Canadian television personality and journalist best known worldwide for hosting the TV series Stampede Wrestling. Whalen was also a respected sportscaster in Calgary, Alberta whose nickname was "Wailin' Ed" because of his famous nasal announcing voice.
Ed Whalen, born in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan studied medicine at the University of Saskatchewan in 1948 but dropped out to take a part-time job in radio broadcasting at CFQC radio. In 1955, he moved to Calgary and became the News and Sports Director for the new Calgary TV station CHCT also known as 2&7, and then Calgary 7. It later became part of the Global Television network.
While at his CHCT job, Stu Hart, the famous wrestler and patriarch of the wrestling Hart boys (Bret, Owen, Bruce, son-in-law, Jim "The Anvil" Neidhart, and the late son-in-law, Davey Boy Smith) asked Whalen to work for him on his new wrestling show. Whalen gained worldwide fame for being the ringside announcer of the immensely successful Stampede Wrestling from 1958 to 1983 (plus its later revival from 1985 to 1989). As announcer, Whalen created catch phrases including "It's going to be a ring-a-ding-dong dandy!," "malfunction at the junction" and his trademark sign-off, "In the meantime and in-between time." A few times, he got involved in the midst of a wrestling match. Abdullah the Butcher or Abby while fighting Billy Robinson in a Stampede Corral event (overflow of 10,000 people) grabbed Ed Whalen's mike and began beating Robinson with it. Ed took exception to this and he went up on the mat and grabbed the mike from Abby and bashed Abby over the head with the mike, cutting him for 13 stitches. Stu Hart rushed in to take Ed to safety after the hit to prevent further mayhem. Abby and Ed would meet again in a different situation at the Calgary airport a few months later. Abby gave Ed a gift and they became friends after that.
After his time with Stampede Wrestling, Whalen was widely recognized by Calgarians as the television voice of the Calgary Flames on 2&7/Calgary 7 from 1980 (right after the city won the NHL franchise) until his retirement in 1999. His introduction, "Hello hockey fans!" and catchphrases such as "a ring-a-ding-dong dandy" were his regular fare. Whalen also wrote a weekly column in the Calgary Sun newspaper for many years, and even after his retirement he continued to make occasional appearances on TV and still wrote his column. He hosted the Children's Miracle Network for many years.
Ed Whalen died of a heart attack while on vacation in Venice, Florida in 2001 at the age of 74. The broadcasting booth in Calgary's Pengrowth Saddledome (home of the Calgary Flames) was renamed the Ed Whalen Broadcast Booth in his honour. A year after his death, his wife released a CD of musical recordings Whalen made, with the proceeds going to charity. Ed Whalen is buried in Canmore Cemetery, Alberta, his grave facing the Three Sisters Mountain (part of the Canadian Rocky Mountains) near Canmore.
∼wrestling announcer.whalen was the voice of stu hart's stampede wrestling for most of it's existance.
Ed Whalen, born in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan studied medicine at the University of Saskatchewan in 1948 but dropped out to take a part-time job in radio broadcasting at CFQC radio. In 1955, he moved to Calgary and became the News and Sports Director for the new Calgary TV station CHCT also known as 2&7, and then Calgary 7. It later became part of the Global Television network.
While at his CHCT job, Stu Hart, the famous wrestler and patriarch of the wrestling Hart boys (Bret, Owen, Bruce, son-in-law, Jim "The Anvil" Neidhart, and the late son-in-law, Davey Boy Smith) asked Whalen to work for him on his new wrestling show. Whalen gained worldwide fame for being the ringside announcer of the immensely successful Stampede Wrestling from 1958 to 1983 (plus its later revival from 1985 to 1989). As announcer, Whalen created catch phrases including "It's going to be a ring-a-ding-dong dandy!," "malfunction at the junction" and his trademark sign-off, "In the meantime and in-between time." A few times, he got involved in the midst of a wrestling match. Abdullah the Butcher or Abby while fighting Billy Robinson in a Stampede Corral event (overflow of 10,000 people) grabbed Ed Whalen's mike and began beating Robinson with it. Ed took exception to this and he went up on the mat and grabbed the mike from Abby and bashed Abby over the head with the mike, cutting him for 13 stitches. Stu Hart rushed in to take Ed to safety after the hit to prevent further mayhem. Abby and Ed would meet again in a different situation at the Calgary airport a few months later. Abby gave Ed a gift and they became friends after that.
After his time with Stampede Wrestling, Whalen was widely recognized by Calgarians as the television voice of the Calgary Flames on 2&7/Calgary 7 from 1980 (right after the city won the NHL franchise) until his retirement in 1999. His introduction, "Hello hockey fans!" and catchphrases such as "a ring-a-ding-dong dandy" were his regular fare. Whalen also wrote a weekly column in the Calgary Sun newspaper for many years, and even after his retirement he continued to make occasional appearances on TV and still wrote his column. He hosted the Children's Miracle Network for many years.
Ed Whalen died of a heart attack while on vacation in Venice, Florida in 2001 at the age of 74. The broadcasting booth in Calgary's Pengrowth Saddledome (home of the Calgary Flames) was renamed the Ed Whalen Broadcast Booth in his honour. A year after his death, his wife released a CD of musical recordings Whalen made, with the proceeds going to charity. Ed Whalen is buried in Canmore Cemetery, Alberta, his grave facing the Three Sisters Mountain (part of the Canadian Rocky Mountains) near Canmore.
∼wrestling announcer.whalen was the voice of stu hart's stampede wrestling for most of it's existance.
