TNT finally gets to show Canadian teams this season. The network airs a rare Tuesday night game on Election Night in the United States. The Edmonton Oilers are in Dave Randorf country that night (8). The Oilers host their opening round playoff opponents from Los Angeles (16). The Ottawa Senators make their TNT debut at Gary Bettman's favourite desert locale (23). The Oilers are in Chicago on the final day of the month (30).
ESPN waited until late April to show a Canadian team as part of the new deal. The network is still afraid to go to Canada, choosing a Toronto road game against the team that benefited from the fine play of David Ayres (6).
There are no ESPN+/Hulu games this month.
NHL Network starts out November with an Original 6 matchup on Hockey Night in Canada as Boston comes to Toronto (5). The other HNIC games on the U.S. network include Sidney Crosby in Montréal (12) and Toronto where Crosby plays his home games (26).
The Canadian teams join in on the Saturday matinee Showcase games that the NHL Network produces on its own with announcers not on site. The Ottawa Senators are in Philadelphia (12) and host New Jersey (19). Edmonton travels to Madison Square Garden as well (26).
The Calgary Saturday afternoon game (19) where Matthew Tkachuk now plays is likely not a Showcase game. The U.S. network shows Montréal at home hosting Buffalo (22) on the week of U.S. Thanksgiving. Winnipeg travels to Chicago on the Sunday after U.S. Thanksgiving, which is not opposite the Grey Cup this year.
Credit to the NHL Network for featuring every Canadian team in November, except for the Vancouver Canucks. Given the Vancouver start, that isn't too bad.
TNT
November 8
Edmonton @ Tampa Bay, 7:30p
November 16
Los Angeles @ Edmonton, 10p
November 23
Ottawa @ Las Vegas, 10p
November 30
Edmonton @ Chicago, 9:30p
ESPN
November 6
Toronto @ Carolina, 5p
NHL Network
November 5
Boston @ Toronto, 7p (HNIC)
November 12
Ottawa @ Philadelphia, 1p (Showcase)
Pittsburgh @ Montréal, 7p (HNIC)
November 19
New Jersey @ Ottawa, 1p (Showcase)
Calgary @ Florida, 4p
November 22
Buffalo @ Montréal, 7p
November 26
Edmonton @ NY Rangers, 1p (Showcase)
Toronto @ Pittsburgh, 7p (HNIC)
November 27
Winnipeg @ Chicago, 7p
Hockey Night in Canada
November 5
Boston @ Toronto, 7p/Las Vegas @ Montréal, 7p/Philadelphia @ Ottawa, 7p/New Jersey @ Calgary, 10p/Nashville @ Vancouver, 10p
November 12
Vancouver @ Toronto, 7p/Pittsburgh @ Montréal, 7p/Winnipeg @ Calgary, 10p
November 19
Buffalo @ Toronto, 7p/Philadelphia @ Montréal, 7p/Pittsburgh @ Winnipeg, 7p/Las Vegas @ Edmonton, 10p
November 26
Toronto @ Pittsburgh, 7p/Vancouver @ Las Vegas, 10p
Rogers Sportsnet national telecasts
November 1 Nashville @ Edmonton, 9p/New Jersey @ Vancouver, 10p
November 2 Philadelphia @ Toronto, 7p
November 3 Nashville @ Calgary, 9p
November 5 Dallas @ Edmonton, 4p
November 7 Calgary @ NY Islanders, 7p/Edmonton @ Washington, 8p
November 8 Edmonton @ Tampa Bay, 7:30p
November 9 Vancouver @ Montréal, 7:30p
November 10 Calgary @ Boston, 7p
November 12 Edmonton @ Florida, 4p
November 13 Vancouver @ Boston, 6p
November 14 Los Angeles @ Calgary, 8:30p
November 16 Buffalo @ Ottawa, 7p
November 19 Calgary @ Florida, 4p
November 21 NY Islanders @ Toronto, 7:30p/Carolina @ Winnipeg, 7:30p
November 23 Toronto @ New Jersey, 7p/Calgary @ Pittsburgh, 7p/Winnipeg @ Minnesota, 7p/Vancouver @ Colorado, 10p
November 25 Calgary @ Washington, 2p
November 26 Edmonton @ NY Rangers, 1p/Calgary @ Carolina, 4p
November 27 Vancouver @ San Jose, 8p
November 28 Toronto @ Detroit, 7p/Florida @ Edmonton, 9:30p
November 29 Florida @ Calgary, 9p
November 30 San Jose @ Toronto, 7p/NY Rangers @ Ottawa, 7p/Edmonton @ Chicago, 9:30p
NHL the month in preview October 2022
2022 NHL preseason schedule
Ron MacLean is back to hosting both segments of Hockey Night in Canada now that Hometown Hockey is no longer a thing. David Amber is hosting the Monday night national telecasts aka Monday Night Hockey.
I still think Hometown Hockey could have run as a separate program on Citytv, especially given how little actual Canadian content runs on the Rogers-owned network. Then they could show bits and pieces from that show during the Monday night telecasts.
Tracking the NHL 2022 media changes
We did find out Randip Janda will be part of the Vancouver Canucks radio coverage on Sportsnet 650. Janda replaces Corey Hirsch, as we noted earlier.
