Former radio host Mario Hudon, a familiar voice among Quebec sports fans, is no more. The man, who was battling amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), died on Monday afternoon, his relatives said.
Mario Hudon, 63, was diagnosed in December 2020. He dedicated the last years of his life to raising funds for medical research against ALS, a degenerative disease for which there is no cure. Today.
A colorful host for whom radio was a second career, he covered sports fans in the Quebec metropolitan area for some twenty years, from Quebec 800 to FM 93, via CHOI, CKNU and CIMI. He has most notably been heard hosting telephone forums and describing hockey games on Radio X in the North American Hockey League.
Weakened by illness, he had recently decided to organize a celebratory gathering in his image on December 2, after which he planned to receive medical euthanasia. His condition ultimately deteriorated too quickly.
Mario Hudon met journalist Guillaume Piedboeuf in July 2021, shortly after receiving his diagnosis.
Photo: Radio-Canada / Hugo Pothier
He, who was scheduled to be honored in person during a Remparts game at the Videotron Center on Tuesday night, will instead receive a posthumous honor. It was Mario Hudon himself who made this decision before his death, confirmed the deputy general director of Remparts, Nicole Bouchard, on Tuesday evening.
His wife, two children and two grandchildren will be present, as will the general director of the Quebec SLA Society, Claudine Cook.
His grandchildren as inspiration
In recent years, Mario Hudon has made no secret of the fact that his two grandchildren served as inspiration for his “fight” against ALS. He wanted to make them proud by speaking out to raise awareness of the disease, but also to spend as much time with them as possible before leaving.
The host continued to advocate for the Nordiques’ return, but had long preferred minor hockey games to those of the NHL.
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Mario Hudon and his two grandchildren Isaac and Nathan in 2021
Photo: Courtesy
The most beautiful and important ice hockey was no longer that of the semi-professionals or the NHL, but that of the minor leagues [ses petits-fils jouaient]. Even at the end he insisted on attending all the games and if we had not prevented him, he would have attended all the training sessions, wrote his son François in a tribute text on social networks on Monday afternoon.
François Hudon also highlights his father’s love for the people of Quebec, humorously recalling the endless wait when it was time to leave a La Cage aux Sports restaurant with his father so he could visit everyone.
A colleague loved by everyone
Pierre Vézina, who knew Mario Hudon at the Quebec 800, remembers his former colleague as an incredible team player.
He was ready to go to war for his team. He was generous. He was available. He always wanted to captivate everyone. He took us with him into his madness and enthusiasm.
The deceased was always happy to sit behind a microphone; he did not see radio as a profession, Pierre Vézina continues. He was always in a good mood, except when it came to PK Subban, he says of the one who took great joy in beating up the Montreal Canadiens.
The generosity and good humor of the deceased also influenced the host Gilles Parent, who remembers a colleague loved by everyone.
At the time of Quebec 800 he had to work 90 hours a week and was paid for about 10 hours. I’ve never seen anyone so generous. He made me laugh, I found him extremely likeable and he was interested in everyone. He said “yes” to everyone. “I haven’t seen that often in 40 years of radio,” says the man who counted on Hudon for several years as a traffic columnist on his afternoon show on FM 93.
With Raphaël Beaumont-Drouin