As 18-year-old Montreal Canadiens draft pick Michael Hage searched for words to honor his father, who had died in a swimming pool accident a year earlier, Sportsnet broadcaster Jeff Marek placed his hand on Hage’s arm, helped him move his microphone up so he could be heard and then put a reassuring hand on Hage’s back as he held back tears.
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“The whole hockey world is cheering for you,” Marek said. “You know that, right?”
That moment from Sportsnet’s live broadcast of the 2024 NHL Draft in Las Vegas was widely praised for its tenderness — a warm, empathetic gesture by Marek, 55, a veteran broadcaster who over a 30-year career had
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