Canadian Crossing

NHL the week in preview November 16, 2018

NBCSN has the Edmonton Oilers in the spotlight Tuesday night in San Jose. There won't be an overrun since the Oilers game is the only game on the schedule.

CBC won't carry the Toronto Maple Leafs for Hockey Night in Canada as the Habs travel to Vancouver for a late afternoon start local time. The Battle of Alberta in Calgary will be the late game.

City TV welcomes Sidney Crosby and his Penguins to the Canadian capital to take on the Senators.

Rogers Sportsnet has Hometown Hockey from Mount Pearl, Newfoundland as the new desert team will be in Edmonton. The regional channels have a pre-U.S. Thanksgiving doubleheader Wednesday with the Maple Leafs in Carolina and an all-Canadian matchup featuring the Winnipeg Jets in Calgary.

Rogers Sportsnet One has its own Wednesday doubleheader with les Canadiens in New Jersey and Vancouver traveling to Anaheim.

Rogers Sportsnet 360 doesn't feel left out on Wednesday with the Ottawa Senators in St. Paul.

ESPN+ has the game that NBCSN and the NHL Network refuse to cover: the Battle of Alberta with the CBC feed Saturday night.

NBCSN

Tuesday
Edmonton @ San Jose, 10:30p

NHL Network

Tape delayed
Monday Las Vegas @ Edmonton, 1a (2-hour), 1p
Tuesday Columbus @ Toronto, 1p
Wednesday Edmonton @ San Jose, 8a (2-hour), 2p (2-hour)

ESPN+

Saturday
Edmonton at Calgary, 10p

CBC

Saturday
Montréal @ Vancouver, 7p
Edmonton at Calgary, 10p

City

Saturday
Pittsburgh @ Ottawa, 7p

Rogers Sportsnet

Sunday
Las Vegas @ Edmonton, 8p
Wednesday
Toronto @ Carolina, 7p
Winnipeg @ Calgary, 10p

Rogers Sportsnet One

Wednesday
Montréal @ New Jersey, 7p
Vancouver @ Anaheim, 10p

Rogers Sportsnet 360

Wednesday
Ottawa @ Minnesota, 8p

In the land of Montréal, centres have been hard to find. This didn't apply to Tomas Plekanec, who was more productive defensively than offensively. Plekanec went to Toronto in a deadline deal last spring but signed with Montréal.

The Canadiens and Plekanec reached a mutual decision to terminate his contract. Plekanec did hit the 1,000 NHL game plateau on October 15 against Detroit. Plekanec played 984 of his 1,001 career NHL games with les Habs. We say merci beaucoup et bon voyage.

CanadianCrossing.com NHL coverage

John Bartlett and Jason York were reunited for Hockey Night in Canada for the Senators game. Bartlett and York worked Habs games for Rogers Sportsnet East. Rick Ball got to cover the Flames for the late CBC game in Los Angeles.

We were hoping for a Bob Cole sighting but he had the weekend off. The countdown to forced retirement only has a few games left.

---

The NHL Network showed the whole Hockey Night in Canada feed this week so the U.S. audience got 6 CBC promos. This was all the more significant since the NHL Network is afraid to show the Habs and Canucks this week.

As we have noted, Mystery Mondays promotes the 2 Monday shows Murdoch Mysteries and Frankie Drake Mysteries. This is the final season for the long-running Canadian comedy Mr. D.

Early game: Anne with an E (1st); Mystery Mondays; Still Standing; Canada's Smartest Person Junior (2nd); Mr. D; Dragons' Den (3rd)

Toronto-Boston matinee rebroadcast: Mystery Mondays (2nd); Dragons' Den (3rd)

NHL the week in preview November 9, 2018

NHL Network carries the CBC feed for Hockey Night in Canada and the Rogers Sportsnet feed for Hometown Hockey.

CBC features the Original 6 matchup of the Maple Leafs in Boston. The Calgary Flames put on their sunglasses for the bright lights of Los Angeles in the nightcap.

City TV follows Ottawa's journey to Tampa Bay on Saturday.

Rogers Sportsnet shows Gary Bettman's new favourite desert team in Montréal aka the Max Pacioretty bowl. Hometown Hockey from Glace Bay, NS has Winnipeg hosting New Jersey. Wednesday Night Hockey has what should have been the Stanley Cup final with Washington at Winnipeg.

Rogers Sportsnet One carries a bonus Sunday game with Edmonton welcoming the Avalanche.

Rogers Sportsnet 360 felt left out and will carry the Vancouver Canucks in Buffalo in a Saturday matinee and a late Sunday game with Calgary in San Jose.

NHL Network

Saturday
Toronto @ Boston, 7p
Sunday
New Jersey @ Winnipeg, 7p

Tape delayed
Friday Vancouver @ Boston, 3p
Sunday Toronto @ Boston, 1p
Tuesday Vancouver @ NY Rangers, 1p
Wednesday Montréal @ Edmonton, 1p

ESPN+

Thursday
Toronto at San Jose, 10:30p

CBC

Saturday
Toronto @ Boston, 7p
Calgary @ Los Angeles, 10p

City

Saturday
Ottawa @ Tampa Bay, 7p

Rogers Sportsnet

Saturday
Las Vegas @ Montréal, 7p
Sunday
New Jersey @ Winnipeg, 7p
Wednesday
Washington @ Winnipeg, 8p

Rogers Sportsnet One

Sunday
Colorado @ Edmonton, 9:30p

Rogers Sportsnet 360

Saturday
Vancouver @ Buffalo, 1p
Sunday
Calgary @ San Jose, 9p

---

Bob Cole continued his Hockey Night in Canada tour in Calgary. Cole worked with Louie DeBrusk for the Chicago game. This was a nice treat since I would have been blacked out of the game at home, but I was in Canada.

