Toronto, ON (April 8, 2009) – TSN regrettably confirmed today that world-renowned post-season prognosticator Maggie the Monkey will officially retire after making her picks for the 2008-09 NHL Playoffs.
Maggie will make her first-round playoff picks during the NHL ON TSN PLAYOFF PREVIEW SPECIAL on Tuesday, April 14 at 9pm et/6pm pt. Throughout the network's NHL playoff coverage, TSN will look back at Maggie's stellar career and her on-again, off-again, relationship with NHL ON TSN host James Duthie.
"This is an emotional day and really an end of an era," said Duthie. "Sure, we've had our ups and downs, but Maggie helped put this network, and the NHL, on the world stage. We plan to send her off in style, so if anyone has a great recipe for a goodbye banana cake – we'd love to have it."
Maggie the Monkey, a crab-eating macaque from the Bowmanvile Zoo, gained international fame in 2003 as a guest analyst on TSN's NHL Playoff coverage with her ‘highly scientific' method of predicting NHL winners by spinning a wheel. Maggie boldly - and correctly - predicted the Mighty Ducks of Anaheim would make it to the 2003 Stanley Cup Final® by beating favoured Detroit, Dallas and Minnesota.
Overall, Maggie the Monkey's playoff prediction record is an impressive 40-35. Maggie's best year was 2006 when she finished first out of a panel of TSN hockey experts including Bob McKenzie and Pierre McGuire. The one blemish on Maggie's broadcasting career – is that she has never correctly picked the Stanley Cup® final winner. She plans to go out on top and improve her record with her 2009 Stanley Cup® winner prediction this year.