Jim Hughson Jim Hughson ( born 1956 in Fort St . John , British Columbia ) is a Canadian sportscaster , best known for his play - by - play of professional ice hockey and baseball . Biography . Hughson has won five Gemini Awards , the most recent coming in 2004 , where he was named the best sports play - by - play or analyst . He is known for his very clear , accessible voice , enthusiastic delivery , and articulate use of the English language . His versatility has earned him the title of official play - by - play announcer for the EA Sports " NHL series " of video games , from 1997 to 2007 . From 1997 - 2001 , Hughson was added , along with Buck Martinez , as the play - by - play voice for EA ' s Triple Play series for PlayStation and Personal computer . TSN . Hughson and Martinez were actual broadcast partners from 1990 to 1994 when they both covered the Toronto Blue Jays for TSN . During that time , Hughson was most famous for calling all three of the games in which the Jays ' clinched first place in the American League East during the 1990s ( 1991 , 1992 , & 1993 ) . Previously , Hughson had worked on Montreal Expos broadcasts for the network . From 1987 - 88 to 1997 - 98 , Hughson also did play - by - play for NHL games with Gary Green on TSN . In 1991 , he called the World Junior Hockey Championship in Saskatchewan , which climaxed with a dramatic game in Saskatoon between Canada and the USSR , in which John Slaney scored the winning goal late in the third period to deliver the gold medal to Canada . During Hughson ' s time at TSN , he often enthusiastically proclaimed " That ' s hockey ! " when describing an exciting play during NHL broadcasts . TSN later adopted the phrase as the name of it ' s popular program That ' s Hockey , a talk show covering NHL happenings . CTV Sportsnet / Rogers Sportsnet . In 1998 , Hughson returned to national sports broadcasting , joining CTV Sportsnet ( now Rogers Sportsnet ) as their main NHL play - by - play commentator alongside Craig Simpson . A year later , he left radio and began working on the Canucks regional television broadcasts on Sportsnet Pacific , alongside Ryan Walter . From 2002 - 03 onwards , former NHL goaltender John Garrett was his partner . During its existence , he was also the host of " Snapshots " on Sportsnet . CBC Television . In 2005 , Hughson began working on CBC Television ' s " Hockey Night in Canada " , where he primarily called the late games of the network ' s Saturday night doubleheaders and one series through the first three rounds of the playoffs . In 2006 , he was the secondary hockey broadcaster at the Winter Olympics in Turin , Italy . On March 11 , 2008 , he signed an exclusive six - year contract with the CBC to call hockey and baseball for Canada ' s public network , leaving Rogers Sportsnet at the conclusion of the season . The following season , he replaced Bob Cole as the primary play - by - play announcer for " HNIC " and the Stanley Cup playoffs and Finals . His partner on the top broadcast team is Craig Simpson . When CBC picked up a package of Toronto Blue Jays games in 2007 , it was announced that Hughson would call the games for them . His first Blue Jays broadcast for the CBC on June 22 , 2007 was the first Blue Jays game he called in 13 years . American sportscasting appearances . In addition to CBC , TSN , and Sportsnet , Hughson has also done spot work for ABC and ESPN , covering both hockey and baseball .