Canadian Crossing

NHL the month in preview December 2022

TNT gives the U.S. audience an all-Canadian matchup with the Vancouver Canucks in Calgary (14). The U.S. network had an all-Canadian game last season and gave that to John Forslund. Hoping not to have a repeat of that assignment. Edmonton travels to Dallas (21) in a matchup where ESPN was so fascinated, that network carried both Oilers games in Dallas but couldn't set foot in Edmonton.

ESPN had a game involving a Canadian team in November but is dark in December.

NHL Network has some Hockey Night in Canada love with Toronto Maple Leafs road games in Dave Randorf country (3) and the U.S. capital (17). The U.S. channel also some HNIC love for the rematch of the 1993 Stanley Cup finals at the Bell Centre (10).

The Ottawa Senators are involved in the other NHL Network game with a Showcase game in Minnesota (18).

ESPN+/Hulu went from 1 game in October to 0 in November to 3 in December. The U.S. network is still afraid to come to Canada but is willing to show the Edmonton Oilers on the road in Minnesota (1) and Seattle (30). The U.S. network loves to show Canadian teams in Dallas, proving so with the Toronto Maple Leafs in the third-largest city in Texas (6).

Rogers Sportsnet is keeping the Toronto Maple Leafs to itself on December 3. As we've noted, Sportsnet does this on occasion to boost its Sportsnet NOW subscriptions. The Maple Leafs will likely struggle in western Florida that night while CBC shows the high-flying scoring of Montréal at Edmonton. If I were glued to the couch in Canada, watching the Habs and Oilers would be more fun.

CBC and Citytv are not showing Hockey Night in Canada on December 31. The networks are carrying New Year's Eve programming. The games are available on various Sportsnet channels.

The NHL will take a holiday break from December 24-26.

TNT

December 14
Vancouver @ Calgary, 10p
December 21
Edmonton @ Dallas, 9:30p

NHL Network

December 3
Toronto @ Tampa Bay, 7p (HNIC)
December 10
Los Angeles @ Montréal, 7p (HNIC)
December 17
Toronto @ Washington, 7p (HNIC)
December 18
Ottawa @ Minnesota, 2p (Showcase)

ESPN+/Hulu

December 1
Edmonton @ Minnesota, 8p
December 6
Toronto @ Dallas, 8:30p
December 30
Edmonton @ Seattle, 10p

Hockey Night in Canada

December 3

Toronto @ Tampa Bay, 7p/Montréal @ Edmonton, 7p/San Jose @ Ottawa, 7p/Washington @ Calgary, 10p/Arizona @ Vancouver, 10p

December 10

Calgary @ Toronto, 7p/Los Angeles @ Montréal, 7p/Minnesota @ Vancouver, 10p

December 17

Toronto @ Washington, 7p/Tampa Bay @ Montréal, 7p/Winnipeg @ Vancouver, 10p

December 31

Montréal @ Washington, 4p/Toronto @ Colorado, 7p/Ottawa @ Detroit, 7p/Winnipeg @ Edmonton, 10p/Vancouver @ Calgary, 10p

Rogers Sportsnet national telecasts

December 1 Edmonton @ Minnesota, 8p

December 5 Washington @ Edmonton, 8:30p/Arizona @ Calgary, 9p

December 7 Minnesota @ Calgary, 8p/Arizona @ Edmonton, 9:30p

December 9 Minnesota @ Edmonton, 9p

December 12 Calgary @ Montréal, 7p/Edmonton @ Minnesota, 8p

December 14 Montréal @ Ottawa, 7p/Vancouver @ Calgary, 10p

December 16 St. Louis @ Calgary, 9p

December 17 Anaheim @ Edmonton, 4p

December 19 Edmonton @ Nashville, 8p

December 21 Montréal @ Colorado, 8p/Edmonton @ Dallas, 9:30p

December 23 Vancouver @ Edmonton, 9p/Calgary @ Anaheim, 10:30p

December 27 Edmonton @ Calgary, 9p

December 28 Montréal @ Tampa Bay, 7p

💙. @MapleLeafs #LeafsForever pic.twitter.com/QwaBkt9D2K

— Martina Ortiz Luis (@itzmartinaol) October 7, 2022

The start of Toronto Maple Leafs games feels very different without Martina Ortiz Luis singing O Canada at Scotiabank Arena.

We've seen Luis on Wynonna Earp so we know she has more ambitions than just anthem singing. Her inflections on O Canada was beautiful and truly unique. Good luck to Martina Ortiz Luis in her career.

Convoy wants to act out but has no purpose or solutions

Confederation Line expands light-rail service in Ottawa

Ryan Reynolds would need a sugar daddy or sugar mama, in his words, to be a part of the ownership of the Ottawa Senators. The challenge is intriguing. The Canadian actor is part owner (with Rob McElhenney) of Wrexham AFC in Wales, a team in the lowest level of professional football in England. Their ownership is featured in Welcome to Wrexham.

The hope is that new ownership would be tied to a deal for a new Ottawa-based arena at LeBreton Flats. There may be fewer people working in downtown Ottawa these days but a downtown arena will do wonders for the Ottawa-Gatineau area.

That said, the light rail system in the capital of Canada needs more diligence, time, money, and effort.

Rogers Sportsnet will carry all 3 versions of the Battle of Alberta on a national basis in Canada. The fact that there are only 3 games involving these exciting rivals is a true shame, especially after such an amazing playoff series this spring.

Other than the all-Canada division of 2021, the U.S. outlets have shown Connor McDavid type speed to avoid broadcasting the Battle of Alberta. So we can't be surprised that TNT and ESPN showed no interest in carrying any of those games. TNT is willing to come to Canada while ESPN still hasn't been on Canadian soil. The NHL Network also came up empty (again) in not showing this rivalry.

ESPN hasn't shown Calgary anywhere but does have 2 Flames games scheduled this year.

U.S. fans should note that December 27 is the final Battle of Alberta game. ESPN+ will have the game via the Rogers Sportsnet feed.

Canadian ads from fall 2022 NHL Center Ice free preview

"(Ottawa GM Pierre) Dorion’s worked hard to see what’s out there, and I believe he’s come across two challenges. One is that he’s dealing from position of weakness and teams are trying to hijack him. Two is that there are plenty of players who can block a trade to Canada, and it’s possible that’s happened. It’s not an Ottawa issue, but a Canada issue."

Elliotte Friedman said what was in our minds. We thought the end of the primary portion of the pandemic meant Canada was a slightly more desirable destination.

Higher tax rates, though paid in American dollars. Pressure-filled markets and media coverage. Snow and lots of it. More customs experiences. 

This spring marks the 30th anniversary of the Stanley Cup being presented to a Canadian team: Montréal Canadiens in 1993.

Players want to win the Stanley Cup. They will play in Canada if they think that team will win the Stanley Cup. Think of the significant number of NHL players who weren't alive when the Habs won the Cup or not old enough to remember.

Thank you for all of your support! We had a great time on @hockeynight
Miss the broadcast? Watch now: https://t.co/f9qeDt3oPE

— TRIUMPH (@TriumphTheBand) November 15, 2022

The guys from Triumph hosted the Hockey Night in Canada intro on November 12, which was the Hockey Hall of Fame induction weekend. Triumph has a documentary out called Triumph: Rock and Roll Machine. We will have a review some point soon. Worth a watch to learn some Canadian music history.

Harnarayan Singh has been the primary fill-in for Rick Ball on Calgary Flames telecasts on Rogers Sportsnet West while Ball is out with a pulmonary embolism. John Bartlett also stepped up for some Flames games out east.

Ball disclosed the story behind his health scare: caused by a broken leg he sustained chasing a bird at a golf tournament.

He returned on November 12 on Hockey Night in Canada, his first game since the first game of the season. He is also doing road games, which is a bit of a surprise. As we said last month, our thoughts go out to Ball, his family, and friends during his continuing recovery.

Ball also made a trip to After Hours to talk with Scott Oake and give thanks to all the well wishing people.

NHL the month in preview November 2022

Speaking of After Hours, Scott Oake had a special co-host in Las Vegas last Saturday. Gary Lawless was a journalist covering the Winnipeg Jets before the Golden Knights hired him. The After Hours co-hosts haven't had journalism experience such as what Oake has, but the co-hosts aren't employed by the team whose player and coach appear on the show.

I get the whole deal with Lawless being on while Oake is in Las Vegas, but Lawless being employed by the team should be disclosed. 

If Scott Oake had Sara Orlesky on after a Winnipeg Jets game, her employment status should be disclosed. When you have former journalists and the implication is that they are a journalist, that dispels actual journalism. This may seem a matter of semantics but as lines blur, disclosure is paramount.

NHL the month in preview October 2022

Welcome to San Jose, Tara!

We’ve signed @TaraSlone as our newest content contributor🎙🦈

Learn more about Tara ➡️ https://t.co/EVvgFLMm1W pic.twitter.com/6tqEwrqObL

— San Jose Sharks (@SanJoseSharks) November 22, 2022

Tara Slone landed on her feet in the South Bay with the San Jose Sharks in a content position similar to what Sara Orlesky is doing with the Winnipeg Jets. The former Hometown Hockey host was let go when Rogers cancelled the show over the summer.

Sharks fans and South Bay residents should hope Slone ends up in a bar playing music. Slone was the lead singer of Joydrop and has had a solo music career.

Her music cred came in handy when having bands on Hometown Hockey. Sorry that the show was gone and glad she found a good NHL opportunity. Hard to imagine a kitchen party in San Jose but here's to trying.

2022 NHL preseason schedule

Our guide to the NHL Canadian teams coverage

ESPN signed recently retired defenseman P.K. Subban to their coverage. Subban will work primarily as a studio analyst and also work as an occasional in-game analyst. 

Subban has charisma that will take him far in a broadcasting career. ESPN is smart to have him start out mostly in the studio to get more experience.

Tracking the NHL 2022 media changes

November 6 Toronto vs. Carolina, 5p Mike Monaco/Brian Boucher/AJ Mleczko ESPN
November 8 Edmonton @ Tampa Bay, 7:30p Dave Randorf/Shane Hnidy/Nabil Karim TNT
November 12 Ottawa @ Philadelphia, 1p Stephen Nelson/Mike Rupp NHL Network
November 16 Los Angeles @ Edmonton, 10p Kenny Albert/Eddie Olczyk/Keith Jones TNT
November 19 New Jersey @ Ottawa, 1p Stephen Nelson/Kevin Weekes NHL Network
November 23 Ottawa @ Las Vegas, 10p Alex Faust/Shane Hnidy/Jackie Redmond TNT
November 26 Edmonton @ NY Rangers, 1p E.J. Hradek/Kevin Weekes NHL Network
November 30 Edmonton @ Chicago, 9:30p Kenny Albert/Eddie Olczyk/Keith Jones TNT

TNT got smart and brought in Dave Randorf. This was in part because Randorf covers what was the home team (8). Still, Randorf understands the idea of a national telecast, a difficult task at times for some U.S. national announcers.

Randorf is one of the few announcers who has called a national game in Canada and the United States.

