John "Shorty" Shorthouse (born January 31, 1970 in Vancouver, British Columbia) is a Canadian sports broadcaster, based in Vancouver. He is the lead play-by-play commentator for the Vancouver Canucks on the television station Rogers Sportsnet Pacific and the "Team 1040" when Vancouver games are not broadcast on Rogers Sportsnet Pacific.
Shorthouse began his broadcasting career on local station CKVU-TV in 1993. He was one of the anchors of a popular late-night sports program called Sports Page. In the late nineties he began working as a reporter on Canucks pay-per-view telecasts and called his first NHL hockey game in the play-by-play role as a substitute on March 24, 1998 against the New York Islanders. This game was significant because it featured the return of popular ex-Canucks Trevor Linden and Gino Odjick. The following season, with the inception of CTV Sportsnet (now Rogers Sportsnet), the Canucks greatly expanded their television coverage and Shorthouse was hired to split play-by-play duties with Jim Robson. He also filled in on radio broadcasts when Jim Hughson was assigned to national Sportsnet telecasts. The following year, Robson retired, and Shorthouse became the permanent radio play-by-play man, while Hughson moved to television full-time.
He was the radio voice of the Canucks from 1999–2000 until 2007-08, working alongside colour commentator Tom Larscheid. The two moved over from rival radio station CKNW after that station lost the Canucks' broadcasting rights in 2006. Shorthouse was often seen as the more even-handed of the two in comparison with his exuberant colleague Larscheid.
In March 2008, Jim Hughson left his Canucks' play-by-play position on Rogers Sportsnet to take on CBC telecasts full time, leaving the position available. On June 3, 2008, it was announced that John Shorthouse would take over that position. John is now the voice of the Canucks for every game broadcast on Rogers Sportsnet, and every other game, is the voice on the Team 1040. When Shorthouse is on TV, Rick Ball calls the action during home and road games.
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“This is what the Church is said to want, not party men, but sensible, temperate, sober, well-judging persons, to guide it through the channel of no-meaning, between the Scylla and Charybdis of Aye and No.”
—Cardinal John Henry Newman (1801–1890)