TSN NHL insider Bob McKenzie retires after 48 years

Longtime hockey insider Bob McKenzie announced his retirement on Tuesday.

McKenzie discussed his retirement in a message shared on both TSN.ca and X.

“The trade is one for none,” McKenzie said. “Which is to say I’m exchanging my semi-retired TSN life of the last five years — doing the World Junior Championships, NHL Draft Rankings, a handful of Toronto Maple Leaf broadcasts, TradeCentre and Free Agent Frenzy — for a fully-retired life of doing absolutely nothing. Well, nothing work related anyway. Today’s Free Agent Frenzy is the last working day in a 48-year professional career that included stops at The Sault Star, The Globe and Mail, The Hockey News (twice), The Toronto Star, TSN, ESPN and NBC, amongst others.”

End of an era for @TSNBobMcKenzie, as we celebrate his retirement in his last #FreeAgentFrenzy on TSN. pic.twitter.com/kYcAzArA8Y

— TSN (@TSN_Sports) July 1, 2025

McKenzie’s workload has been smaller over the last five years, as he went into semi-retirement in 2020.

Later in his post, McKenzie praised TSN. He also discussed the significance of retiring on July 1, Canada Day.

“It’s been a very special place on so many levels,” McKenzie said. “The best part of TSN has always been the people. The best people doing the best work. What an honour to be one small part of the unsurpassed excellence that is TSN. Every time I’ve walked out of Studio Six at the end of Free Agent Frenzy on July 1, I’ve said to myself: ‘It doesn’t get any better than that.’ And it doesn’t. That’s especially true on this Canada Day because I’m so very proud to be a Canadian.”

He began working at TSN in 1986 and has been at the network full time since 2000, though was also part of the NHL on NBC team.