Connor McDavid can work some miracles. NBCSN welcomes in the new year with a rare Edmonton home game that isn’t in the last week of the regular season. The channel will carry the Oilers hosting Los Angeles Tuesday night. Let's hope NBCSN shows up with a better attitude from the last telecast.
The game will likely be delayed due to the early NBCSN game; otherwise, the U.S. audience will join in progress.
CBC will be free of the Toronto Maple Leafs on Saturday with the Montréal Canadiens hanging out with the snowbirds in the Sunshine State. City TV will carry the simulcast of the early game. The Los Angeles Kings are in Vancouver in the CBC nightcap.
Rogers Sportsnet jumps in on Saturday with the Boston Bruins in Ottawa. The channels will have a Sunday doubleheader starting with the Toronto Maple Leafs at Gary Bettman’s new favourite desert team. Hometown Hockey from Spruce Grove, AB features the Winnipeg Jets in Edmonton.
Wednesday Night Hockey has an "Adams" divisional battle with the Ottawa Senators in the Motor City.
Rogers Sportsnet One follows the Chicago team to Edmonton Friday night along with SNE, SNO, and SNP. Rogers Sportsnet 360 picks up that Chicago road trip to Western Canada in Calgary on Sunday.
The Vancouver Canucks hosting Anaheim on Tuesday will be on SNE, SNO, and SNP.
NBCSN
Tuesday
Los Angeles @ Edmonton, 9:30p
NHL Network
Tape delayed
Wednesday Los Angeles @ Edmonton, 2p
CBC
Saturday
Montréal @ Florida, 7p
Los Angeles @ Vancouver, 10p
City
Saturday
Montréal @ Florida, 7p
Rogers Sportsnet
Saturday
Boston @ Ottawa, 7p
Sunday
Toronto @ Las Vegas, 3:30p
Winnipeg @ Edmonton, 7p
Wednesday
Ottawa @ Detroit, 7:30p
Rogers Sportsnet One
Friday
Chicago @ Edmonton, 9p
Rogers Sportsnet 360
Sunday
Chicago @ Calgary, 9p
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Bob Cole hasn't worked in awhile so he could have taken his time getting from St. John's to Vancouver. Cole worked the Canucks game late on CBC. That late game finishing at about 2:30 am back in Newfoundland.
Cole reportedly has family in Vancouver so that would explain the move. Dave Randorf worked his first Saturday game in the early slot this season to make way for Cole.
The pregame had a nice tribute to Dick Enberg. Turns out Enberg had a lot of love for Foster Hewitt. Ron MacLean told the story of Enberg sneaking out to listen to Hockey Night in Canada. Back then, the radio coverage didn't start until the 2nd period. Enberg talked about not listening to the 3rd period as to not risk getting in trouble.
We noted online that Enberg was part of NBC's coverage of the CFL in 1982 during the NFL players strike. Enberg made a couple of trips to Edmonton back when the U.S. didn't know much about a quarterback named Warren Moon. Deadspin has a good look at the blowouts that limited the NBC experiment with the CFL.
Mike Myers opens Hockey Night in Canada
Mike Myers outs Ryan Gosling as Canadian
Mike Myers is easy to spot when the Toronto Maple Leafs are in New York City, whether that is Manhattan or Brooklyn. The CBC cameras spotted Myers a few times at Madison Square Garden last Saturday. Myers was prominent in 2016 at holiday time with his new book, Canada. In 2015, Myers outed Ryan Gosling as a Canadian on Saturday Night Live and introducing Americans to bonhomme de neige.
The telecast did spend some time with former NFL legend Boomer Esiason, a fan of the New York Rangers and father of Sydney, girlfriend of Toronto Maple Leafs forward Matt Martin.
CanadianCrossing.com NHL coverage
CBC is pounding home the new Wednesday night winter lineup in the promos. This is a smarter strategy than playing up the holiday specials.
The returning Tuesday night comedies were the highlights of the 2nd period promos.
The lone 3rd period promo threw a curveball marketing the current Monday dramas as #MysteryMonday. Frankie Drake Mysteries comes from the producers of Murdoch Mysteries and has had some good buzz. We will be curious, assuming the program comes back, whether CBC keeps them together or uses the newer show to open a new block on the 2018 fall schedule.
Early game: Burden of Truth; The Detectives (1st); Schitt's Creek; Workin' Moms; 2018 Winter Olympics (2nd); Murdoch Mysteries/Frankie Drake Mysteries (3rd)
photo credit: NBC