Chris Berman remembers iconic ESPN NHL voices Tom Mees, John Saunders
It’s an exciting time for us at ESPN, and certainly for all hockey fans this year. We get to televise this Stanley Cup Finals between two teams clearly at the top of their game — the Carolina Hurricanes and the Vegas Golden Knights. The ‘Canes roared through the Eastern Conference playoffs, going 12 and one. The Knights swept the team with the best record in the Western Conference Finals, Colorado. Carolina was four and oh in overtime games — Vegas was three and oh. You can watch all of the Stanley Cup on ABC.
Yet for those of us who have been here for awhile — and many of you viewers — there are two of our very finest who are missing, both of whom left their indelible stamp on all of our NHL coverage. John Saunders passed away 10 years ago in 2016. Tom Mees passed away 30 years ago in 1996.
John was a proud Canadian who transferred from a stellar college hockey career on both sides of the border to a Hall of Fame broadcasting career — he joined us in 1986. His knowledge and love for hockey was apparent every minute he was on the air. After all, it was in his blood, as his brother Bernie played in the NHL with the Quebec Nordiques.
Whatever sport John hosted, to call him smooth and seamless would be a gross understatement. He made sure that his analysts shined. If you listen carefully to the Finals, you’ll undoubtedly hear the genuine laughter and banter between John and Barry Melrose. The same was true for college basketball when paired with Jim Valvano. John’s impact and love for his late friend lives forever. He was an original board member of the V Foundation for Cancer Research, which has now raised upwards of $450 million.
Tom brought the NHL to life from our very first year of 1979 through countless SportsCenter appearances, no matter what hour of the day or night. He was a Philadelphia Flyers fan, meaning he left no doubt where his hockey roots began. His boundless energy and love for the NHL exploded through the screen doing highlights and analysis.
In the 80s and 90s, when ESPN televised the regular season and postseason, Tom pivoted often to play-by-play. His enthusiasm captured even the casual hockey fan, but he never allowed it to interfere with the game we were all watching on the screen. His standup opens always nailed it. There was no way you could turn away from the puck drop and the hours of hockey that followed.
We lost both gentlemen within a week of each other, albeit 20 years apart — Tom in August of 1996 and John in August of 2016. Somehow, it’s fitting that the NHL team that used to play right down the road from us — the Hartford Whalers — long ago became the Carolina Hurricanes, who are in these Finals. You can see the smile on both men’s faces. John Saunders and Tom Mees — forever a part of our Stanley Cup coverage, forever a part of ESPN.