ESPN had audio issues with AJ Mleczko at ice level. Unfortunately, we could hear Brian Boucher just fine. ESPN should work harder to have Ray Ferraro on the few games they cover with Canadian based teams.

The TNT primary crew was in Edmonton on November 16. Olczyk is now on the West Coast so being out west isn't a stretch. Albert, Olczyk, and Jones are good announcers to have in a dog game and that game (16) was a dog.

I liked the days of Mark Lee and Kevin Weekes calling games so having Weekes on a showcase game is great. Stephen Nelson is growing on your humble narrator and has an edge over E.J. Hradek.

Shane Hnidy, former Winnipeg Jets analyst on TSN3, called 2 games on TNT, the latter involving his current employer. Randorf and Hnidy are good guys but looks bad to have them work games with their present employer in a national telecast.

CanadianCrossing.com NHL coverage

We decided to include the October 15 games since they appeared on the NHL Center Ice free preview.

The Sunday night block is defined as Heartland, Great Canadian Baking Show, and Moonshine. The Buzzr is a CBC Sports newsletter. My Life as a Rolling Stone: Sixty Years of Rock and Roll is only on CBC Gem.

Good to get some love for Season 2 of Sort Of in the CBC promos on CBC and CBC Gem.

The October 15 (early game) Family Feud Canada promo aired before the start of the 2nd period. The October 15 (late game) The National promo aired before the start of the 3rd period. The November 5 curling promo aired before the start of the 3rd period, which is a technical violation. Promos are supposed to run during game action. We know this game went fast but Rogers Sportsnet is supposed to air 6 promos, not 5.

The November 26 game also only had 5 promos. They had plenty of time and opportunities to get in that 6th promo but made other decisions.

The November 12 game was via the Citytv feed, not CBC.

October 15 early game: Fakes; The Buzzer (1st); Family Feud Canada; Sunday night block (2nd); The National; Summit '72 (3rd)

October 15 late game: Fakes; The Buzzer (1st); Family Feud Canada; Sunday night block (2nd); The National; Summit '72 (3rd)

October 29 early game: Sunday night block (1st); Summit '72; The National; Moonshine; Skate Canada International (2nd); Great Canadian Baking Show (3rd)

November 5 early game: Moonshine; Sort Of (1st); Great Canadian Baking Show (2nd); Mixed Doubles Curling Super Series; Sunday night block (3rd)

November 26 early game: My Life as a Rolling Stone: Sixty Years of Rock and Roll; The Fifth Estate (1st); Marketplace; Soccer North (2nd); Sort Of (3rd)

photo credit: NHL; Rogers Sportsnet/NHL
Twitter captures: @itzmartinaol; @TriumphTheBand; @SanJoseSharks
video credit: Rogers Sportsnet/NHL

NHL the month in preview November 2022

TNT finally gets to show Canadian teams this season. The network airs a rare Tuesday night game on Election Night in the United States. The Edmonton Oilers are in Dave Randorf country that night (8). The Oilers host their opening round playoff opponents from Los Angeles (16). The Ottawa Senators make their TNT debut at Gary Bettman's favourite desert locale (23). The Oilers are in Chicago on the final day of the month (30).

ESPN waited until late April to show a Canadian team as part of the new deal. The network is still afraid to go to Canada, choosing a Toronto road game against the team that benefited from the fine play of David Ayres (6).

There are no ESPN+/Hulu games this month.

NHL Network starts out November with an Original 6 matchup on Hockey Night in Canada as Boston comes to Toronto (5). The other HNIC games on the U.S. network include Sidney Crosby in Montréal (12) and Toronto where Crosby plays his home games (26).

The Canadian teams join in on the Saturday matinee Showcase games that the NHL Network produces on its own with announcers not on site. The Ottawa Senators are in Philadelphia (12) and host New Jersey (19). Edmonton travels to Madison Square Garden as well (26).

The Calgary Saturday afternoon game (19) where Matthew Tkachuk now plays is likely not a Showcase game. The U.S. network shows Montréal at home hosting Buffalo (22) on the week of U.S. Thanksgiving. Winnipeg travels to Chicago on the Sunday after U.S. Thanksgiving, which is not opposite the Grey Cup this year.

Credit to the NHL Network for featuring every Canadian team in November, except for the Vancouver Canucks. Given the Vancouver start, that isn't too bad.

TNT

November 8
Edmonton @ Tampa Bay, 7:30p
November 16
Los Angeles @ Edmonton, 10p
November 23
Ottawa @ Las Vegas, 10p
November 30
Edmonton @ Chicago, 9:30p

ESPN

November 6
Toronto @ Carolina, 5p

NHL Network

November 5
Boston @ Toronto, 7p (HNIC)
November 12
Ottawa @ Philadelphia, 1p (Showcase)
Pittsburgh @ Montréal, 7p (HNIC)
November 19
New Jersey @ Ottawa, 1p (Showcase)
Calgary @ Florida, 4p
November 22
Buffalo @ Montréal, 7p
November 26
Edmonton @ NY Rangers, 1p (Showcase)
Toronto @ Pittsburgh, 7p (HNIC)
November 27
Winnipeg @ Chicago, 7p

Hockey Night in Canada

November 5

Boston @ Toronto, 7p/Las Vegas @ Montréal, 7p/Philadelphia @ Ottawa, 7p/New Jersey @ Calgary, 10p/Nashville @ Vancouver, 10p

November 12

Vancouver @ Toronto, 7p/Pittsburgh @ Montréal, 7p/Winnipeg @ Calgary, 10p

November 19

Buffalo @ Toronto, 7p/Philadelphia @ Montréal, 7p/Pittsburgh @ Winnipeg, 7p/Las Vegas @ Edmonton, 10p

November 26

Toronto @ Pittsburgh, 7p/Vancouver @ Las Vegas, 10p

Rogers Sportsnet national telecasts

November 1 Nashville @ Edmonton, 9p/New Jersey @ Vancouver, 10p

November 2 Philadelphia @ Toronto, 7p

November 3 Nashville @ Calgary, 9p

November 5 Dallas @ Edmonton, 4p

November 7 Calgary @ NY Islanders, 7p/Edmonton @ Washington, 8p

November 8 Edmonton @ Tampa Bay, 7:30p

November 9 Vancouver @ Montréal, 7:30p

November 10 Calgary @ Boston, 7p

November 12 Edmonton @ Florida, 4p

November 13 Vancouver @ Boston, 6p

November 14 Los Angeles @ Calgary, 8:30p

November 16 Buffalo @ Ottawa, 7p

November 19 Calgary @ Florida, 4p

November 21 NY Islanders @ Toronto, 7:30p/Carolina @ Winnipeg, 7:30p

November 23 Toronto @ New Jersey, 7p/Calgary @ Pittsburgh, 7p/Winnipeg @ Minnesota, 7p/Vancouver @ Colorado, 10p

November 25 Calgary @ Washington, 2p

November 26 Edmonton @ NY Rangers, 1p/Calgary @ Carolina, 4p

November 27 Vancouver @ San Jose, 8p

November 28 Toronto @ Detroit, 7p/Florida @ Edmonton, 9:30p

November 29 Florida @ Calgary, 9p

November 30 San Jose @ Toronto, 7p/NY Rangers @ Ottawa, 7p/Edmonton @ Chicago, 9:30p

NHL the month in preview October 2022

2022 NHL preseason schedule

Ron MacLean is back to hosting both segments of Hockey Night in Canada now that Hometown Hockey is no longer a thing. David Amber is hosting the Monday night national telecasts aka Monday Night Hockey.

I still think Hometown Hockey could have run as a separate program on Citytv, especially given how little actual Canadian content runs on the Rogers-owned network. Then they could show bits and pieces from that show during the Monday night telecasts.

Tracking the NHL 2022 media changes

We did find out Randip Janda will be part of the Vancouver Canucks radio coverage on Sportsnet 650. Janda replaces Corey Hirsch, as we noted earlier.

There are 2 notable points on the move. Janda is not a former player, an unusual move but not a huge shock. Play-by-play person Brendan Batchelor will be alone on Saturday games since Janda also hosts Hockey Night in Canada: Punjabi Edition.

Rogers just announced a 10-year extension with the Vancouver Canucks through the 2032-2033 season.

Peter Ruttgaizer seems to be the one calling the Montréal Canadiens radio on TSN 690, ultimately replacing Dan Robertson, who is doing Winnipeg Jets television. Sean Campbell will likely be in the mix, especially when Bryan Mudryk slips away from Habs TV to call curling. Robertson filled in during previous years, getting some good TV experience.

Kenzie Lalonde, the new Habs sideline reporter on TSN, could fill in with Mudryk since Lalonde has hockey play by play experience.

Unlike Ben Wagner on the Toronto Blue Jays radio broadcasts, Batchelor does get a radio partner most of the time.

On the TV side, TSN4 is going with Mike Johnson to replace Ray Ferraro on Maple Leafs telecasts with Dave Poulin doing more Habs games on TSN2. Craig Button will likely appear on both on games in the west.

Our guide to the NHL Canadian teams coverage

Didn't have the NHL Center Ice free preview lasting 4 days into the NHL season. A while back in the before time, the preview would run 3 weeks. ESPN+ has every non TNT, ESPN, ESPN+/Hulu game. I do love the local commercials, something the NHL Center Ice package gives you. Some days, I am more in love with the Canadian commercials with the hockey.

Speaking of commercials, no one seems to be enjoying the new digital ads. If you have trouble following the puck, the ads make following that puck a lot more difficult. You can still see the in-arena ads when the camera shoots at ice level. There was a charm to guessing where the game was based on the ads along the boards.

The ones collecting the new revenue don't honestly care whether the digital ads are distracting. The rich always need more $.

A little clip from Runway's first episode for ya

Catch the premiere on @TSN_Sports during the game this Friday @Bell_MTS | #GoJetsGo pic.twitter.com/3WtyM4Yn2O

— Winnipeg Jets (@NHLJets) October 13, 2022

Jets Runway is a new feature on Winnipeg Jets games on TSN3. John Lu goes out of his way to say the feature is a partnership with the Winnipeg Jets and Bell Media. The Bell Media stamp is on the feature. From a journalism standpoint, this is "content." Content is the buzzword like you are pretending to do journalism but you aren't.

Watching the Jets practice and coach Rick Bowness talk to players isn't about getting you to eat a new snack chip. The timing is also intriguing after the NHL team hires Sara Orlesky, who hosted the Jets coverage on TSN3 since 2011, to create content.

TSN has studio coverage for its half of the Toronto Maple Leafs as well as the Montréal Canadiens and Ottawa Senators but not the Winnipeg Jets. Orlesky was able to fill the time when she was the host.

Orlesky is a trained journalist producing content that isn't journalism. Bell Media should have the same high standards that the company had … last season.

This is a journalism issue in the United States and Canada, not just applicable to TSN3 and the Winnipeg Jets.

Honoured to be joining the NHL on @Sportsnet broadcast team to call play-by-play on Hockey Night in Canada on a more regular basis this season. Heading to Ottawa to call the Senators/Flyers November 5th and then to Winnipeg for Jets/Penguins and Hurricanes November 19th and 21st. pic.twitter.com/oAvgvKeDRA

— Mike Luck (@LuckyMikeLuck) October 21, 2022

We saw Mike Luck do COVID-19 relief on Hockey Night in Canada last winter. Now Luck will have more opportunities this season on Rogers Sportsnet.

