Jim “Boomer” Gordon obit

Jim “Boomer” Gordon Dies: Longtime NHL Radio Host Was 55

 

He was not on the list.

Jim “Boomer” Gordon, longtime host of The Point with Boomer Gordon on SiriusXM NHL Network Radio, died Monday after a 3½-year battle with cancer. He was 55.

His death was announced Monday on the satellite radio channel at the time when his show always started. Many of his longtime colleagues and friends joined in a tribute to the unique host, who could be laconic or acerbic, self-deprecating or in attack mode, talk hockey or golf or football or just about any sport. During the tribute, many of Gordon’s colleagues noted how “he would have hated this,” preferring that they just talk hockey on the Toronto-based channel.

“We are deeply saddened to share the news of the passing of our friend and SiriusXM NHL Network Radio host Jim Boomer Gordon,” SiriusXM NHL Network Radio wrote on social media. “After a courageous battle with cancer, Boomer passed away this week, surrounded by his loved ones. He will be greatly missed by us all, on and off the air.”

Born in 1970 in Hamilton, Ontario, Gordon got his nickname from a colleague based on his resemblance to ex-Toronto Blue Jays pitcher Dave “Boomer” Wells. He started on the XM channel then known as Home Ice as a producer on Phil Esposito’s show, before the Hall of Famer became the radio color commentator for the Tampa Bay Lightning. Gordon was on the air from the earliest days of channel in late 2005, and did his last episode of The Point with Boomer Gordon on January 13. Before that, he had struggled to host the show live from 1-3 p.m. ET every day but the Fridays when he was undergoing chemotherapy. Hahn hosted the show in Gordon’s absence.

Gordon was a huge music fan and began The Point every day with Moby’s “Extreme Ways,” the theme song of the Jason Bourne movies. The show’s second hour always began with The Rolling Stones’ “Can’t You Hear Me Knocking?” and bumper music often was from Gordon’s beloved Canadian bands The Tragically Hip, Our Lady Peace, Bachman-Turner Overdrive and The Guess Who.

Gordon was beloved among his colleagues and fans for his gritty yet laid-back, so-very-Canadian delivery and always having an informed and generally unbiased opinion. One of his bits was “dropping a bomb” — complete with explosion sound effect — on NHL players he felt were underperforming. As his colleagues noted in the tribute show, many of the players he would call out stepped up their game soon afterward.

A skilled interviewer who often asked questions his heard-it-all guests hadn’t heard, Gordon was NHL Network Radio’s go-to guy during the summer, when hockey was off-season and most of its other hosts were on vacation. He filled hours of airtime with annual features about every NHL team including “Team Previews,” “GM Scorecards” and the popular “Hey Bud, What’s Your Problem,” when Gordon would list what each team needed to improve, punctuated by a reading of the titular line from Sean Penn’s Jeff Spicoli in Fast Times at Ridgemont High.

During the NHL season, Gordon and longtime co-host and former intern Jake Hahn would break down the previous night’s games, preview that night’s matchups and deliver humorous but informed takes on the news of the day. In his tell-it-like-it-is style, he often delivered “My Non-Hockey Thought That Is a Hockey Thought,” opining on his gripes and/or observances.

Here’s hoping Boomer was able to watch the Olympic gold medal games, though he would have been crushed by Team USA’s wins over Canada in both the men’s and women’s tournaments.

He is survived by his mother, Christine; stepfather David Peddle; sisters Susan and Heather; brother-in-law Ian Thornton; and several nieces and nephews. In lieu of flowers, the family suggests donations be made in Gordon’s honor to Hockey Fights Cancer or the Ontario SCPA and Humane Society.