This is not an April Fool. The NHL is still shut down thanks to preventive measures over COVID-19. We did want to keep the impression of regularity with the monthly update.
We don't know what games the U.S. outlets would have carried down the stretch. We have preserved as much of the schedule, including a theoretical NHL Center Ice free preview. Consider this a blessing for the archives.
COVID-19 had been hovering for awhile. Teams had finally decided to play in empty arenas. Then a NBA player tested positive for the COVID-19 coronavirus. The domino theory proved true this time as sports leagues suspended their schedules.
While NBA players and other sports figures with coronavirus are known, the 2 Ottawa Senators players who tested positive for COVID-19 have not been identified.
The unknown is very unknown. We will set up the Stanley Cup playoffs if that happens. We've never been about predictions on this blog, but we feel certain that when sports go back, there will be no crowds at these events.
Enjoyed watching the U.S. and Canada versions honouring International Women's Day on March 8. Leah Hextall did well in her debut as did Kate Scott in the United States. Play-by-play was perhaps the weakest link on both sides of the border. Both countries can use more play-by-play people so grooming female options shouldn't be a one-off opportunity.
This was a really nice memory in the middle of a busy NHL picture. The treat was even more significant when 3 days later, the NHL would play their final games for a really long time.
Canadian fans of the NHL have been used to disappoint over postponed events.
The Toronto Maple Leafs were supposed to play in the 2013 Winter Classic. That game was postponed due to the 2012–2013 NHL lockout. Our argument then was that the league didn't care about blowing off that game in Ann Arbor, MI since a Canadian team was the opponent. The 2014 Winter Classic showed the league why that was a mistake.
The Winnipeg Jets were supposed to get a Heritage Classic in the late fall of 2015. The NHL wanted the game in December shortly after the 2015 Grey Cup in Winnipeg. The Jets were concerned about that timeline. The game was postponed to October 2016 at a time in the season where the game wouldn't get too much publicity. Sadly the Heritage Classic in Regina suffered a similar fate with an October date from the NHL.
The Montréal Canadiens had to wait 6 years to play Boston in an Winter Classic and in a much more inferior location. The Habs were the logical opponent for the 2010 Winter Classic at Fenway Park. The Philadelphia Flyers, not even in the same division, were picked by the NHL as the opponent. The Habs finally got to play in the 2016 Winter Classic in the football stadium in Foxborough.
Montréal still has not hosted an outdoor game. Edmonton, the original site of a NHL outdoor game, will reportedly get the next shot at a Heritage Classic very far off in the future.
NBCSN was not scheduled to have a game involving Canadian teams so no announcers list to mock.
NHL Network finally gave the U.S. a late HNIC game and we get stuck with Canada's worst duo of Kevin Quinn and Louie DeBrusk. Rick Ball was available. Quinn and DeBrusk are each in their own lane, each giving a cream of wheat approach to the game.
The CBC promos were the same ones from February 29. The Junos were scheduled for March 15 in Saskatoon but were cancelled over COVID-19.
There were early games scheduled for March 14 and March 21 as well as the early and late games from March 28 as part of the NHL Center Ice free preview. CBC ran Canadian films on those Saturday nights.
March 7 late game: Junos (1st); Fridge Wars; Junos; Oland Murder (2nd); Fridge Wars; Oland Murder (3rd)
Editor's note:The NHL suspended its regular season as of March 12 due to the COVID-19 coronavirus. We haven't crossed any games off the schedule, wanting to leave this as is for the archives.
As the season heats up, the U.S. coverage of Canadian teams actually gets lighter.
NBCSN has concluded its scheduled visits with Canadian teams. The games will be missed, not so much the channel's coverage.
The NHL Network surprises us with a late-night Hockey Night in Canada game. Other than the final Saturday of the season, the channel hasn't shown a Canadian team in that slot in literally years. Edmonton hosts Columbus on March 7 hopefully with a CBC feed.
Columbus will be on in March against Canadian teams as many times as Toronto and Edmonton.
The NHL Center Ice free preview should start on March 26.
NHL Network
March 7 Columbus @ Edmonton, 10p (HNIC) March 14 Toronto @ Boston, 7p (HNIC) March 15 Edmonton @ Philadelphia, 1:30p March 21 Columbus @ Toronto, 7p (HNIC)
ESPN+
March 1 Calgary @ Florida, 4p Vancouver @ Columbus, 7p March 2 Edmonton @ Nashville, 8p March 3 Toronto @ San Jose, 10:30p March 4 Arizona @ Vancouver, 10:30p March 5 Edmonton @ Chicago, 8:30p March 6 Las Vegas @ Winnipeg, 8p Colorado @ Vancouver, 10p March 8 Las Vegas @ Calgary, 7p March 11 Ottawa @ Los Angeles, 10:30p March 13 Vancouver @ Colorado, 9p March 16 Edmonton @ Washington, 7p March 19 NY Islanders @ Toronto, 7p March 20 Tampa Bay @ Edmonton, 9p March 23 Florida @ Toronto, 7p Vancouver @ Las Vegas, 10p March 24 Florida @ Ottawa, 7:30p Winnipeg @ Nashville, 8p March 26 Toronto @ Carolina, 7p March 27 Colorado @ Winnipeg, 8p Calgary @ Vancouver, 10p March 29 Las Vegas @ Winnipeg, 3p March 31 Toronto @ Washington, 7p Montréal @ Chicago, 8:30p
March 1 Vancouver @ Columbus, 7p (Peguis First Nation, MB)
March 8 Las Vegas @ Calgary, 7p (Salmon Arm, BC)
March 15 Winnipeg @ Vancouver, 8p (North Vancouver, BC)
March 22 Winnipeg @ Dallas, 7p (Campbell River, BC)
March 29 Anaheim @ Edmonton, 8p (Edmonton, AB)
Rogers Sportsnet national telecasts
March 2 Edmonton @ Nashville, 8p
March 4 Columbus @ Calgary, 8:30p
March 11 Winnipeg @ Edmonton, 9p
March 15 Edmonton @ Philadelphia, 1:30p
March 16 Calgary @ NY Rangers, 7p
March 18 Edmonton @ Ottawa, 7:30p/Tampa Bay @ Vancouver, 10p
March 23 San Jose @ Calgary, 9p
March 25 Toronto @ Tampa Bay, 7p/Colorado @ Edmonton, 9:30p/Anaheim @ Calgary, 9:30p
March 27 San Jose @ Edmonton, 9p
March 31 Las Vegas @ Edmonton, 9p
NHL Center Ice free preview
March 26 Toronto @ Carolina, 7p Florida @ Montréal, 7p Ottawa @ Boston, 7p March 27 Colorado @ Winnipeg, 8p San Jose @ Edmonton, 9p Calgary @ Vancouver, 10p March 28 Toronto @ Ottawa, 7p NY Islanders @ Montréal, 7p Anaheim @ Vancouver, 10p March 29 Las Vegas @ Winnipeg, 3p Anaheim @ Edmonton, 8p March 30 Vancouver @ Dallas, 8:30p March 31 Toronto @ Washington, 7p Ottawa @ Tampa Bay, 7p Montréal @ Chicago, 8:30p Winnipeg @ Calgary, 9p Las Vegas @ Edmonton, 9p
Hockey Day in Canada stayed within the north most of the time. The home base was in Yellowknife in the Northwest Territories with reports from Whitehorse, Yukon and Churchill, Manitoba. We don't report on the territories too often; we do have coverage of the territories.
We got to see quite a bit of Yellowknife and other parts of the Northwest Territories. They had a contest to win a trip to the north to Whitehorse (Yukon), Yellowknife (Northwest Territories), or Iqaluit (Nunavut). Seeing the territories on television is remarkable enough, but seeing the area live would be incredible.
They referred to North of 60. This refers to 60° latitude, ⅔ the way to the North Pole from the equator. You can still find trees in Yellowknife at 62° latitude but the treeline is not far away where trees do not grow.
The day had 3 all-Canadian matchups. Rogers Sportsnet had John Shorthouse call the Calgary-Vancouver game without a Flames counterbalance. We have no issue with Shorthouse in a matchup with the Canucks and a U.S. team, just not an all-Canadian matchup. Might serve notice that maybe Rogers won't carry the Flames locally next season.
