[2] Dick Irvin is a graduate of McGill University in Montreal, Quebec, where he obtained a Bachelor of Commerce degree from what is now the Desautels Faculty of Management.
[3][4] From the late 1970s through the early 1980s, he acted as both the colour commentator and studio host for Hockey Night in Canada (HNIC) telecasts from Montreal.
This meant that he missed the beginnings and ends of periods as he moved from ice level to the broadcast booth and back.
For example, he hosted the closing ceremony at Montreal Forum along with long-time French-language broadcaster Richard Garneau on March 11, 1996, after the game against the Dallas Stars, introducing many of the former Canadiens participating in the event to pass the torch.
[2] In 2013, he was appointed a Member of the Order of Canada "for his contributions to hockey as a beloved broadcaster and author, as well as for his charitable activities, to be awarded on May 7, 2014.