AUTHORS Episodes

Former Labatt Brewing Company President Don McDougall shares the story of the birth of our Toronto Blue Jays, co-starring Paul Godfrey, Paul Beeston, Peter Bavasi, Pat Gillick, Herb Solway, Ted Rogers, Howard Webster, Page Wadsworth, Sydney Cooper, Charles Bronfman, Neil MacCarl, Bob McCown, Ray Kroc, Sid Oland and featuring a cameo by Alan Eagleson!


TORONTO LEGENDS is hosted by Andrew Applebaum at andrew.applebaum@gmail.com
All episodes available at https://www.torontolegends.ca/episodes/


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Journalist and Author Tim Wharnsby talks about his time at the Toronto Sun/Globe & Mail/Hockey Night in Canada and shares great stories about the characters involved in Canada’s 2002 Olympic Hockey Gold Medal team including Wayne Gretzky, Joe Sakic, Pat Quinn, Chris Pronger, Russ Courtnall, Bobby Clarke, Owen Nolan, Bob Nicholson and Bob Cole! BONUS MATERIAL: Jack Nicklaus and Greg Norman...as human beings one is a stud, and one is a dud!


Tim’s book Gold: How Gretzky's Men Ended Canada's 50-Y...

Journalist/Broadcaster/Author Damien Cox talks about starting out from The Toronto Star’s Scarborough bureau [the Toronto Zoo beat], co-hosting Prime Time Sports with the Bobcat Bob McCown [otherwise known as The Cutting Edge...with listeners!], his afternoon show on The FAN and subsequent books with Gord Stellick, his stint on Hockey Night in Canada during the Strombo Years, his thoughts on the major players [Darryl/Lanny/Borje/Inge/Captain Video/Palmy/Tiger/Harold] involved in his new book on ...

Broadcaster turned Author Lisa Bowes talks about starting out as a 'fliegen' at TSN, putting in the extra hours at Maple Leaf Gardens, taking over for Rod Black at CTV Winnipeg, working on CBC’s weekly documentary program Sports Journal, all the creativity & innovations that came out of The Score Television Network, calling Women's Ice Hockey [and Canada's Gold Medal] at the 2010 Vancouver Olympics, convincing Gary Bettman to do his best ‘duck call’ live on TV, covering the ‘Finnish Flash’ Teemu...

Entrepreneur, publisher, art collector, fundraiser, philanthropist and now author Salah Bachir shares stories from his life and his new memoir ‘First to Leave the Party: My Life With Ordinary People…Who Happen to be Famous’ involving Paul Newman, Elizabeth Taylor, Marlon Brando, Joan Rivers, Doris Day, Cesar Chavez, Diahann Carroll, Andy Warhol and many more!


‘First to Leave the Party: My Life With Ordinary People…Who Happen to be Famous’ is published by Penguin Random House Canada and is ava...

Author Randi Druzin talks about her new book Behind the Mask: A Revealing Look at Twelve of the Greatest Goalies in Hockey History, sharing interesting stories about Mike 'The Popcorn Kid' Palmateer, Henrik Lundqvist, Carey Price, Grant Fuhr, Vladislav Tretiak, Marc-André Fleury, Roberto Luongo, Tony Esposito, Gerry Cheevers, Rogie Vachon, Ed Giacomin and Roger Crozier. She also concurs that the greatest piece of goaltender artwork is Ken Danby’s ‘At The Crease’!


For more on Randi, please vis...

Broadcaster/Stanley Cup Champion/Entrepreneur Nick Kypreos talks about his spectacular cameo alongside Kobe Bryant/Sandra Oh/Robert Wuhl in HBO’s Arli$$, his outstanding relationship with Doug MacLean, repping the Greek community while playing for his hometown Toronto Maple Leafs, winning a Stanley Cup with the NY Rangers, winning a Calder Cup with 'the NY Yankees of the AHL' the Hershey Bears, the fortuitous bounce of almost but not quite getting fired after his first year at Sportsnet, and how...

