John Wells (born February 11, 1946) is aCanadian sportscaster. His most recent show, which ended in April 2008, wasWells And Company onCJOB radio inWinnipeg, Manitoba, Canada.[1] He broadcastCanadian Football League games for over 30 years. He is the son of"Cactus" Jack Wells.[2] He was inducted into theCanadian Football Hall of Fame in 1995.
Wells broadcasting career began in 1965 atWinnipeg'sCKY-FM.[3] He moved to television in 1969 as sports director forCKCK-TV inRegina. Wells spent six years as a play-by-play announcer forCFL on CTV. He also spent nine years withCBXT inEdmonton.
In 1971, Wells began working forCBC Sports. At CBC, he worked at two Canada Games (1971 & 1979) and hosted the1978 Commonwealth Games, the 1983World University Games, and the1984 Summer andWinter Olympics. He also worked onHockey Night in Canada from 1979 to 1984 as a rinkside reporter and host for telecasts fromEdmonton and as a studio host and play-by-play announcer on theCFL on CBC from 1973 to 1983.
In 1984, Wells joined the newcablespecialty channel,The Sports Network. At TSN, he hosted the1988 Winter Olympics and was the first host of theNHL on TSN, and the first play by play man of theCFL on TSN. He was also one of the originalSportsDesk hosts and also hostedTSN Sunday andSportsDesk X-tra. He also covered Canada Cup hockey, Canadian college football, Blue Jays baseball, boxing, horse racing, and other variety of sports. From 1990 to 1993, he hosted coverage of theNHL Entry Draft. When theNBA came to Canada in 1995, Wells became the host of TSN's pre-game show,NBA Tonight. Wells also contributed onTSN's coverage of curling, including calling the early rounds of the2001 Nokia Brier[4] and the2003 Scott Tournament of Hearts. For years, he hosted the CFL Outstanding Player Awards and the annualHockey Hall of Fame induction ceremony. He was also a frequent guest and co-host on theFan 590, and panelist onPrime Time Sports.[5]
By 2006, Wells had been phased out at TSN afterChris Cuthbert joined the network. He moved toCJOB radio in Winnipeg, where he became the host of an afternoon show.[6] Wells left CJOB in April 2008.[1]