Travis Deacon

24 | Type 1 Diabetic | @travis_deeks

[Ontario Hockey League @OHLHockey]

FOR THE 5TH TIME IN OHL HISTORY🏆

The @OHLRangers claim the J. Ross Robertson Cup as #OHL Champions with a 4-0 series sweep!

#OHLChampionship | @CHLHockey

[Kitchener Rangers @OHLRangers]

Built by a community.
Driven by a legacy.

This is the @OHLHockey Championship Series. This is #OHLRangers hockey.

See you tonight, #RTown.

[Travis Deacon @travis_deeks]

Watch out @HayesTSN with an outro like that, @odognine2 could be coming for the host job👏😂

[Travis Deacon @travis_deeks]

Forget the @McDonaldsCanada mini sticks, I want the @BizNasty2point0

[Elliotte Friedman @FriedgeHNIC]

Some context:
"Tried everything" to allow him to play
There was optimism yesterday
Ultimately, he felt he couldn't be enough of a factor -- Canada needed all 13 forwards and Crosby didn't want to go if he couldn't be effective enough for the team to win

Total bummer

[NotKennyRogers @NotKennyRogers]

A guy in a dress shot and killed 9 people in Canada this week while injuring 25 more.

If me saying "guy in a dress" is what angers you the most about that last sentence, you've simply become part of the problem.

[Jesse Marshall @jmarshfof]

This girl posts content around hockey gear. She got an email from Bauer wanting to collaborate with her. She gave them her email, and when they reached out, it was to threaten her with legal action if she didn’t remove photos from their catalogue. What a horrible bait & switch.

[James Duthie @tsnjamesduthie]

@LombardiHimself Still waiting for the first team announcement that a player had "unsuccessful surgery."

"We cut off a leg by mistake."

[Travis Deacon @travis_deeks]

@AnnaNoelleDua Unreal what he’s doing right now. But whose spot is he taking? I can’t seem him in a bottom 6 role

[Travis Deacon @travis_deeks]

@KPapetti Colby Rasmus

[KTFHL @KTFHL]

Schnitzel, steins and selections. It’s…

[Bob McKenzie @TSNBobMcKenzie]

The trade is one for none.

Which is to say I’m exchanging my semi-retired TSN life of the last five years — doing the World Junior Championships, NHL Draft Rankings, a handful of Toronto Maple Leaf broadcasts, TradeCentre and Free Agent Frenzy — for a fully-retired life of doing absolutely nothing.

Well, nothing work related anyway.

Today’s Free Agent Frenzy is the last working day in a 48-year professional career that included stops at The Sault Star, The Globe and Mail, The Hockey News (twice), The Toronto Star, TSN, ESPN and NBC, amongst others.

It’s been quite a ride.

I’ll be 69 years old in August. I decided a few months ago it’s as nice a time as any to call it a career with the expiry of my current contract. If I had been so inclined to continue doing the World Juniors and draft rankings etc. at TSN, the opportunity was certainly there for me to do so. And I’m so grateful to TSN for that.

Honestly, though, I am looking forward to waking up on Christmas morning this year and NOT flying to Minneapolis-St. Paul for the World Juniors.

I’m also looking forward to doing more travelling with my wife Cindy; having more time to give my sons Mike and Shawn unwanted (and unneeded) advice; playing even more golf than I am now; and having my two wonderful grandchildren Blake and Gunnar running my show on a full-time basis.

After almost 50 years in the business, there are far too many people to thank individually, so I won’t even try to name any lest I leave some out.

Just know that I’ve been blessed to work for, work with and work against so many great people who gave me boundless opportunity, incredible support and intense motivation. The nearly five decades have gone by in the blink of an eye.

I certainly never set out to be the TSN Hockey Insider. It never occurred to me that I would work in television. All I wanted to be when I grew up was a hockey writer, to have a “job” to watch, write and talk about the game. You know, tell a few stories and try to capture the spirit of the thing.

Mission accomplished, I guess.

I couldn’t say goodbye now without a special thanks to everyone at TSN, past and present.

I first started showing up on the network in or around 1986-87. In the 1990s, I was working full-time hours at TSN but still had a full time newspaper job, too. Since 2000, 25 years ago, TSN has been my primary professional home.

It’s been a very special place on so many levels. The best part of TSN has always been the people. The best people doing the best work. What an honour to be one small part of the unsurpassed excellence that is TSN. Every time I’ve walked out of Studio Six at the end of Free Agent Frenzy on July 1, I’ve said to myself: “It doesn’t get any better than that.”

And it doesn’t. That’s especially true on this Canada Day because I’m so very proud to be a Canadian. 🇨🇦

I’m a very lucky guy. I owe the game of hockey, and all the people within it — the players, coaches, managers, executives, scouts, agents et al — so much; I owe my family and friends even more. 

Finally, thank you to anyone who has ever read, watched or listened to any of my work in any form at any outlet over the last 48 years. It’s been a privilege to share some information with you all, and try to have a few laughs along the way on social media or whatever they’re calling it these days.

I’ve cherished it all.

Fully Completely.

✌️and 💕 

-30-

[Travis Deacon @travis_deeks]

Kapanen and Barkov @Buccigross #bucciovertimechallenge

[James Mirtle @mirtle]

cc @OverDrive1050

[Travis Deacon @travis_deeks]

#bucciovertimechallenge Perfetti and Fowler

[Travis Deacon @travis_deeks]

@OverDrive1050 @odognine2 @HayesTSN @jamiemclennan29 I’m from Kitchener. That boulder is there for the exact reason that you don’t park there and just wheel out. Sorry O

[Travis Deacon @travis_deeks]

Do you remember when you joined X? I do! #MyXAnniversary

[Travis Deacon @travis_deeks]

@OHLRangers Gold Section 23 Row B Seat 4

[Travis Deacon @travis_deeks]

⁦@OverDrive1050⁩ ⁦@HayesTSN⁩ is a fraud “best bets”

[Barstool Sports @barstoolsports]

“OH FUCK”

Entirely warranted to say on a broadcast after taking a puck to the face @spittinchiclets