Hopefully, Cole got to stay in western Canada during the week. We will be curious to see where Cole goes next on his Canadian tour.

---

Craig Simpson asked in the 2nd period about the time a goaltender needs to take off pads and skates when Pittsburgh's Matt Murray took awhile to get an issue corrected. Simpson asked Kelly Hrudey but not like Hrudey could respond right away. The Jim Hughson-Craig Simpson team used to have Glenn Healy who could answer goalie type questions.

CanadianCrossing.com NHL coverage

NBCSN went the lazy route with the Edmonton Oilers game in western Florida with Tampa home announcers Rick Peckham and Brian Engblom. We sadly expect the same apathetic treatment when Edmonton is in San Jose later this month on NBCSN.

---

The NHL Network used the feed featured the Florida announcers. Both games had TSN's Sara Orlesky doing interviews for NBCSN and NHL Network, respectively.

NBCSN had a better sense of Helsinki in its coverage though the NHL Network aired the anthems, including the emphasis on True North in O Canada, even in Helsinki.

---

The U.S. audience only got 4 CBC promos since the NHL Network switched to the awful Pittsburgh TV feed for the final 7:09 of the 3rd period. The U.S. channel went into the break with their in-studio analysis in lieu of commercials for a break. When the break was over, the Penguins feed was on the screen and stayed there sans explanation.

The CBC could have ran a promo before the glitch but we're lucky if Rogers remembers to run 6 CBC promos.

We are playing catch up with the CBC promos, including the NHL Network rebroadcast matinee from October 28. The Murdoch Mysteries Halloween special got the mention. We did see brief visuals of promos for Canada's Smartest Person Junior and the Great Canadian Baking Show without any verbal cues.

This is the final season for the long-running Canadian comedy Mr. D.

Early game: Mr. D; Snowboarding (1st); Still Standing; Great Canadian Baking Show (2nd)

Winnipeg-Toronto matinee rebroadcast: Murdoch Mysteries (1st)

NHL the week in preview November 2, 2018

NBCSN gets on the Connor McDavid bandwagon with the Oilers trip to Tampa on U.S. election night.

The NHL Network picks up the Winnipeg Jets "home" game in Helsinki, Finland from Hartwall Arena as part of the 2018 NHL Global Series. The U.S. channel will also pick up Vancouver's home game on Friday against Colorado. The channel also picks up the CBC feed Saturday night with the Maple Leafs and Hometown Hockey with the Senators on Sunday.

CBC gets on the Sidney Crosby bandwag-- er, already there, with the Maple Leafs in Pittsburgh. The Chicago franchise goes to Calgary for the nightcap.

City TV takes the Habs as Tampa Bay travels to a cool Montréal.

Rogers Sportsnet can almost see Canada from the Oilers game in Detroit Saturday night. Hometown Hockey follows Tampa Bay to the nation's capital with ceremonies from Nepean, ON.

NBCSN

Tuesday
Edmonton @ Tampa Bay, 7:30p

NHL Network

Friday
Florida @ Winnipeg, 2p (Helsinki)
Colorado @ Vancouver, 10p
Saturday
Toronto @ Pittsburgh, 7p
Sunday
Tampa Bay @ Ottawa, 7p

Tape delayed
Saturday Colorado @ Vancouver, 1p
Sunday Toronto @ Pittsburgh, 1p
Monday Tampa Bay @ Ottawa, 1p
Wednesday Edmonton @ Tampa Bay, 1p
Montréal @ NY Rangers, 2p
Las Vegas @ Toronto, 3p

ESPN+

Tuesday
Las Vegas at Toronto, 7p
Wednesday
Calgary at Anaheim, 10:30p

CBC

Saturday
Toronto @ Pittsburgh, 7p
Chicago @ Calgary, 10p

City

Saturday
Tampa Bay @ Montréal, 7p

Rogers Sportsnet

Saturday
Edmonton @ Detroit, 7p
Sunday
Tampa Bay @ Ottawa, 7p

The Winnipeg Jets have had a hard time cracking coverage in the United States. The Jets were on U.S. TV with 3 games last week and the 2 games in Helsinki this week.

The NHL Network did run 5 games with Canadian teams but yours truly was blacked out for 2 of them. The channel ran the City TV feed for Hockey Night in Canada on Saturday and the Rogers Sportsnet feed Monday night. 

The U.S. channel carried the Chicago feed for the Oilers game on Sunday but the Canucks feed against Chicago on Wednesday. The Detroit feed was carried for Friday's game with the Jets.

---

NBCSN did schedule the Toronto-Winnipeg game during the World Series. The 167,000 viewing number is not that good on a normal Wednesday, especially in the early slot. Something in the mid 200,000 would have been better.

The experiment is still early and we're not sure how much publicity this game received. Also, most casual hockey fans know little about the Winnipeg Jets.