Rick Ball appreciation tweet.

With special guest….Millsy !

⁦@Sportsnet⁩ pic.twitter.com/2919EOKZ25

— Ryan Leslie (@ryanlesliemedia) October 23, 2022

The Calgary Flames were down their on-air TV crew with Rick Ball and Kelly Hrudey out at the same time. Hrudey got COVID-19 and Rick Ball had a pulmonary embolism; both were mentioned on Hockey Night in Canada. Ball is reportedly okay. Our thoughts go out to Ball, his family, and friends during his recovery.

CanadianCrossing.com NHL coverage

October 28 Winnipeg @ Arizona, 10:30p John Buccigross/Brian Boucher/Leah Hextall ESPN+/Hulu

This is the first U.S. telecast of the Winnipeg Jets in the new TV deal (this is Season 2). The Jets got little love from NBCSN under the old contract. Winnipeg was on the NHL Network 5 times last season, 1 of them being a Hockey Night in Canada game.

The Jets were only invited to this charade because of the irony of a NHL team ripped from a city that loves hockey to a city that doesn't like hockey. Sounds cruel to me.

This was, unfortunately, the only Jets appearance set for U.S. television this season. Hope they spent some time talking about the Winnipeg Jets 2.0. If you skipped this game, you missed yet another stellar set of commentary from Boucher.

The NHL Network carried a single CBC feed on Hockey Night in Canada in October. We plan to run those promos in the next blog entry heading into December. We apologise for the delay. There are higher priorities these days.

photo credit: NHL
Twitter captures: @NHLJets; @LuckyMikeLuck; @ryanlesliemedia

2022 NHL Stanley Cup notebook: Edmonton Oilers out in 4

You could easily argue that the NHL didn't need to help the Colorado Avalanche on the actually controversial non offsides goal. Yet they did.

The rule is sufficiently obscure that both broadcast teams (Sportsnet and TNT) assumed the play was offsides. The rule exists, no matter how it goes against the grain of offsides. We get suspicious when an obscure rule is suddenly pulled forward deep in the playoffs.

The rule exists. People posted examples of the rules in regular season games. The difference is the situation room ruled (somehow) that Cale Makar didn't have control of the puck until his teammate tagged up. We vehemently disagree.

Someday, while still alive, we would love to see a Canadian-based NHL team get that kind of a call in a key playoff moment. You are more likely to see Pierre Poilievre embrace more CBC funding.

When a Canadian team plays a Canadian team in the playoffs, the argument is root for the team that will do the best in the next round. Would Calgary have done better against Colorado? Edmonton had some significant injuries, only made worse in the Colorado series. Calgary had scoring power, better defence, and better goaltending.

Colorado was the team to beat, even though the Avalanche got a lot of help.

Power plays don't have to be even or even close. The Edmonton Oilers had 6 power plays in 3 games, going 1-for-6 with the man advantage. Colorado had 5 power plays just in Game 3. This feels very lopsided.

The Oilers actually had 5 power plays in Game 4. Still lopsided for the series.

Connor McDavid got taken down in one of the many penalties not called in the series. The TNT crew looked at the situation like "at least McDavid didn't motion for a penalty to be called." When Edmonton got away with a penalty, the TNT crew called it out like that penalty should have been called. A national telecast isn't supposed to be that biased.

Oilers lose heartbreaker in OT.
Draisaitl a legendary playoff performance on one leg...4 assists...7-25-32 in 16GP
McDavid 1-2-3 , 10-23-33 in 16 GP.
Hyman 2 goals, scored 38 goals in regular season and the playoffs.
Ultimately the best team in the NHL won the series!

— Bob Stauffer (@Bob_Stauffer) June 7, 2022

Edmonton was 6-0 when scoring the first goal in a game in the first 2 rounds. The Oilers took the early lead in Game 1 and Game 3 but did not win either game.

2022 NHL Stanley Cup notebook: Edmonton Oilers win this Battle of Alberta

2022 NHL Stanley Cup notebook: Battle of Alberta is back after 31 years

The NHL has this element where violence is a part of the Stanley Cup playoffs but only selective violence.

This isn't to compare the Evander Kane hit on Nazem Kadri (Game 3) vs. the Nathan MacKinnon slew foot on Leon Draisaitl (Game 3) vs. Avalanche captain Gabriel Landeskog's high hit on Kailer Yamamoto (Game 2). There are enough injuries in hockey when you aren't trying to hurt someone to gain some kind of advantage.

There may be no way to reverse this trend but the NHL would be a lot more fun to watch if "playoff hockey" was something closer to regular season hockey.

Kane deserved a 1-game suspension, even if similar playoff hits didn't get suspensions.

Goalie health and the need to have 2 strong goalies: often why some teams win the Stanley Cup. Colorado starting goalie Darcy Kuemper suffered an upper-body injury in Game 1. Pavel Francouz played well in relief of Kuemper against Nashville as well as in this series against Edmonton.

Mike Smith, despite many flaws, was the best choice vs. Mikko Koskinen.

2022 NHL Stanley Cup notebook: How ESPN and TNT are covering Canadian teams

Amanda Hawkins is the Colorado anthem singer. Hawkins sang the correct words to O Canada in Game 1 but slipped back into the old lyric of "in all thy sons command" in Game 2. We've heard a few slips, mostly early on after the change. Difficult to get how you get it right on national TV in both countries yet went back to the old verse 2 nights later.

If there had been a Game 5, hopefully Hawkins would have sung the correct lyrics.

2022 NHL Stanley Cup playoffs preview for Canadian teams

The NHL draft order has been established:

1. Montréal Canadiens
7. Ottawa Senators
14. Winnipeg Jets
15. Vancouver Canucks
25. Toronto Maple Leafs
26. Montréal Canadiens (via Calgary Flames)
29. Edmonton Oilers

The Edmonton Oilers got the #29 pick since they had the fewest points (104) of the losing conference finalists in that round.

The Winnipeg Jets will receive the New York Rangers first-round pick as part of their compensation for Andrew Copp.

The Jets traded Copp for forward Morgan Barron, a conditional second-round pick. a 2022 second-round pick, and a 2023 fifth-round pick at the trade deadline. That conditional second-round pick was to be upgraded to the first round if the Rangers reached the conference final with Copp playing at least half of the games.

Fair to say Copp has been a big reason why the Rangers have gone this far.

2022 NHL Stanley Cup playoffs scoreboard

Congratulations to Martin St. Louis for remaining as coach of Les Habs. Would be nice for the Canadiens to hang on to a coach for awhile. #DominiqueDucharme

CanadianCrossing.com NHL coverage

See you in September for a NHL preseason schedule that might even include Kraft Hockeyville games in Atlantic Canada.

video and photo credit: Rogers Sportsnet/NHL
Twitter capture: @Bob_Stauffer

2022 NHL Stanley Cup playoffs scoreboard

Western Conference

(2) Edmonton vs. (1) Colorado Colorado wins series 4-0
Date	Matchup	Time	U.S. TV	Cdn TV
May 31	Colorado 8, Edmonton 6	8p	TNT	CBC
June 2	Colorado 4, Edmonton 0	8p	TNT	CBC
June 4	Colorado 4, Edmonton 2	8p	TNT	CBC
June 6	Colorado 6, Edmonton 5 (OT)	8p	TNT	CBC

 

2022 NHL Stanley Cup notebook: Edmonton Oilers win this Battle of Alberta

2022 NHL Stanley Cup notebook: Battle of Alberta is back after 31 years

 

(1) Calgary vs. (2) Edmonton Edmonton wins series 4-1
Date	Matchup	Time	U.S. TV	Cdn TV
May 18	Calgary 9, Edmonton 6	9:30p	ESPN	CBC
May 20	Edmonton 5, Calgary 3	10:30p	ESPN	CBC
May 22	Edmonton 4, Calgary 1	8p	ESPN2	CBC
May 24	Edmonton 5, Calgary 3	9:30p	ESPN	CBC
May 26	Edmonton 5, Calgary 4 (OT)	9:30p	ESPN	CBC

 

 

(1) Calgary vs. (WC) Dallas Calgary wins series 4-3
Date	Matchup	Time	U.S. TV	Cdn TV
May 3	Calgary 1, Dallas 0	10p	ESPN2	CBC
May 5	Dallas 2, Calgary 0	10p	TBS	CBC
May 7	Dallas 4, Calgary 2	9:30p	TNT	CBC
May 9	Calgary 4, Dallas 1	9:30p	TBS	CBC
May 11	Calgary 3, Dallas 1	9:30p	ESPN	CBC
May 13	Dallas 4, Calgary 2	9:30p	TNT	CBC
May 15	Calgary 3, Dallas 2 (OT)	9:30p	ESPN2	SN

 

2022 NHL Stanley Cup notebook: How ESPN and TNT are covering Canadian teams

2022 NHL Stanley Cup playoffs preview for Canadian teams

NHL Network, TNT, and ESPN/ESPN+ games in 2022 season analysis

 

(2) Edmonton vs. (3) Los Angeles Edmonton wins series 4-3
Date	Matchup	Time	U.S. TV	Cdn TV
May 2	Los Angeles 4, Edmonton 3	10p	ESPN2	CBC
May 4	Edmonton 6, Los Angeles 0	10p	ESPN2	CBC
May 6	Edmonton 8, Los Angeles 2	10p	TBS	CBC
May 8	Los Angeles 4, Edmonton 0	10p	TBS	CBC
May 10	Los Angeles 5, Edmonton 4 (OT)	10p	ESPN2	CBC
May 12	Edmonton 4, Los Angeles 2	10p	TBS	CBC
May 14	Edmonton 2, Los Angeles 0	10p	ESPN	CBC

 

Where the NHL Canadian teams stand in the Stanley Cup playoffs chase

NHL the month in preview April 2022

Tracking the NHL 2021 media changes

Our guide to the NHL Canadian teams coverage

CanadianCrossing.com NHL coverage

Eastern Conference

(2) Toronto vs. (3) Tampa Bay Tampa Bay wins series 4-3
Date	Matchup	Time	U.S. TV	Cdn TV
May 2	Toronto 5, Tampa Bay 0	7:30p	ESPN2	CBC
May 4	Tampa Bay 5, Toronto 3	7:30p	ESPN2	CBC
May 6	Toronto 5, Tampa Bay 2	7:30p	TBS	CBC
May 8	Tampa Bay 7, Toronto 3	7p	TBS	CBC
May 10	Toronto 4, Tampa Bay 3	7:30p	ESPN2	CBC
May 12	Tampa Bay 4, Toronto 3 (OT)	7:30p	TBS	CBC
May 14	Tampa Bay 2, Toronto 1	7p	TNT	CBC

 

+ if necessary // All times Eastern Daylight.

photo credit: NHL

2022 NHL Stanley Cup notebook: Edmonton Oilers win this Battle of Alberta

This clip is 4:46. It’s in real time with no cuts and contains 4 goals and every replay.

