Longtime broadcaster Armitage announces retirement

One of the most familiar figures in Canadian sports broadcasting is calling time on his career.

Longtime Canadian Football League, Hockey Night in Canada and Olympics broadcaster Steve Armitage announced his retirement on Friday.

The 78-year-old Armitage will retire at the conclusion of the Beijing Winter Olympics after a career that spanned into six decades.

Born in England and raised in Canada, Armitage hosted HNIC Vancouver Canucks broadcasts and CFL games, including the Grey Cup, for over 30 years. Armitage covered both Summer and Winter Olympics Games, calling speed skating and swimming events.

In 1982, Armitage won the ACTRA Foster Hewitt Award for Excellence in Sports Broadcasting and he was inducted into the B.C. Sports Hall of Fame in 2006.

The 78-year-old Armitage is announcing long track speed skating for the CBC at the current Beijing Games.