As a hockey fan, I really enjoyed watching Henrik Sedin and Daniel Sedin. Poetry on ice. Yes, they play for the Vancouver Canucks. No, they weren't Canadian. They were so much fun to watch on the ice.
They weren't what a lot of hockey fans enjoy while on the ice. They didn't try to beat people up. They played hockey.
Rogers Sportsnet Pacific offered the retirement ceremony without regional restrictions in Canada. ESPN+ carried the game (blacked out in Chicago).
As we noted last month, the 2021 Winter Classic will be at Target Field in Minneapolis, home of the MLB Minnesota Twins. The Winnipeg Jets were a logical opponent. The NHL went with St. Louis. Toronto (2014) and Montréal (2016) have played in the Winter Classic; the exception rather than the rule.
Rick Ball finally got a chance to call an early Saturday night game on Hockey Night in Canada on February 1. Ball didn't have to travel far to Winnipeg. He is the 4th announcer in the playoffs roster but that hasn't translated to many opportunities on Saturday nights in the regular season.
Rogers Sportsnet used to only show Hrudey's Take in the second intermission on the Leafs game. The U.S. audience has had a few Citytv games, so we've noticed Rogers is showing the segment on all the games. Odd that the CBC audience had a segment while Citytv ran extra ads.
Eric Lindros explained on Hometown Hockey in Quebec City about why he didn't want to play for the Quebec Nordiques. "I must not have explained myself clearly enough," Lindros said to Tara Slone. Lindros said he didn't want to play for Marcel Aubut, president/CEO of the Quebec Nordiques.
"It had nothing to do with language, culture, [or] city. Keep in mind, my wife is French [from Quebec]. I was not going to play for that individual — period."
Lindros said he didn't think he had to verbalise the reason. Saying the reason would have helped. Lindros wasn't specific about his concerns about Aubut.
The perception in the United States was that Lindros didn't want to be in Quebec City. The Lindros perception seemed to help push the Nordiques to Denver.
The Quebec Nordiques greatly benefited from the Lindros trade with the Philadelphia Flyers. So did the Colorado Avalanche.
NBCSN showed twice as many games involving Canadian teams in 12 days than in more than 2 months. That didn't factor in the bonus game via NBC Sports Washington. These are the final scheduled games for NBCSN.
February 6 San Jose @ Edmonton, 9:30p: Randy Hahn/Jamie Baker February 12 Montréal @ Boston, 7:30p: John Forslund/Mike Milbury/Pierre McGuire February 12 Calgary @ Los Angeles, 10p: Alex Faust/Brian Hayward February 18 Toronto @ Pittsburgh, 7p: Kenny Albert/Pierre McGuire February 20 Montréal @ Washington, 7p: NBC Sports Washington feed
Using the San Jose crew for a game in Edmonton is an absolute joke. Hard to call it a national telecast. Hahn and Ray Ferraro would have worked. NBCSN doesn't use Ferraro all that often. NBCSN threw in Kendall Coyne Schofield with Hahn and Bret Hedican in November with Edmonton. The only good crew the Oilers got was Chris Cuthbert and Ray Ferraro back in October.
The February 12 doubleheader had potential. However, Mike Milbury in Boston is a joke that was never funny. The LA influence in the nightcap was likely not a surprise. Brian Hayward works for the Ducks, rivals of the Kings, and is Canadian. Hayward in the past hasn't been kind to Canadian teams, especially in the playoffs.
Kenny Albert and Pierre McGuire handled the game in Pittsburgh. McGuire loves Pittsburgh, his former employer. NBCSN interviewed the Pittsburgh coach but not the Toronto coach. Amazingly, NBCSN ran a special after the game that previously ran on Rogers Sportsnet on Connor McDavid's off-season recovery from a knee injury. NBCSN claims to love McDavid but struggles to send neutral announcers to his games.
The Alex Ovechkin obsession enticed NBCSN to pick up the Montréal-Washington game on February 20, a simulcast of the NBC Sports Washington feed with the worst announcers in the NHL. The obsession caused the NHL Network to cancel the airing of the Winnipeg-Philadelphia game on February 22. There was hope that the streak would put extra Jets games on the air but Ovechkin finally got #700 on February 22.
Jeremy Roenick, who was suspended in December for comments during a Barstool Sports podcast, is no longer with NBCSN and the NHL on NBC. We won't go into details on what Roenick said. He did apologise for his remarks.
International Women’s Day is March 8. Both Rogers Sportsnet and NBC Sports will have an all-female announcing crew and producers/director on a telecast.
Rogers Sportsnet will have the Hometown Hockey game from Calgary with play-by-play announcer Leah Hextall, game analyst Cassie Campbell-Pascall, and reporter Christine Simpson. That game will air in the United States on ESPN+. NBCSN will be in Chicago with Kate Scott calling the action with AJ Mleczko and Kendall Coyne-Schofield. Kathryn Tappen will be in the studio with Jen Botterill (Canadian).
Given how few CBC games have aired on the NHL Network, hearing 12 promos on February 8 was glorious.
The matinee game had an extra visual in the second period for Fridge Wars, which did not debut until February 27. Workin' Moms was promoted for its season debut on February 18.
Sean Reynolds read the last matinee promo. The final promos ran back to back in the prime time game on February 8.
The Junos will be March 15 in Saskatoon. Oland Murder is a true-crime, limited series starting Wednesday.
The February 1 game came from the Citytv feed.
February 8 matinee game: Kim's Convenience; Schitt's Creek (1st); Fridge Wars; Schitt's Creek (2nd); Kim's Convenience; Fridge Wars (3rd)
February 8 early game: Kim's Convenience (1st); Workin' Moms; Coroner (2nd); Workin' Moms; Coroner; Kim's Convenience (3rd)
February 29 early game: Junos; Fridge Wars (1st); Junos; Oland Murder; Fridge Wars (2nd); Oland Murder (3rd)
Twitter capture: @Canucks; @canadian_xing photo credit: Late Show with Stephen Colbert/CBS video credit: Hometown Hockey/Rogers Sportsnet
Editor's Note:NBCSN is picking up the Montréal-Washington game on February 20. This is a simulcast of the NBC Sports Washington feed. The NHL Network dropped the Winnipeg-Philadelphia game on February 22.
Hockey Day in Canada is February 8 from Yellowknife in the Northwest Territories. The NHL Network will have a simulcast of the CBC coverage of the daytime coverage plus the matinee game and the Toronto-Montréal matchup. The late game would have been too much to ask.
The Hometown Hockey games are matinees on February 2 because of the Super Bowl. The same courtesy wasn't granted to the Grey Cup in November.
NBCSN carries a Canadian doubleheader on February 12. Both games are on U.S. soil. Edmonton hosts San Jose, the reverse of an earlier NBCSN telecast, on February 6. The Maple Leafs travel to Pittsburgh in the other NBCSN telecast of the month. The channel only showed 2 games involving Canadian teams in the previous 2 months.
The NHL Network loads up on Winnipeg Jets games in February. The channel is showing its first Vancouver Canucks game of the season in a rarely shown all-Canada matchup. NBC's insecurities forced the NHL Network to not carry a game opposite the Stadium Series on February 15.
ESPN+ has a strong slate of games, a nice alternative to NHL Network, especially for non-HNIC games. The service isn't afraid to carry the Battle of Alberta.
We didn't leave out February 26 for Wednesday Night Hockey; no Canadian teams play that night. Then again, the February 12 coverage has 3 games, 2 of which also air on NBCSN in the U.S.
We haven't seen a midseason NHL Center Ice free preview. If that changes, we will update this story.