The Boston game in Calgary drew 162,000 in the late slot with Boston preoccupied with the MLB Red Sox. The numbers won't be the only factor for NBCSN but they are a consideration.

CanadianCrossing.com NHL coverage

The Bob Cole farewell tour got some West Coast flavour as Cole worked the late game in Vancouver on CBC. Even in recent times, Cole rarely made it out to the West Coast. I recall one time Cole was in Los Angeles. Flying out from St. John's to Vancouver and back should be quite a ride.

This might be the only time Cole works with Louie DeBrusk. Cole was a great guest with Sidney Crosby on After Hours with Scott Oake. We found out that Oake grew up in Newfoundland and worked for CBNT, the CBC station in St. John's, doing sports while Bob Cole anchored the news and then flew out on the weekends to cover Hockey Night in Canada.

---

Bryan Mudryk covered the Senators last Friday for TSN5. Gord Miller covered 2 CFL games last weekend for Rod Black, who was calling the Skate Canada International.

Washington Capitals radio play-by-play person John Walton along with Pierre McGuire called the Jets game in Finland on NBCSN on Thursday. Would have been better off with a TSN3 simulcast.

NHL the week in preview October 26, 2018

Editor's note: Rogers Sportsnet will now carry Wednesday night's game in Vancouver since the World Series ended early.

NBCSN will carry the first of 2 Winnipeg Jets games in Helsinki, Finland from Hartwall Arena. The game will air live Thursday afternoon as part of the 2018 NHL Global Series.

On top of that, you might get woozy from all the Canadian teams hockey on the NHL Network this week. The channel will carry the Jets in the Motor City on Friday, Hockey Night in Canada with the Habs in Boston (City TV); Edmonton traveling to Chicago Sunday night (Rogers Sportsnet 360); an all-Canadian matchup with Calgary in Canada's largest city on Monday (Rogers Sportsnet); and a Halloween special with Chicago in Vancouver.

CBC draws the revenge game with Winnipeg in Toronto early. Sidney Crosby and his black-and-yellow dressed friends go to Vancouver in the nightcap.

City TV has the Habs in Boston on Hockey Night in Canada.

Rogers Sportsnet steps away from the World Series to run "Wednesday Night Hockey" on Monday. The regional channels start with an all-Canadian tilt with the Calgary Flames only trip to Toronto. Vancouver hosts Minnesota in the nightcap. The regional channels added the Halloween night tilt with Chicago in Vancouver. 

Rogers Sportsnet One has a full load of NHL action with a late Saturday afternoon game with Alex Ovechkin and the Capitals in Calgary. Hometown Hockey from Burlington, ON has the Ottawa Senators in the very bright lights of the desert. The channel also has Calgary hosting Colorado on Thursday.

Rogers Sportsnet 360 steps up with a Sunday early evening game with the Edmonton Oilers in Chicago.

NBCSN

Thursday
Winnipeg @ Florida, 2p (Helsinki)

NHL Network

Friday
Winnipeg @ Detroit, 7:30p
Saturday
Montréal @ Boston, 7p
Sunday
Edmonton @ Chicago, 6p
Monday
Calgary @ Toronto, 7p
Wednesday
Chicago @ Vancouver, 10p

Tape delayed
Sunday Winnipeg @ Toronto, Noon
Monday Ottawa @ Las Vegas, 1p
Tuesday Calgary @ Toronto, 9a (2-hour), 1p
Minnesota @ Vancouver, 2p (2-hour)

ESPN+

Monday
Minnesota @ Vancouver, 10p
Tuesday
Calgary @ Edmonton, 9p
Thursday
Washington at Montréal, 7:30p
Chicago at Edmonton, 9p

CBC

Saturday
Winnipeg @ Toronto, 7p
Pittsburgh @ Vancouver, 10p

City

Saturday
Montréal @ Boston, 7p

Rogers Sportsnet

Monday
Calgary @ Toronto, 7p
Minnesota @ Vancouver, 10p
Wednesday
Chicago @ Vancouver, 10p

Rogers Sportsnet One

Saturday
Washington @ Calgary, 4p
Sunday
Ottawa @ Las Vegas, 8p
Thursday
Colorado @ Calgary, 9p

Rogers Sportsnet 360

Sunday
Edmonton @ Chicago, 6p

The NBC Sports press release made a big deal about Wednesday's game in Winnipeg. The notion about the "first-ever NHL regular-season game featuring two Canadian teams to be produced by NBC Sports" should be shameful that it's only happening in 2018. The notion is also not true: NBCSN did produce the 2014 Heritage Classic from BC Place with Gord Miller and Brian Engblom on the call. And we can argue about whether NBC Sports had control over Versus in February 2011 with the Heritage Classic in Calgary.

Miller and Pierre McGuire called the only previous NBCSN regular season game in Winnipeg against Buffalo in the Jets 2.0 debut season.

The pregame had fun in True North Square with a live performance from Winnipeg native Randy Bachman. Patrick Marleau was a guest on the pregame, offering perspective as a Saskatchewan native who plays in Toronto. Jeremy Roenick talked with the Jets fans in the crowd.

Doc Emrick and Eddie Olczyk relived old memories in Winnipeg. They seemed fairly knowledgeable of both teams.

Brian Boucher sounded confused as always but didn't display his usual negative approach to the Canadian teams. Boucher did interview both coaches, something NBCSN doesn't always do. Ray Ferraro would have been a nice touch, even if his day job is covering the Maple Leafs.

