MONTREAL – Veteran RDS play-by-play announcer Pierre Houde, also known as the voice of the Montreal Canadiens, is celebrating a big anniversary this week.
Thirty years ago, at a time when specialty channels were not too common, RDS made a splash on Quebec televisions.
“It was an experiment and a lot of people were very skeptical about the future, or the potential of any future at RDS,” Houde said.
“The big task was to broadcast 24 hours a day, seven days a week, 365 [days] a year in French.”
The network was officially launched on Sept. 1, 1989 and by Oct. 16, had aired its first NHL broadcast.
In the early days, Houde says he remembers the team having to prove that it belonged “in the big leagues” with its limited resources, talent and money.
Of course, that’s no longer the case, with RDS available in 2.5 million households across the province.
Watch the video to hear some of Houde’s best memories from the last 30 years at RDS.
