“I had hoped to get a job in hockey, but it did not materialize. But there was talk in Montreal of the possibility of Major League Baseball coming to the city. I told my boss, ‘If this happens, baseball is mine.’ And rightfully so, baseball was his.
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The “Voice of the Expos,” Jacques Doucet, passed away on Thursday at 86. And with that, probably the biggest signature of the Expos from their 33 years of existence comes to an end. His career, which witnessed both the inception and transfer of a franchise, was rewarded with induction into the Quebec Baseball Hall of Fame in 2002. All that recognition could not prevent Montreal’s voice from falling silent, leaving fans to miss his distinctive voice on the radio forever.
“Jacques Doucet, the legendary voice of the Montreal Expos, has left us. Behind the microphone for nearly our entire history, it was he who created an entire French lexicon of baseball. Inducted into the Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame in 2020, he also deserves his place in Cooperstown. Rest in peace, Jacques,” the Montreal Expos shared the news via X.
Doucet’s demise was first confirmed by his daughter on Friday. While the exact cause of his death was not revealed, Doucet himself revealed in 2024 that he had Alzheimer’s disease.
Born in Montreal in 1940, Doucet went on to go from being a journalist to a radio broadcaster, calling more than 5,000 games, including World Series games from 1982 through 1995.
Now, as the news of Doucet’s demise has hit, it is a huge loss for the MLB community. The Toronto Blue Jays paid tribute to Doucet before Friday’s game with a moment of silence, recognizing his remarkable broadcasting career. After spending 35 years behind the microphone for the Expos, he later became the Blue Jays’ French-language play-by-play announcer on TVA Sports, a role he held from 2011 until retiring in 2022. The tribute also recognized the more than 5,500 games he called throughout his career.
“He was certainly a giant, and his loss is immense,” Griffin said in an interview with The Canadian Press on Friday. “His voice was part of our lives for generations. He’s the one who made me fall in love with baseball.”
The Expos’ play-by-play announcer had no established vocabulary in French when he started his career in the booth in 1969. Thus, he himself coined a few French baseball terms that went on to become cult terms in the following years. For instance, he coined “La chandelle” for a pop-up fly ball.
“Anyone who has called baseball in Quebec was influenced in one way or another by Jacques,” RDS baseball broadcaster Alain Usereau wrote on Facebook. “His was the most-listened-to the voice of the summer during the Expos years. Thank you for all those wonderful moments he brought us.”
While Doucet’s distinctive baritone voice was heard and loved by the fans during his radio days, he was even immortalized in films. Yes, you heard that right! Doucet’s voice was immortalized in Pierre Falardeau’s film Elvis Gratton.
“Let me remind you of the final score: 1969-2004.” Canadian broadcaster Marc Griffin famously delivered the sign-off when the Montreal Expos played their final game on October 3, 2004. But after August 27, the timeline could be “1969-2026.” And why not? The Expos left Montreal for Washington in 2004, but their voice lived back in Quebec until this Thursday evening.
Doucet initially started his career as a translator for the Canadian Press news agency in 1959. He joined La Presse in 1962, and during a strike at La Presse in 1964, Doucet had his first experience in sports broadcasting for Montreal Alouettes football games. In 1969, he became La Presse’s beat writer for the Expos as they were incorporated. This continued until 2004, the year when the Expos moved to Washington.
Doucet later joined TVA Sports as the French play-by-play commentator for the Toronto Blue Jays in 2011. He continued until 2022, when he retired. However, it was his stint with the Expos that left an immense impact on the MLB community.
Maybe that’s the reason why Doucet was hurt by the end of his journey with the Montreal Expos.
“The Expos leaving was probably what hurt him the most,” Griffin added. “Because that was 36 years of his life, of passion, of trying to sell his sport, the Expos, of getting everyone to love baseball, which he succeeded in doing.”
Recognizing his contribution to baseball, Jacques Doucet was inducted into the Quebec Baseball Hall of Fame in 2002. He was also added to the Montreal Expos Hall of Fame in 2003 and the Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame in 2004.
Anyone who missed Doucet’s prime and wants to experience his skills can revisit the Expos’ game against the Dodgers on July 28, 1991. Doucet calling the final out of Dennis Martínez’s historic 2-0 perfection against the Dodgers could quench the thirst to hear his iconic voice.
Doucet’s demise has now ended the very last connection the fans had with the Montreal Expos. As we pray for his peace, the fans are left with his Mémoires d’un micro to recall their golden past.