Former Winnipeg Jets star Thomas Steen was the 1st intermission guest. The analysis was brief as always, but reasonably balanced. Jeremy Roenick was the only one who brought up the missing William Nylander.

The major issue was that the clock looked off and we didn't get a power play clock for awhile.

This game was also rare in that both the U.S. and Canada had their #1 team for this game. Jim Hughson, Craig Simpson, and Scott Oake covered the game for Rogers Sportsnet One.

The Gord Downie Hockey Night in Canada show opener was a nice tribute to the late singer of the Tragically Hip. The anniversary of Downie's death coincided with the date for legal recreational marijuana in Canada.

CanadianCrossing.com NHL coverage

David Amber did briefly intro the late games during the pregame show, though that could be because there were 2 late games.

Rick Ball has been getting national work on the Hometown Hockey games. Once Bob Cole is officially pushed out, Ball should get more games, possibly with Garry Galley, Cole's current partner.

---

The NHL Network gave us the TSN3 feed for the Blues in Winnipeg Monday night.

Chris Cuthbert called the Wednesday late game again this week for NBCSN in Denver.

---

We got the full recommended dose of CBC promos this week. As we keep noting, Mystery Mondays promotes the 2 Monday shows Murdoch Mysteries and Frankie Drake Mysteries.

Early game: The Fifth Estate; Anne with an E (1st); Mystery Mondays; Still Standing (2nd); Great Canadian Baking Show; The Detectives (3rd)

photo credit: NBC Sports

NHL the week in preview October 19, 2018

Editor's note: The schedule has changed where Rogers Sportsnet will carry the Hometown Hockey game.

NBCSN has another first with carrying a complete game involving 2 Canadian teams in an indoor game. The U.S. channel will travel to Winnipeg for only the second time ever in the regular season as the Jets host the Toronto Maple Leafs. The game is also Wednesday Night Hockey for Rogers Sportsnet One.

The NHL Network showcases the Toronto Maple Leafs on Hockey Night in Canada with the St. Louis Blues north of the border with the CBC feed. The channel also follows the Blues to Winnipeg Monday night.

CBC has the Maple Leafs early on Saturday with Edmonton hosting P.K. Subban and the yellow-covered Predators in the late game.

City TV carries a rare doubleheader starting with the Habs in the nation's capital. The channels will draw Vancouver hosting Boston in the nightcap.

Rogers Sportsnet jumps back in to carry the 100th episode of Hometown Hockey from London, ON as Calgary goes to the Big Apple.

Besides Wednesday Night Hockey, Rogers Sportsnet One helps out Edmonton with a pair of home games against Pittsburgh on Tuesday and Washington on Thursday.

Rogers Sportsnet 360 helps out with Calgary hosting Nashville on Friday and Vancouver landing in the bright lights of the desert late on Wednesday.

NBCSN

Wednesday
Toronto @ Winnipeg, 7p

NHL Network

Saturday
St. Louis @ Toronto, 7p
Monday
St. Louis @ Winnipeg, 8p

Tape delayed
Friday Boston @ Edmonton, 1p
Vancouver @ Winnipeg, 2p
Pittsburgh @ Toronto, 3p
Sunday Montréal @ Ottawa, 1p
Monday Calgary @ NY Rangers, 1p
Tuesday Washington @ Vancouver, 1p
St. Louis @ Winnipeg, 2p (2-hour)
Wednesday Pittsburgh @ Edmonton, 3p
Thursday Toronto @ Winnipeg, 2p (2-hour)

ESPN+

Saturday
Nashville @ Edmonton, 10p
Sunday
Calgary @ NY Rangers, 7p
Tuesday
Pittsburgh @ Edmonton, 9p
Wednesday
Vancouver @ Las Vegas, 10p
Thursday
Washington @ Edmonton, 9p

CBC

Saturday
St. Louis @ Toronto, 7p
Nashville @ Edmonton, 10p

City

Saturday
Montréal @ Ottawa, 7p
Boston @ Vancouver, 10p

Rogers Sportsnet

Sunday
Calgary @ NY Rangers, 7p

Rogers Sportsnet One

Tuesday
Pittsburgh @ Edmonton, 9p
Wednesday
Toronto @ Winnipeg, 7p
Thursday
Washington @ Edmonton, 9p

Rogers Sportsnet 360

Friday
Nashville @ Calgary, 9p
Wednesday
Vancouver @ Las Vegas, 10p

"We're north of the 49th in the foothills of the Canadian Rockies as we welcome you to Calgary."

Chris Cuthbert used that intro to welcome the NBCSN audience to a place where the network has never been in the regular season: the Scotiabank Saddledome. This was only the second time NBCSN had been in Calgary in the regular season and the first since the 2011 Heritage Classic on February 20.

NBCSN did get the national audience out to Calgary without missing a beat. The U.S. TV deal forced a delay in the Calgary start since there is only a single outlet.

Cuthbert worked with Pierre McGuire, who draws the late game when NBCSN has a doubleheader this season. McGuire didn't yell in a rude fashion at the Canadian team, unlike last season with Edmonton. When McGuire doesn't yell, NBCSN sets his voice so low, you can't always follow what he is saying.

Cuthbert mentioned the Calgary Stampede just before the start of the 2nd period.

