A great man left us yesterday: Roger Brulotte, who was the voice of the Montreal Expos for years, will never be forgotten, and part of his legacy is now with the Montreal Canadiens.
The media landscape in Montreal was rocked by heartbreaking news on Friday when journalist Rodger Brulotte passed away at the age of 79. The voice of the Montreal Expos for years, Brulotte was to baseball in Quebec what Pierre Houde is to hockey.
The larger-than-life character got his first opportunity in the baseball world when he joined the Expos’ sales and marketing department before becoming the team’s play-by-play announcer with RDS back in 1990. While working for Nos Amours, he participated in the creative process that led to the arrival of the team’s mascot, Youppi!, in 1979 alongside Roger D. Landry.
When the Expos moved to Washington, the orphaned mascot became the Montreal Canadiens’ and got a new lease of life. While taking part in his creation was an interesting realization, it’s not what Brulotte will be most remembered for. An entire generation of Quebecers grew up watching the Expos on TV and hearing Brulotte’s famous “Bonsoir, elle est partie!” every time a player hit a home run. His catchphrase is now part of Quebec’s popular culture, much like Houde’s “Le tir, et le but!”.
Brulotte’s loss is significant for the Montreal journalistic landscape, and tributes have been appearing on social media since the news broke yesterday. Canadiens’ VP of Hockey Communications Chantal Machabee put out her own tribute to the great man.
Expect the Canadiens to ask fans to join them in a minute of silence on Saturday night when the Canadiens host the New York Islanders at the Bell Centre.
Follow Karine on X @KarineHains Bluesky @karinehains.bsky.social and Threads @karinehains.
Bookmark The Hockey News Canadiens' page for all the news and happenings around the Canadiens.
Join the discussion by signing up to the Canadiens' roundtable on The Hockey News.
Subscribe to The Hockey News at THN.com/free. Get the latest news and trending stories by subscribing to our newsletter here.