NBCSN
February 6 San Jose @ Edmonton, 9:30p February 12 Montréal @ Boston, 7:30p February 12 Calgary @ Los Angeles, 10p February 18 Toronto @ Pittsburgh, 7p February 20 Montréal @ Washington, 7p
NHL Network
February 1 St. Louis @ Winnipeg, 7p (HNIC) February 8 Ottawa @ Winnipeg, 2p (HDIC) February 8 Toronto @ Montréal, 7p (HNIC) February 22 Winnipeg @ Philadelphia, 1p (HNIC) February 29 Vancouver @ Toronto, 7p (HNIC)
ESPN+
February 1 Edmonton @ Calgary, 10p February 2 Vancouver @ Carolina, 2p February 3 Florida @ Toronto, 7p February 4 Edmonton @ Arizona, 9p February 6 Winnipeg @ St. Louis, 8p February 9 Chicago @ Winnipeg, 7p February 11 Chicago @ Edmonton, 9p February 12 Chicago @ Vancouver, 10:30p February 14 Montréal @ Pittsburgh, 7p February 16 Toronto @ Buffalo, 7p Chicago @ Winnipeg, 8:30p February 17 Anaheim @ Calgary, 4p February 19 Minnesota @ Vancouver, 10:30p February 20 Pittsburgh @ Toronto, 7p February 21 Boston @ Calgary, 9p February 22 Carolina @ Toronto, 7p Boston @ Vancouver, 10p February 24 Ottawa @ Columbus, 7p February 25 Toronto @ Tampa Bay, 7p February 27 Calgary @ Nashville, 8p Washington @ Winnipeg, 8p
The U.S. audience outside the CBC markets had to go online to watch the Hockey Night in Canada open featuring the late Neil Peart of Rush. Peart passed away on January 7 after a long struggle with brain cancer.
The song Fly by Night (1975) was one of Rush's first hits with its new drummer.
The matchups that night were all-Canadian games with Montréal at Ottawa and Edmonton at Calgary. Their hometown Maple Leafs had a rare Saturday night off.
Bob Cole got on Hockey Night in Canada. Cole never got out of the pregame show on January 18. Ron MacLean talked to Cole about the blizzard they had in his home province. Newfoundland got more than 75 cm (30 inches) of snow with winds approaching 150 km (93 miles). They had a great shot of the Rocket Bakery on Water Street in downtown St. John's.
MacLean asked Cole about how often he had to fly out early because of storms in St. John's. Cole said he had to fly out early 3-4 times in his career and never missed a game.
Cole got in a crack about how a state of emergency got him back onto Hockey Night in Canada. Still sounds good.
"Calgary and Edmonton pulled off the James Neal/Milan Lucic trade. Neal, who could score everywhere but Calgary, takes his horrible contract north to Edmonton. Lucic, who was tough and could score in Boston and Los Angeles but couldn't score in Edmonton, goes south with his horrible contract. As slow as Lucic has been, I was shocked to find out he's only 31. Edmonton gets the advantage in the deal in our book because Neal has shown upside in other cities. Good luck to both players and teams."
You didn't have to be Nostradamus to realise Edmonton would win this trade. James Neal proved that he can score everywhere but Calgary. His veteran leadership was also helpful in the Oilers great start to the season. Milan Lucic gives the Flames some intangibles but hasn't proven to be all that tough or able to score. Calgary could claim that not having Neal is useful regardless of what Lucic provides.
Neal has more goals (19) than Lucic has points (10). Neal has power play goals (12) than Lucic has points. Neal has 28 points while Lucic has 4 goals and 6 assists. Lucic has the huge advantage for penalty minutes: 38-10. Neal is a surprising -20 in the +/- category while Lucic is at a surprising 0. They have different skills. Both teams are doing well in a very tight division.
The 2021 Winter Classic will be at Target Field in Minneapolis. The Winnipeg Jets would be a logical opponent. The NHL has allowed Toronto (2014) and Montréal (2016) into the Winter Classic. Minnesota hosted an outdoor game in 2016 against Chicago (yawn). Montréal has not hosted an outdoor game.
When Boston landed a Winter Classic at Fenway Park, Montréal was the logical opponent. The NHL claimed Philadelphia was a great rival and picked them over the Habs. NHL, don't do the same lame thing to the Winnipeg Jets.
The NHL works really hard to promote the Winter Classic and Stadium Series. The NHL hardly promotes the Heritage Classic on the few years where the league allows its existence.
Elliotte Friedman talked about the likelihood of Edmonton hosting an outdoor NHL game for the 2021-2022 season. Montréal still hasn't hosted an outdoor game. Canada could host a game in back-to-back seasons but the NHL frowns on that prospect.
Back to the business of media. I'm told that the regional tv rights for your @NHLFlames + @EdmontonOilers both expire after this season. Those in the know believe @Sportsnet will walk away from @NHLFlames and stick with @EdmontonOilers. More as season progresses.
We won't speculate too much until this becomes true. Rogers changed over the Calgary team in 2014 bringing in Rick Ball, who was working for the BC Lions and Vancouver Canucks, and Kelly Hrudey. For the complaints about the Edmonton crew, the previous Calgary crew was much worse.
Ball might want to stay if either Shaw or TSN takes the rights, unless Rogers is serious about making Ball a national announcer. R.J. Broadhead, not Ball, has been the one to fill in on national games. Hrudey might pick Toronto for the Hockey Night in Canada crew. Cassie Campbell-Pascall would be torn with her national work and a chance to do colour analysis for the team that employs her husband.
Mark Lee and Drew Remenda would make a nice combination. Sportsnet is definitely underutilising Remenda on the Edmonton Oilers studio segments.
Canada defeated the United States 2-1 in a 3-on-3 women's hockey battle in St. Louis at the NHL All-Star Game festivities. That was fun watching players play for the puck instead of pile driving each other into the boards.
Rebecca Johnston scored a quick goal early in the first of a pair of 10-minute periods. Melodie Daoust added a then insurance goal early in the second period.
Canadian goaltender Ann-Renee Desbiens was outstanding, stopping some tough American shots, including a glove save against Amanda Kessel at the end of the game. Hilary Knight had the only goal for the Americans.
Other Canadian players were Marie-Philip Poulin, Meghan Agosta, Blayre Turnbull, Sarah Nurse, Natalie Spooner, Renata Fast, and Laura Fortino. Let's get the NHL behind a real women's league where they make some decent money.
Canada's 6-0 defeat to Russia, the team's first shutout defeat in over 2 decades, didn't seem to lend itself to Canada winning the gold medal at the 2020 World Juniors in Ostrava and Třinec in the Czech Republic.
The Canadian team came back from a 3-1 deficit in the 3rd period to post a 4-3 victory over Russia in the gold medal game. This was Canada's 3rd world junior gold medal in 6 years.
Akil Thomas scored his first and only goal of the tournament at 3:58 remaining in the third period for the winner. Alexis Lafreniere and captain Barrett Hayton both suffered injuries during the tournament but came back to help win the gold. Nico Daws started in goal for Canada; Joel Hofer was the backup but was in goal for the gold medal game.
The Boxing Day win over the United States snapped a 4-game losing streak against its southern rival.
Canada had little trouble with Slovakia in the quarterfinals and Finland in the semifinals. Canada outscored opponents 22-5 after the Russia loss and before the gold medal game.
The 2021 World Juniors will be in Edmonton and Red Deer in Alberta. Edmonton hosted the tournament in 1995 and 2012 while Red Deer was the primary host in 1995.
January 6 Edmonton @ Toronto, 7p: John Forslund/AJ Mleczko
Our issue with Forslund is he doesn't seem to like Canada or its teams. An all-Canadian matchup is a nightmare for Forslund. Forslund will likely take over for Doc Emrick someday unless Gary Thorne shifts back to hockey. Mleczko is getting better. Good to see her without another colour analyst.
The NBCSN game crew went out of its way to not focus on Leon Draisaitl. They only seemed interested in Connor McDavid and Auston Matthews to the exclusion of their teammates. Forslund referred to Toronto's Mitch Marner as "Mitchell." Mike Milbury seemed drunk or had the flu during the first intermission. The game production was so stripped down you wondered whether Forslund and Mleczko were even in Toronto.
As for CBC promos, there was a Hockey Night in Canada game on January 18 but the CBC feed (via the NHL Network) was blacked out for your humble narrator. The only other HNIC game was January 4 via the Citytv feed.
Editor's note:The January 29 Calgary game in Edmonton is now a national telecast in Canada.
NBCSN gives us an all-Canadian matchup with Connor McDavid and Auston Matthews and their respective Edmonton-Toronto teams. Like the December 17 Toronto Maple Leafs game, Chris Cuthbert is calling the game on TSN4 while Gord Miller and Ray Ferraro are in the Czech Republic.
