Canadian Crossing

NHL the week in preview March 1, 2019

The NHL Network remembers that there are CBC feeds on Hockey Night in Canada with its first CBC feed in almost 2 months. The U.S. channel will also follow Edmonton to western New York against the Sabres.

CBC gets the Buffalo-Toronto rivalry from Canada in the early game on Saturday. The network goes Wild in Calgary in the late game.

Citytv gets warm with Ottawa in western Florida.

Rogers Sportsnet enjoys Sidney Crosby in his favourite road trip to Montréal early on Saturday. Hometown Hockey from Winkler, MB features the nearby Winnipeg Jets in the Ohio capital. Wednesday Night Hockey has the Maple Leafs in Vancouver in a relatively decent time slot of a 6 pm local start.

Rogers Sportsnet One tracks the Edmonton Oilers to Buffalo on Monday and helps out late on Wednesday with Calgary in the bright desert lights.

Rogers Sportsnet West will have the Jarome Iginla number retirement ceremony prior to Saturday night's game. The NHL Network will run that footage Sunday afternoon at 3 pm Eastern.

NHL Network

Saturday
Buffalo @ Toronto, 7p
Monday
Edmonton @ Buffalo, 7p

Tape delayed
Friday Edmonton @ Ottawa, 2p
Tuesday Toronto @ Calgary, 9a (2-hour), 2p (2-hour)
Edmonton @ Buffalo, 1p
Wednesday Winnipeg @ Tampa Bay, 3p

ESPN+

Friday
Nashville @ Winnipeg, 8p
Saturday
Minnesota @ Calgary, 10p
Sunday
Vancouver @ Las Vegas, 4p
Monday
Toronto @ Calgary, 9p
Tuesday
Winnipeg @ Tampa Bay, 7:30p
Wednesday
Calgary @ Las Vegas, 9p
Thursday
Montréal @ San Jose, 10:30p

CBC

Saturday
Buffalo @ Toronto, 7p
Minnesota @ Calgary, 10p

City

Saturday
Ottawa @ Tampa Bay, 7p

Rogers Sportsnet

Saturday
Pittsburgh @ Montréal, 7p
Sunday
Winnipeg @ Columbus, 7p
Wednesday
Toronto @ Vancouver, 9p

Rogers Sportsnet One

Monday
Edmonton @ Buffalo, 7p
Wednesday
Calgary @ Las Vegas, 10:30p

hi @NHLNetwork. The @NHL schedule page says @NHL_Sens are on your channel tonight. Can you confirm? Merci. Thanks. pic.twitter.com/Aj8BQnk36z

— Chad Rubel (@canadian_xing) February 22, 2019

The NHL Network never responded but the channel did switch to carry the TSN5 feed with Gord Miller and Ray Ferraro. TSN moved Ferraro to cover the game for the obvious reason: the Senators traded Matt Duchene while Columbus was in Ottawa.

When Duchene was traded from Colorado to Ottawa, his first game was against the Colorado Avalanche.

Duchene played well for Ottawa but his arrival came at a bad time for the franchise. The deal may cost Ottawa the #1 overall pick in the 2019 draft. The Sens get a 2019 1st round draft pick (lottery protected) from Columbus and a 2020 1st-round pick if Duchene stays with Columbus, which isn't likely.

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Those with ESPN+ were able to watch the TSN coverage of Monday's trade deadline. ESPN2 carried the TSN coverage during the crucial time of 1 hour before to 30 minutes after the trade deadline.

The NHL Network cut off the Rogers Sportsnet coverage at that time of 2 pm Eastern for its own coverage. The channel wasn't breaking trades so ESPN2 was the better choice.

The NHL Network couldn't use the TSN people (Darren Dreger and Bob McKenzie) that NBCSN uses since they were at their day job. Even Pierre McGuire was in Toronto at the TSN desk.

CanadianCrossing.com NHL coverage

We know the NHL Network has been cutting back on its matinee rebroadcasts this season. Going with only 2 games in 2 weeks with Canadian-based teams is starvation. If human beings actually responded to the NHL Network Twitter feed, we could find out why these decisions are being made. As we saw from the Ottawa last-minute switch, there appears to be no human interaction from the channel.

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For Canadians who have relied on the WGN signal to get a few more NHL games, you should know that this will be the last season the Hawks will be on WGN. The new deal with NBC Sports Chicago keeps the games exclusively on cable starting in the fall.

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After TSN TradeCentre and covering the Maple Leafs Monday night in Toronto, Gord Miller worked for NBCSN in Philadelphia Tuesday night.

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We haven't had CBC promos on U.S. television in almost 2 months. We got a CBC feed with ESPN+ last Saturday. The service has shown quite a few HNIC games but not with the HNIC feed. An all-Canadian feed forces the hands of ESPN+.

