In Tuesday's episode, Stephen Colbert was doing a segment on Arctic treasures when he noted that this was the time for the U.S. "to grab the most precious Arctic treasure."
He meant the theme for Hockey Night in Canada.
[VIDEO: The theme is in the last 30 seconds of this clip, courtesy of the CBC.]
So he wasn't being serious, but the uproar over the end of the CBC's long-time use of the music synonymous with the Saturday night presentation of hockey coast-to-coast was a big deal north of the border.
Colbert joked that he was licensing the song since the music would make it more exciting to do American things. The "American things" Colbert did was wave a U.S. flag, eat a hot dog, and carry a gun.
TSN bought the song that had been the theme for Hockey Night in Canada for 40 years. There had been a dispute with CBC and the songwriter over the use and payments for the song. While the debate over whether the CBC would keep the theme, TSN grabbed it.
The CBC is a treasure, but is sometimes run by people who don't see the big picture. Losing the song is a PR nightmare that will truly ring hollow once the new NHL season starts, and TSN has the song.
The "Colbert Report" airs in Canada on the Comedy Channel at 11:30 p.m. Eastern and on CTV (sister network to TSN) at 12:30 a.m. Monday through Thursday nights.
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