The NHL Network might have set a record for a pair of Hometown Hockey games in January. Ottawa has 2 games, both on the road, in the month. Your humble narrator is hoping for backup games on the weekend leading up to the All-Star Game break.
ESPN+ goes pretty light on Canadian teams until after the All-Star Game break.
The NHL All-Star Game break runs January 23-26. The last NHL All-Star Game on Canadian soil was in 2012 in Ottawa. We haven't seen a midseason NHL Center Ice free preview in years.
NBCSN
January 6 Edmonton @ Toronto, 7p
NHL Network
January 4 Pittsburgh @ Montréal, 7p (HNIC) January 10 Ottawa @ Detroit, 7:30p January 12 Toronto @ Florida, 7p (HH) January 18 Chicago @ Toronto, 7p (HNIC) January 19 Winnipeg @ Chicago, 7p (HH) January 28 Ottawa @ Buffalo, 7p
ESPN+
January 2 Chicago @ Vancouver, 10p January 4 Edmonton @ Boston, 1p NY Islanders @ Toronto, 7p January 14 Nashville @ Edmonton, 9p January 16 Montréal @ Philadelphia, 7p January 17 Tampa Bay @ Winnipeg, 8p January 27 Washington @ Montréal, 7p St. Louis @ Vancouver, 10p January 28 St. Louis @ Calgary, 9p January 29 Vancouver @ San Jose, 10:30p January 30 Montréal @ Buffalo, 7p
Hockey Night in Canada
January 4
NY Islanders @ Toronto, 7p/Pittsburgh @ Montréal, 7p/Tampa Bay @ Ottawa, 7p NY Rangers @ Vancouver, 10p
January 11
Montréal @ Ottawa, 7p Edmonton @ Calgary, 10p
January 18
Chicago @ Toronto, 7p/Las Vegas @ Montréal, 7p San Jose @ Vancouver, 10p
Hometown Hockey
January 5 Calgary @ Minnesota, 7p (Cobourg, ON)
January 12 Toronto @ Florida, 7p (Vaughan, ON)
January 19 Winnipeg @ Chicago, 7p (Hamilton, ON)
Rogers Sportsnet national telecasts
January 4 Edmonton @ Boston, 1p
January 8 Winnipeg @ Toronto, 7:30p
January 11 Vancouver @ Buffalo, 1p
January 15 Chicago @ Montréal, 7p
January 18 Arizona @ Edmonton, 3p
January 22 Winnipeg @ Columbus, 7:30p
January 28 St. Louis @ Calgary, 9p
January 29 Toronto @ Dallas, 7:30p/Calgary @ Edmonton, 10p
What little chance Bill Peters had in keeping his job as coach of the Calgary Flames disappeared after his apology letter. Geoff Ward should remain the interim coach for the rest of the season to give some continuity to the Flames.
Canada keeps talking about having conversations on racial issues, in and out of sports. Here's to hoping that happens. This isn't just about "hockey is for everyone" but the idea that any sport or organisation should want the best people and make them feel included.
You might recall last year when the Canadian sports media was obsessed with the William Nylander holdout and last-minute signing with the Toronto Maple Leafs. This year, Edmonton Oilers forward Jesse Puljujarvi had a similar holdout and missed the December 1 deadline, so he can't play in the NHL this season.
Puljujarvi has been playing with SM-Liiga’s Karpat in Finland and hasn't show much interest in playing for Edmonton. He complained about not being high enough on the depth chart for the Oilers. Puljujarvi is coming off his entry-level contract.
Edmonton hasn't shown any interest in trading Puljujarvi's NHL rights. Puljujarvi had 17 goals and 37 points in 139 NHL games.
We are now in 2020. Meng Wanzhou is still in Canada. Michael Spavor and Michael Kovrig are still trapped in unspeakable conditions in China. Huawei is still sponsoring Hockey Night in Canada on Rogers Sportsnet.
Contracts are contracts but the idea that a Chinese company that has essentially kidnapped Canadians has such a prominent role in one of Canada's leading institutions would seem to be a good enough reason to break a contract.
CBC isn't perfect but can't even imagine the public broadcaster messing this up so badly where Hockey Night in Canada is involved.
The Calgary Flames are getting a new arena. The funding is set for the replacement of the Saddledome. The new arena will be north of the Saddledome in the Victoria Park neighbourhood. The Calgary Event Centre will be part of the planned entertainment district bordering the Stampede grounds.
The Flames not having a new arena was a sticky point for NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman, since the Flames were the only team without a new arena under Bettman's long dynasty (Madison Square Garden for the New York Rangers was significantly modified).
Calgary could have made some of that money back by hosting the 2026 Winter Olympics. The plebiscite, with about a 40% turnout, went with "no" by 56.4% of the vote. The Olympics bid would have helped get a replacement for McMahon Stadium, home of the CFL Calgary Stampeders (owned by the same organisation that owns the Flames).
Construction won't start until the third quarter of 2021 with scheduled completion in the spring of 2024. Seriously.
December 17 Buffalo @ Toronto, 7p: Kenny Albert/Pierre McGuire
Bad timing to have a Toronto Maple Leafs game on NBCSN with Chris Cuthbert calling the game on TSN4 and Gord Miller and Ray Ferraro flying to the Czech Republic. Even if Miller and Ferraro were on the continent, the TSN lineup was full that night with Habs (TSN2), Leafs (TSN4), and Senators (TSN5).
Albert and McGuire were about the best NBCSN could do under the circumstances, especially on a rare game on Canadian soil.
The NHL Network has a logic to its schedule. That logic isn't noteworthy or useful. The channel can show a Canadian team against a U.S. team but not an all-Canadian matchup. The channel will carry a Toronto-Montréal game on Hockey Night in Canada. There was a Calgary-Toronto game on a Monday night last season, though the restrictions seem to apply more to Hockey Night in Canada.
When NBCSN looks more relevant and informed than the NHL Network, we have to wonder if the NHL Network is running a fever. The channel never responds to us on Twitter so we have no way to know.
We gave up tracking matinee games at the right time. The NHL Network has severely cut back on the number of games overall and especially for Canadian teams. Seems rather counterproductive.
As for Rogers Sportsnet, using Kevin Quinn on Hockey Night in Canada for a Montréal-Edmonton game on December 21 is unacceptable and unappealing. Quinn is the weak link in the lineup: using him with Edmonton versus a U.S. team isn't great. All-Canadian matchups deserve a more neutral announcer team. Rogers did let go Paul Romanuk but could use him as a fill-in instead of R.J. Broadhead or brought over John Shorthouse to help.
The 2020 World Juniors in Ostrava and Třinec in the Czech Republic take a break today for New Year's Day. Canada and United States were in Group B. The gold medal game will be on January 5. TSN in Canada and NHL Network in the United States continue to have the coverage.
Canada defeated the United States 6-4 on Boxing Day in Ostrava to snap a 4-game losing streak against their neighbour. Alexis Lafreniere, Canada's best player, suffered a left knee injury in the 6-0 loss to Russia. The shutout against Canada was the first in over two decades. That was the only loss for Canada as the team won Group B. Canada will face Slovakia in a 1B/4A matchup. The groups cross over so 1A/4B and 2B/3A play along with 1B/4A and 2A/3B. The winners play each other. Those winners advance to the gold medal game.
The first Still Standing season finale promo on December 7 came before the 2nd period started. 5 promos in a period is absolutely ridiculous. The Alpine Skiing was from Lake Louise, AB. Family Feud Canada debuted in the early timeslot but is running outside prime time.
December 7 early game: None (1st); Still Standing; Alpine Skiing; Family Feud Canada; Still Standing; Kim's Convenience (2nd); Family Feud Canada (3rd)
December 28 early game: Family Feud Canada; Kim's Convenience (1st); Coroner; Family Feud Canada; Kim's Convenience (2nd); Coroner (3rd)
NBCSN has a lone December telecast with Toronto hosting its American cousins from Buffalo close to the holiday break.