The NBCSN studio crew continues to do a crappy job. The Flames had 3 goals in the 1st period but the analysis was centered around Boston's top line without acknowledging Calgary's offensive firepower.

Gord Miller did his part for NBCSN this week in St. Paul with McGuire on Tuesday and in Dallas tonight with the Inside-the-Glass debut of AJ Mleczko.

NBCSN will send its #1 doubleheader crew to Winnipeg on Wednesday: Doc Emrick, Eddie Olczyk, and Brian Boucher. Emrick might have called a Winnipeg Jets game on Fox in the mid-1990s or more likely with ESPN in the late 1980s. Olczyk has history in Winnipeg as a member of the Jets 1.0. Boucher will be massively confused since his motivation is to root against the Canadian team. Watch for Boucher to be biased toward the Maple Leafs.

We usually ignore the NBCSN pregame for very good reasons. This year, NBCSN is experimenting with an on-the-road pregame show and will be in Winnipeg Wednesday night. NBCSN rarely shows the anthems in games but maybe the channel can make an exception for O Canada at Bell MTS Place.

---

Bryan Mudryk is the new TV voice on Habs games on TSN2 but that won't stop Mudryk from filling in on Senators telecasts on TSN5. Chris Cuthbert and Gord Miller had Saturday CFL games so Mudryk handled the Senators home game on Saturday.

CKVU Channel 10, the City station in Vancouver, carried the Vancouver game Saturday night along with Rogers Sportsnet One. We aren't sure how the station also carried the Montréal game, assigned to City coast-to-coast. Hopefully, Vancouver NHL fans got a choice.

CanadianCrossing.com NHL coverage

In the second week of the season, the CBC promos were presented in a highly haphazard fashion, falling a promo short of the 6 required promos. We got 1 promo in the 1st period and 0 promos in the 3rd period.

They ran a CBC promo for Anne with an E just before the start of the 2nd period, an ineffective time since viewers are often away from their sets, some tuning out Don Cherry in Coach's Corner. We didn't get the late game to compare notes so the NHL Network might have covered a promo but not likely.

Mystery Mondays promotes the 2 Monday shows Murdoch Mysteries and Frankie Drake Mysteries.

Early game: The Fifth Estate (1st); Anne with an E; Mystery Mondays; Dragons' Den; Still Standing (2nd); no promos (3rd)

photo credit: NBCSN

NHL the week in preview October 12, 2018

NBCSN will need directions to the Scotiabank Saddledome since the U.S. channel has never been to downtown Calgary. NBCSN will carry the Flames game against Boston Wednesday night. The game runs in Canada on Rogers Sportsnet 360.

The NHL Network picks up its first CBC simulcast of the season with the Maple Leafs in the U.S. capital. The U.S. channel will also carry Hometown Hockey with Winnipeg hosting Carolina.

CBC starts Saturday with the Maple Leafs at Washington. Calgary goes to the Mile High City in the nightcap.

City TV once again has Pittsburgh and Montréal but this time from La Belle Province.

Rogers Sportsnet One takes the lion's share from Rogers Sportsnet with the MLB playoffs. The channel follows the Canucks to Roberto Luongo's current team for Hockey Night in Canada. Hometown Hockey with the Jets is set at Parry Sound, ON. Rogers Sportsnet One helps out during the week with Vancouver going east to Pittsburgh on Tuesday; Wednesday Night Hockey has the Blues in Montréal; and the Edmonton Oilers hosting Boston on Thursday.

NBCSN

Wednesday
Boston @ Calgary, 9:30p

NHL Network

Saturday
Toronto @ Washington, 7p
Sunday
Carolina @ Winnipeg, 7p

Tape delayed
Friday Winnipeg @ Nashville, 2p
Tuesday Los Angeles @ Toronto, 1a (2-hour), 3p
Wednesday Edmonton @ Winnipeg, 1p
Vancouver @ Pittsburgh, 2p
Thursday Boston @ Calgary, 1p

ESPN+

Saturday
Edmonton @ NY Rangers, 1p
Monday
Los Angeles @ Toronto, 7:30p
Thursday
Pittsburgh @ Toronto, 7p

CBC

Saturday
Toronto @ Washington, 7p
Calgary @ Colorado, 10p

City

Saturday
Pittsburgh @ Montréal, 7p

Rogers Sportsnet One

Saturday
Vancouver @ Florida, 7p
Sunday
Carolina @ Winnipeg, 7p
Tuesday
Vancouver @ Pittsburgh, 7p
Wednesday
St. Louis @ Montréal, 7p
Thursday
Boston @ Edmonton, 9p

Rogers Sportsnet 360

Wednesday
Boston @ Calgary, 9:30p

---

Auston Matthews and Patrick Kane made the initial Hometown Hockey game rather exciting. Sadly, I was blacked out from the national telecast but got to watch the game with the local feed.

You can mark March 13 for the return date, a national telecast in both countries with no local feeds.

---

When people ask me what I want when Canadian teams play each other, I say I want a 3-point game and no injuries. Calgary defenseman Travis Hamonic is out week-to-week with a broken jaw after being the underdog in a fight with Vancouver's Erik Gudbranson. Hamonic was defending Calgary newcomer Dillon Dube after being hit by Gudbranson.

Brian Burke said Calgary should have had someone in the lineup for those moments. Turns out there was no fight in Calgary on Saturday. I know all the hockey rationale but I don't have to like it.

