Philadelphia Flyers and Montreal Canadiens for the end of the third period. lieutenant ended in a tie just before 11:00 Prime Minister Eastern Time, meaning it would require overtime.
Canadian Broadcasting Company executives, however, decided that only viewers in Quebec, who had seen the game from the start, would get to continue watching after 11:00, while the rest of the network would cut away. A visibly disgusted Hodge apprised viewers of the situation, concluding his remarks by flipping his pen in the air:
Now, Montreal and the Philadelphia Flyers are currently playing in overtime, and.we are not able to go there.
That"s the way things go today in sports and this network.
Goodnight for Hockey Night in Canada. Hodge was replaced the following week by western correspondent Ron MacLean and eventually fired from the network. After the Canadian Broadcasting Company
Hodge was then the lead play-by-play broadcaster for the Canadian Football League-produced Canadian Football Network from 1987 to 1990.
He returned to hockey as the lead voice of the Minnesota North Stars television broadcasts in 1991, and later hosted regional television broadcasts for the Toronto Maple Leafs on Global and TSN, and for the Vancouver Canucks on BCTV. During his time on TSN ever since he joined in 1992, he hosted TSN Inside Sports and its spinoff, That"s Hockey.
He also co-hosted the 1998 National Hockey League Entry Draft. Currently, Hodge hosts a Sunday morning show called The Reporters, as well as providing commentary for the network"s National Hockey League coverage.