John Shorthouse speaks about his old Canucks broadcast buddy John Garrett
They created a legacy that will last a lifetime.
John Shorthouse and John Garrett were the voices that brought the Vancouver Canucks to life for fans throughout most of the 21st century.
Shorthouse and Garrett made the good times more fulfilling and the bad times less serious. Most importantly, they always found ways to connect with viewers and make them laugh, even if it meant poking fun at themselves or each other.
On Tuesday, the hockey world was rocked by the news that John Garrett had suddenly passed away. Just days earlier, he was on Sportsnet broadcasts, calling playoff games between the Utah Mammoth and Vegas Golden Knights.
“It’s been a tough 24 hours,” an emotional Shorthouse said Tuesday while speaking with Mike Halford and Jason Brough on Sportsnet 650.
“He had such an impact on so many people.”
It was literally impossible to be in a bad mood around this man. š pic.twitter.com/i2M64yugfQ
— Dan Murphy (@sportsnetmurph) April 28, 2026
That much was evident by the outpouring of support from around the hockey world. Broadcasters, ex-Canucks players, and even NHL commissioner Gary Bettman all gave their words of love to Garrett on a mournful day in Vancouver.
Lovingly referred to as “Cheech,” Garrett was known for his iconic moustache and infectious smile, something that Shorthouse confirmed wasn’t just for show.
“I saw him at two bad moments in his life. One was just, I think… he was just hangry, which is a combination of hungry and angry.”
“The other was that he was advocating for me in the emergency room at the hospital in Philadelphia when I was having a sudden emergency. To see him go into Papa Bear mode on my behalf, just kind of summed him up.”
“He’s probably the most thorough good person I’ll ever meet.”
Shorthouse and Garrett teamed up on Canucks broadcasts from 2008 to 2023, before Garrett stepped away full-time.
“Honestly, we had so much fun,” Shorthouse said.
“Listen, let’s be honest, there have been some good years, but there were a lot of bad ones too, in terms of on-ice performance. Cheech and I had an unwritten pact that we would always take the job seriously. We weren’t there to belittle anything that was happening in front of us.”
“People still want to tune in, and they don’t want to… you don’t want to be dragged down for those three hours. Tuesday is not connected to Thursday, and Thursday is not connected to Saturday; there’s no big picture.”
“Let’s just have fun for two and a half hours and talk to our friends on the other side of the lens. And I just think he had an uncanny ability to connect with people.”
Garrett’s connection to those in hockey was widespread, and Shorthouse shared a story following his passing which confirmed that.
“One of John’s greatest self-deprecating jokes was that [his daughter] Sarah had a Stanley Cup ring and he didn’t,” Shorthouse said.
“But [on Monday night], during the game, John was supposed to be calling Utah versus Vegas, Sarah got a text from John Tortorella, and it came during the first intermission.”
“Tortorella took time during the game, in the intermission, to text Sarah and express his condolences.”
“I think that pretty much sums up the gravitas that Cheech carried with him in the industry.”
“He was the man, and I will miss him greatly.”
So will all of Canucks nation.