We have taken a few shots at the NHL Network during the regular season, but the channel's ability to deliver CBC in the playoffs has been off the chart.
The coup de grace has been to show rebroadcasts of each Stanley Cup Final game via the CBC. And it's been fun watching what they catch that NBC misses.
The Game 2 broadcast mixed it up a little bit. We got a longer intro, including an interview of Prime Minister Stephen Harper by CBC late-night talk host George Stroumboulopoulos. We saw Randy Bachmann playing "Takin' Care of Business." And we had one of those great music montages -- Game 1 highlights -- to Bryan Adams' "Cuts Like a Knife."
We learned that Harper doesn't PVR a game, but will schedule business around a hockey game. Harper represents Calgary Southwest, so George asked him about a conflict between Calgary and Vancouver. Harper said at this time of the year, you root for the Canadian team in playing an American team.
Harper described how poor he was as a hockey player. George asked him if they stuck Harper on left wing (a hockey and political joke all in one).
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Mark Donnelly's trouble with the microphone was at the arena; there were the same problems with the CBC feed. This was really sad because this was 1 of 2 chances for the NBC audience to see how the anthem should be done.
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CBC played up the return of Manny Maholtra from his eye injury back in March. This was a heartwarming story. There was the nice touch of the cameras showing Maholtra's parents in the crowd; something the CBC cameras showed but not NBC.
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Okay, so CBC didn't show too much of Zdeno Chara in the penalty box. They were doing a spotlight special on Chara, so they showed him in the box (more than NBC did). As they went to break, you could see one of the Green Men in the background.
Not as much as they should have, but CBC still had the edge. And we know CBC isn't afraid to show the Green Men.
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One edge that the CBC has had over NBC is camera work. More cameras, better angles, and clearer replays. NBC used to pride itself on the number of cameras at major sporting events. They are using more shots than Versus would have, but not by much. This is the Stanley Cup Final, wish the NBC would bring more cameras.
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There was a wedding in between the 1st and 2nd periods at Rogers Arena. Obviously, this isn't a hockey story. But the CBC is beating on NBC on the lighter side as well.
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Jim Hughson, Craig Simpson, and Glenn Healy were honestly stunned that Bieska was called for the phantom delay of game. They really thought that the referees weren't going to call any penalty.
In sports, the home team usually gets the breaks. But as we have seen in Games 1 and 2, the referees have been biased against Vancouver. There is a legit fear that Game 3 will be much worse for Vancouver from the refs in TD Garden in Boston.
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CBC covered a little bit of Maxim LaPierre offering his fingers to Patrice Bergeron, but NBC covered it more. Normally, this would be a negative to NBC, but the hype surrounding the "bite" is part of the story. Though NBC has proven to be borderline unprofessional in its overall coverage.
NBC also showcased the Sedin line where Henrik Sedin introduces his brother Daniel and Alex Burrows, the vegetarian. Good to see that the Sedins are in on the joke.
One earlier commenter wasn't thrilled with what LaPierre did. We're not either, though we pointed out that a Bruin would have done the exact same thing if the skates were reversed.
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The NHL Network didn't show the 2nd period intermission from the CBC. This seemed a curious choice given that the entire game fit into the 3-hour window. The NHL Network showed post-game coverage, which was a nice touch. Though we were sad to miss the Hot Stove segment, the editorial choice was a smart one: nicely done. And you can watch the Hot Stove online at cbcsports.ca.
The channel did carry the in-between from the 3rd period to overtime. If you got the impression that Don Cherry is rooting for Boston, you would be right. Ron McLean lets him do what he wants, and then switches topics. Oh, and when Ron and Don picked their predictions for who would have the game-winning shot, McLean said Alex Burrows. Cherry went with Nathan Horton for Boston, though later they each had a guess for the other team, respectively.
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Versus will have the coverage in the United States for Games 3 and 4. Though Versus will carry the same cast of characters, there should be less hype from the studio crew and less pressure on the broadcast crew. The channel will play up the Boston element in a hyper-hype fashion.
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