A year and 2 weeks later, NBCSN is back with the same all-Canadian matchup with Connor McDavid and Auston Matthews and their respective Edmonton-Toronto teams. We suspected that NBCSN didn't send the crew to Canada to call the game. This time, there is a good reason why the "Americans" won't cross over. Unlike the early 2020 version, Gord Miller and Ray Ferraro are available to call the game.
The NHL Network has a good amount of Canadian games. So does ESPN+.
The NHL All-Star Game normally happens in January. We usually don't care unless the NHL All-Star Game is on Canadian soil, like back in 2012 in Ottawa. We will assume a week-long NHL Center Ice free preview to start the season.
NBCSN
January 20 Edmonton @ Toronto, 7p January 21 Montréal @ Vancouver, 9:30p
NHL Network
January 16 Montréal @ Edmonton, 7p (HNIC) Vancouver @ Calgary, 10p (HNIC) January 23 Ottawa @ Winnipeg, 10p (HNIC) January 24 Toronto @ Calgary, 4p January 25 Ottawa @ Vancouver, 10p January 30 Toronto @ Edmonton, 7p (HNIC) Vancouver @ Winnipeg, 10p HNIC)
ESPN+
January 14 Vancouver @ Edmonton, 9p January 16 Toronto @ Ottawa, 7p January 18 Vancouver @ Calgary, 9p Montréal @ Edmonton, 9p January 20 Montréal @ Vancouver, 10p January 22 Edmonton @ Toronto, 7p January 24 Edmonton @ Winnipeg, 9p
Hockey Night in Canada
January 16
Toronto @ Ottawa, 7p/Montréal @ Edmonton, 7p/Vancouver @ Calgary, 10p
January 23
Montréal @ Vancouver, 7p/Ottawa @ Winnipeg, 10p
January 30
Toronto @ Edmonton, 7p/Calgary @ Montréal, 7p/Vancouver @ Winnipeg, 10p
Rogers Sportsnet national telecasts
January 13 Montréal @ Toronto, 7p/Vancouver @ Edmonton, 10p
January 14 Vancouver @ Edmonton, 9p
January 18 Vancouver @ Calgary, 9p
January 20 Edmonton @ Toronto, 7p
January 27 Ottawa @ Vancouver, 8p
NHL Center Ice free preview
Wednesday Montréal @ Toronto, 7p Vancouver @ Edmonton, 10p Thursday Calgary @ Winnipeg, 8p Vancouver @ Edmonton, 9p Friday Toronto @ Ottawa, 7p Saturday Toronto @ Ottawa, 7p Montréal @ Edmonton, 7p Vancouver @ Calgary, 10p Monday Winnipeg @ Toronto, 7p Vancouver @ Calgary, 9p Montréal @ Edmonton, 9p Tuesday Winnipeg @ Ottawa, 7p
One big change that came after our season preview: the shakeup on the Edmonton Oilers telecasts.
Jack Michaels, the radio voice of the Oilers since 2010, will call the games on Rogers Sportsnet. Michaels will also call the radio games on national telecasts with Cam Moon on radio play-by-play duties for regional games.
Michaels takes over for Kevin Quinn, who struggled at attaining chemistry. Quinn and Drew Remenda were both relieved of their duties.
Sportsnet didn't have Remenda doing a lot. Louie DeBrusk should be working all local games.
Saturday nights will have some peculiar local start times. The HNIC games are protecting the eastern teams at the expense of the western teams. The January 23 starts at Vancouver at 4 pm and at Winnipeg at 9 pm are an egregious example. There are zero fans in the arena. The TV audience will have to be flexible. Jets fans might want to nap on some Saturday afternoons.
Rogers has shown contempt for Winnipeg in its scheduling and announcer lineup since the company has no local rights to the Jets. CBC never showed such pettiness when the public broadcaster was in charge of Hockey Night in Canada.
For those on the U.S. side looking into ESPN+, the monthly price went up from $4.99 to $5.99 back in August. The yearly price for ESPN+ just went up last week from $49.99 to $59.99. Those getting via ESPN+ via the Disney+ trio (along with Hulu) get a rather good value, until that price goes up. The ESPN+ value is mostly in the CFL coverage for your humble narrator
There was no NHL preseason. The quality of the early games will be lagging a bit.