Burke has a segment called To the Point that ran in the first intermission of the late game. Since the late game won't be available to most Americans most weeks, hopefully those will be available on online video. If something ever happens to Don Cherry, Burke is my first and only pick to replace him.

CanadianCrossing.com NHL coverage

The NHL Network went with the less than exciting MSG+ feed for the Oilers game from Gothenburg, Sweden. Sportsnet had a national feed and a surprise visit by Drew Remenda.

ESPN+ may be taking home feeds short of a national telecast, but the patterns haven't been established. We peeked in on the Thanksgiving Monday Ottawa Senators game with the dreaded NESN feed.

---

Fretting over the highly limited NHL Center Ice free preview might feel like something from the dinosaur age. NHL.TV gives you a better product for the games with more versatility. I do enjoy the Canadian commercials.

---

The CBC promos are back. Each game is supposed to have 6 promos, usually 2 per period. Anne with an E is now the title of the CBC version, matching the Netflix version. Mystery Mondays promotes the 2 Monday shows Murdoch Mysteries and Frankie Drake Mysteries. The Dragons' Den promo was for a special episode. The CBC promos also include an invitation to stream the shows.

Early game: Anne with an E; Mystery Mondays (1st); Still Standing; The Great Canadian Baking Show (2nd); Dragons' Den; The Detectives (3rd)

Late game: Anne with an E; Mystery Mondays (1st); Still Standing (2nd); The Great Canadian Baking Show; Dragons' Den; The Detectives (3rd)

NHL the week in preview October 5, 2018

The NHL Network runs a day/night doubleheader on Saturday with the Edmonton Oilers in the NHL Global Series in Gothenburg, Sweden. The U.S. channel will take the City feed for the Habs in Pittsburgh on Hockey Night in Canada. The NHL Network will also have the debut of Hometown Hockey from Kitchener, ON as the Maple Leafs are in Chicago.

CBC starts its 2018-2019 season with the Battle of Ontario in the early slot and the rematch of Wednesday's late game with the Canucks in Calgary.

The City TV season debut has the Habs traveling to visit Sidney Crosby in Pittsburgh.

Rogers Sportsnet fits in some games in and around the MLB playoffs. The regional channels will carry the Edmonton Oilers in Gothenburg, Sweden on Saturday afternoon in eastern Canada as part of the 2018 NHL Global Series. The channels also have the initial Hometown Hockey from Kitchener, ON as the Maple Leafs travel to Chicago.

Rogers Sportsnet One carries the Wednesday night game with Philadelphia crossing the border to play in Ottawa.

Rogers Sportsnet 360 is drafted to help out on Hockey Night in Canada with the Winnipeg Jets in Dallas. The channel also helps out on Thursday with the Vancouver Canucks in Tampa.

Everything we have seen points to a 7-day window for the NHL Center Ice free preview. We will leave up the Wednesday and Thursday listings just in case.

NHL Network

Saturday
Edmonton @ New Jersey, 1p
Montréal @ Pittsburgh, 7p
Sunday
Toronto @ Chicago, 7p

Tape delayed
Sunday Montréal @ Pittsburgh, Noon
Tuesday Ottawa @ Boston, 1p (90 minutes)
Wednesday Los Angeles @ Winnipeg, 3p

ESPN+

Saturday
Vancouver @ Calgary, 10p
Monday
Ottawa @ Boston, 1p
Tuesday
Calgary @ Nashville, 8p
Thursday
Winnipeg @ Nashville, 8p

CBC

Saturday
Ottawa @ Toronto, 7p
Vancouver @ Calgary, 10p

City

Saturday
Montréal @ Pittsburgh, 7p

Rogers Sportsnet

Saturday
Edmonton @ New Jersey, 1p
Sunday
Toronto @ Chicago, 7p

Rogers Sportsnet One

Wednesday
Philadelphia @ Ottawa, 7:30p

Rogers Sportsnet 360

Saturday
Winnipeg @ Dallas, 7p
Thursday
Vancouver @ Tampa Bay, 7:30p

NHL Center Ice free preview

Saturday
Ottawa @ Toronto, 7p
Winnipeg @ Dallas, 7p
Vancouver @ Calgary, 10p
Monday
Ottawa @ Boston, 1p
Tuesday
Vancouver @ Carolina, 7p
Calgary @ Nashville, 8p
Los Angeles @ Winnipeg, 8p
Toronto @ Dallas, 8:30p
Wednesday
Philadelphia @ Ottawa, 7:30p
Thursday
Edmonton @ Boston, 7p
Los Angeles @ Montréal, 7:30p
Toronto @ Detroit, 7:30p
Vancouver @ Tampa Bay, 7:30p
Calgary @ St. Louis, 8p
Winnipeg @ Nashville, 8p

As we mentioned earlier this week, Bob Cole will call 10 early season games for Hockey Night in Canada. Cole starts out calling the Habs in Pittsburgh. Nice going to the NHL Network for picking up that game.

Based on the opening weekend, Dave Randorf will spend a lot of time out west on Saturday nights.

Brian Burke is the new addition to the panel on Hockey Night in Canada. Unfortunately, Burke is not replacing Nick Kypreos. The loss of Daren Millard and addition of Burke made the studio commentary a lot more interesting. Doug MacLean still drags down the conversation.