The NHL Network has its Ottawa season debut near the end of the month, though on the road in Pittsburgh. The channel will show a highly rare NHL game from Alberta on New Year's Eve. The New York Rangers have more appearances (3) just against Canadian teams in December than Montréal (2), Winnipeg (0), and Vancouver (0) combined.
The Jets got 3 telecasts in the first 2 weeks but have disappeared since then. The Canucks would love to have that problem as the NHL Network hasn't carried Vancouver this season.
The 2020 World Juniors start on Boxing Day, December 26, in Ostrava and Třinec in the Czech Republic. The gold medal game will be on January 5, 2020. TSN in Canada and NHL Network in the United States will have the coverage. The games are in the middle of the afternoon in the eastern part of the United States, so the NHL Network is taking advantage and showing NHL games in prime time.
The NHL takes a holiday winter break between December 24-26.
NBCSN
December 17 Buffalo @ Toronto, 7p
NHL Network
December 1 Montréal @ Boston, 7p (HH) December 7 Toronto @ St. Louis, 7p (HNIC) December 14 Detroit @ Montréal, 7p (HNIC) December 20 Toronto @ NY Rangers, 7p December 22 Calgary @ Dallas, 7p (HH) December 28 NY Rangers @ Toronto, 7p (HNIC) December 30 Ottawa @ Pittsburgh, 7p December 31 NY Rangers @ Edmonton, 9p
ESPN+
December 1 Edmonton @ Vancouver, 10p December 3 Toronto @ Philadelphia, 7p December 8 Buffalo @ Edmonton, 8p December 9 Calgary @ Colorado, 9p December 10 Montréal @ Pittsburgh, 7p December 15 Philadelphia @ Winnipeg, 5p December 17 Carolina @ Winnipeg, 8p Pittsburgh @ Calgary, 9p December 19 Nashville @ Ottawa, 7:30p December 20 Pittsburgh @ Edmonton, 9p December 21 Detroit @ Toronto, 7p December 23 Carolina @ Toronto, 2p December 27 Calgary @ Edmonton, 9p
Hockey Night in Canada
December 7
Buffalo @ Vancouver, 4p/Toronto @ St. Louis, 7p Los Angeles @ Calgary, 10p
December 14
Columbus @ Ottawa, 1p/Toronto @ Edmonton, 7p/Detroit @ Montréal, 7p Vancouver @ San Jose, 10p
We knew there would be a transition. Brian Burke was the centre of speculation and that might happen down the road. Rogers Sportsnet has a chance to rethink the first intermission segment and may want to start fresh in the fall of 2020.
Stan Temming of Yahoo Sports Canada suggested Burke, Paul Bissonnette, Cassie Campbell-Pascall, and Patrick Roy as possible replacements. Those are excellent choices. I would throw in Hayley Wickenheiser and yes, Glenn Healy. Healy is really smart on hockey, opinionated, and has lots of experience with Hockey Night in Canada.
As for the future of hockey, Don Cherry fans should take a look at this vision of the good ol' hockey game. (Here is the original version with Ron and Don.)
Don Cherry getting fired is the only reason that the Toronto Maple Leafs firing Mike Babcock isn't the top story of the month. The tweet says it all: short-term thinking doesn't help most NHL teams get out of the doldrums. The Maple Leafs had significant injuries, a lack of depth on defence, and a backup goalie situation so bad Toronto needed a 36-year-old accountant to play, like Chicago had in 2018.
Mike Babcock is one of the best coaches in the league; no offence to Sheldon Keefe, who is in his first NHL head coach position. Keefe might make the Leafs a bit better in the short term. Toronto's goal should be the Stanley Cup. Babcock understood what that took.
Babcock might have been fired for the playoff losses. Getting past Boston when the refs are on the side of the Bruins was a problem that even Babcock couldn't solve.
We ran the rest of the Canadian ads from the NHL Center Ice free preview in November. The 2019 election called for a separate entry. Hope you enjoyed all the ads. We also have the ads on our YouTube page. The service stopped running those idiotic promos that blocked out the first commercial in the break so we got more ads.
All 7 Canadian teams playing on a Saturday is fairly common. The challenge for Rogers Sportsnet on November 2 was having to cover all 7 teams AND not have them play each other. None of those games were in Canada. This was the only time ever that 7 Canadian teams played on a Saturday all outside Canada.
Edmonton @ Pittsburgh for the Saturday matinee went to the Oilers local weekend crew with Kevin Quinn and Drew Remenda.
The 7 pm timeslot had Toronto, Montréal, Ottawa, and Calgary.
Toronto: Jim Hughson/Craig Simpson
Montréal: John Bartlett/Garry Galley
Ottawa: R.J. Broadhead/Greg Millen
Calgary: Rick Ball/Cassie Campbell-Pascall (Flames local weekend crew)
The late games had Vancouver and Winnipeg in warmer climates. Dave Randorf and Louie DeBrusk had the Jets not on CBC while the Canucks crew — John Shorthouse and John Garrett — called the Vancouver game on CBC. Vancouver is seen as higher on the NHL chain than Winnipeg. Scott Oake almost always works the CBC game and he didn't on November 2.
Bob Cole likely would have been in Ottawa if this happened last season.
I asked the NHL Public Relations on Twitter for help on the missing city on my list. They did not reply to my message on Twitter. Let's go through the ones we know.
Winnipeg, Montréal, Toronto, Edmonton, Calgary, Kanata, Vancouver — current Canadian cities with a NHL franchise
Quebec City — Canadian city with a previous NHL franchise
Ottawa — early NHL days and the 2017 NHL 100 Classic
Saskatoon, Hamilton, Halifax — Canadian cities that hosted NHL games from 1992-1994
Regina — 2019 Heritage Classic host
Ottawa and Hamilton had old-time NHL franchises. As far as we know, they didn't play outside their cities.
The early 1990s experiment brought 8 games to Hamilton; 6 to Saskatoon; and 3 to Halifax.
We know from the cryptic clue in the tweet that the missing city is not in Saskatchewan. Let us know in the comments section if you know the missing city.
There might have been a time where Mike Milbury might have fit in well in the Coach's Corner seat. Cranky and knowledgeable, Milbury would have excelled in that role. Milbury struggles as a game analyst and has trouble not pulling for Boston. I would rather have Eddie Olczyk call a Chicago game with a Canadian team than Mike Milbury with Boston. NBCSN should know better.
The Edmonton telecast is essentially a simulcast of the NBC Sports California feed. Yawn.
November 5 Boston @ Montréal, 7:30p: John Forslund/Mike Milbury November 19 Edmonton @ San Jose, 10:30p: Randy Hahn/Kendall Coyne Schofield/Bret Hedican
Watched a bit of the Maple Leafs and the St. Louis-Calgary late game on CBC Gem on November 9 while on Canadian soil. I recall a couple of years ago trying to stream Hockey Night in Canada on the CBC Web site and finding that difficult. The process was very easy on CBC Gem by clicking on live TV. You can only get the CBC games that way. That proved to be helpful since I didn't have TV where I was staying.
Kyle Bukauskas read the first period and second period promos back-to-back in the November 2 game. The upcoming episode of the Great Canadian Baking Show was the season finale. The promos are not supposed to run back to back. There were only 5 promos on November 2.
Family Feud Canada with Gerry Dee doesn't start until December 16. Red Bull Signature is only available on CBC Gem. The Still Standing promo aired before the third period started on November 16.
November 2 early game: Great Canadian Baking Show; Still Standing (1st); Great Canadian Baking Show; Still Standing (2nd); CBC Listen (3rd)
November 16 early game: CBC Listen; Anne with an E (1st); Family Feud Canada; Red Bull Signature (2nd); Still Standing; Family Feud Canada (3rd)
video credit: YouTube/PWHPA Twitter captures: @canadian_xing; @PR_NHL
You figured the only ways out for Don Cherry were death or one too many rants. There was never going to be a gentile retirement for the co-host of Coach's Corner.
The latest tirade was the excuse Rogers Sportsnet needed to terminate Cherry's deal.
The racist and clueless overtones were there in the latest Don Cherry tirade. Cherry does a great job of appreciating the sacrifice of veterans. His last tirade shows that he may not appreciate the service of the visible minorities he goes after in the tirade.