Journalist/Author Jean-Jacques Taylor talks about his new book providing an all-access insider's look at Deion Sanders, how Deion went from PRIME TIME to COACH PRIME, how Deion meets his college athletes at THEIR level [dominating IG, a DJ in the locker room] while still keeping it Old School, Deion’s surprisingly calm & quiet favourite pastime of fishing, why Deion never pays attention to ‘they,’ why all Deion’s meetings start as soon as he shows up [and why even his sons are not exempt from pu...

The Region 105.9’s Morning Man Jim Lang talks about the power of hyper-local radio, the awe–inspiring signage he encountered while visiting Lee Eckley at CHUM-FM [‘through these doors walk the finest radio talent in Canada’], his Humber College internship with an absolutely all-star broadcasting team at Q107 [John Derringer, Gene Valaitis, Jane Hawtin, Andy Frost, John Gallagher, Jimmy James, Bob Mackowycz Sr, Steve Anthony], enjoying his one & only LIVE Stanley Cup parade while working in Montr...

NHL Coach/GM/Executive/Broadcaster and now Author Doug MacLean introduces his new book DRAFT DAY: How Hockey Teams Pick Winners or Get Left Behind and shares stories from a lifetime in hockey including his first pro head coaching job with the Baltimore Skipjacks, his first NHL head coaching job with the Florida Panthers, starting the Columbus Blue Jackets from scratch, why you need at least 10 of your own draft picks on the team to win a Stanley Cup, and the difficulties of the ‘GM Conundrum.’

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With the imminent publication of his memoir A Mic For All Seasons, the most versatile sports broadcaster in North America Kenny Albert talks about learning by osmosis from Dad Marv and Uncles Al & Steve, working alongside The Great One Wayne Gretzky [and #99 writing the foreword to his book], taking over for ‘the Vin Scully of hockey’ Mike ‘Doc’ Emrick, the confusion about how John Tavares pronounces his own name, starting his career as the voice of the AHL’s Baltimore Skipjacks while rooming on...

Raising Empowered Athletes author Kirsten Jones talks about her membership in the William & Mary Athletics Hall of Fame alongside Michael ‘Pinball’ Clemons, shares stories from 15 years on the global footwear team at Nike under founder Phil Knight, parses the real from the fictional in Matt Damon/Ben Affleck’s Nike movie AIR, draws lessons from [in]famous athlete/parent combos including Tiger/Earl Woods, Bronny/LeBron James & Lonzo-LiAngelo-LeMelo/LaVar Ball, transferring her experiences as a pe...

Global News Morning Kingston’s Bill Welychka talks about starting at MuchMusic the same week he graduated from Seneca College’s Radio and TV Arts program, the surreal experience of moving from WATCHING [on tv] to WORKING alongside Christopher Ward/Steve Anthony/Michael Williams/Laurie Brown/Denise Donlon, sliding from MuchMusic over to MuchMoreMusic, his anticipation for and involvement in the upcoming MuchMusic documentary '299 Queen Street West,' why the visionary Moses Znaimer’s Speakers Corn...

Postmedia/Toronto Sun journalist Steve Simmons talks about Ironman Phil Kessel’s never-ending Hot Dog story, why Raghib ‘The Rocket’ Ismail was a real pill, expanding his Sunday Notes column from 600 to 2200 words, paring down his 9,000+ columns to select the best mix of 89 for his book A Lucky Life, leveraging Cliff Fletcher’s real estate transactions to score the front page of the Calgary Herald, American blowhard Keith Olbermann calling him ‘the worst person in the world’ [not once but twice!...

Author/Card Collector/Sportsnet’s Ken Reid talks about his instant chemistry with co-anchor Evanka Osmak [Country Mouse & City Mouse], how 70,000 sportscards doesn’t take up nearly as much storage space as you would think [T&P to his understanding wife!], chasing his sportscard ‘white whales’ [1950s Gordie Howe & Mickey Mantle], Kirk Muller breaking the tension of working rinkside for HNIC at the Bell Centre, his appreciation for Troy Gamble while chasing down the first card of every Nova Scotia...

