Ralph Mellanby is an unassuming person who over a lengthy period of time went about crafting a uniquely successful career in the challenging world of television sports production. His climb up the ladder was indeed a natural progression made easier by solid preparation and adherence to his game plan.
His father’s vocation took Ralph from his birthplace of Hamilton, Ontario in 1934 to Essex County where the senior Mellanby became the editor of the Windsor Star.
After high school, Ralph attended Wayne State College in Detroit. While pursuing a degree in communications and playing semi-pro baseball, he also found time to work as prop boy at CKLW-TV in Windsor. By 1958 he had earned his Communications Degree and was functioning as stagehand, cameraman and eventually floor manager with the TV station.
As successful as these beginnings were, they gave no inkling of what was yet to come. It’s hard to imagine that he would through diligence and hands-on experience by 1966 begin duties as the Executive Director for Hockey Night in Canada.
Although it seems improbable by the television standards of today, back then the radio and TV presentation of NHL games in Canada were administered by Maclaren Advertising Agency staff in conjunction with CBC on behalf of their clients Imperial Oil and Molson Breweries.
But before he arrived at HNIC his route took him to WXYZ in Detroit, on to WGN in Chicago and thence on to newly licensed CFCF TV in Montreal by 1961 where he was hired to direct a plethora of programming from sports to entertainment and news.
As Ralph recalls it, he had a lot going for himself with his experiences in variety and sports in large markets. Nonetheless, the lure of HNIC and the opportunity to produce in both Montreal and Toronto was too much to resist.
Recruited by Maclaren to add new life to the hockey telecasts, he settled in and with competence and flair enjoyed a 20-year run as its executive producer. Over the years he made steady changes to the composition of the intermissions with insertions of new talent. He and his wife Janet were the happy parents to first Laura and then Scott while in Montreal, and Ralph felt that he should stay based in Montreal because of Molson’s and the great traditions surrounding the Canadiens. After five years, Toronto called again.
In 1971 Frank Selke had joined Ted Hough at Canada Sports Network and had located in the Etobicoke suburb of Toronto. When Ralph arrived he volunteered to drive him and Janet around looking at properties for sale in the neighbourhood. They found what they wanted, but their offer was $10,000 short of the asking price. Fate again; the owner was a retired Imperial Oil Vice President and he wanted Ralph to have the home at 20 Cranleigh Crescent and he accepted the offer.
The family thrived in their new setting and son, Scott was enrolled in the Humber Valley Minor Hockey program at their local outdoor rink. In a short time he graduated to the Mississauga triple “AAA” organization only find himself benched by a new high powered coach. Ralph had seen enough of that; next year he returned Scott to Humber Valley and told him to just go out and enjoy playing hockey.
Soon he was too good for that calibre and next year he went back to try out with Marlies, but was cut. He did make the Don Mills Flyers and that was the best thing that ever happened for him to date. While still small in stature he made the third line in minor midget. By the next season he had grown to be over six feet tall and weighed close to 200 pounds and blossomed as a player.
His dad credits the excellent coaching at Don Mills for his development and the next season he enrolled at Henry Carr Collegiate where he again received superb guidance from his new coach Dan Cameron.
Subsequently, he accepted a scholarship to the University of Wisconsin. Scott’s career story will picked up at this point in the article that describes his 20 years in the NHL in some detail.
Back to Ralph; when asked to describe the overall duties of an executive producer, Ralph explained it this way: “There are three categories; director, producer and executive producer. The senior producer hires talent, lesser producers and occasionally staff, if warranted.”
In this regard, Frank Selke had this to say about Ralph’s abilities: “In essence, he was the most creative and inventive person of my acquaintance and it was a treat to have been involved with him in that era. He made a major difference by bringing new technologies to how HNIC was produced.”
When Mellanby began his HNIC responsibilities, the Maclaren subsidiary that controlled the purse strings was entitled Maple Leaf Sports Productions in Toronto and it was also their chore to market the advertising rights to the Gardens and the publishing of the Maple Leafs programme. This entity morphed into Canada Sports Network (CSN) that also included the Montreal telecasts. Imperial Oil and Molson’s along with the Ford Motor Company were the sponsors of both Saturday and Wednesday telecasts from the two Canadian cities in the six-team league.
Ted Hough was President and Frank Selke was his capable second-in-command. These two and Ralph were largely responsible for the ongoing success of hockey as the premier telecast across the country. Early in his relationship with CSN, Mellanby negotiated a ten-year deal that allowed him to do other productions as long as they didn’t interfere with hockey. According to his biography, in his 20-year sojourn with HNIC, thirteen of the on-air and production personnel that he had hired are now enshrined in the Hockey Hall of Fame; all except Don Cherry who is still active on the air.
From hockey in the NHL to hockey on the world stage was an inevitable expansion for Mellanby. It began with the Winter Olympics at Innsbruck in 1976 to Lillehammer in 1994.
In 1988 he was hired by the CTV Network to help with their Host Broadcaster role at the Winter Games in Calgary where feeds were provided to all other nations. As one might expect, recognition would come with the conferring of five Emmy Awards and one special award for his coverage of the “Miracle on Ice” when USA defeated Russia for Gold at the Lake Placid Games in 1980.
Ralph was honoured in 1998 with a Honourary Doctor of Laws Degree from the University of Windsor. In the literary field, he scored with Walking With Legends, the real story of Hockey Night in Canada where he sketched his observations on numerous luminaries and HNIC hosts. He followed this effort by writing Let The Games Begin, where he recalls his experiences at the international level.
“I am exceedingly proud of the chosen career paths of my children. Scott, you know about, but his sister Laura has been a constant achiever all through her business life and is currently a major executive with Bell Global Mobility,” explained the happy father.
Ralph and Janet, after the children moved on based themselves in Atlanta while Mellanby produced 13 Olympics around the World. When Janet was inflicted with cancer that took her life ten years ago at the age of fifty-nine, Ralph gave up his active pursuits in international sports to be with her.
Now happily married again, he and Gillian have settled in Niagara Falls, Ontario. Obviously, it has been a great ride for the affable Mellanby and his induction to the Etobicoke Sports Hall of Fame along with his son Scott, is a heart stirring moment that focuses recognition on the man and his contributions to sport specifically and life in general.
In closing, he quotes Mark Twain:
“Make every day your masterpiece. Where you are from makes you what you are.”