The #BattleOfAlberta is everything we hoped for and more#StanleyCup #LetsGoOilers #Flames pic.twitter.com/eRDQyyqPiC

— Tim and Friends (@timandfriends) May 27, 2022

Fastest 4 goals in a NHL playoff game (Game 5). The Calgary Flames scored 2 goals in 51 seconds in Game 1, a new playoff record for shortest amount of time. A lot of fastest in the 2022 version of the Battle of Alberta. Game 1 gave us flashbacks to a pre-Gary Bettman NHL era.

We love to preach secondary scoring and the Edmonton Oilers delivered. Evander Kane, Zach Hyman, Ryan Nugent-Hopkins. Leon Draisaitl has been consistent. Connor McDavid: assists extraordinaire yet scored the game-winning goal in overtime in Game 5, goal #7 for the postseason.

McDavid and Draisaitl each have 26 points in this postseason.

The Calgary Flames, with their incredible 40-goal scorers top line of Johnny Gaudreau, Elias Lindholm, and Matthew Tkachuk, came up short after the first period of Game 1.

The Oilers were playing at a different speed in this series, winning over the Flames in 5 games.

IT JUST HAD TO BE HIM! 😱

Connor McDavid's @SUBWAYCanada OT winner seals the deal for the @EdmontonOilers! 👏#StanleyCup | #BattleOfAlberta | #LetsGoOilers pic.twitter.com/bwYDHpO8Ot

— Sportsnet (@Sportsnet) May 27, 2022

The Edmonton Oilers will play the Colorado Avalanche in the "Campbell" final. The Avs defeated the St. Louis Blues in 6 games. Colorado has home-ice advantage in the series.

Edmonton went 1-2 against Colorado. The Avs won 3-2 (OT) on March 21 in Denver. Colorado won 2-1 on April 9 in Edmonton. The Oilers won 6-3 at home on April 22.

No one has scored more than 15 goals in one #StanleyCup playoffs over the last 25 years (Sidney Crosby, 2009, and Alex Ovechkin, 2018).

Evander Kane currently has 12 for the #oilers and he's still in the second round.

— Chris Johnston (@reporterchris) May 25, 2022

We talked secondary scoring. Evander Kane didn't start out the season with Edmonton. Kane has had 2 hat tricks in the postseason with a natural hat trick in Game 3. Zach Hyman, in his first season with Edmonton, has 8 goals in this postseason (11 games) vs. 5 goals in 23 playoff games with Toronto.

Leon Draisaitl had 16 points in the series, the most in a Battle of Alberta and breaking Wayne Gretzky's record of 14 from 1983.

Edmonton has now won 5 of the 6 playoff versions of the Battle of Alberta. The Oilers beat Calgary in 1984 and 1988 on their way to winning the Stanley Cup.

• 1983 Edmonton 4–1
• 1984 Edmonton 4–3
• 1986 Calgary 4–3
• 1988 Edmonton 4–0
• 1991 Edmonton 4–3
• 2022 Edmonton 4–1

Brady Tkachuk of the Ottawa Senators got some screen time, rooting on his brother Matthew Tkachuk, who plays for Calgary. Maybe brother Matthew can return the favour or even have a Stanley Cup final with the brothers on the ice.

HELLO?!?!?!#StanleyCup | #BattleofAlberta | #Flames pic.twitter.com/5ESr1mTxLK

— Sportsnet (@Sportsnet) May 25, 2022

ESPN has had good NHL coverage in many ways, steps up from NBCSN. Frustrating exceptions are replays and missed angles. The Rasmus Andersson 132-foot wild goal on Mike Smith in Game 4 is a great example. The ESPN coverage barely showed the path of the goal and only from behind Smith.

Rogers Sportsnet had an ice-level replay from behind Andersson that showed how wild the goal was. ESPN would seemingly have access to that angle but the network doesn't emphasize replays the way other networks do in covering hockey.

2022 NHL Stanley Cup notebook: Battle of Alberta is back after 31 years

We saw Garry Galley jump in on Game 4 in the Florida series for CBC and Rogers Sportsnet. Craig Simpson was under the weather for Game 5. Sportsnet went with regular Flames colour analyst Kelly Hrudey along with Chris Cuthbert. Flames fans would note that Simpson played for Edmonton in the era of the classic Battle of Alberta series.

Cuthbert/Simpson/Kyle Bukauskas will cover the Edmonton series. Harnarayan Singh and Louie DeBrusk with David Amber will call the Eastern final. CBC will carry every single game of both conference finals. This is not scheduled to apply in Ontario for Game 2 of the Oilers series since CBC will cover the Ontario election.

Sportsnet is flipping people in and out of the coverage. We imagine Scott Oake will be involved in the Stanley Cup final.

Chris Cuthbert gives us CFL references in the high scoring Game 1. John Buccigross tell the U.S. audience that Calgary and Edmonton are like Boston and New York since the distance is comparable. No, it isn't. Being in the same province is a lot different than the dynamic of different states. Also, the rivalry of Calgary and Edmonton is tied to everything, not just sports.

The young woman for SportsCenter after Game 1 said the "battle for Alberta." No, "of" not "for."

This is the complaint with parachuting people into a series. ESPN didn't carry Calgary in the regular season and not a single game on Canadian soil. The network gave the U.S. viewers in Round 1 voices who understood the significance: Gord Miller, Cassie Campbell-Pascall, Dominic Moore, Leah Hextall.

Buccigross and Brian Boucher don't understand the rivalry and aren't really that interested. Bob Wischusen was a step up from Buccigross. Miller wasn't available. Campbell-Pascall is tied to the Calgary Flames. Hextall is the ice-level reporter.

The intermission crew featured Steve Levy and Kevin Weekes. Weekes covered the Battle of Alberta for CBC with Mark Lee. Levy has a better sense of these things than Buccigross. Levy, Weekes, and Hextall would have said, "ESPN takes this pretty seriously."

2022 NHL Stanley Cup notebook: How ESPN and TNT are covering Canadian teams

ESPN has the first pick for which conference final to cover. Very strong money has them picking the East final. The Edmonton series may have more scoring but the East final will have earlier starting times and likely better ratings as a result.

If that happens, the Edmonton series will draw TNT's top team of Kenny Albert, Eddie Olczyk, and Keith Jones. Their only experience with Canadian teams in the NHL playoffs has been Game 7 of the Toronto Maple Leafs series.

Albert was in the Edmonton bubble in 2020 for NBCSN. TNT carried 5 Edmonton games during the regular season, 3 of them at Rogers Place.

If ESPN doesn't go in that direction, Ray Ferraro will call a series with a Canadian team.

May 31 Edmonton @ Colorado, 8p Kenny Albert/Eddie Olczyk/Keith Jones/Nabil Karim
June 2 Edmonton @ Colorado, 8p Kenny Albert/Eddie Olczyk/Keith Jones/Nabil Karim
June 4 Colorado @ Edmonton, 8p Kenny Albert/Keith Jones/Darren Pang/Meaghan Mikkelson
June 6 Colorado @ Edmonton, 8p Kenny Albert/Keith Jones/Darren Pang/Meaghan Mikkelson

We should give an award to the best Canadian NHL team each season

The Edmonton Oilers automatically becomes the best Canadian NHL team of the 2021-2022 season.

We came up with the idea (unofficially the Dion Phaneuf award) to give an award to the Canadian team that finished the deepest in the Stanley Cup playoffs or the best regular season record if there are no playoff teams.

The Montréal Canadiens won last year's crown for winning the North Division and reaching the Stanley Cup final.

2022 NHL Stanley Cup playoffs preview for Canadian teams

2022 NHL Stanley Cup playoffs scoreboard

An all-Canadian series out west still drew rather well on U.S. television with the ESPN family. Game 2 drew 1.090 million, Game 3 had 940,000 viewers and Game 1 had 894,000 viewers. Game 5 drew 1.169 million for ESPN.

CanadianCrossing.com NHL coverage

We will update this file with any announcer changes and the like.

Twitter captures: @timandfriends; @Sportsnet; @reporterchris; @Sportsnet
photo credit: CBC Sports/Sportsnet/NHL

2022 NHL Stanley Cup notebook: Battle of Alberta is back after 31 years

Gary Bettman wasn't even the NHL commissioner when the Battle of Alberta last met in the NHL playoffs. The Calgary Flames and Edmonton Oilers met 5 times in 9 years from 1983-1991.

Edmonton won 4 of the 5 battles with 1986 the exception, where Calgary won 4-3. The Oilers beat Calgary in 1984 and 1988 on their way to winning the Stanley Cup.

Here are the 5 times where the Alberta teams met in the NHL playoffs. All of them were for the Smythe Division final.

• 1983 Edmonton 4–1
• 1984 Edmonton 4–3
• 1986 Calgary 4–3
• 1988 Edmonton 4–0
• 1991 Edmonton 4–3

Bettman can't be happy, a good thing for us. The playoffs showcase the one building standing that hasn't be replaced under his thumb: Scotiabank Saddledome. The Battle of Alberta in itself. Also, a Canadian team will play in the western final.

Calgary needed overtime and a brilliant Johnny Gaudreau winning goal to advance past Dallas. Edmonton was down 3-2 to Los Angeles before posting key victories in Game 6 and Game 7.

It’s the Connor McDavid show in Game 7 😳pic.twitter.com/ZX2hfKEMSt

— Hockey Night in Canada (@hockeynight) May 15, 2022

Connor McDavid had a goal and an assist in Game 7. McDavid got a point in 5 of the 6 goals from the final 2 games. The Oilers also needed swagger like when Evander Kane flashed 7 fingers near end of Game 6.

CATCHING FIRE! 🔥

Who else but Johnny Gaudreau to score the @SUBWAYCanada OT winner for the @NHLFlames! 💥 pic.twitter.com/kuzBVODl5L

— Sportsnet (@Sportsnet) May 16, 2022

The Calgary Flames had trouble with Dallas through the series but rose to the occasion in overtime. The Flames won their only overtime game while Edmonton is 0-1 in overtime this spring.

2022 NHL Stanley Cup notebook: How ESPN and TNT are covering Canadian teams

Sometimes, a playoff series comes down to how well some teams match up with others. The players should decide the series, not the referees. In the law of averages, one team shouldn't get as many breaks as the refs gave to the team playing Toronto. The officiating became selective on fake penalties in the 3rd period of Game 6 and the magical call of a player hitting the ice and being called for a penalty in Game 7, nullifying a key goal.

The NHL loves Auston Matthews but hates the Toronto Maple Leafs. They don't have the guts to admit that reality.

Everyone had poked fun over the Toronto Maple Leafs streak of not getting past the first round since 2004. The Maple Leafs had the second longest streak in the NHL behind Florida, which hadn't advanced past the first round since 1996. That was the team Toronto would have faced in the second round this season.

2022 NHL Stanley Cup playoffs preview for Canadian teams

With the exception of the 2021 season, U.S. television refused to show the Battle of Alberta. One of the greatest rivalries in sports and U.S. television turned its back. Now U.S. television has to show the Battle of Alberta 4-7 times in a 2 week period. Hope the ESPN announcers really appreciate this rivalry.