NHL the week in preview October 3, 2018

Scott Moore was a key force in getting the NHL package in Canada for Rogers Sportsnet. Moore had been in charge at CBC Sports, which did give Rogers an advantage. Moore is leaving Rogers Sportsnet at the end of the month.

We don't know if Moore was one of those people fighting to keep people such as Glenn Healy, Bob Cole, and Mike Johnson or pushing them out the door. Rogers has tried hard to make sure no one on the air says anything controversial or interesting, except for Don Cherry.

CanadianCrossing.com NHL coverage

NBCSN went to Chris Cuthbert right away into the season; Cuthbert worked last night for the U.S. network at Madison Square Garden.

Video review: Gross Misconduct: The Life of Brian Spencer

When Ben Affleck made Argo, the criticism was that Canadians couldn't tell their own story too well. The story of Ken Taylor and the Canadian Embassy staff in Iran was an amazing story that certainly deserved better than Argo.

This pattern entered my head when I watched part of Gross Misconduct: The Life of Brian Spencer, a made-for-TV movie about the life of Brian Spencer, a NHL player that could have been the inspiration for Goon who died at the very young age of 38.

Atom Egoyan directed and Paul Gross wrote the script. They stretched out the most amazing and sadly true story not of Brian Spencer but his father Roy Spencer.

A central theme is that father and son were both angry men, so the son's violence is reflected in his fathers violence.

Spencer came up with the Toronto Maple Leafs in 1969-1970 but really got going in the 1970-1971 season.

On the surface, December 12, 1970 was going to be a phenomenal day for the Spencer family. According to the movie, Brian Spencer's wife was going into labour and would give birth to a child that day. Spencer was going to be the intermission guest on Hockey Night in Canada after the second period.

The movie shows Roy Spencer attaching an antenna in the family home in Fort St. James in British Columbia earlier that day.

So Toronto was hosting Chicago that night. Before the fall of 1970, Hockey Night in Canada featured either Toronto or Montréal on a Saturday night. The idea of a late game wasn't even a factor.

The Vancouver Canucks started up in October 1970. The Canucks belonged to Western Canada but especially British Columbia. Vancouver was hosting the California Golden Seals that night in Vancouver. The NHL placed Vancouver in the East Division in 1970; Pittsburgh was in the West Division.

For reasons that might have been clear in 1970, the Canucks game was on at the same time as all the other games out east. So CBC in that area showed the Canucks instead of the Maple Leafs that night.

Roy Spencer, upset that his son's appearance wouldn't be on TV in British Columbia, drove down 135 kilometres (84 miles) to CKPG in Prince George to get them to show the Maple Leafs game instead.

Spencer walks into the CKPG studios with a gun. The movie shows Spencer attacking the front desk and taking the receptionist into the back. Spencer convinced the staff to switch games, according to reports.

The movie shows Spencer leaving the station. The RCMP officers surround him, there was a stand-off and Roy Spencer was shot and killed that night.

December 12, 1970 marked the birth of Brian Spencer's first child, being the intermission guest on Hockey Night in Canada, and having his father shot and killed. If you were pitching this as a fiction film, even a film that took place on one calendar day, no one in Toronto or Hollywood would buy that script.

Video review: Goon: Last of the Enforcers

'Argo' gives filmgoers diminished taste of Canadian history in Iran

CanadianCrossing.com film reviews

CanadianCrossing.com film coverage

Vancouver should have been admitted to the NHL in 1967 but Toronto and Montréal didn't want to split the money with Vancouver. The Montreal Canadiens also played that fateful day, splitting the audience further.

The modern thought process would be that CBC might be sure to air Brian Spencer's appearance in some form on its British Columbia affiliates, or he could watch this online. But this is 1970.

Egoyan and Gross make a good movie for television by the standards of 1993. The surprising thing is that a made-for-TV movie even back then features topless female nudity. They create cards that introduce the scenes, especially the Roy Spencer material about the things he did on his last day on Earth. The younger Spencer suffered a similar fate being shot and killed at an even earlier age.

The way Egoyan and Gross tell the story shows that Canadians can tell unbelievable yet true stories. Maybe Canada should take a chance on the Ken Taylor story and other undertold stories about their country.

photo credits: Gross Misconduct: The Life of Brian Spencer film; CBC Sports

2018 Stanley Cup notebook: Winnipeg Jets season comes to an end

Gary Bettman's Frankenstein experiment ended up being the roadblock to the best Winnipeg Jets season in their NHL history. The Jets can hold their heads high, despite the lack of timely offence in the Western Conference final. Winnipeg can say with pride that the team won the "Norris" division title in the postseason.

The Jets have been consistent in not falling into long bad streaks. Before the series, Winnipeg hadn't had back-to-back losses since March 10-12 and hadn't had 3 straight regulation losses in over a year.

For the first 4 games, the desert team responded quickly in crucial moments with a goal following a Jets goal. Even in Game 5, that team got the goal when needed.

Mark Scheifele ended the postseason with 14 goals, 11 on the road setting a new NHL record. Scheifele had 2 of those road goals in Game 3 from primary assists by Blake Wheeler and Kyle Connor, respectively. Game 4 goals came from Patrik Laine and Tyler Myers. Josh Morrissey ended up with the lone goal in Game 5.

Connor Hellebuyck might not have been as sharp in the last few games but had excellent postseason numbers.

