Alex Trebek almost became the host of Hockey Night in Canada!

As all of you reading this will no doubt know by now, the world was hit with some very sad news on Sunday when it was announced that beloved television host Alex Trebek had passed away. Trebek, who battled pancreatic cancer for years, was a Canadian icon but would go on to touch the lives of millions upon millions of people from all across the world thanks to his world famous program Jeopardy!.

We found out on Tuesday night that Trebek was almost hired to host Hockey Night in Canada, which we believe would have been EPIC. As The Hockey News reports, in 1971, HNIC had “just fired Ward Cornell and was looking for a younger and more dynamic replacement.”

Former executive producer Ralph Mellanby recalls that five candidates had made the list and Trebek was one of them. However, there was an issue : a strict rule by Ted Hough, the former president of the Canadian Sports Network that immediately eliminated Trebek from the running despite the fact that he was the best for the job. Trebek had a moustache! 

“We’re watching (Trebek’s) audition and I said, ‘Ted, that’s the guy I really want,’ ” Mellanby said. “And he said, ‘We’re not hiring him. We don’t hire guys with moustaches!’ So I hired Dave Hodge.”

Hodge was good, no doubt, from 1971 until his tenure ended in 1987 on a controversial note. We can only imagine Trebek would have had a long prosperous career at the helm of Hockey Night in Canada if he didn’t have a moustache. 

A couple of months before his passing, Mellanby contacted Trebek as the two men had remained friends and told him how he almost landed the job on HNIC. 

"I talked to (Trebek) on the phone about two months ago and wished him well,” Mellanby said. “I finally told him the story and he didn’t know it. And he said, ‘That is a great story, Ralph. I finally shaved off the moustache.’ He said, ‘I want to thank you for not hiring me. I went to California.’

Trebek will be missed, and not just by the hockey community. Rest In Peace, Alex.