Here are the 2021 telecasts in the United States. All of the HNIC games were on the NHL Network. The NBCSN game was the lone exception:

February 6 Edmonton @ Calgary, 10p (HNIC)
February 20 Calgary @ Edmonton, 10p (HNIC)
March 6 Calgary @ Edmonton, 10p (HNIC)
March 17 Edmonton @ Calgary, 10p (NBCSN)
April 10 Edmonton @ Calgary, 10p (HNIC)
May 1 Edmonton @ Calgary, 10p (HNIC)

2022 NHL Stanley Cup playoffs scoreboard

CBC will have the Battle of Alberta. The public broadcaster will feature the St. Louis-Colorado series and the all-Florida series (minus Game 3). Those watching CBC channels in Alberta will get that game from the start regardless of the other game that night.

Chris Cuthbert and Craig Simpson with Scott Oake will work the Battle of Alberta series. John Bartlett and Greg Millen with Kyle Bukauskas can work on their tans in Florida. Harnarayan Singh and Louie DeBrusk with Dan Murphy will handle the Blues and Avalanche.

We will update this story for all the second round telecasts.

Game 7 of the Calgary series in the opening round aired on Rogers Sportsnet because of the 2022 Junos.

May 17 Tampa Bay @ Florida, 7p
May 17 St. Louis @ Colorado, 9:30p
May 18 Edmonton @ Calgary, 9:30p
May 19 Tampa Bay @ Florida, 7p
May 19 St. Louis @ Colorado, 9:30p
May 20 Edmonton @ Calgary, 10:30p
May 21 Colorado @ St. Louis, 8p
May 22 Calgary @ Edmonton, 8p
May 23 Florida @ Tampa Bay, 7p
May 23 Colorado @ St. Louis, 9:30p
May 24 Calgary @ Edmonton, 9:30p
May 25 St. Louis @ Colorado, 8p
May 26 Edmonton @ Calgary, 9:30p
May 27 Colorado @ St. Louis, 8p

The ESPN family is working the Battle of Alberta.

May 18 Edmonton @ Calgary, 9:30p John Buccigross/Brian Boucher/Leah Hextall ESPN
May 20 Edmonton @ Calgary, 10:30p John Buccigross/Brian Boucher/Leah Hextall ESPN
May 22 Calgary @ Edmonton, 8p Bob Wischusen/Brian Boucher/Leah Hextall ESPN2
May 24 Calgary @ Edmonton, 9:30p Bob Wischusen/Brian Boucher/Leah Hextall ESPN
May 26 Edmonton @ Calgary, 9:30p Bob Wischusen/Brian Boucher/Leah Hextall ESPN

The nice part is that U.S. viewers will get the same (or similar) crew. We will update this when we get the ESPN announcers press release.

NHL Network, TNT, and ESPN/ESPN+ games in 2022 season analysis

ESPN gave us Gord Miller and Cassie Campbell-Pascall for Games 1-2 in Edmonton. We knew the clock would strike midnight for Miller since the World Championships were coming up in Finland. Campbell-Pascall didn't get assigned to another series and wasn't on the docket for Game 5 in Edmonton.

Dominic Moore, who teamed up with Miller for Game 1 in Calgary, worked with Leah Hextall in Edmonton and then Calgary for Game 5 in both series.

ESPN expressed a preference over Rogers Sportsnet to use Campbell-Pascall. There may be unforeseen circumstances. Just us in observation mode.

NHL notebook: Wrapping up the end of the 2022 regular season

We are ready to bring back the NHL Network to start games. Turner is like a bad driver at the wheel that suddenly moves across 4 lanes to reach an exit.

There was a game where Tru TV was showing the start of the late game. 2 seconds later, the channel pulls out of coverage and the viewer is left lost as to what happened. Seems like at least 70% of Tru TV prime time programming is reruns of the not very funny practical jokers show. Someone (not us) said Turner was trying to act like NBC. Even NBC was never that bad.

If you want your channels to fill the gaps, have a tiny bit of respect for the NHL audience.

Rogers Sportsnet and CBC (mostly) don't have these issues. The NHL could help but starting late games on time on another channel so there wouldn't be a 8:50 start in Dallas.

Where the NHL Canadian teams stand in the Stanley Cup playoffs chase

Haven't caught much of Ray Ferraro on ESPN in the playoffs but what little we heard was par excellence. He is the best. Ferraro didn't cover any Canadian teams in the first round. He is considered one of the ESPN top analysts.

Gord Miller and Ray Ferraro are the best because of what they share and how much fun they have together. Separately, they are rather strong.

CanadianCrossing.com NHL coverage

You tiptoe. You avoid saying his name near a mirror. Yet ESPN brought in Brian Boucher for Game 7 of the Edmonton series.

Boucher didn't do a lot of the first round games, a good decision for hockey fans. Often, U.S. networks bring in a new crew for a Game 7 that has no clue about the teams and the dynamic of the series.

Bob Wischusen is fine. Leah Hextall called Game 5 and was the ice-level reporter for Game 7. The same crew called Game 7 in Calgary.

Cassie Campbell-Pascall was a more logical choice, having called Games 1-2 with Gord Miller. Kevin Weekes would have been a better call. The other ESPN Game 7 crew: Steve Levy, Ray Ferraro, and Emily Kaplan. That would have been great.

photo credit: @sportsnet
Twitter captures: @hockeynight; @sportsnet

2022 NHL Stanley Cup playoffs preview for Canadian teams

Is 3 a good number for Canadian teams in the 2022 Stanley Cup playoffs? There were many who thought Edmonton was tired and had no goaltending. Many thought Vancouver or Winnipeg would be in but not Calgary. Toronto in with Montréal and Ottawa out: not a genius to determine that outcome.

Last year's automatic 4 brought interest in whether Les Habs would be that 4th team. The Canadiens ended up in the Stanley Cup finals, the first Canadian team to get that far in a decade (2011 Vancouver Canucks).

As for the 3 teams, the Maple Leafs may spend a lot of time in the state of Florida if they can advance through 2 rounds. Calgary and Edmonton will play each other if they both advance to the second round. Edmonton won that playoff battle in 1983, 1984, 1988, and 1991. Calgary won in 1986.

The Canadian teams were punished in 2021 with back-to-back games in the playoffs. The playoff scheduling is kinder so far.

The yearly reminder: 1993 Last Canadian team to win the Stanley Cup (Montréal).

NHL Network, TNT, and ESPN/ESPN+ games in 2022 season analysis

2022 NHL Stanley Cup playoffs scoreboard

The Toronto Maple Leafs drew the 2-time Stanley Cup champs from western Florida. Dave Randorf gets to spend some time back on Canadian soil as he is the Tampa Bay TV voice. Calgary Flames got Dallas instead of Nashville thanks to a seismic collapse on the final game on Friday.

Edmonton has known for a relative while that Los Angeles is the first round opponent. California was shut out of the 2020 and 2021 playoffs. The Kings are the only California playoff team this season.

The Toronto Raptors had a 3-1 advantage over the Philadelphia 76ers in the NBA regular season. That didn't help much in the 2022 NBA playoffs.

Calgary went 2-0-1 against Dallas this season.

November 4 Dallas 4, @ Calgary 3 (OT)
February 1 Calgary 4, @ Dallas 3
April 21 Dallas 2, @ Calgary 4

Toronto split with Tampa Bay 2-2 in the regular season.

November 4 Tampa Bay 1, @ Toronto 2 (OT)
December 9 Tampa Bay 5, @ Toronto 3
April 4 Toronto 6, @ Tampa Bay 2
April 21 Toronto 1, @ Tampa Bay 8

Edmonton went 3-1 against Los Angeles in the regular season.

December 5 Los Angeles 5, @ Edmonton 1
February 15 Edmonton 5, @ Los Angeles 2
March 30 Los Angeles 3, @ Edmonton 4 (SO)
April 7 Edmonton 3, @ Los Angeles 2

This Rogers Sportsnet graphic is a year old or maybe longer. We will run this every year until the Toronto Maple Leafs win a playoff series.

Every Canadian NHL team has won several playoff series since the Maple Leafs won one. The Ottawa Senators won 2 series in the same postseason not that long ago, when Erik Karlsson was on the squad.

Calgary, Edmonton, Ottawa, Vancouver, and Montréal have played for the Stanley Cup since Toronto won a playoff series. Winnipeg played for a conference title in 2018.

Last year, we reported that Auston Matthews was 6 the last time Toronto won a playoff series. Matthews is a year older as we all are.

A mixed sports analogy: the Cincinnati Bengals hadn't won a NFL playoff game in over 30 years. The Bengals snapped a few streaks early in 2022 and made it to the Super Bowl. Maybe the Maple Leafs can take some inspiration, though the Bengals lost the Super Bowl.

The Maple Leafs had 115 points this season, a new franchise record. Regular season is nice but postseason is what matters.

Sorry, Leafs fans. Win a series. We will be thrilled when you prove us wrong.

NHL notebook: Wrapping up the end of the 2022 regular season

Where the NHL Canadian teams stand in the Stanley Cup playoffs chase

How to consume NHL trade deadline coverage on the U.S. side

The Rogers Sportsnet pattern is pretty much set for the opening round. Chris Cuthbert and Craig Simpson (Kyle Bukauskas and Shawn McKenzie) will have the Maple Leafs series. John Bartlett and Garry Galley (Caroline Cameron) will cover U.S. games in the East for CBC, likely from the Toronto studios. 

Harnarayan Singh and Louie DeBrusk (Scott Oake) will cover the Edmonton Oilers. Rick Ball and Greg Millen (Ryan Leslie) will cover the Calgary Flames. Cassie Campbell-Pascall is working the first round for ESPN.

Sportsnet will pick up simsubs from local feeds or U.S. national feeds but must produce games that air on CBC. Ice level reporters are in parentheses.

John Shorthouse and John Garrett (Vancouver) will be on standby if there are health-related issues. 

Games on Sportsnet can be streamed in Canada via SNnow.ca.

Hometown Hockey is touring through Alberta with Stanley Cup Playoffs viewing parties. Both Edmonton and Calgary are in the playoffs.

The list of gatherings so far: Spruce Grove (May 2); Leduc (May 4); Cochrane (May 7); Chestermere (May 9); and Okotoks (May 11). Like the HH gatherings this season, admission is free but you have to reserve a ticket.

This could get fun if the Alberta teams meet in Round 2 and Rogers continues these gatherings.

We should give an award to the best Canadian NHL team each season

Here is the CBC schedule for the Canadians and those in the States with a CBC feed. This schedule will be updated as needed in the opening round.

CBC won't carry any NHL games on the night of May 15 since the 2022 Junos with host Simu Liu will be on that night on CBC. A potential Calgary Game 7 would be on that day.

Games on CBC can be streamed in Canada via cbcsports.ca.

