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Columbus Blue Jackets Broadcaster Bill Davidge Announces Retirement

Longtime Columbus Blue Jackets broadcaster and former CBJ scout Bill Davidge announced today that he will retire at the end of the season to spend more time with family and friends.

Davidge has been with the organization since its inception, serving as a scout before hopping into the broadcast booth. He provided color commentary on the radio and for Fox Sports Ohio, eventually settling into his current role as a studio host.

The good news is that his retirement doesn’t seem related to his battle with cancer, for which he underwent a bone marrow transplant in 2015. Our own Jeff Little, who sadly passed away from cancer in 2017, wrote a fantastic piece about Davidge’s diagnosis when it became public.

I have had the privilege to deal with him in the course of my covering the Blue Jackets over the years, and we’ll chat briefly whenever we run into each other. But that’s part of Bill’s charm — you don’t need to spend much time with him to understand what a fine gentleman he is. Unfailingly polite, tough as nails, and always, always ready to talk hockey.

Davidge has been a fantastic ambassador for the Blue Jackets and central Ohio hockey in general. He’s a wizard with the telestrator; perhaps the team can give him some good plays to discuss down the stretch. While we’re sad to see him go, it’s great to know he plans to stay around the organization and hockey community.

This also opens up a role for someone else to join the Fox broadcast. Tony Brown from the Cleveland Monsters? Jean-Luc Grand-Pierre? Rick Nash?

Leave your favorite Bill Davidge memory (and your dream Davidge replacement) in the comments!