1980s Sports Radio in Montreal

I go back to the mid-80s to begin my Montreal sports radio recollections. Back then there were no sports radio stations in Montreal, or anywhere else for that matter. WFAN in New York became the first of many in 1987.

I didn't listen to much french-language radio until the 1990s. I remember the concurrent late-afternoon sports shows on CKAC and CJMS. And I do remember that for the longest time, the Montreal Canadiens were heard on Radio-Canada before moving the CKAC.

In english, both the Canadiens and Expos were staples on CFCF 600 AM. CJAD got the Expos for a couple of seasons in 1989, but they returned to CFCF in 1991. As for the Habs, they landed on CJAD in 1991 and have been there ever since.

The only real sports talk we had during the 1980s was Ted Tevan. Now a lot of people might say that his wasn't truly a sports show at the best of times. It was the Game of Life, as Tevan called it, that was the focus of the program. Above all else, he was an entertainer. You heard a lot of boxing talk, horse racing discussions and so on, but the show WAS Ted Tevan. It was the interaction between him and his cast of characters, guests and callers. And who can ever forget his trademark machine gun?

Back in the "day" Tevan's show was incredibly popular in Montreal, particularly during the 1970s and the early part of the 80s. If I recall correctly, his show was even syndicated for a little while. The show did disappear by the end of the decade, and Tevan headed for Ontario for several years. I think he ended up on a station in Windsor...

Interesting tidbit about Ted Tevan is that he was the person who originally put together the Expos' french radio network in 1968. He must have been a pretty good salesman, but I guess things were quite a bit different back then. He would always talk about that accomplishment with great pride.

Mr. Tevan did return to town in the 1990s and did some radio in Montreal up until the 00s. Last I heard he had had some health problems. I hope he's ok. He truly is one of the few remaining Montreal radio legends.