Short of adding games at the end of the season, we have our last NBCSN telecast as its favorite Canadian battle (Habs-Bruins) goes to Boston Monday night.
Canadians can watch that game on TSN.
CBC and the NHL Network will have the final contest between another great Canadian battle (Habs-Leafs) Saturday night. The standings could make this a first-round playoff matchup. In the last year the CBC can make money off hockey, this would be a great way to go out. Plus, a Canadian team would be in the second round.
The only audience in both countries that won't see that game is CBC viewers in Manitoba and Saskatchewan who will see the Jets host Carolina.
The final Battle of Alberta this season is the late CBC game.
Mark Lee and Garry Galley will handle the game in Winnipeg with Mitch Peacock. Rick Ball will work the Battle of Alberta with the usual Western crew.
Besides the Monday night Montréal-Boston tangle, TSN hangs out in northern Alberta on Tuesday as the Oilers host San Jose and southern Alberta on Wednesday as Anaheim comes to Calgary. TSN will also be at the Joe as the Habs will be in Detroit on Thursday.
The NHL Network will show the Habs-Bruins rebroadcast as well as a couple of Maple Leafs games.
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NBC Sports Network
Monday
Montréal @ Boston, 7:30p
NHL Network
Saturday
Montréal @ Toronto, 7p (CBC simulcast)Tape delayed
Monday Toronto at New Jersey, 3p
Tuesday Montréal @ Boston, 1p
Wednesday St. Louis @ Toronto, 2p (1-hour)
CBC
Saturday
Montréal @ Toronto, 7p (National except Jets split)
Carolina @ Winnipeg, 7p (MB, SK)
Calgary @ Edmonton, 10p
TSN
Monday
Montréal @ Boston, 7:30p
Tuesday
San Jose @ Edmonton, 9:30p
Wednesday
Anaheim @ Calgary, 10p
Thursday
Montréal @ Detroit, 7p
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Even at 4-1 Ottawa, Saturday night's game was exciting and interesting. The crowd at the Bell Centre in Montréal had little to cheer until the last 3:22 of the 3rd period. That was the first time in NHL history that a team won after trailing by 3 goals with 5 minutes to go.
Craig Simpson kept pointing out that this game was not over as the Canadiens kept inching closer. The last goal from David Desharnais came so close to the buzzer that the green light came on before the red light. Thanks to video replay, the puck clearly crossed over with 0.3 seconds on the clock.
We enjoy 3-point games, especially late in the season, when Canadian-based teams match up. Few would have thought we were headed in that direction with 4 minutes remaining. Hopefully you caught all the broadcast and had the good fortune to run extra time.
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We had a normal Saturday night experience. The pregame air uncensored, we saw Coach's Corner, and got a CBC Hockey Night in Canada game for the first time since February 1.
We even had a late return by the NHL Network back from break for the interview following Coach's Corner. While we hate that, it felt normal given that the network does that a lot.
Even the crews were normal. Mark Lee and Kelly Hrudey handled duties in the desert.
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Being out in the desert, "After Hours" took advantage with Paul Bissonnette and Mike Smith as the guests. Bissonnette is known way more for his Twitter feed than his on-ice play. Kelly Hurdey chided Bissonnette for mistakenly calling him out instead of P.J. Stock.
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Don Cherry had some really nice words about Terry Trafford, the Ontario Hockey League player who died of self-inflicted asphyxiation. Cherry had some poignant thoughts about something not being the end of the world.
For all of Cherry's faults and there are a few, he is someone who want to have to say nice things about someone after they have passed on.
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The NHL Network carried the Fox Sports Detroit feed for the Leafs-Wings rebroadcast. The Red Wings crew had a special guest in the booth at the beginning of the 2nd period: TSN's Ray Ferraro. Turns out Landon Ferraro, Ray's son, was making his NHL debut with Detroit. And Ferraro got to scout one of the teams (Toronto) he would cover the next night for TSN.
Ken Daniels and Mickey Redmond had some fun with Ferraro, talking about his career, his son growing up, and some analysis on Toronto goalie James Reimer.
Next season, Ferraro will call his share of the Canadiens and Senators with TSN, so he could call a few of his son's games as those teams battle Detroit. Ferraro had the safety Wednesday night on being in the Detroit TV booth. With TSN, Ferraro will have a harder time when he's that close to his son playing next year.
We think Ferraro will do just fine, but that can't be easy.
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The NHL Network showed the Tampa Bay feed in Thursday's rebroadcast. The choice between TSN and a local feed that even its home fans would fall asleep while viewing is obvious, except to the NHL Network.
If Montréal or Toronto draws Tampa Bay in the playoffs, the U.S. forces will take CBC over Sun Sports; wish the same logic existed in the regular season.
We would love to see a list of the people who like the constant countdown box on the Thursday NHL rebroadcasts. We would bet good money that none of those people work outside the NHL headquarters.
Since Ferraro's TSN work will be regional next year, if he ends up calling a game with his son it won't be as big a deal.
Note that Russ Howard, TSN's curling analyst, regularly broadcasts games involving his brother Glenn. Not a great comparison, but it doesn't seem to be an issue in that case.
Posted by: Tyler | March 21, 2014 at 04:08 PM
True, Ferraro's work will be regional. But it will be for the team that is playing his son's team. In a national broadcast, you are more likely to play it down the middle.
Calling games with relatives involved is possible, but not an easy task.
Posted by: Chad | March 21, 2014 at 04:44 PM