Cherry mentioned Toronto and Mississauga, specific multicultural communities. The fact that Cherry later cited English and Scottish and Irish immigrants shows he doesn't get it or doesn't want to understand.
Times have changed. When Cherry questioned the masculinity of certain people in previous tirades, people weren't as likely to speak up.
Rogers Sportsnet keeps getting rid of people because they mismanaged its efforts after acquiring the NHL rights in 2014. Bob Cole went along with their favourites such as Nick Kypreos and Doug MacLean. Cherry was too expensive to keep if Rogers didn't have to do so.
"You people love, that come here, whatever it is, you love our way of life, you love our milk and honey, at least you can pay a couple bucks for a poppy or something like that."
I have been wearing a poppy since November 1 while in Windsor for the 2019 Windsor International Film Festival. There were quite a few poppies. Some didn't have one.
They fall off. You wore a different coat. You didn't find a place that had them. Since the festival is around Remembrance Day, I have become entrenched with the tradition.
I had the poppy on my coat when I read that Don Cherry had been fired. I feel honoured to wear one but I wouldn't judge anyone for not wearing a poppy. That is what freedom is all about.
My pick, if they keep the Coach's Corner concept, is Brian Burke in the first intermission of the early game on Hockey Night in Canada. Rogers Sportsnet certainly must have thought about an alternative scenario where Cherry would not be part of the picture. Kelly Hrudey would be a non-Cherry type selection.
The final Coach's Corner in its original form did not air in most of the United States. Those in Chicago and Pittsburgh got the segment via the NHL Network.
The NHL Network has Toronto-Pittsburgh this Saturday so U.S. fans will see what Rogers Sportsnet does in the first intermission.
The flak that CBC got on this issue was unjustified. Rogers Sportsnet controls the content that airs on the CBC. We do find that distasteful and have said so in the past. The CBC had no control over the segment and hasn't had any control since the fall of 2014.
The NBCSN schedule is a little light, even with its favourite matchup featuring Boston in Montréal. The channel follows Connor McDavid and Edmonton to San Jose, hoping the channel passes up the temptation of a NBC Sports California simulcast.
As for the NHL Network, there is a solid amount of Hockey Night in Canada and Hometown Hockey games. Both Alberta teams are on the road in the desert. The lone U.S. Thanksgiving game in Montréal is on the schedule.
There are a lot of games on U.S. Thanksgiving Eve on TV in Canada.
The November 24 Hometown Hockey is normally a day game out of respect for the Grey Cup. Rogers and the NHL have put that game at night in 2019. Edmonton (the NHL team) could be in competition with Edmonton (the CFL team).
Rogers Sportsnet will have a fun challenge on November 2 to cover all 7 Canadian teams playing in 7 different locations in the same day.
NBCSN
November 5 Boston @ Montréal, 7:30p November 19 Edmonton @ San Jose, 10:30p
NHL Network
November 2 Toronto @ Philadelphia, 7p (HNIC) November 3 Calgary @ Washington, 7p (HH) November 10 Toronto @ Chicago, 7p (HH) November 16 Toronto @ Pittsburgh, 7p (HNIC) November 17 Calgary @ Las Vegas, 7p (HH) November 23 NY Rangers @ Montréal, 7p (HNIC) November 24 Edmonton @ Arizona, 8p (HH) November 28 New Jersey @ Montréal, 7p
ESPN+
November 2 Ottawa @ Boston, 7p Winnipeg @ Las Vegas, 10p November 4 Arizona @ Edmonton, 9p November 7 Las Vegas @ Toronto, 7p November 8 Vancouver @ Winnipeg, 8p New Jersey @ Edmonton, 9p November 9 St. Louis @ Calgary, 10p November 10 New Jersey @ Vancouver, 4p November 11 Ottawa @ Carolina, 7p November 12 Columbus @ Montréal, 7p Edmonton @ San Jose, 10:30p November 13 Dallas @ Calgary, 9:30p November 15 Boston @ Toronto, 7p November 19 Toronto @ Las Vegas, 10p November 22 NY Rangers @ Ottawa, 7:30p November 23 Calgary @ Philadelphia, 1p November 26 Boston @ Montréal, 7p November 27 Edmonton @ Colorado, 10p
Hockey Night in Canada
November 2
Toronto @ Philadelphia, 7p/Montréal @ Dallas, 7p/Ottawa @ Boston, 7p/Calgary @ Columbus, 7p Vancouver @ San Jose, 10p/Winnipeg @ Las Vegas, 10p
November 9
Philadelphia @ Toronto, 7p/Los Angeles @ Montréal, 7p/Carolina @ Ottawa, 7p St. Louis @ Calgary, 10p
November 16
Toronto @ Pittsburgh, 7p/New Jersey @ Montréal, 7p/Ottawa @ Buffalo, 7p Colorado @ Vancouver, 10p
November 23
Toronto @ Colorado, 7p/NY Rangers @ Montréal, 7p/Columbus @ Winnipeg, 7p Edmonton @ Las Vegas, 10p
November 30
Philadelphia @ Montréal, 3p/Buffalo @ Toronto, 7p/Ottawa @ Calgary, 7p Vancouver @ Edmonton, 10p/Winnipeg @ Los Angeles, 10p
Hometown Hockey
November 3 Calgary @ Washington, 7p (Strathroy-Caradoc, ON)
November 10 Toronto @ Chicago, 7p (Welland, ON)
November 17 Calgary @ Las Vegas, 8p (Dauphin, MB)
November 24 Edmonton @ Arizona, 8p (Regional Municipality of Wood Buffalo, AB)
Rogers Sportsnet national telecasts
November 2 Edmonton @ Pittsburgh, 1p
November 6 St. Louis @ Edmonton, 8:30p
November 10 Edmonton @ Anaheim, 9p
November 13 Toronto @ NY Islanders, 7p/Ottawa @ New Jersey, 7p/Dallas @ Calgary, 9:30p
November 19 Colorado @ Calgary, 9p
November 20 Ottawa @ Montréal, 7p
November 23 Vancouver @ Washington, 12:30p
November 27 Toronto @ Detroit, 7p/Vancouver @ Pittsburgh, 7p/Boston @ Ottawa, 7p
November 28 New Jersey @ Montréal, 7p
Brian Burke is now the de factor replacement in Rogers Sportsnet studio shows. Burke is cranky but smart and explains things well. Sportsnet will love Burke as long as he doesn't criticise the league as a general concept.
The NBC team would love to have someone such as Burke in the studio. Milbury has elements of cranky and smart but NBC underutilises its studio people. The network is actually using Milbury more as a colour analyst, even if the Toronto Maple Leafs aren't playing. Milbury is ill-suited for the role.
Nick Kypreos hasn't been missed. Having him gone makes the studio crew more efficient and nice to watch.
We had a lot of fun covering the 2019 Heritage Classic from Regina within the last week. The ice was great, the crowd was loud, and the action was tense.
We delved into the history of the NHL in Saskatchewan with indoor games in Saskatoon in the early 1990s. You can likely guess who quashed that really great idea.
Sadly, we know Gary Bettman won't allow another Heritage Classic for a long time. There aren't too many non-NHL market options for a Heritage Classic. Tim Hortons Field for a Buffalo-Toronto game would be outstanding. Halifax would be fun if the city had a stadium but can't figure out how to get a CFL stadium.
We want a game in Montréal. Olympic Stadium is ideal but not technically outdoors (unless the roof is being fixed). Stade Saputo and Molson Stadium would work but the capacity might not be strong enough for the NHL.
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NBCSN might have received pressure from the NHL to carry the Vancouver Canucks home opener. The feed got to the game within the first minute. The LA Kings play-by-play guy and Vancouver area resident Ray Ferraro did their best to spotlight Vancouver's young core. Elias Petterson, winner of the Calder Trophy, had to be introduced to the NBCSN audience.
We think NBCSN only carried the game because of the Canucks celebrating 50 years in the league. The October 9 date was 49 years to the day of the first Vancouver Canucks game, also against Los Angeles. Vancouver's expansion sibling, the Buffalo Sabres, are on NBCSN all the time.
So glad NBCSN used a real crew instead of a Philadelphia simulcast. We appreciate the TSN love for the games, especially in Canada.
