Broadcaster and sportscaster Ron MacLean has been a welcome and familiar presence on Canadian screens for decades. The affable, longtime host of CBC’s Hockey Night in Canada, Ron’s knowledge and quick wit have become legendary. Ron has won 10 Gemini Awards and one Canadian Screen Award, and he has been inducted into the Alberta Sports Hall of Fame, the Canadian Association of Broadcasters Hall of Fame and Canada’s Walk of Fame and has twice won the George Gross Award for excellence in sports broadcasting fromSports Media Canada. Among the many philanthropic projects he supports are the Oakville Hospital Foundation, the Canadian Armed Forces and cancer research.

Faith & Friends interviewed Ron in Toronto after he was the keynote speaker at the Hope in the City breakfast, the traditional kickoff of The Salvation Army’s kettle season.

How did you wind up speaking at the Hope in the City event?

It started with a simple phone call. Major Al Hoeft, who is currently the executive director of The Salvation Army’s Regina Waterston Ministries, approached me to do two events in Edmonton and Calgary. That was four years ago, and I’ve never looked back.

Were you aware of The Salvation Army before this?

Oh, yes! A friend named Mark Stubbert and his parents were Salvation Army members. His mother, who passed away in 2017, taught Sunday school at The Salvation Army’s community church in Mississauga, Ont., and Mark attended the Army’s summer camp at Jackson’s Point, Ont. It was there that he met his wife, Paula, and both of them became counsellors.

Just watching Mark lead our hockey league in Oakville, Ont., was an example of how one person on a team can make a difference, such as Max Muncy of the Los Angeles Dodgers and Jason Varitek of the Boston Red Sox. These are individuals who have a low profile but actually are the catalysts of their team.

Mark was that way with us. He would stand up for teammates, have an encouraging word for everyone and was the bedrock of our team; in other words, everything you would expect in a person with that kind of spiritual upbringing. He was an inspiration.

Speaking of bedrocks, what do you think is the bedrock of The Salvation Army?

All of us have experienced the Christmas kettles, and seeing the happy volunteers manning those kettles has to be the happiest moment in any long day. Edmonton Oilers former head coach Tom Renney once said that playing hockey without a quality centre was like playing Scrabble without vowels. That’s how I feel about volunteers. Volunteers mean everything to the Christmas kettle campaign and to The Salvation Army. God bless them!

What does The Salvation Army’s slogan—Giving Hope Today—mean to you?

I think it means embracing the difficulty of it all. That’s how The Salvation Army operates. They have the ideals of hope, but they also put in the hard work that’s involved in giving hope today. They cling to that hard work, which I think is what’s so admirable.

From your perspective, why are organizations like the Army so important in Canadian communities?

Because they are just so approachable. Everybody is welcome here. This idea of being welcomed is awesome, in a world so polarized by politics and beliefs. The Salvation Army’s stayed above the fray, to my mind, and that’s been admirable.

Has your perception of The Salvation Army changed since you started volunteering?

No. It’s a brand that has never lost an ounce of its credibility. In fact, that’s only grown with time. We always say in branding that frequency is important, consistency is important, but the most important aspect to a brand is called anchoring: the feeling a word or organization gives you.

As an example, if I were to show you a Norman Rockwell painting, you’d know right away what I’m talking about. And when I say The Salvation Army, you know right away what I’m talking about, too. That’s anchoring.

It’s the good feeling that you have when you see the brand, and it wa sinstilled in me as a child. It’s a lovely association to have in the first place, but the Army continues to spread its wings and spread its ideals.

Volunteers mean everything to the Christmas kettle campaign and to The Salvation Army. God bless them! RON MacLEAN

What is something new you have learned about The Salvation Army since getting involved?

Like everyone else, I’m aware that 92 countries were represented at the Olympics in Italy. But The Salvation Army is in more than 130 countries worldwide, so that gives you an idea of the scope of the Army’s influence.

But the thing that really struck me is the numbers, the sheer scope of what the Army does to combat homelessness, poverty, hunger and addiction. I didn’t realize you were feeding so many children and families, helping so many people experiencing homelessness and destitution. It blows my mind that the Army does so much for so many—and that doesn’t happen without hard work.

It all comes back to the concept of teamwork. The Salvation Army is kind of a team, too, and it reminds me of the sports teams that I cover. I’ve learned that it’s a very team-driven enterprise. Except with the Army, there’s no MVP trophy—you’re all MVPs!

Photo: Courtesy of Sportsnet

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