This is a shot of the Alberta legislature building in Edmonton. NBCSN has shown some nice shots of Edmonton during its coverage in the bubble. Since our NHL coverage is ending with this notebook, we wanted to leave you with this lovely shot. In the words of Jason Kenney, visit Alberta when you can.
Vancouver and Colorado were down 3-1, made valiant comebacks to force a Game 7, but fell short. The Canucks were one of 2 teams (also the New York Islanders) as the last remaining qualifier teams remaining in the Stanley Cup playoffs. If Philadelphia wins later today, none of the qualifier teams will make the conference finals.
The Canucks had trouble getting off shots during the power plays to force a Game 7. Vancouver only had 2 shots in 11 minutes of power play time. The team was outshot by a wide margin in the series.
Perhaps a day off in between Game 6 and Game 7 would have made a difference. The other series had that luxury, none for the Canadian team in the series.
The 2018 Winnipeg Jets and 2017 Ottawa Senators got to the conference finals. The Senators came the closest to the Stanley Cup final. The 2011 Vancouver Canucks are the last Canadian team to get to the Stanley Cup final.
Quinn Hughes had an awesome postseason. The Canucks got scoring from multiple lines. Jacob Markstrom and Thatcher Demko were very strong in goal. The Canucks were exciting to watch in the postseason. Whenever the NHL starts up again, NBCSN, seriously, show the Vancouver Canucks. We know they won't but if you don't ask, you never know.
Another #LasVegas@NHL team cheap shot. Another defenceless @Canucks player on the ice. If this is #playoffhockey, the madness needs to stop.
Tyler Motte lay motionlessly on the ground with an elbow to the head. Another Las Vegas cheap shot. One of the few to actually draw a penalty. Ryan Reaves, who we have mentioned in earlier Stanley Cup notebooks, assessed a game misconduct penalty.
The MO has been cheap hits by Gary Bettman's golden team, pun intended. The penalty was similar to the boarding call in the Montréal series that didn't look as severe as what Las Vegas players have done to Canucks players without penalty.
Las Vegas has developed the habit of whining over obvious calls as a homage to Boston's level of whining. We've said this before: the Golden Knights do not play with honour.
This has been branded as "playoff hockey" the cheap hits specifically without referees calling the penalties. Hard hits might have been playoff hockey, not cheap shots, but that does depend on how far back you go in the more than 100 years of the National Hockey League.
We realise Eddie Olczyk has been in quarantine in Edmonton but he worked too hard to justify the hit, claiming that a new replay angle changed his mind. Kenny Albert and Pierre McGuire had a much more human reaction to the hit.
"We always believe in our group, we have a good mix of young and old players and all the young guys have taken another step, and they have every year. We’ve shown so far in the playoffs that our team game is our strongest weapon, so we just have to keep it going." - Edler pic.twitter.com/9YHaGYnEUG
Dan Hamhuis has retired as a NHL defenceman. Hamhuis was part of the 2011 Vancouver Canucks Stanley Cup team. That isn't why Hamhuis is worth mentioning. The last time the NHL sent players to the Olympics in 2014, the Canadian team was rather impressive. That team went on to win gold in Sochi.
Hamhuis was one of 4 players on that squad playing for a Canadian-based NHL team. P.K. Subban (Montréal); Roberto Luongo (Vancouver); and Carey Price (Montréal) were the other Olympians on that roster.
John Tavares (Toronto); Shea Weber (Montréal for Subban); Matt Duchene (Ottawa briefly); and Patrick Marleau (Toronto briefly) made it onto a Canadian-based team roster since 2014.
That Canadian team was impressive, surrendering only 3 goals in 6 games, the fewest allowed by a gold medal team since 1928.
Having a Canadian star player on a team in Canada is still pretty rare. Hamhuis was a rare bird indeed. Congratulations on the retirement.
