Remembering Red Wings Announcer Budd Lynch

By Ryan Dunn

CREATED Oct. 10, 2012

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Public Address Announcer, Budd Lynch, passed away Tuesday morning after 63 years with the Detroit Red Wings organization.

"Budd Lynch was a dear member of the Detroit Red Wings family and legendary icon of our community," said Red Wings' owner Mike Ilitch. "Hearing Budd's voice on the radio and over the public address at Joe Louis Arena was something that every Red Wings fan looked forward to and loved. His calm, friendly and distinguished voice was symbolic of who Budd was as a person."

Budd started his career in 1936 at a radio station soon after high school graduation. However, in 1939, he volunteered for the Canadian Army and served during World War II. Following the D-Day invasion at Normandy, Lynch lost his shoulder and right arm after a rocket attack.

For the rest of WWII, Budd worked with the British Broadcasting Co. and was later hired in Windsor, Ontario where he was sports director and did play-by-play for the Windsor Spitfires, a junior hockey team.

In 1949, he started his journey with the Detroit Red Wings – a place he would call home for the rest of his career and life. He began with WWJ in Detroit, calling televised Wings games. He was part of four Stanley Cup crusades over that decade. Budd later served as the Wings’ public-relations director at Joe Louis Arena until 1985 when he would take over the role at the public-address announcer.

Current Detroit Red Wings broadcaster Mickey Redmond stated "He made a lot of people's lives better because of the way he was and the way he carried on. He had a great demeanor, a great, proud Irishman, and wore it on his sleeve. A real gentleman."

Lynch is survived by his five daughters, Janis, Valerie, Mary, Francey, Patricia and Lori.

"'Assess a man for what he has, not what he has not” – Budd Lynch 

Rest in Peace Budd Lynch 
1917-2012