The Jets were only outscored by 4 goals in the Western Conference final.

No Canadian NHL team has won the Stanley Cup in the last 25 years.

2018 Stanley Cup playoffs scoreboard

Back to Bettman's science project, the NHL did heavily cheat for the newest desert team in the expansion draft. The NHL allowed its teams to protect only 7 forwards, 3 defencemen and 1 goalie, or 8 skaters and 1 goalie. During the last NHL expansion in 2000, teams were allowed to protect 9 forwards, 5 defencemen and 1 goalie, or 7 forwards, 3 defencemen, and 2 goalies.

"The league also required teams to expose players with significant NHL experience who were under contract through next season, closing loopholes and helping Vegas even more. Third-line forwards and top-four defencemen were available from almost every team," noted this analysis.

2018 Stanley Cup notebook: Can Winnipeg Jets continue road success in the desert?

2018 Stanley Cup notebook: Winnipeg Whiteout in Western final

2018 Stanley Cup notebook: Winnipeg Jets suffer rare home loss

2018 Stanley Cup notebook: Winnipeg Jets get split in Nashville

2018 Stanley Cup notebook: Toronto Maple Leafs come up short in Game 7

2018 Stanley Cup notebook: Winnipeg Jets win first playoff series since 1987

2018 Stanley Cup notebook: Winnipeg Jets thrown off by Minnesota blizzard

2018 NHL Stanley Cup playoffs preview

CanadianCrossing.com NHL coverage

NBC had more time before Game 1 to tell the Winnipeg story for those who missed the Winnipeg Whiteout video that NBC aired before Game 1 or if you want to watch the segment again. The network played clips from the video before Game 5. A nice nod to showing the Manitoba legislative building (above) before Game 5.

The NBCU coverage didn't air anthems in the desert but did air that garish pregame ritual. The NHL should frown upon a team ritual against the opponent before the game. Looks petty and unprofessional.

At the conference final stage, there is simply no reason to not show the anthems. NBCU did show the anthems in Winnipeg for Game 5.

NBCU finally had a Winnipeg Jets player as the pregame interview in Patrik Laine in Game 5. We had seen countless opponents interviewed on Winnipeg ice and elsewhere but this was the first Jet to get that interview.

NBCU kept the on-air team consistent for the last 3 games with Kenny Albert, Joe Micheletti, and Brian Boucher. Pierre McGuire was in for Boucher for the first 2 game in Winnipeg.

The NHL Network ran a rebroadcast for Game 3 but used the NBCSN feed instead of the CBC feed. The channel didn't even have a rebroadcast for Game 4. The NHL Network did run a CBC version for Game 5.

photo credit: NBC/NHL

2018 Stanley Cup playoffs scoreboard

2018 NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs

Eastern Conference

(2) Boston vs. (3) Toronto Boston wins series 4-3
Date	Location	Time	U.S. TV	Cdn TV
April 12	Boston 5, Toronto 1	7p	NBCSN	CBC
April 14	Boston 7, Toronto 3	8p	NBC	CBC
April 16	Toronto 4, Boston 2	7p	NBCSN	CBC
April 19	Boston 3, Toronto 1	7p	NBCSN	CBC
April 21	Toronto 4, Boston 3	8p	NBC	CBC
April 23	Toronto 3, Boston 1	7p	NBCSN	CBC
April 25	Boston 7, Toronto 4	7:30p	NBCSN	CBC

 

Western Conference

(2) Winnipeg vs. (1) Las Vegas Las Vegas wins series 4-1
Date	Location	Time	U.S. TV	Cdn TV
May 12	Winnipeg 4, Las Vegas 2	7p	NBC	CBC
May 14	Las Vegas 3, Winnipeg 1	8p	NBCSN	CBC
May 16	Las Vegas 4, Winnipeg 2	9p	NBCSN	CBC
May 18	Las Vegas 3, Winnipeg 2	8p	NBCSN	CBC
May 20	Las Vegas 2, Winnipeg 1	3p	NBC	CBC

 

(1) Nashville vs. (2) Winnipeg Winnipeg wins series 4-3
Date	Location	Time	U.S. TV	Cdn TV
April 27	Winnipeg 4, Nashville 1	8p	NBCSN	CBC
April 29	Nashville 5, Winnipeg 4 (2 OT)	7p	NBCSN	CBC
May 1	Winnipeg 7, Nashville 4	8p	CNBC	CBC
May 3	Nashville 2, Winnipeg 1	9:30p	NBCSN	CBC
May 5	Winnipeg 3, Nashville 2	9:30p	NBCSN	CBC
May 7	Nashville 4, Winnipeg 0	9:30p	NBCSN	CBC
May 10	Winnipeg 5, Nashville 1	8p	NBCSN	CBC

 

(2) Winnipeg vs. (3) Minnesota Winnipeg wins series 4-1
Date	Location	Time	U.S. TV	Cdn TV
April 11	Winnipeg 3, Minnesota 2	7p	CNBC	SN
April 13	Winnipeg 4, Minnesota 1	7:30p	USA	SN
April 15	Minnesota 6, Winnipeg 2	7p	USA	SN
April 17	Winnipeg 2, Minnesota 0	8p	CNBC	SN
April 20	Winnipeg 5, Minnesota 0	7:30p	USA	SN

Times are Eastern Daylight
+ if needed