A Man For All Seasons
The Joy of Pond Hockey and More!

Acrylic Paintings by Brian McFarlane
Artist, Author, and former
Hockey Night in Canada Broadcaster

Until February 15th, 2026

Brian McFarlane is known as Canada's foremost hockey historian, a man who has been a player, a writer and a broadcaster of the game for over fifty years. In 2020, he was named to the Order of Canada.

    For 27 years he served as a host and commentator on Hockey Night in Canada. In 1960, he became the first Canadian to work on U.S. hockey telecasts with CBS. In the seventies, he hosted the NBC hockey telecasts. 

    He owns the worldwide rights to Peter Puck, the animated talking hockey puck.

    He has written over 100 books and his book sales are estimated at well over a million copies.

Brian is the son of Leslie McFarlane, author of the first 21 books in the famous Hardy Boys series. 

     He once wrote a song that went to number 1 in Toronto for six straight weeks: Clear the Track, Here Comes Shack.

     In 1995 he was inducted into the media section of the Hockey Hall of Fame. He is also a member of five other Sports Halls of Fame.

     He is the winner of a Sport Media Canada Award.

     He is the Honorary President of SIHR, the Society for International Hockey Research.

In 2018, he and Bill Torrey (four Stanley Cups with the Islanders) were honoured as Hockey Legends by St. Lawrence University in Canton, New York.

     After a junior A career, he become an All America player at St. Lawrence where he was class president for three straight years. He still holds St. Lawrence scoring records for most career goals (101) and most hat tricks (10).

     In the early seventies, he was invited to play for the NHL Oldtimers and stayed with them for two decades, the only amateur on the team. He has also played for the Flying Fathers Hockey Club, the only real father (three kids) on the team.

     At age 84, he was still playing oldtimers hockey three times a week. He has skated with Cyclone Taylor (age 90), Wayne Gretzky (age 12) and Mario Lemieux. He has played with or against Bobby Hull, Gordie Howe, Ted Lindsay and Rocket Richard.

     He was founder and Dean of the Scotiabank Hockey College, a position he held for 17 years.

     He once owned a pro lacrosse team (the Montreal Canadiens) and, for ten years operated the Brian McFarlane Hockey Museum.

     Now in his 90s, he is involved in a new career, painting in acrylics. His hockey paintings have been on display at various locations throughout Ontario.

     He has been married to his wife Joan for 70 years. They have three children, six grandchildren and four great grandchildren.

 Brian’s “Firsts”

• The first Ottawa grade school student (age 12) to win an essay contest recorded by the CBC and heard in Canada, England and Australia.

• One of the first Canadians to be offered a hockey scholarship to an American University. First captain of the team. Some of his scoring records have never been matched.

• The first sportscaster to be employed by WRGB-TV in Schenectady, New York.

• The first playing coach of the Schenectady Generals hockey club.

• The first to host a country music show on station CFRB in Toronto.

• The first Sports Director of TV station CFCF, Montreal.

• The first hockey commentator to interview hockey stars on skates. (CBS)

• One of first baseball commentators (with Tim Ryan) on telecasts of Toronto Maple Leaf baseball games. (Int. League)

• The first regular colour commentator on Hockey Night in Canada.

• The first hockey commentator to write a hockey song that went to number one on the CHUM Charts—Clear the Track, Here Comes Shack.

• The first commentator to walk on the ice during an NHL playoff game to interview an official about a serious player injury (NBC 1974).

• The first amateur player to be invited to play for the NHL (Ontario) Oldtimers—a stint that lasted two decades.

• The first non-priest to play for the famous Flying Fathers Hockey Club. A hat trick earned him the title “Bishop” McFarlane.

• The first Master of Ceremonies to host a major hockey dinner in New York. A gig that lasted for 33 consecutive years.

• The first honorary president of SIHR--the Society for International Hockey Research.

• The first Canadian author to write over 70 books on hockey.

• The first team captain of the Florida Snowbirds Hockey Club. All players over 70.