Longtime Hockey Commentator & Author Scott Morrison talks about writing his upcoming book 'Draft Day' with pickleball devotee Doug MacLean, serving as a protégé of the late great George ‘The Baron’ Gross at The Toronto Sun, why Harold Ballard called him ‘Whiskers,’ why the 1972 Summit Series is still so fascinating 50+ years later, why Rick Vaive’s #22 should ABSOLUTELY be raised to the Scotiabank Arena rafters, why Nelson Millman remains his trusted Vice-Chair for the annual Conn Smythe Sports ...

Literary Agent & Published Poet Brian Wood shares stories from representing diverse authors including Peter Mansbridge, Stu [The Grim Reaper] Grimson, Terry David Mulligan, Bob [Bobby Margarita] McKenzie, Tie Domi, Ellen Roseman, Steve Simmons, John Shannon, Colleen Jones, Scott Morrison, Justin Davis and Al Strachan. Brian talks about his three published poetry collections, and how they complement rather than replace his ‘day job’ as a literary agent. He also explains the economics of the book ...

Professional Guitarist/TCDSB Teacher/Author Sean Kelly shares a lifetime of surreal moments:

Inspired by Twisted Sister’s Dee Snider...eventually collaborates with Dee Snider!

First concert ever attended growing up in North Bay was Helix + Honeymoon Suite...eventually plays in both bands!

Loved Corey Hart...eventually plays Corey Hart’s songs [note for note] live in front of him at his Canadian Walk of Fame induction!

Named his band Crash Kelly after his hockey playing maverick Uncle Orville...

Retiring [not retired] Professor Ken Wong from the Smith School of Business at Queen’s University talks about his early immersion in the family business [Wong Wing grew from egg rolls in 1948 Montreal’s Chinatown to Canada’s largest processor of Chinese food], sharing the mantle of ‘media’s marketing go-to guy’ with Alan Middleton, the ‘friendly rivalry’ between Western and Queen’s [yep, he couldn’t resist and snuck a dig in there!], the importance of the numerous business school rankings ['be #...

Former Toronto Maple Leafs Captain Rick Vaive talks about being the first Maple Leaf in franchise history to score 50 goals in a season [and doing it 3 seasons in a row], playing his first pro season in the WHA with the Birmingham [Alabama!] Bulls for John Brophy, those horrific Vancouver Canucks 'halloween' uniforms, how he found out he got traded from Vancouver to Toronto, his love for the souvlaki at John Anderson Hamburgers, how he was informed he was now the Captain of the Toronto Maple Lea...

Former Hockey Pro & Author Justin Davis walks us through a hockey journey that involved being drafted by the Washington Capitals, multiple championships at multiple levels of hockey, playing overseas, disturbing accounts of hazing rituals, suffering multiple concussions [one of which saw him hospitalized with brain bleed], and ongoing battles with mental health/depression/anxiety. How did he end up putting his memoir together, and what has the feedback been from his kids, his parents, his high s...

Author/Journalist/Wrestling Historian Greg Oliver talks about his memoir on Blue Jays skipper John Gibbons [“tried to watch a video compilation of all his umpire ejections...couldn’t get through them all!”], his biography of Billy Van [Hilarious House of Frightenstein & Bizarre with John Byner...classics!], and his Sports Illustrated online piece about Canadian wrestling icon Rocky Johnson’s unacknowledged children [the half-siblings of Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson]!


OLIVERBOOKS: The home of aut...

Gibby!! Former Toronto Blue Jays Manager John Gibbons talks about why he loves Toronto [and why Toronto loves him back], the story behind writing his new autobiography, why Josh Donaldson wrote the foreword, his back to back ALCS appearances in 2015/2016, the Jose Bautista bat flip [“whole stadium was shaking!”], the Jose Bautista punch up [“he got rocked but never went down!”], the Shea Hillenbrand incident [“it was gonna be him or it was gonna be me...and it sure wasn't gonna be me!”], the Ted...

Degrassi Co-creator Linda Schuyler talks about producing over 500 episodes of the iconic franchise, why Drake will always be Aubrey Graham to her, sets the record straight on the urban legend that Drake threatened legal action to get Jimmy Brooks OUT of his wheelchair, gives HER side of the Aubrey Graham audition story [in contrast to Drake’s version as delivered to Jimmy Fallon on The Tonight Show], claims that Jason Mewes and Kevin Smith know MORE Degrassi trivia than she does, clarifies Degra...