October 9 Los Angeles @ Vancouver, 10p: Alex Faust/Ray Ferraro October 15 Tampa Bay @ Montréal, 7p: Gord Miller/Pierre McGuire October 16 Philadelphia @ Edmonton, 9:30p: Chris Cuthbert/Ray Ferraro October 26 Calgary @ Winnipeg, 10p: Jim Hughson/Craig Simpson (CBC simulcast)
The NHL Center Ice free preview went as advertised. Maybe we are mellowing or the meds are finally kicking in, but a week feels like enough. The service stopped running those idiotic promos that blocked out the first commercial in the break.
We ran a bunch of political ads earlier this month and will run the rest of the ads next week.
Checking in on the CBC promos, the live nature of Battle of the Blades means that the Atlantic provinces as well as Newfoundland and Labrador air the program at the same time as the Eastern Time Zone viewers. Dragons' Den airs before Battle of the Blades on CBC New Brunswick-East but after in the rest of the country. The show also got visual mentions during the opening night of the Rogers Sportsnet coverage.
Vote Compass is a CBC News service where you could log on to see how your views compared to party leaders at votecompass.cbc.ca.
The first 2 promos in the 2nd period in the October 19 game aired back-to-back, a violation in spirit of running the CBC promos.
There was a technical DVR glitch in the first half of the 3rd period on October 19. Whatever promos in the 3rd period aired in that time. We apologise for the inconvenience.
October 5 early game: Battle of the Blades; Vote Compass (1st); World Track & Field Championships; Still Standing (2nd); Tallboyz; Vote Compass (3rd)
October 19 early game: Canada Votes 2019 (1st); Still Standing; Great Canadian Baking Show; Battle of the Blades (2nd); [None recorded] (3rd)
October 26 late game: Battle of the Blades (1st); Great Canadian Baking Show; Battle of the Blades; Still Standing (2nd); Battle of the Blades; Grand Slam of Curling (3rd)
Bryan Little from Kyle Connor scored the game-winning goal in overtime to give the Winnipeg Jets a 2-1 "home" win over the Calgary Flames in the 2019 Heritage Classic in Regina, Saskatchewan. Winnipeg had a rare power play in overtime but the winning goal came 3-on-3 in the extra period.
The game was a low-scoring affair with a power-play goal from each team in regulation. The Elias Linholm power-play goal came on the series where Matthew Tkachuk appeared to go past the shoulder for a potential penalty. The Josh Morrissey power-play goal was the first the Jets had scored outdoors and the first goal the Flames gave up outdoors.
Winnipeg had the momentum late, outshooting Calgary 19-4 in the 3rd period and overtime.
The 2019 Heritage Classic drew a crowd of 33,518 to Regina.
The Calgary Flames wore the sweaters from the heydays of the late 1980s. The Winnipeg Jets went truly retro with the WHA era sweaters.
The Trans-Canada Highway signs on the field were a nice touch. The west and east signs weren't complete accurate since the stadium runs north-south. However, the Calgary Flames bench matched the west part with the Winnipeg Jets matched the east part. I have been on that highway going from Winnipeg to Regina (overnight on a Greyhound bus). The highway is how you would get from Calgary and Winnipeg to Regina.
Regina is 750 kilometres from Calgary and 575 from Winnipeg.
The music sounded good from The Sheepdogs, Jess Moskaluke, and the Hunter Brothers.
Weather conditions were given as -4°C (25°F) with a -11°C (12°F) wind chill. Scott Oake made a joke about coming back later with the 5-day forecast. The criticism of the 2016 Heritage Classic was the conditions were too warm during the day in October in Winnipeg. The conditions at night in Regina might have been ideal for an outdoor game: some snow, but not too much with cold but not too cold.
Jim Hughson and Craig Simpson praised how great the ice was and they were close enough to see for themselves.
It is considered a high honor and represents warmth, protection, and is a big ‘thank you.’ In this case, the tribe is very thankful for having this outdoor game. #HeritageClassicpic.twitter.com/PQLO9XOH24
The ceremonial puck drop was about the past and future of indigenous hockey in Canada. The puck drop included Fred Sasakamoose, one of the first indigenous players in the NHL along with Brigette Lacquette, the first indigenous woman on Canada's Olympic Women's Ice Hockey Team and 2 local youth hockey players.
Coach's Corner featured National Chief of the Assembly of First Nations Perry Bellegarde with Ron MacLean and Don Cherry, complete with his Saskatchewan Roughriders sportscoat.
Lanny McDonald (Calgary) and Thomas Steen (Winnipeg) were also involved in the pregame puck drop.
The pregame show and the intermissions aired from Mosaic Stadium. The NHL Network didn't carry the pregame to the U.S. audience. After Hours featured Scott Oake and Kelly Hrudey with Winnipeg coach Paul Maurice.
The 2019 Heritage Classic didn't have an alumni game, which was a disappointment. The Western Hockey League's Regina Pats had an outdoor game against the Calgary Hitmen yesterday. The Hitmen won 5-4 in overtime.
We love how the NHL insists that Heritage Classics are well-promoted. Yet the NHL and NBCSN have a big game on Saturday night to downplay the Heritage Classic so the latter game is less in its eyes.
The easiest thing the NHL Network needed to do was a rebroadcast of the game the next day. There was a rebroadcast scheduled for Sunday but the network cancelled that rebroadcast. The channel runs all kind of programming for Winter Classics and their U.S. cousins. The NHL games don't become less special just because they are in Canada. The 2019 Heritage Classic was the fourth game in the nightly recap On the Fly show.
As for NBCSN, their intermission content with Kathryn Tappen, Keith Jones, and Ed Olczyk was decent but the pageantry is the main part of the show. We saw the crowd before the game started and before the 3rd period began. The crowd is why everyone is in the cold. They deserve way more attention. There might have been more crowd shots in Canada.
Canadian NHL teams in outdoor games
Year
Date
Stadium
Result
2003
November 22
Commonwealth Stadium
Montréal 4, Edmonton 3
2011
February 20
McMahon Stadium
Calgary 4, Montréal 0
2014
January 1
Michigan Stadium
Toronto 3, Detroit 2 (SO)
2014
March 2
BC Place
Ottawa 4, Vancouver 2
2016
January 1
Gillette Stadium
Montréal 5, Boston 1
2016
October 23
Investors Group Field
Edmonton 3, Winnipeg 0
2017
January 1
BMO Field
Toronto 5, Detroit 4 (SO)
2017
December 16
TD Place
Ottawa 3, Montréal 0
2019
October 26
Mosaic Stadium
Winnipeg 2, Calgary 1 (OT)
The season finale of the Battle of the Blades dominated the CBC promos that aired during the 2019 Heritage Classic. We have noticed tinier non-verbal mentions of the show on Rogers Sportsnet telecasts earlier in the month.
The 3 CBC promos in the 2nd period aired in the last 3 minutes of the period.
2019 Heritage Classic: Battle of the Blades (1st); Great Canadian Baking Show; Battle of the Blades; Still Standing (2nd); Battle of the Blades; Grand Slam of Curling (3rd)
Twitter captures: @hockeynight; @PR_NHL photo credit: @ItsLeahRamsay; NHL
NBCSN hasn't been to the province of Saskatchewan since the channel's CFL coverage and that was at Taylor Field. The NFL almost came to Saskatchewan and Mosaic Stadium this summer for the Oakland Raiders preseason game but scheduling made that difficult. ESPN hasn't even shown Saskatchewan at home or on the road in its 2019 CFL coverage.
The 2019 Heritage Classic brings Regina and Saskatchewan some well-deserved publicity as the Calgary Flames and Winnipeg Jets will battle on neutral ice.
Saskatchewan NHL fans don't have a team but can watch the Flames, Jets, and Edmonton Oilers as local teams.
The 2019 Heritage Classic will be the second half of the doubleheader on Hockey Night in Canada at 8 pm local time/10 pm Eastern. CBC, Rogers Sportsnet One, Citytv (only in Calgary, Edmonton, and Vancouver), and TVA Sports 2 will have the game in Canada. Ironically, Citytv doesn't have an over-the-air signal in Saskatchewan and the game isn't on in Winnipeg on Citytv.
