TSN 690 chooses Dan Robertson as new voice of the Habs

The suspense is finally over and Maritimer Dan Roberston is the new play by play man for Montreal Canadiens radio broadcasts on TSN 690, succeeding John Bartlett who left the post to join Rogers Sportsnet. He will begin his new job when the Habs face off against the Toronto Maple Leafs on Wednesday evening.

TSN 690 Program Director Chris Bury would not talk about other candidates, so we do not know whether Rick Moffat actually applied for the job or not. The team was impressed with Robertson's audition for a Habs pre-season game.

"During the first 24 to 48 hours after we heard from John that he was leaving, we got a ton of applications from across the country and even the United States," Bury said. "The demo that really blew us away was Dan's. We went through a pretty transparent process internally and what I got was an across the board endorsement of Dan. I must say as a program director I really enjoyed the process."

Robertston, who is married with kids,  is getting a tour of the city today from assistant program director Matthew Wood. Once he gets his feet wet, Bury hopes to give him a lot of on air exposure outside of Habs games.

Robertson is already a polished  play caller from the Maritimes who has been behind the mic for countless university basketball, hockey and football events. He will join game analyst and Stanley Cup champion Sergio Momesso in the broadcast booth. Robertson brings more than a decade of experience calling QMJHL games, while Momesso contributes his perspective as a 13-year NHL veteran and former Habs player. TSN 690 delivers complete radio coverage of every Montreal Canadiens regular season and playoff game, with contributions from a team of reporters and analysts including Mitch Melnick, Tony Marinaro, Chris Nilan, Conor McKenna, Pat Hickey, and more.

On game days, TSN 690 also provides extensive Habs coverage with the Irish Embassy Pre-Game Show and the Delmar Post Game Show. Throughout the week, TSN 690 delivers comprehensive news and analysis of the team from the following programs:

 

Habs Breakfast on The Morning Show with Elliott Price, Shaun Starr, and Rick Moffat, weekdays from 6-10 a.m. ET.
 

Habs Lunch with Marinaro and Nilan, weekdays from 12 noon-1 p.m. ET.
 

Habs This Week with Simon Tsalikis and Bobby Dollas, Saturdays from 2-5 p.m. ET.



 

Habs play by play announcer update: winning candidate to be revealed before season opener

TSN 690 Radio Program Director Chris Bury is not tipping his hat as to who will replace John Bartlett as the new play by play man for Montreal Canadiens broadcasts.

Bartlett left his post very recently to accept a job with Rogers Sportsnet TV, where he will call the plays for regional Canadiens telecasts.

Bury seems to have been using the Habs pre-season games as a chance to evaluate the talent.

Veteran Rick Moffat should be at the front of the line. He's done the job before and only stepped away when CJAD lost the rights to the Habs to TSN. Of course now they are part of the same family. Moffat already worked with colour commentator Sergio Momesso and it has been great listening to them during the exhibition season.

These days Moffat has a full plate. He is part of the TSN 690 morning team, does the sportscasts on the Andrew Carter Morning Show on CJAD and also does play by play for the Alouettes and the Impact.  While Bartlett only worked play by play, the thing I always admired about Moffat is how he would call the plays for a night game and be on the sports desk the following morning. Another plus to Moffat getting the gig would mean Conor McKenna finally getting a permanent spot on the roster. He fills in for Moffat when he is away, spells Mitch Melnick and does the Habs intermission and post game shows. Elliott Price and Brian Wilde could handle the Als and Impact duties.

Price should not be counted out as a candidate either. He was, after all, Bartlett's backup the last few years and has decades of experience with baseball, hockey, football and soccer.

AJ Jakubec from Ottawa's TSN 1200 Radio already has the experience calling games for the Ottawa Senators, Ottawa RedBlacks, Ottawa Fury, Ottawa 67's

AJ Jakubec

and CIS basketball. He has sounded good during his Habs stint.  The other new voice we have heard is Dan Robertson, a polished  play caller from the Maritimes who has been behind the mic for countless university basketball, hockey and football events.  He too did nit seem out of place during his so-called TSN 690 audition.
Bury said that the identity of Bartlett's successor will be announced in time for the face off at the Habs opening game against Toronto on October 8.

"I’ve received a lot of applications from people with all levels of experience and strong resumes," Bury shared with me. "We’re in a good position and excited."