The Stanley Cup playoffs have been all within Canada, the first time since 1925 where that has happened. The Stanley Cup will be presented on Canadian soil. Of course, having a Canadian team hoist the Stanley Cup is the idea.
The conference finals and Stanley Cup finals will take place at Rogers Place in Edmonton. We figure Jim Hughson and Craig Simpson will move to the Edmonton bubble to call the "Wales" Conference final. Chris Cuthbert and Louie DeBrusk are lined up to call the "Campbell" Conference final and the Stanley Cup final.
For Cuthbert, this is a well-deserved honour. For DeBrusk, Garry Galley is a better pick.
The Stanley Cup final is scheduled to start September 22 with a possible Game 7 on October 4. This would be right around the time the season would normally start. COVID-19 has thrown off the world of sports. We don't know when the NHL will return. Finishing this season was important but the start of the next season can and will wait.
Editor's note:CBC first-round schedule has been updated.
Connor McDavid scored a hat trick in Game 2 in Edmonton. Hockey tradition is that fans throw hats on the ice with a hat trick. With no fans in the stands, this lucky employee got the honour to throw 3 hats on the ice at Rogers Place.
The fact that we have focused on hockey and not the reality of COVID-19 is a hat tip to the NHL for pulling this off so far.
Rogers is keeping the current format of Chris Cuthbert and Louie DeBrusk in Edmonton and Jim Hughson and Craig Simpson in Toronto. For those hoping for Garry Galley, Rick Ball, or Greg Millen, don't hold your breath. We didn't see Scott Oake in the play-in round but Oake will work out of Edmonton.
The CBC has a typical first-round type schedule in a pandemic. Vancouver gets 2 of the its first 4 games on CBC while Montréal and Calgary get full coverage of the first 4 games. The channel will also carry select all-U.S. matchups featuring Boston (popular in Atlantic Canada) and Chicago, since no Canadian teams play on Saturday.
August 11 Calgary @ Dallas 5:30p | Carolina @ Boston 8p August 12 Montréal @ Philadelphia 8p | Vancouver @ St. Louis 10:30p August 13 Carolina @ Boston 8p | Calgary @ Dallas 10:30p August 14 Montréal @ Philadelphia 3p | Dallas @ Calgary 10:30p August 15 Las Vegas @ Chicago 8p August 16 Dallas @ Calgary 2p | Philadelphia @ Montréal 8p August 17 Boston @ Carolina 8p | St. Louis @ Vancouver 10:30p August 18 Philadelphia @ Montréal 3p | Calgary @ Dallas 5:30p August 19 Montréal @ Philadelphia 8p | Vancouver @ St. Louis 10:30p August 20 NY Islanders @ Washington 8p | Dallas @ Calgary 10:30p August 21 Philadelphia @ Montréal 7p | St. Louis @ Vancouver 9:45p
As for the U.S. side, the roster should be fairly set. Kenny Albert and Joe Micheletti should will be in the bubble in Edmonton in the next round. Gord Miller will still call games in the eastern bubble in Toronto. For those of you dreaming about NBC using Dave Randorf or Gary Throne, again don't hold your breath. Mike Tirico worked some play-in games (none with Canadian teams) but isn't likely to call any more games. Tirico understands calling games with neutrality, something some of his network colleagues (John Forslund, Mike Milbury, and Brian Boucher) could learn from Tirico.
Speaking of the toxic trio, we are hoping they don't do as many Montréal games in the next round, hoping they have shinier objects to be obsessed about now that Pittsburgh is gone.
Gord Miller was surprisingly underused in Toronto in the play-in round. Miller called Game 2 in the Toronto series and stood up to Mike Milbury, something Forslund won't do. Even if Miller isn't working, his Twitter feed about life in the bubble is worth the read.
The NHL Network will be in force for Vancouver in Game 2 but we will see a lot fewer Rogers Sportsnet simulcasts in this round. In the recent past, local telecasts in a market share the spotlight with the national telecasts in the United States.
I rarely, if ever, criticize my former employers. But I am so disappointed in both Rogers and the NHL for not respecting the tradition of Saturday Night for #HNIC. Surely there could have been some thought to putting 1 of the 3 remaining Canadian teams in that familiar window.
