Donnie MacIsaac was involved with sports for 45 years: 30 of those in broadcasting with CJFX radio in Antigonish, and CJCB radio and television in Sydney. He began as a sport reporter and hockey play-by-play man with CJFX while he was a student at St. Francis Xavier University in 1948. In 1950, he became sports and news director at CJCB radio. He held both of those positions, while also being the sports director for CJCB television, until 1977, when he switched gears to be communications officer with DEVCO.

He did, however, remain involved with sport through a multitude of positions: a member of the initial board of governors for the Nova Scotia Sport Hall of Fame in 1977, a member of the Nova Scotia Boxing Authority, vice-president of the Nova Scotia Amateur Baseball Association, and the information officer for the 1987 Canada Winter Games held in Cape Breton.

Annual Program

To most athletes and sports fans in Cape Breton and eastern Nova Scotia, the sports world of the 1950s and 60s was Donnie Maclsaac, as his name was synonymous with radio and television sports broadcasting.

Donnie continued his broadcasting career with CJCB in Sydney in 1950, after a short time with CJFX in Antigonish. Donnie would be eventually credited with pioneering news and sports information gathering in Cape Breton.

Most athletes who played sports felt Donnie was not only a reporter but also a friend.

“He would come in the dressing room after the game and he knew everyone by name,” said Elmer ‘Porky’ MacMullen who was a member of a number of great Glace Bay hockey teams of the 50s and 60s. “He was a fine guy and a great radio man.”

‘Big Jim’ MacLean of Sydney said Donnie’s broadcasts were like Cape Breton had its own version of Hockey Night in Canada.

“When we would play on the road, whether in Amherst or one of the other places which had teams, it was great having Donnie with us,” said MacLean. “Everyone would be tuned in. He was great for the community.”

Dr. Carl ‘Bucky’ Buchanan, who was the athletic director of Xavier Junior College, and eventually University College of Cape Breton, said Donnie meant a lot to the entire Cape Breton sports scene.

“When we had the junior team at Xavier Junior, Donnie broadcast our championship series with New Glasgow Bombers,” said Buchanan.  “It seemed he was always there, and, aside from play by play and reporting, he was really involved. Even when we had the Canada Games here in 1987, he was in charge of our media centre. He was great for sports and the community.”

Donnie was a founding member of the Cape Breton Metros Hockey Association, a community-based volunteer group that sponsored the Cape Breton Metros junior hockey team and the sponsoring group of the Metro Hockey tournament, the premier invitational high school hockey tournament in eastern Canada.

As a radio reporter who joined Donnie at CJCB, and took over from him after he moved on to the Cape Breton Development Corporation, his shoes were big ones to fill. But while working with him, he was only too willing to pass on his wisdom and philosophies on covering sports and how to handle people. When I learned that Donnie was being inducted into the Cape

Breton and Nova Scotia Sport Hall of Fame in the same year, I was happy for him and for ‘Francie’ and the rest of the family.

I am proud to be able to say I worked with Donnie. He was a good friend.

Donnie MacIsaac passed away in 1989.

Annual Program Courtesy of Dave LeBlanc