There are 2 notable points on the move. Janda is not a former player, an unusual move but not a huge shock. Play-by-play person Brendan Batchelor will be alone on Saturday games since Janda also hosts Hockey Night in Canada: Punjabi Edition.
Rogers just announced a 10-year extension with the Vancouver Canucks through the 2032-2033 season.
Peter Ruttgaizer seems to be the one calling the Montréal Canadiens radio on TSN 690, ultimately replacing Dan Robertson, who is doing Winnipeg Jets television. Sean Campbell will likely be in the mix, especially when Bryan Mudryk slips away from Habs TV to call curling. Robertson filled in during previous years, getting some good TV experience.
Kenzie Lalonde, the new Habs sideline reporter on TSN, could fill in with Mudryk since Lalonde has hockey play by play experience.
Unlike Ben Wagner on the Toronto Blue Jays radio broadcasts, Batchelor does get a radio partner most of the time.
On the TV side, TSN4 is going with Mike Johnson to replace Ray Ferraro on Maple Leafs telecasts with Dave Poulin doing more Habs games on TSN2. Craig Button will likely appear on both on games in the west.
Our guide to the NHL Canadian teams coverage
Didn't have the NHL Center Ice free preview lasting 4 days into the NHL season. A while back in the before time, the preview would run 3 weeks. ESPN+ has every non TNT, ESPN, ESPN+/Hulu game. I do love the local commercials, something the NHL Center Ice package gives you. Some days, I am more in love with the Canadian commercials with the hockey.
Speaking of commercials, no one seems to be enjoying the new digital ads. If you have trouble following the puck, the ads make following that puck a lot more difficult. You can still see the in-arena ads when the camera shoots at ice level. There was a charm to guessing where the game was based on the ads along the boards.
The ones collecting the new revenue don't honestly care whether the digital ads are distracting. The rich always need more $.
A little clip from Runway's first episode for ya
— Winnipeg Jets (@NHLJets) October 13, 2022
Catch the premiere on @TSN_Sports during the game this Friday @Bell_MTS | #GoJetsGo pic.twitter.com/3WtyM4Yn2O
Jets Runway is a new feature on Winnipeg Jets games on TSN3. John Lu goes out of his way to say the feature is a partnership with the Winnipeg Jets and Bell Media. The Bell Media stamp is on the feature. From a journalism standpoint, this is "content." Content is the buzzword like you are pretending to do journalism but you aren't.
Watching the Jets practice and coach Rick Bowness talk to players isn't about getting you to eat a new snack chip. The timing is also intriguing after the NHL team hires Sara Orlesky, who hosted the Jets coverage on TSN3 since 2011, to create content.
TSN has studio coverage for its half of the Toronto Maple Leafs as well as the Montréal Canadiens and Ottawa Senators but not the Winnipeg Jets. Orlesky was able to fill the time when she was the host.
Orlesky is a trained journalist producing content that isn't journalism. Bell Media should have the same high standards that the company had … last season.
This is a journalism issue in the United States and Canada, not just applicable to TSN3 and the Winnipeg Jets.
Honoured to be joining the NHL on @Sportsnet broadcast team to call play-by-play on Hockey Night in Canada on a more regular basis this season. Heading to Ottawa to call the Senators/Flyers November 5th and then to Winnipeg for Jets/Penguins and Hurricanes November 19th and 21st. pic.twitter.com/oAvgvKeDRA
— Mike Luck (@LuckyMikeLuck) October 21, 2022
We saw Mike Luck do COVID-19 relief on Hockey Night in Canada last winter. Now Luck will have more opportunities this season on Rogers Sportsnet.
Rick Ball appreciation tweet.
— Ryan Leslie (@ryanlesliemedia) October 23, 2022
With special guest….Millsy !
@Sportsnet pic.twitter.com/2919EOKZ25
The Calgary Flames were down their on-air TV crew with Rick Ball and Kelly Hrudey out at the same time. Hrudey got COVID-19 and Rick Ball had a pulmonary embolism; both were mentioned on Hockey Night in Canada. Ball is reportedly okay. Our thoughts go out to Ball, his family, and friends during his recovery.
CanadianCrossing.com NHL coverage
October 28 Winnipeg @ Arizona, 10:30p John Buccigross/Brian Boucher/Leah Hextall ESPN+/Hulu
This is the first U.S. telecast of the Winnipeg Jets in the new TV deal (this is Season 2). The Jets got little love from NBCSN under the old contract. Winnipeg was on the NHL Network 5 times last season, 1 of them being a Hockey Night in Canada game.
The Jets were only invited to this charade because of the irony of a NHL team ripped from a city that loves hockey to a city that doesn't like hockey. Sounds cruel to me.
This was, unfortunately, the only Jets appearance set for U.S. television this season. Hope they spent some time talking about the Winnipeg Jets 2.0. If you skipped this game, you missed yet another stellar set of commentary from Boucher.
The NHL Network carried a single CBC feed on Hockey Night in Canada in October. We plan to run those promos in the next blog entry heading into December. We apologise for the delay. There are higher priorities these days.
photo credit: NHL
Twitter captures: @NHLJets; @LuckyMikeLuck; @ryanlesliemedia
Comments