Not one to agree with John Shannon on a lot (still better than Nick Kypreos), but Shannon has it right. How do you not schedule a Canadian team in the prime time slot on a Saturday night. Calgary-Dallas was headed in that direction. NBC is carrying the Habs on Sunday night. CBC is forced to carry an all-American game on August 15.
Bob McKenzie is slowing down … on purpose. The long-time TSN insider, who also contributes to NBCSN, will reduce his duties but still be visible. McKenzie has earned rest but glad there are still a few items on his menu.
The round-robin teams played hockey but not playoff hockey. This could be a short-term advantage for the Calgary Flames (Dallas Stars), Vancouver Canucks (St. Louis Blues), and Montréal Canadiens (Philadelphia Flyers). All 3 Canadian teams are sharp underdogs but the Habs know all about that situation.
The local anthem singers got to shine with the anthems. Michael Bublé sang the Canadian national anthem on August 1. That went over well except for the Montréal game where fans complained that the anthem was in English. The response was that because the Habs were the "road" team, the anthem was in English. We heard the anthem followed the traditional French-French-English pattern but were unable to confirm this first-hand.
We didn't hear Mark Donnelly in Vancouver, which was a disappointment. We did hear George Canyon for Calgary. You might remember that Canyon took some time off from his day job to run in the Central Nova riding in his home province of Nova Scotia last fall. Canyon did not win the riding.
Each team got to honour a local person devoted to the COVID-19 crisis or someone in the fight for enhanced diversity. Calgary's pick is a non-profit founder and diversity advocate: former Calgary Stampeders star running back Jon Cornish. We are suffering from CFL withrawal.
Combined with Chris Cuthbert's mention of Zach Collaros, which we covered yesterday, there isn't much to say about the CFL these days.
The New York Rangers won Phase 2 of the NHL draft and the right to draft Alexis Lafreniere. Not sure we would be thrilled with this procedure even if a Canadian team won the lottery. The NHL is not known for having integrity with the draft.
The Canadian teams started with 6 teams and are down to 3 teams.
The Montréal Canadiens defeated the Los Angeles Kings 4-1 in the 1993 Stanley Cup final to win the Stanley Cup. This is still the last Canadian team to win the Stanley Cup.
The NHL has set up camp in Toronto and Edmonton for the 2020 version of the Stanley Cup playoffs. All the Canadian teams are in the mix except for the Ottawa Senators. All of those teams except for Montréal have an easy time justifying their presence.
Toronto (Columbus) are in the 8-9 bracket with the Maple Leafs having the home edge. Montréal (Pittsburgh) is the only Canadian team to be a #12 seed. Edmonton (Chicago) is a #5 seed while Vancouver (Minnesota) is a #7 seed. Calgary (#8) has the edge over Winnipeg (#9) in their matchup.
We won't know much about individual players in terms of COVID-19 as things progress. Toronto's Auston Matthews had COVID-19 and has now recovered. Montréal's Max Domi has Type 1 diabetes and celiac disease and is in the tournament.
The play-in round is a best-of-5. Go down 2-0 and visions of Alexis Lafreniere will dance in their heads.
The higher seeds will sit in the home bench and use the home locker room in Games 1-2 and 5 (if needed). Let's hope the bubble holds and cases are minimized. The Stanley Cup is important but not as important as health.
By August 10, 8 teams will be gone. Another 4-7 games after that, 8 more teams will leave the bubble.
The 2018 Winnipeg Jets was the last Canadian team to win a playoff round. Canada is guaranteed to have at least a team in the next round, the Calgary-Winnipeg winner.
Chris Cuthbert jumped from TSN to Rogers Sportsnet to call a Stanley Cup final. We don't know if that will be in 2020 or a future year of a 4-year contract.
Cuthbert and Louie DeBrusk will call the play-in round in Edmonton. Jim Hughson and Craig Simpson will call the play-in round in Toronto. Rogers Sportsnet is only producing games involving Canadian teams in the play-in round, though there might be exceptions for a Game 5 of an all-American matchup.
