by BY JEREMY RUTHERFORD jrutherford@post-dispatch.com 314-444-7135 , St. Louis Post-Dispatch

Davidson never imagined a job that would grant him one-on-one conversations with legends such as Wayne Gretzky, trips to Norway and Japan for the Olympics, or watching the game he loved on a nightly basis free of charge.

Those were the perks that came with being a TV broadcaster, but Davidson didn't want to be just a broadcaster. He wanted to be the best, and by many accounts, he reached that level. Tonight in Toronto, Davidson will be recognized for his accomplishments when the Hockey Hall of Fame presents him with the Foster Hewitt Memorial Award for "outstanding contributions" to his broadcasting.

"TV gave me an opportunity to stay in the game, an opportunity to work with a team," said Davidson, who played 10 years with the Blues and Rangers. "With Hockey, most people turn on the TV sets and there it is. But when you look at it closely, there are dozens of people that made it work every night.

"I had a great run with it; it went great and it went quick. I saw the whole world because of it. I met hundreds and hundreds of people. And to be perfectly honest, this (award) is more about people who helped me having a great weekend."

Now in his fourth season as president of the Blues, Davidson spent more than two decades calling games for the MSG Network, CBC, NBC, ABC, Fox and OLN. He became such a familiar face that soon Davidson had his own abbreviation: J.D.

The respect for him grew over the years, many believe, because he was able to relate the game and its personalities to the TV audience.

"All I did was try to work," Davidson said. "If you were doing a game with Wayne Gretzky in it, you were going to see him two or three times that night up close. And it was my job to have something to say about him, and it better be something fresh.

"So I'd talk to Wayne every day of the game. It can't always be game oriented or how the team is playing. It's got to be human nature stuff. I wanted to make it interesting for the viewer."

Tonight, viewers will be tuning in to watch Davidson again, as he receives the Foster Hewitt award. This time, for the first time, Davidson might be at a loss for words.

"Sometimes when you work, it's so continuous that you never stop and smell the roses," he said. "So with this happening, I've had to sit down quietly and reflect ... I was just a lucky guy."

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