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NHL Notebook: John Garrett passed away at 74, Lyon lifting Sabres, VGK-Utah series tied
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Photo credit: Brian Fluharty-Imagn Images
Alicia LaBine
Apr 28, 2026, 18:00 EDTUpdated: Apr 28, 2026, 17:29 EDT
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John Garrett has passed away unexpectedly at 74 after over 40 years of colour commentary, authorities announced on Tuesday morning.
Garrett was a goaltender in the NHL and WHA. When “Cheech” retired in 1985, he became one of the greatest colour commentators in the NHL.
For 12 seasons, Garrett worked for CBC, where he covered western Canadian matchups, most predominantly being the Edmonton Oilers. In 1986, Edmonton Journal reporter Jim Matheson briefly wrote about him replacing former ITV colour commentator John Davidson.
In Matheson’s November 24, 1990, column for the Journal, Matheson stated that Garrett worked a lot of Oilers games at the time.
Newspaper clipping from Sat, Aug. 30, 1986 where Jim Matheson states John Garrett takes over as ITV colour commentator.
NHL commissioner Gary Bettman shared some insight on what Garrett’s time was like covering the league.
“Following a 13-season career as a goaltender in the WHA and the NHL, Garrett moved into the broadcast booth in 1986 and never left, contributing his encyclopedic knowledge and expert insight to national broadcasts on Sportsnet and local broadcasts for the Edmonton Oilers, Calgary Flames, and, for two decades, the Vancouver Canucks.”
“I always enjoyed catching up with John when our travels around the League intersected – as they did one last time on Friday night in Utah, when he broadcast the Mammoth’s first ever home playoff game. We send our deepest condolences to his family, his friends around the game and his many fans.”
Garrett was commentating on the Utah Mammoth and Vegas Golden Knights’ series at the time of his passing.
Sportsnet shared the news of Garrett’s passing in a social media post on Tuesday morning. The release expressed the heavy impact of this loss for the hockey community.
“‘Cheech’ was a legend,” Garrett was known as “Cheech” to colleagues, friends and fans. “His warmth, humour, and genuine love for the game endeared him to fans and colleagues alike. He brought insight, authenticity, and heart to every broadcast…John will be missed immensely.”
In six NHL seasons, Garrett held a 68-91-37 record with an .866 save percentage (sv%) and 4.28 goals against average (GAA) throughout 207 career regular-season games with the Hartford Whalers, Quebec Nordiques and Vancouver Canucks. In 1982-83, he was named an NHL all-star.

Alex Lyon shining as the Sabres starter

Alex Lyon has been lights out for the Buffalo Sabres since taking over for Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen in Game 2.
Luukkonen allowed seven goals on 40 shots in the first six periods of this series against the Boston Bruins. This set the netminder up for an abysmal .825sv% and 4.19 GAA. In the third period of Game 2, Sabres head coach Lindy Ruff made the decision to throw Lyon into the bear cage, and he has been dominant since.
Lyon has allowed just two goals on 56 shots since he took the reign as the starting goaltender for the Sabres, posting a .964sv% and 0.89 GAA.
He has had a difficult time finding his place in the NHL. After playing for five teams since leaving his Political Science degree at Yale University behind, his current success in Buffalo could mark the beginning of the 33-year-old goaltender finding his home in the league.
During his studies, he played 93 games for the Yale University Bulldogs, posting a 50-29-14 record. His second season with the team was his best as he held a .939sv% and a 1.62 GAA, however, his .936sv% and 1.64 GAA in his final year with the Bulldogs was not far behind.
Then, Lyon came into the league undrafted when he played his first 11 games for the Philadelphia Flyers in 2017-18. His .905sv% wasn’t remarkable by any means, but it was solid for a goaltender who was just getting his first shot at NHL play.
Since then, Lyon has played 138 more games in the league, sporting a winning 71-48-15 record with a decent .903sv% and a 2.92 GAA. This year, Lyon and Luukkonnen had split the starts pretty evenly, with Lyon seeing 36 games and Luukkonen, 35. Colten Ellis also saw 16 games during the 82 game trek.
In Tuesday night’s Game 5, the Yale alumnus will likely lead the Sabres out in attempt to finish the Boston Bruins season.

Golden Knights tie series

The Utah Mammoth and Vegas Golden Knights series continues to be a highly-contested matchup after the 5-4 Golden Knights’ overtime victory on Monday night tied the series.
Now the Vegas Golden Knights have resurrected their home ice advantage heading into Game 5 on Wednesday, where they aim to push Utah to the brink of elimination.
After blowing a 3-0 lead, Vegas found themselves down 4-3 to the Mammoth with 14:50 remaining in the game. A goal from Brett Howden came a little over five minutes later, sending the game to overtime, where Shea Theodore’s first goal and point of the series potentially saved the Golden Knights’ season.
Daily Faceoff LIVE’s Tyler Yaremchuk and Carter Hutton discussed how this could be a series shifter for the Golden Knights.
Tyler Yaremchuk: If Vegas doesn’t win this game in overtime…we are talking about a team down 3-1. We’re talking about a team that probably needs to make a goaltending change because Carter Hart gave up a couple of stinkers again for the Golden Knights. All of that gets washed away with this OT winner. Now, it kinda feels like Vegas is back in the driver’s seat.
Carter Hutton: Yeah, it does. It feels like the pressure is squarely back onto Utah now after the first win at home and then blowing this one. But fighting back, having a lead in the third, it’s something you’d like to see them hang onto. I didn’t like Karel Vejmelka’s game. He’s a guy that I speak very highly of…he was just kinda fighting it a little bit last night and [Vegas] capitalized on their chances. It was a stinger last night for the Utah Mammoth.
Game 5 is slotted for 8:00 p.m. MT on Wednesday, and it will determine which team will be pushed to the cusp of their season ending in Game 6.

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