May 2 Tampa Bay @ Toronto, 7:30p
May 2 Los Angeles @ Edmonton, 10p
May 3 Pittsburgh @ NY Rangers, 7p
May 3 Dallas @ Calgary, 10p
May 4 Tampa Bay @ Toronto, 7:30p
May 4 Los Angeles @ Edmonton, 10p
May 5 Pittsburgh @ NY Rangers, 7p
May 5 Dallas @ Calgary, 10p
May 6 Toronto @ Tampa Bay, 7:30p
May 6 Edmonton @ Los Angeles, 10p
May 7 NY Rangers @ Pittsburgh, 7p
May 7 Calgary @ Dallas, 9:30p
May 8 Toronto @ Tampa Bay, 7p
May 8 Edmonton @ Los Angeles, 10p
May 9 NY Rangers @ Pittsburgh, 7p
May 9 Calgary @ Dallas, 9:30p
May 10 Tampa Bay @ Toronto, 7:30p
May 10 Los Angeles @ Edmonton, 10p
May 11 Pittsburgh @ NY Rangers, 7p
May 11 Dallas @ Calgary, 9:30p
May 12 Toronto @ Tampa Bay, 7:30p
May 12 Edmonton @ Los Angeles, 10p
May 13 NY Rangers @ Pittsburgh, 7p
May 13 Calgary @ Dallas, 9:30p
May 14 Tampa Bay @ Toronto, 7p
May 14 Los Angeles @ Edmonton, 10p

U.S. viewers in Detroit, Buffalo, Seattle, and other markets get a great option, even for select U.S. games.

Tracking the NHL 2021 media changes

Our guide to the NHL Canadian teams coverage

We had a bit of fun with this Sobey's Safeway ad in 2019 as part of our quest to showcase quirky Canadian advertising. To our knowledge, this is as close as they have been to working together.

Thanks to ESPN, Gord Miller and Cassie Campbell-Pascall will call the first 2 games of the Edmonton series. Miller is also calling Game 1 of the Calgary series with Dominic Moore.

Miller won't be around for long since he is covering the 2022 IIHF World Championship from May 13-29 in Tampere and Helsinki for TSN.

ESPN is not putting Campbell-Pascall on the Calgary series, at least for Game 1. We don't know if that is because she covers the Flames or that her husband works for the Flames or both.

ESPN and TNT are splitting the first round based on nights and availability.

ESPN produced games also run on ESPN2. TNT produced games also run on TBS. NHL Network might be used for extra games or overruns. At this point, ESPNU (primarily) and ESPNEWS will capture overflow as will TruTV and HLN (Turner). New U.S. TV contract, new rules.

Though you could check out our guide to U.S. TV coverage, you can get ESPN/ESPN2 updates and TNT/TBS updates straight from their corporate PR departments.

We don't consider whether a game is on ESPN vs. ESPN2 or TNT vs. TBS to be anything more than a nuance.

This schedule will be updated for all opening round games.

May 2 Tampa Bay @ Toronto, 7:30p John Buccigross/AJ Mleczko/Caley Chelios ESPN2
May 2 Los Angeles @ Edmonton, 10p Gord Miller/Cassie Campbell-Pascall ESPN2
May 3 Dallas @ Calgary, 10p Gord Miller/Dominic Moore ESPN2
May 4 Tampa Bay @ Toronto, 7:30p John Buccigross/AJ Mleczko/Caley Chelios ESPN2
May 4 Los Angeles @ Edmonton, 10p Gord Miller/Cassie Campbell-Pascall ESPN2
May 5 Dallas @ Calgary, 10p Dave Goucher/Drew Remenda/Meaghan Mikkelson/Erika Wachter TBS
May 6 Toronto @ Tampa, 7:30p Brendan Burke/Butch Goring/Jennifer Botterill/Julie Stewart-Binks TBS
May 6 Edmonton @ Los Angeles, 10p Randy Hahn/Bret Hedican/Mike McKenna/Alyson Lozoff TBS
May 7 Calgary @ Dallas, 9:30p Brendan Burke/Darren Pang/Butch Goring/Erika Wachter TNT
May 8 Toronto @ Tampa Bay, 7p John Forslund/Eddie Olcyzk/Keith Jones/Julie Stewart-Binks TBS
May 8 Edmonton @ Los Angeles, 10p Randy Hahn/Bret Hedican/Darren Eliot/Alyson Lozoff TBS
May 9 Calgary @ Dallas, 9:30p Brendan Burke/Darren Pang/Butch Goring/Erika Wachter TBS
May 10 Tampa Bay @ Toronto, 7:30p John Buccigross/Ryan Callahan/Caley Chelios ESPN2
May 10 Los Angeles @ Edmonton, 10p Leah Hextall/Dominic Moore ESPN2
May 11 Dallas @ Calgary, 9:30p Leah Hextall/Dominic Moore ESPN
May 12 Toronto @ Tampa Bay, 7:30p John Forslund/Keith Jones/Colby Armstrong TBS
May 12 Edmonton @ Los Angeles, 10p Randy Hahn/Bret Hedican/Darren Eliot/Alyson Lozoff TBS
May 13 Calgary @ Dallas, 9:30p Brendan Burke/Shane Hnidy/Darren Pang/Erika Wachter TNT
May 14 Tampa Bay @ Toronto, 7p Kenny Albert/Eddie Olczyk/Keith Jones/Nabil Karim TNT
May 14 Los Angeles @ Edmonton, 10p Bob Wischusen/Brian Boucher/Leah Hextall ESPN
May 15 Dallas @ Calgary, 9:30p Bob Wischusen/Brian Boucher/Leah Hextall ESPN2

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

As we noted, Gord Miller will call the 2022 IIHF World Championship from May 13-29 in Tampere and Helsinki on TSN. Miller will work with Mike Johnson since Ray Ferraro is working the Stanley Cup playoffs for ESPN. The NHL Network will pick up the TSN feed in the United States.

Our favourite Stanley Cup playoffs moment off the ice in recent memory is Miller's journey to get to St. Paul for a Jets playoff game in 2018.

CanadianCrossing.com NHL coverage

If you are relatively new to the NHL, playoff hockey is a very different sport than the hockey you see from October to April. Play is filled with lots of unnecessary violence since referees get strangely peculiar on when (if) penalties are called. Toronto Coach Sheldon Keefe used the phrase "borderline violent" to refer to the opening round series. This might be an understatement.

Any strategy involving creative offence is useless in the playoffs. This is a disadvantage to teams such as the Maple Leafs. Teams that are fun to watch in the regular season suddenly aren't fun.

We cover hockey but we absolutely vehemently hate playoff hockey. Boring, stupid, and the opposite of interesting. Also, there is a general bias against Canadian teams in penalties and cheap hits resulting in major injuries.

Whatever one might think of the 16 teams in the playoffs, most of the hockey world (not Nevada or Gary Bettman) are thrilled that Las Vegas isn't one of those teams.

photo credits: NHL; Rogers Sportsnet; NHL; Rogers Sportsnet; Sobey's/Safeway

Where the NHL Canadian teams stand in the Stanley Cup playoffs chase

Happy Easter Monday to those who celebrate. The Toronto Raptors are already down 1-0 in the NBA playoffs yet the NHL season is still going. The NHL season has 12 days remaining, 14 for the Winnipeg Jets. The Jets last game was pushed back to May 1 because of the Manitoba snowstorm.

The regular season ends on April 29 on a Friday so we only have one more Hockey Night in Canada in the regular season.

The 8 teams in the East in the NHL have been playing for position since January. The Maple Leafs currently are at 50-20-6 for 106 points. Florida is at 114, Tampa Bay at 100, and Boston at 97. Staying in 2nd place gives Toronto home-ice advantage.

The Maple Leafs have 6 games left; 3 at home. Toronto makes its second trip to Tampa Bay this month. The team also plays in Florida (23) on Hockey Night in Canada and hosts Boston on April 29.

Montréal and Ottawa have been out of the playoffs race since the height of Omicron. The Senators host Florida while the Canadiens host Florida and Boston. The Maple Leafs aren't likely to catch Florida for the top of the division.

Here is the remaining schedule for the Canadian teams in the East.

Toronto
Philadelphia (19); @ Tampa Bay (21); @ Florida (23); @ Washington (24); Detroit (26); Boston (29)

Montréal
Minnesota (19); Philadelphia (21); @ Ottawa (23); Boston (24); @ NY Rangers (27); Florida (29)

Ottawa
@ Seattle (18); @ Vancouver (19); @ Columbus (22); Montréal (23); New Jersey (26); Florida (28);
@ Philadelphia (29)

Short of a huge collapse, Calgary and Edmonton will not meet in the opening round of the NHL Stanley Cup playoffs.

Calgary has a playoff spot clinched, leading the "Smythe" division at 46-20-9 for 101 points. Edmonton is second with 44-26-6 for 94 points. Los Angeles has 90 points. If Edmonton hangs on to second place, the Oilers will have home ice advantage in the opening round.

Team	Record	Points	Games left	Max points
Dallas	43-27-5	91	7	105
Nashville	43-28-5	91	6	103
Las Vegas	41-30-5	87	6	99
Vancouver	37-28-10	84	7	98
Winnipeg	35-30-11	81	6	93

This is the West wild card standings. Vancouver and Winnipeg have the worst records of teams in the West that still could qualify for the playoffs. Dallas and Nashville need a win each to tie Winnipeg's max total.

The Canucks would be within 2 points if they had converted half of those overtime losses.

Calgary can help out Vancouver and Winnipeg with 2 games in Nashville in an 8-day stretch. Edmonton and Vancouver host Dallas this week.

Here is the remaining schedule for the Canadian teams in the West.

Calgary
@ Chicago (18); @ Nashville (19); Dallas (21); Vancouver (23); @ Nashville (26); @ Minnesota (28);
@ Winnipeg (29)

Edmonton
Dallas (20); Colorado (22); @ Columbus (24); @ Pittsburgh (26); San Jose (28); Vancouver (29)

Vancouver
Dallas (18); Ottawa (19); @ Minnesota (21); @ Calgary (23); Seattle (26); Los Angeles (28);
@ Edmonton (29)

Winnipeg
@ NY Rangers (19); @ Carolina (21); Colorado (24); Philadelphia (27); Calgary (29); Seattle (May 1)

NHL the month in preview April 2022

Our U.S. readers can catch some of these key games.

The Toronto game in Tampa Bay (21) is on ESPN while the game in Washington (24) is on ESPN+/Hulu.

The Edmonton game where the Oilers host Dallas (20) is on the NHL Network. The Oilers game in Pittsburgh (26) is on ESPN.

The Calgary game in Minnesota (28) is on the NHL Network.

The NHL Network is not carrying Hockey Night in Canada this Saturday. We expect the NHL Center Ice free preview to start on Saturday. ESPN+ will have the games either way.

We will update our April preview if games are added on the U.S. side.

CanadianCrossing.com NHL coverage

The Stanley Cup playoffs will start May 2. There will likely be 3 Canadian teams with room for a 4th team in the mix.

logo and photo credit: NHL

NHL the month in preview April 2022

TNT switched out one Canadian team for another on April 6. Vancouver is out and Calgary is in with the Flames trip to Orange County.

ESPN finally carries games involving Canadian teams: the Toronto Maple Leafs travel to the former home of the NBA Toronto Raptors (Amalie Arena) on April 21. In a change within the last 24 hours, a ESPN+/Hulu game has been bumped up to ESPN with Connor McDavid visiting Sidney Crosby (26).