Looks like CBC is only covering the games on Saturday nights in the play-in round. CBC will run a Saturday doubleheader with the Habs in the early slot and the Flames-Jets in the nightcap. CBC would have had the Tokyo Olympics and the Paralympics this summer.
The Calgary-Winnipeg Game 1 marks the return of Cuthbert to the CBC. Cuthbert's last CBC NHL game would have been in the spring of 2004. This time around, Cuthbert works for Rogers Sportsnet though his work will appear on CBC.
NBC will produce the games in Toronto while Rogers Sportsnet will produce the games in Edmonton. This is to provide clean video for the American and Canadian outlets. This will not affect the broadcasts in any fashion; at least, they won't be as bad as when NBC covered the Toronto-Washington playoff series with video from NBC Sports Washington.
The NHL Network will have a few games of note, including Games 2 and 3 of the Calgary-Winnipeg series. NBCSN will join some NHL Network games in progress.
The NHL on NBC is treating the play-in round like the regular season. The U.S. national feeds are not exclusive, meaning the national feed will be blacked out in local markets. People in Chicago will be forced to watch the local feed instead of a national feed for the Edmonton series.
NBC is carrying the Edmonton Oilers and Montréal Canadiens on Saturday. The Habs have made a few appearances on the network. NBC viewers will get to know Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl for the first time outside the All-Star Game. Eddie Olczyk, who covers the other team for his day job, will be on the telecast tomorrow afternoon.
The NBC release notes who will do games for the play-in round. Kenny Albert will call the Calgary-Winnipeg Game 1, though Gord Miller or a Rogers simulcast are better choices. We sadly know that John Forslund, Mike Milbury, and Brian Boucher will do the Montréal game on NBC tonorrow: The combination of indifference (Forslund) and incompetence (Milbury, Boucher). Milbury is above average in the studio but is bitter and petty as an analyst. His anti-Habs slip will show often. We would rather have the audio from TVA Sports.
August 1 Chicago @ Edmonton 3p NBC August 1 Montréal @ Pittsburgh 8p NBC (CBC) August 1 Winnipeg @ Calgary 10:30p NBCSN (CBC)
August 2 Columbus @ Toronto 8p NHL-N August 2 Minnesota @ Vancouver 10:30p NBCSN
August 3 Winnipeg @ Calgary 2:30p NHL-N August 3 Montréal @ Pittsburgh 8p NBCSN August 3 Chicago @ Edmonton 10:30p NBCSN
August 4 Columbus @ Toronto 4p NBCSN August 4 Calgary @ Winnipeg 6:45p NHL-N August 4 Minnesota @ Vancouver 10:45p USA
August 5 Pittsburgh @ Montréal 8p NBCSN August 5 Edmonton @ Chicago 10:30p NBCSN
All games on Sportsnet except where noted. Times are Eastern Daylight.
And for those who are wondering, I’ll be going into the “bubble” in Toronto next week, once again broadcasting post-season games for @NHLonNBCSports. https://t.co/oj5YU2OT43
Gord Miller is inside the bubble in Toronto. That is a sign Miller will be used for more than a round in the playoffs. Miller will not be joined by Ray Ferraro on NBCSN. We don't know why; we aren't asking why. Their chemistry will be missed; Hard to argue that Miller-Ferraro isn't the best combo. Their travel stories will be missed since Miller will be in the bubble.
The nuance of playoffs vs. not playoffs is lost on those who are excited about the return of the NHL. Our only question is how many Canadian teams reached the top 16 and beyond.
A sincere congratulations to the Seattle Kraken, the new nickname for the Seattle NHL franchise. The team is scheduled to start in the fall of 2021. Vancouver Canucks vs. Seattle Kraken will become a great rivalry, hopefully not as one-sided as the Sounders and the Whitecaps in MLS.
We are curious if Hockey Night in Canada telecasts involving the Kraken will get blacked out since CBUT/Vancouver is available on cable in Seattle. Detroit might be on HNIC but not usually on CBC. Buffalo is less likely to be on HNIC.
logo credit: NHL; Seattle Kraken Twitter capture: @GMillerTSN; @rayferraroTSN
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