NBCSN will carry the game in the United States. The channel looks to carry the CBC feed for the game coverage. Kathryn Tappen will host the intermissions along with Keith Jones and Anson Carter.
The NHL has done a lousy job of promoting Heritage Classics and the Heritage Classic as a name. NHL 100 Classic. Centennial Classic. Almost anything but Heritage Classic.
The last Heritage Classic under that name was in 2016 in Winnipeg. Toronto played at BMO Field in early 2017 while Ottawa hosted Montréal in late 2017. The Montréal Canadiens have played in 4 outdoor games but haven't hosted an outdoor game.
Calgary and Winnipeg have each played an outdoor game when they hosted the event in 2011 and 2016, respectively.
Saskatchewan has hosted 6 previous NHL regular season games. All of those games were indoors in Saskatoon at what was Saskatchewan Place (now the SaskTel Centre).
This was during an experiment to have NHL games in non-traditional markets. Of course, Gary Bettman quashed that fun idea.
The Heritage Classic is also about music. The Sheepdogs will play the first intermission while Jess Moskaluke will perform in the second intermission. The Hunter Brothers will handle O Canada. Canadian supergroup Toque serves as the house band. The Sheepdogs also played before the 2013 Grey Cup.
If you can't wait for Calgary and Winnipeg to battle each other in a CFL stadium, the Stampeders travel to Winnipeg Friday night as the teams battle for playoff positioning. The Saskatchewan Roughriders are in Edmonton on Saturday that should end right around the face-off outdoors at Mosaic Stadium.
Bienvenue and welcome to the debut of the new format for tracking Canadian NHL teams on U.S. TV and streaming. We ran a resource guide yesterday that will help you follow our new approach to NHL coverage.
Rogers Sportsnet starts out the season tonight with the Battle of Ontario followed by Vancouver traveling to Edmonton in the nightcap.
The highlight of the month is the Heritage Classic from Mosaic Stadium in Regina. We will have special coverage of that event in and around the game. NBCSN will carry that game in the United States.
Someone at the NHL really got through to NBC Universal since we have a Vancouver Canucks home game on NBCSN. The channel has had an unofficial ban on the team for years now. They might have to get their 2011 maps and find Vancouver. The channel runs its first ever Saturday doubleheader with the Heritage Classic in Regina, apparently losing a coin flip with the NHL Network. NBCSN also has home dates in Montréal and Edmonton. Tremendous progress from a channel that has been afraid to show games in Canada.
The NHL Network is off to its usual fast start for Canadian teams. Seeing Winnipeg sounds great but with key missing players still needing to get up to speed, the Jets won't be as much fun to watch. Patrik Laine and Kyle Connor were very late signings. 5 of the 7 Canadian teams are on the channel this month, all but Vancouver and Ottawa. The Alberta teams are on the road, continuing a pattern.
The Canadian coverage takes a slight detour with the World Series with Rogers Sportsnet carrying MLB playoffs and Rogers Sportsnet One taking most of the Hometown Hockey games.
We have a NHL Center Ice free preview schedule covering the first 7 days. We are leaving NHL Network telecasts in the preview for those who care about the local feeds and commercials. Those telecasts should have a significant number of political ads heading toward the October 21 federal election. You have been warned.
NBCSN
October 9 Los Angeles @ Vancouver, 10p October 15 Tampa Bay @ Montréal, 7p October 16 Philadelphia @ Edmonton, 9:30p October 26 Calgary @ Winnipeg, 10p
NHL Network
October 4 Winnipeg @ New Jersey, 7p October 5 Montréal @ Toronto, 7p (HNIC) October 6 Winnipeg @ NY Islanders, 7p (HH) October 7 St. Louis @ Toronto, 7p October 12 St. Louis @ Montréal, 7p (HNIC) October 13 Pittsburgh @ Winnipeg, 7p (HH) October 14 Edmonton @ Chicago, 8:30p October 19 Boston @ Toronto, 7p (HNIC) October 31 Calgary @ Nashville, 8p
ESPN+
October 2 Vancouver @ Edmonton, 10p October 3 Winnipeg @ NY Rangers, 7p October 10 Edmonton @ New Jersey, 7p October 13 Calgary @ San Jose, 10p October 15 Philadelphia @ Calgary, 9p October 17 Ottawa @ Las Vegas, 10p October 19 Calgary @ Los Angeles, 10p (HNIC) October 20 Montréal @ Minnesota, 5p/Edmonton @ Winnipeg, 7p (HH) October 21 Columbus @ Toronto, 7p October 22 Toronto @ Boston, 7p October 25 Washington @ Vancouver, 10p October 27 San Jose @ Ottawa, 7p (HH) October 28 Florida @ Vancouver, 10p October 29 Winnipeg @ Anaheim, 10p October 30 Vancouver @ Los Angeles, 10:30p October 31 Montréal @ Las Vegas, 10p
Hockey Night in Canada
October 5
Montréal @ Toronto, 7p/NY Rangers @ Ottawa, 7p Vancouver @ Calgary, 10p/Los Angeles @ Edmonton, 10p
October 12
Toronto @ Detroit, 7p/St. Louis @ Montréal, 7p/Winnipeg @ Chicago, 7p Calgary @ Las Vegas, 10p/Philadelphia @ Vancouver, 10p
October 19
Boston @ Toronto, 7p/Ottawa @ Arizona, 7p Calgary @ Los Angeles, 10p
October 26
Toronto @ Montréal, 7p Calgary @ Winnipeg, 10p
Hometown Hockey
October 6 Winnipeg @ NY Islanders, 7p (Halton Hills, ON)
October 13 Pittsburgh @ Winnipeg, 7p (Halifax, NS)
October 20 Edmonton @ Winnipeg, 7p (St. John's, NL)
October 27 San Jose @ Ottawa, 7p (Fredericton, NB)
Rogers Sportsnet national telecasts
October 2 Ottawa @ Toronto, 7p/Vancouver @ Edmonton, 10p
October 9 Montréal @ Buffalo, 7p
October 10 Calgary @ Dallas, 8:30p
October 12 Edmonton @ NY Rangers, 1p
October 13 Calgary @ San Jose, 10p
October 14 Edmonton @ Chicago, 8:30p
October 15 Philadelphia @ Calgary, 9p/Detroit @ Vancouver, 10p
October 16 Toronto @ Washington, 7p/Philadelphia @ Edmonton, 9:30p
October 17 Vancouver @ St. Louis, 8p/Detroit @ Calgary, 9p
October 18 Detroit @ Edmonton, 9p
October 19 Vancouver @ New Jersey, 1p
October 20 Vancouver @ NY Rangers, 1p/Calgary @ Anaheim, 9p
October 21 Columbus @ Toronto, 7p
October 22 Vancouver @ Detroit, 7:30p
October 23 Detroit @ Ottawa, 7:30p
October 24 Washington @ Edmonton, 9p
October 25 San Jose @ Toronto, 7p/Washington @ Vancouver, 10p
October 29 Edmonton @ Detroit, 7:30p
October 30 Edmonton @ Columbus, 7:30p/Vancouver @ Los Angeles, 10:30p
October 31 Calgary @ Nashville, 8p
NHL Center Ice free preview
Wednesday Ottawa @ Toronto, 7p Vancouver @ Edmonton, 10p Thursday Winnipeg @ NY Rangers, 7p Montréal @ Carolina, 7p Calgary @ Colorado, 9p Friday Winnipeg @ New Jersey, 7p Toronto @ Columbus, 7p Saturday Montréal @ Toronto, 7p NY Rangers @ Ottawa, 7p Vancouver @ Calgary, 10p Los Angeles @ Edmonton, 10p Sunday Winnipeg @ NY Islanders, 7p Monday St. Louis @ Toronto, 7p Tuesday Edmonton @ NY Islanders, 7p Winnipeg @ Pittsburgh, 7p Los Angeles @ Calgary, 9p
In our quest to highlight NHL games carried on an over-the-air station, the October 22 Vancouver at Detroit game is scheduled to run on CKVU (Channel 10), the Citytv station in Vancouver. The game starts at 4:30 pm local time so the American shows on Citytv won't be affected.