NHL Network starts out April with the Habs on Hockey Night in Canada in the Stanley Cup rematch in Florida (2). The U.S. channel gives us the same matchup as the lone ESPN game with the Maple Leafs in western Florida (4).

The Ottawa Senators are involved in the final 2 HNIC appearances on the channel at Madison Square Garden (9) and hosting Toronto (16). Before last season, the Battle of Ontario was virtually banned on the channel.

The U.S. channel picks up a Hometown Hockey game minus the actual show as Winnipeg makes its lone visit to Montréal (11). The Jets are also on the NHL Network later in the week visiting the team in the witness protection program in southern Florida (15).

The NHL Network carries a rare Wednesday night game with the teams (Dallas and Edmonton) ESPN+ carried twice but only in Dallas. Neither ESPN or ESPN+ has set foot in Canada. This time the U.S. channel will pick up the national feed from Edmonton (20).

The final telecast is a really good matchup with the Calgary Flames traveling to St. Paul (28).

The lone ESPN+/Hulu game involves the Toronto Maple Leafs in the U.S. capital (24).

ABC finishes up its Saturday afternoon package. They are ESPN productions airing on ABC. All the games involve U.S. teams.

Looks like there will be no Rogers Sportsnet exclusives on Saturday nights in April. There were potential issues on April 2 and April 23 but those have disappeared.

There should be a NHL Center Ice free preview toward the end of the season. The regular season ends on a Friday on April 29.

TNT

April 6
Calgary @ Anaheim, 10p

ESPN

April 21
Toronto @ Tampa Bay, 8p
April 26
Edmonton @ Pittsburgh, 7p

NHL Network

April 2
Montréal @ Tampa Bay, 7p (HNIC)
April 4
Toronto @ Tampa Bay, 7:30p
April 9
Ottawa @ NY Rangers, 7p (HNIC)
April 11
Winnipeg @ Montréal, 7p (HH)
April 15
Winnipeg @ Florida, 7p
April 16
Toronto @ Ottawa, 7p (HNIC)
April 20
Dallas @ Edmonton, 8:30p
April 28
Calgary @ Minnesota, 8p

ESPN+/Hulu

April 24
Toronto @ Washington, 7p

Hockey Night in Canada

April 2

Toronto @ Philadelphia, 7p/Montréal @ Tampa Bay, 7p/Los Angeles @ Winnipeg, 7p/
St. Louis @ Calgary, 10p

April 9

Montréal @ Toronto, 7p/Ottawa @ NY Rangers, 7p/Calgary @ Seattle, 7p/
Colorado @ Edmonton, 10p/San Jose @ Vancouver, 10p

April 16

Toronto @ Ottawa, 7p/Washington @ Montréal, 7p/Winnipeg @ Tampa Bay, 7p/
Arizona @ Calgary, 10p

April 23

Toronto @ Florida, 7p/Montréal @ Ottawa, 7p/Vancouver @ Calgary, 10p

Hometown Hockey

April 4 Toronto @ Tampa Bay, 7:30p/Calgary @ Los Angeles, 10:30p (Edmonton)

April 11 Winnipeg @ Montréal, 7p (Prince George, BC)

April 18 Calgary @ Chicago, 8p/Dallas @ Vancouver, 9p (Campbell River, BC)

April 25 No Canadian teams (North Vancouver, BC)

Rogers Sportsnet national telecasts

April 6 Detroit @ Winnipeg, 7:30p/Calgary @ Anaheim, 10p

April 7 Edmonton @ Los Angeles, 10:30p

April 12 Seattle @ Calgary, 9p

April 13 Montréal @ Columbus, 7p

April 14 Las Vegas @ Calgary, 9p

April 20 Dallas @ Edmonton, 8:30p

April 26 Edmonton @ Pittsburgh, 7p

April 27 Philadelphia @ Winnipeg, 7:30p/Montréal @ NY Rangers, 7:30p

April 28 San Jose @ Edmonton, 9p

April 29 Vancouver @ Edmonton, 9p

2022 Heritage Classic wrapup

2022 Heritage Classic preview

The Auston Matthews 2-game suspension was harsh and yet not surprising. The cross check was bad but similar plays haven't drawn a suspension. The Toronto Maple Leafs don't do well in the justice department.

The suspension doesn't seem to reflect the abuse Matthews took before the cross check including being slammed into the net. The irony is that referees generally refuse to call penalties on people attacking Matthews, including in overtime against Arizona that cost Toronto an extra point. At the time of the suspension, Matthews was #310 in the league in penalties drawn this season with 8.

The Maple Leafs went 2-0 during the suspension.

The idea is ridiculous that this was worse than what Matt Cooke (a repeat offender, unlike Matthews) did to Erik Karlsson in 2013. Matthews, clean record, got 2 games for something way less worse than what Cooke, the opposite of a clean record, did with as much intention. Serious and significant injury and no suspension. If Karlsson had played for San Jose, there would have been a suspension.

Taylor Hall only got a $5K fine for sucker punching Maple Leafs defenseman Ilya Lyubushkin. Then again, Hall plays for Boston.

The ratings were healthy on both sides of the border, given a late Sunday afternoon game on the day where daylight saving time started. The game drew 1.25 million on Rogers Sportsnet. We don't have TVA Sports numbers. TNT had a 348,000 number. Buffalo draws really well on the U.S. side.

The next Heritage Classic is TBA as always with speculation that Edmonton might host a game in 2023. The original modern-day outdoor game was in Edmonton on November 22, 2003.

How to consume NHL trade deadline coverage on the U.S. side

.@espn @NHL coverage has been good. Its #tradedeadline2022 coverage? Not so great if you wanted to learn trades. Most trades reported w/o saying what was coming back. Yes, there was #chickenparm but not much analysis. Try better and/or bring back @TSNHockey coverage.

— Chad Rubel (@canadian_xing) March 22, 2022

We had low expectations for ESPN's trade deadline coverage. The program posted the obvious side of trades on the screen without mentioning the return. They were more obsessed with Phil Kessel not going anywhere than the chicken parm(esan) that appeared on screen. The chicken parm is a long ongoing joke with John Buccigross.

Emily Kaplan and Kevin Weekes were the saving grace. Kaplan was too obsessed with Chicago, where she lives. Calgary and Toronto got mentioned not so much about their actual trades.

TSN might have spent too much time on Toronto but they report on the impact of the actual trades for all the teams.

NHL the month in preview March 2022

Mr. Melnyk provided me, my teammates, and many Sens players who came before us with an opportunity to live out our dream. The Ottawa community will miss you greatly. Condolences to your family. https://t.co/lNeXwUDurF

— brady tkachuk (@BradyTkachuk71) March 29, 2022

Eugene Melnyk was the most recognisable NHL Canadian owner by leaps and bounds. The Ottawa Senators owner passed away this week at the age of 62.

We have written about the surprise that Melnyk undercut what the franchise needed most: a downtown arena. His legacy is a lot more complex than just a new arena. His rescue of the Ottawa Senators franchise is likely the reason there are 7 Canadian franchises and not 6.  

Our condolences to his family and friends. 

NHL the month in preview February 2022

NHL the month in preview January 2022

There was a NHL Center Ice free preview from March 11-17. ESPN+ eliminates the desire for the Center Ice package, except for the local ads. The chase for fun local ads is a lot harder than they used to be with fewer fruits. We will try and capture some of those ads at the end of the regular season.

NHL the week that was: COVID-19 and Paul Maurice resigns

NHL the month in preview December 2021

Windsor hockey fans got to see the team north of the river on Hockey Night in Canada on March 12. The Detroit Red Wings were in the early slot in Calgary and the Toronto Maple Leafs were waiting for the Heritage Classic.

In the CBC days (pre-2014), the debate would have been whether CBET would show the Red Wings or carry the primary game. The Maple Leafs would be the reason why CBET wouldn't carry the Red Wings.

This game was on Rogers Sportsnet West and Rogers Sportsnet One, so those in Windsor would need cable or satellite or stream on SN Now.

.@NHLNetwork, except for last season, was afraid to carry #BattleofAlberta. Missing a heck of a game tonight. Thank goodness for #ESPN+. @espn @NHL

— Chad Rubel (@canadian_xing) March 27, 2022

The NHL Network, outside of the all-Canadian division of 2021, has never carried the Battle of Alberta. The exciting 9-5 Calgary win on March 26 was an amazing game. The channel couldn't even manage to show the 3rd period with bonus coverage. The Calgary-Edmonton playoff matchup hasn't happened since 1991. That is before we knew the name Gary Bettman.

The Flames and Oilers had been on terrific stretches. Hard to imagine one of the best rivalries where both teams are good and the NHL Network doesn't care. The teams are done playing each other for the regular season.

NHL the month in preview November 2021

NHL the month in preview October 2021

March 7 Toronto @ Columbus, 7:30p John Buccigross/Cassie Campbell-Pascall ESPN+/Hulu
March 9 Washington @ Edmonton, 8p Brendan Burke/Darren Pang/Tarik El-Bashir TNT
March 9 Montréal @ Vancouver, 10:30p John Forslund/Bret Hedican TNT
March 13 Toronto @ Buffalo (Hamilton), 3p Kenny Albert/Eddie Olczyk/Keith Jones/Wayne Gretzky TNT
March 22 Edmonton @ Dallas, 8:30p Steve Levy/Mark Messier ESPN+/Hulu

Cassie Campbell-Pascall also was on the last ESPN+ telecast involving a Canadian team all the way back in January. She offered a good Canadian perspective on questions. If you were watching in the postgame, we even saw Timbits (Columbus has Tim Hortons). 

Yes, the Heritage Classic was later in the week but TNT dropped the ball, giving us John Forslund (who doesn't like Canada) and Bret Hedican. An all-Canadian matchup is John Forslund's nightmare. Forslund did have a Canadian travel dream of calling a game in Toronto on Monday, Vancouver on a Wednesday, Ottawa on Thursday, and Montréal on Saturday. All of those were Seattle Kraken road games except for the detour to Vancouver.

The TNT graphics got off to a terrible start in that all-Canadian matchup with the wrong team on the power play on the first 2 power plays. Their solution was to take off the power play clock for most of that second power play. The wrong team is better than having no clock at all.

Mark Messier has a long ago connection to the Edmonton Oilers. Still, this might have been the second game he called all year for ESPN. Messier told the audience the Edmonton power play was difficult to stop when the Oilers didn't register a single shot in that power play. Steve Levy is really good and an enjoyable listen.  

Tracking the NHL 2021 media changes

The NHL Network is carrying far fewer live NHL games this season. The ESPN+ package helps make that a decent decision. The channel usually airs a game on Saturday nights. NHL Network didn't air a Saturday game for the last 2 weekends in March.

March 19 had a ESPN+ game on ABC. Even with the new deal, U.S. outlets are afraid to show 2 games at the same time. The channel didn't air a game in the evening on March 26. There was no obvious reason.

There was a ESPN+/Hulu game on March 26. If that was the reason, that was weaker than a teabag in Lake Ontario.