Canadian television personality and journalist best known worldwide for hosting the TV series Stampede Wrestling. Whalen was also a respected sportscaster in Calgary, Alberta whose nickname was "Wailin' Ed" because of his famous nasal announcing voice.
Ed Whalen, born in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan studied medicine at the University of Saskatchewan in 1948 but dropped out to take a part-time job in radio broadcasting at CFQC radio. In 1955, he moved to Calgary and became the News and Sports Director for the new Calgary TV station CHCT also known as 2&7, and then Calgary 7. It later became part of the Global Television network.
While at his CHCT job, Stu Hart, the famous wrestler and patriarch of the wrestling Hart boys (Bret, Owen, Bruce, son-in-law, Jim "The Anvil" Neidhart, and the late son-in-law, Davey Boy Smith) asked Whalen to work for him on his new wrestling show. Whalen gained worldwide fame for being the ringside announcer of the immensely successful Stampede Wrestling from 1958 to 1983 (plus its later revival from 1985 to 1989). As announcer, Whalen created catch phrases including "It's going to be a ring-a-ding-dong dandy!," "malfunction at the junction" and his trademark sign-off, "In the meantime and in-between time." A few times, he got involved in the midst of a wrestling match. Abdullah the Butcher or Abby while fighting Billy Robinson in a Stampede Corral event (overflow of 10,000 people) grabbed Ed Whalen's mike and began beating Robinson with it. Ed took exception to this and he went up on the mat and grabbed the mike from Abby and bashed Abby over the head with the mike, cutting him for 13 stitches. Stu Hart rushed in to take Ed to safety after the hit to prevent further mayhem. Abby and Ed would meet again in a different situation at the Calgary airport a few months later. Abby gave Ed a gift and they became friends after that.
After his time with Stampede Wrestling, Whalen was widely recognized by Calgarians as the television voice of the Calgary Flames on 2&7/Calgary 7 from 1980 (right after the city won the NHL franchise) until his retirement in 1999. His introduction, "Hello hockey fans!" and catchphrases such as "a ring-a-ding-dong dandy" were his regular fare. Whalen also wrote a weekly column in the Calgary Sun newspaper for many years, and even after his retirement he continued to make occasional appearances on TV and still wrote his column. He hosted the Children's Miracle Network for many years.
Ed Whalen died of a heart attack while on vacation in Venice, Florida in 2001 at the age of 74. The broadcasting booth in Calgary's Pengrowth Saddledome (home of the Calgary Flames) was renamed the Ed Whalen Broadcast Booth in his honour. A year after his death, his wife released a CD of musical recordings Whalen made, with the proceeds going to charity. Ed Whalen is buried in Canmore Cemetery, Alberta, his grave facing the Three Sisters Mountain (part of the Canadian Rocky Mountains) near Canmore.
∼wrestling announcer.whalen was the voice of stu hart's stampede wrestling for most of it's existance.
Ed Whalen, born in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan studied medicine at the University of Saskatchewan in 1948 but dropped out to take a part-time job in radio broadcasting at CFQC radio. In 1955, he moved to Calgary and became the News and Sports Director for the new Calgary TV station CHCT also known as 2&7, and then Calgary 7. It later became part of the Global Television network.
While at his CHCT job, Stu Hart, the famous wrestler and patriarch of the wrestling Hart boys (Bret, Owen, Bruce, son-in-law, Jim "The Anvil" Neidhart, and the late son-in-law, Davey Boy Smith) asked Whalen to work for him on his new wrestling show. Whalen gained worldwide fame for being the ringside announcer of the immensely successful Stampede Wrestling from 1958 to 1983 (plus its later revival from 1985 to 1989). As announcer, Whalen created catch phrases including "It's going to be a ring-a-ding-dong dandy!," "malfunction at the junction" and his trademark sign-off, "In the meantime and in-between time." A few times, he got involved in the midst of a wrestling match. Abdullah the Butcher or Abby while fighting Billy Robinson in a Stampede Corral event (overflow of 10,000 people) grabbed Ed Whalen's mike and began beating Robinson with it. Ed took exception to this and he went up on the mat and grabbed the mike from Abby and bashed Abby over the head with the mike, cutting him for 13 stitches. Stu Hart rushed in to take Ed to safety after the hit to prevent further mayhem. Abby and Ed would meet again in a different situation at the Calgary airport a few months later. Abby gave Ed a gift and they became friends after that.
After his time with Stampede Wrestling, Whalen was widely recognized by Calgarians as the television voice of the Calgary Flames on 2&7/Calgary 7 from 1980 (right after the city won the NHL franchise) until his retirement in 1999. His introduction, "Hello hockey fans!" and catchphrases such as "a ring-a-ding-dong dandy" were his regular fare. Whalen also wrote a weekly column in the Calgary Sun newspaper for many years, and even after his retirement he continued to make occasional appearances on TV and still wrote his column. He hosted the Children's Miracle Network for many years.
Ed Whalen died of a heart attack while on vacation in Venice, Florida in 2001 at the age of 74. The broadcasting booth in Calgary's Pengrowth Saddledome (home of the Calgary Flames) was renamed the Ed Whalen Broadcast Booth in his honour. A year after his death, his wife released a CD of musical recordings Whalen made, with the proceeds going to charity. Ed Whalen is buried in Canmore Cemetery, Alberta, his grave facing the Three Sisters Mountain (part of the Canadian Rocky Mountains) near Canmore.
∼wrestling announcer.whalen was the voice of stu hart's stampede wrestling for most of it's existance.
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