Our guide to the NHL Canadian teams coverage

The NBC Sports properties in Chicago, San Jose, Washington, and Philadelphia would sometimes show other games from their sibling outlets. We haven't seen that this season. Then again, the ESPN+ contract makes that meaningless since you can pick up the feed you want from an unprotected game.

CanadianCrossing.com NHL coverage

The NHL Network carried no CBC feeds in February (mostly Olympics) and only a single game in March.

The Edmonton Stingers, Canadian Elite Basketball League (CEBL) champions, were playing in the Basketball Champions League Americas (BCLA) on CBC Gem. The Porter is a really great show on CBC that will run on BET+.

John Bartlett didn't get to the 6th promo of the night. The missing promo was for the closing ceremony of the 2022 Paralympics in Beijing. The CBC promos are the only compensation the network gets for showing Hockey Night in Canada.

We aren't even getting matinee HNIC rebroadcasts on the NHL Network.

March 12 early game: Edmonton Stingers basketball; Son of a Critch (1st); CBC News app; Run the Burbs (2nd); The Porter (3rd)

photo credit: NHL
Twitter captures: @canadian_xing; @BradyTkachuk71; @canadian_xing

NHL the month in preview March 2022

The 2022 Heritage Classic is the March highlight with the Toronto Maple Leafs playing a road game in Hamilton against the "home" Buffalo Sabres. Rogers Sportsnet and TNT will carry the game. Buffalo fans don't have a CBC feed.

We will have a separate preview leading up to the game.

TNT will show both Washington-Edmonton games: March 9 in Edmonton with a 6 pm local time followed by the channel's first all-Canadian matchup with the Montréal Canadiens in Vancouver.

NHL Network tends to carry fewer games involving Canadian teams in the second half. The coverage is Montréal-centric with a HNIC home date with Seattle (12) and a HH home game with Boston (21). The only game that night (14) has the U.S. channel in the Canadian capital with Gary Bettman's other favourite desert team. 

The U.S. channel avoided March 19, since ABC will show a U.S. game at night. The ESPN productions air on ABC. The rest of the package has been Saturday afternoon contests. All the games involve U.S. teams.

ESPN+/Hulu has the Toronto Maple Leafs traveling to the Ohio capital on March 7. They added an Edmonton game in Dallas, a repeat matchup in the same location from November 23, on March 22. ESPN+/Hulu still won't touch Canadian soil.

Rogers Sportsnet is taking the Vancouver @ Toronto game on March 5 all for itself, forcing CBC and Citytv to cover Montréal @ Edmonton. As we've noted, Sportsnet is trying to get hockey fans to sign up for Sportsnet NOW and planting reminders every so often that they control the NHL national contract.

The NHL trade deadline is March 21. NHL Network usually carries Rogers Sportsnet coverage before using its own coverage. ESPN2 usually carries TSN coverage. ESPN+ should have (ideally) TSN coverage from the start.

TNT

March 9
Washington @ Edmonton, 8p/Montréal @ Vancouver, 10:30p
March 13
Toronto @ Buffalo (Hamilton), 4p

NHL Network

March 12
Seattle @ Montréal, 7p (HNIC)
March 14
Arizona @ Ottawa, 7:30p (HH)
March 21
Boston @ Montréal, 7p (HH)

ESPN+/Hulu

March 7
Toronto @ Columbus, 7p
March 22
Edmonton @ Dallas, 8:30p

Hockey Night in Canada

March 5

Vancouver @ Toronto, 7p/Montréal @ Edmonton, 7p/Calgary @ Colorado, 10p

March 12

Seattle @ Montréal, 7p/Chicago @ Ottawa, 7p/Detroit @ Calgary, 7p/Tampa Bay @ Edmonton, 10p

March 19

New Jersey @ Edmonton, 3p/Toronto @ Nashville, 7p/Ottawa @ Montréal, 7p/Calgary @ Vancouver, 10p

March 26

Toronto @ Montréal, 7p/Florida @ Ottawa, 7p/Vancouver @ Dallas, 7p/Edmonton @ Calgary, 10p

Hometown Hockey

March 7 Toronto @ Columbus, 7p/Edmonton @ Calgary, 9:30p (studio)

March 14 Arizona @ Ottawa, 7:30p (studio)

March 21 Boston @ Montréal, 7p/Edmonton @ Colorado, 9:30p (Lloydminster, AB/SK)

March 28 Vancouver @ St. Louis, 7:30p/Arizona @ Edmonton, 9:30p (Grande Prairie, AB)

Rogers Sportsnet national telecasts

March 1 Edmonton @ Philadelphia, 7p

March 2 Buffalo @ Toronto, 7:30p

March 3 Edmonton @ Chicago, 8:30p

March 9 Washington @ Edmonton, 8p

March 13 Toronto @ Buffalo (Hamilton), 4p/Calgary @ Colorado, 8p

March 16 Columbus @ Ottawa, 7:30p/New Jersey @ Calgary, 10p

March 22 San Jose @ Calgary, 9p

March 23 New Jersey @ Toronto, 7p/Vancouver @ Colorado, 9:30p

March 30 Winnipeg @ Buffalo, 7p/Los Angeles @ Edmonton, 9:30p

Canada has only 7 NHL teams and 4 of them have different coaches than when the season started. Travis Green lost his job (Vancouver) and Paul Maurice left his job (Winnipeg). Dominique Ducharme didn't literally last 12 months in Montréal. Martin St. Louis is the interim coach for the Habs.

Ducharme was fired on February 9. The Edmonton Oilers said "hold my beer" as they fired head coach Dave Tippett on February 10. Assistant coach Jim Playfair was also fired. Jay Woodcroft, head coach of the team's American Hockey League affiliate Bakersfield Condors, and his head assistant, Dave Manson, took over.

Tippett went 1-7 in playoff games for the Oilers.

Ralph Krueger (2012-13); Dallas Eakins (2013-14 to 2014-15); Todd Nelson (2014-15); Todd McLellan (2015-16 to 2018-19); Ken Hitchcock (2018-19); Dave Tippett (2019-20 to 2021-22); and Jay Woodcroft (2021-22 to Present). Inconsistency is sadly the norm in Edmonton.

NHL the month in preview February 2022

NHL the month in preview January 2022

The Vancouver Canucks now have 2 female assistant general managers after hiring U.S. hockey legend and Hall of Famer Cammi Granato. Granato will reportedly oversee the team's player development department and amateur and pro scouting.

Granato had been a scout with the Seattle Kraken, where she was the first female scout in NHL history. Vancouver had also hired Émilie Castonguay as an assistant general manager a month earlier.

Granato is the spouse of TSN analyst Ray Ferraro. We only point that out in terms of Ferraro doing analysis for a Vancouver Canucks game.

NHL the week that was: COVID-19 and Paul Maurice resigns

When the Atlanta Flames moved to Calgary in 1980, the team played at the Stampede Corral. The arena was small by NHL standards with a 7,475 capacity. The league felt that was sufficient because the Saddledome was going to be built.

This was in an era where the NHL wanted to grow the game in Canada.

The idea of the Arizona Coyotes setting up in a college hockey arena in Tempe with a capacity of 3,200-5,000 without a guarantee of a new arena in the Phoenix area.

Saskatoon and Quebec City have NHL sized arenas waiting for a team.

NHL the month in preview December 2021

British Columbia and Manitoba have been back to 100% capacity. Ontario and Alberta went from half to 100% as of today. Though others in Quebec just moved up to 100%, the Bell Centre remains at 50%.

The Bell Centre is expected to operate at full capacity as of March 14.

The Maple Leafs game in Vancouver sounded loud even with 50%. The Canadian teams, when they have had home games, have been at a distinct disadvantage not having full crowds. This deficit has been psychological and financial.

We had regarded the reduced capacity as overkill by the provinces as well as the NHL reaction.

NHL the month in preview November 2021

Mike Luck, play by play person for the OHL Oshawa Generals, got a chance to call 3 Ottawa Senators games for Rogers Sportsnet. Luck called the 2 matinees on Super Bowl weekend plus the February 19 prime time game.

NHL the month in preview October 2021

Tracking the NHL 2021 media changes

The NHL Network picked up the Seattle Kraken game in Winnipeg and carried the Root Sports Northwest feed. Were we upset? Not this time.

The channel picked up the road feed since this was the first all-Black broadcast team for a NHL game. The hiring of radio voice Everett Fitzhugh was significant because he was the first Black play-by-play voice of a NHL team. JT Brown was later hired as the TV analyst, the first Black in-game team analyst for a NHL team.

TNT needed John Forslund to fill in for Kenny Albert, who was calling Canada's gold medal win in women's hockey. So Fitzhugh jumped up to the TV play-by-play chair and history was made.

A really nice gesture all the way around. The Seattle Kraken has been an enlightened organisation from Day 1, very impressive especially compared to one of the league's oldest franchises (Chicago).

2021 NHL preseason schedule

Our guide to the NHL Canadian teams coverage

Hockey Night in Canada starts at 7 pm Eastern. There are exceptions such as the 6 pm start for the CBC in 2014 just before the Winter Olympics.

The NHL switched the locations for Toronto Detroit games with April 26 now in Toronto and February 26 in Detroit. The NBA Detroit Pistons had an afternoon game on February 26. So the NHL set the Toronto-Detroit game on February 26 start at 7:30 pm.

The explanation was that the late start was needed to convert from basketball to hockey. Ron MacLean told the Canadian audience that story.

This would be believable except for the U.S. outdoor game was also scheduled for 7:30 pm on February 26. If the game had been in Toronto, the game would have started at 7 pm.

The alternative theory is that a game scheduled on U.S. soil couldn't upstage the outdoor game. Gary Bettman is sensitive about potential competition so the theory is plausible. Doesn't mean we can prove the theory but we do wonder.

There was a concern that the Maple Leafs game would run at the same time as the late game on CBC: Minnesota-Calgary at 10 pm. The Maple Leafs game finished before 10 pm and the game in Calgary didn't start until 8:22 pm local time.

The Maple Leafs and Red Wings played an exciting game that saw 17 goals, easily overshadowing the U.S. outdoor game.

CanadianCrossing.com NHL coverage

February 2 Edmonton @ Washington, 7p Kenny Albert/Keith Jones/Tarik El-Bashir TNT
February 9 NY Islanders @ Vancouver, 10p Brendan Burke/Darren Pang TNT
February 23 Edmonton @ Tampa Bay, 7:30p Kenny Albert/Eddie Olczyk/Keith Jones TNT
February 27 Edmonton @ Carolina, 1p Stephen Nelson/Dave Reid NHL Network

A little awkward to have Brendan Burke call his "day job" team on TNT out in Vancouver. The game was joined in progress from Tru TV with the Canucks down 3-0.

TNT had a really nice interview with Sarah Nurse from the Canadian women's hockey gold medal squad. Her cousin Darnell was playing for Edmonton that night on TNT. NBC, which has the Olympics and had hockey, wouldn't have thought to do that.

TNT shouldn't take so long to start the first game, especially with doubleheaders. Allow for 3 hours, not 2½ hours.

There are no CBC promos in February. The weekends had an All-Star Game, 2 weeks of games where CBC was carrying the Olympics, and a U.S. outdoor game where the NHL Network didn't carry a game.

photo credit: NHL