So hopefully you will indulge a round of CBC promos even if they didn't appear on the NHL Network. There were 6 promos, 2 devoted to sports events the following day.

Cavendish and Burden of Truth were just wrapping up their runs while Street Legal and Diggstown are just beginning their runs.

Early game: ISU World Sprint Speed Skating; Cavendish (1st); Men's skeleton; Burden of Truth; Street Legal (2nd); Diggstown (3rd)

Twitter capture: @canadian_xing

NHL the week in preview February 22, 2019

Editor's note: The NHL Network did a very last-minute switch to add the Ottawa Senators home game against Columbus on Friday. The Matt Duchene trade is the primary reason.

The U.S. outdoor game means the NHL Network has to sit out another Saturday night. The channel will also blow off the Rogers pregame.

CBC gets to carry the Montréal-Toronto matchup from Canada's largest city. Citytv and ESPN+ will show the CBC feed. The late game features Edmonton hosting Anaheim.

Rogers Sportsnet carries a late Saturday game with Vancouver hosting the team hanging out part-time in Brooklyn. Hometown Hockey will be in Okotoks, AB with the hometown Flames in Ottawa. Wednesday Night Hockey has Connor McDavid and Auston Matthews in Toronto.

Rogers Sportsnet One has a Wednesday game with Calgary in New Jersey.

Rogers Sportsnet 360 has a late Wednesday game with the Vancouver Canucks way up in Denver.

The NHL Network will simulcast Rogers coverage of the trade deadline coverage on Monday starting at 8 am Eastern. Despite the 3 pm Eastern deadline, the NHL Network will run its own coverage starting at 2 pm Eastern. We think TSN coverage is better than Rogers coverage but both are way better than what the NHL Network can do.

NHL Network

Friday
Columbus @ Ottawa, 7p

Tape delayed
Tuesday Buffalo @ Toronto, 1p

ESPN+

Friday
Winnipeg @ Las Vegas, 10p
Saturday
Montréal @ Toronto, 7p
Monday
Edmonton @ Nashville, 8p
Thursday
Toronto @ NY Islanders, 7p

CBC

Saturday
Montréal @ Toronto, 7p
Anaheim @ Edmonton, 10p

Citytv

Saturday
Montréal @ Toronto, 7p

Rogers Sportsnet

Saturday
NY Islanders @ Vancouver, 10p
Sunday
Calgary @ Ottawa, 7p
Wednesday
Edmonton @ Toronto, 7p

Rogers Sportsnet One

Wednesday
Calgary @ New Jersey, 7p

Rogers Sportsnet 360

Wednesday
Vancouver @ Colorado, 9:30p

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The NHL Network showed its second Hockey Night in Canada game in 2019 but the coverage had so much love for Tampa Bay. The Canadian crews do have an eye out for Canadian teams but the love Dave Randorf and Garry Galley had for the Florida-based team was gushing.

I will never live long enough to have a game involving a Canadian-based team that would get that much love for U.S. national announcers.

The winter months means sometimes Ron MacLean stays on the site of Hometown Hockey. Having MacLean and Don Cherry at CFB Esquimalt, BC, just west of downtown Victoria on Vancouver Island, looked like a scheduled move. Was fun to have a sunset behind Don and Ron for Coach's Corner.

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Rick Ball is essentially the long-term replacement for Bob Cole. Rogers had 5 HNIC games last weekend and none of them had Ball on the call. 6 of the 7 Canadian teams were in prime time, but the Flames were in Pittsburgh in the afternoon.

Dave Randorf moved east for the weekend. The Edmonton crew (with Drew Remenda) covered the game in Brooklyn and John Shorthouse handled Vancouver in San Jose.

Rogers needs to decide if Ball will be a truly national announcer next season or if local announcers will cover in situations such as this past weekend.

CanadianCrossing.com NHL coverage

Chris Cuthbert worked the Maple Leafs game Tuesday night with Pierre McGuire in St. Louis. Cuthbert will also cover Sunday night in St. Paul. The Leafs game was on Sportsnet Ontario so the TSN people were eligible.

NHL the week in preview February 15, 2019

NBCSN features the Toronto Maple Leafs again this week with a Tuesday night game in St. Louis.

The NHL Network remembers to carry a Canadian team with the Montréal Canadiens in western Florida on Hockey Night in Canada. This is the network's second and final telecast of the month for Canadian teams.

CBC goes to the desert as the Toronto Maple Leafs travel to Auston Matthews' birth state. The network will have the Vancouver Canucks in San Jose in the nightcap.

Citytv has the Habs in a sunny climate as we mentioned earlier.

Rogers Sportsnet splits the Saturday feed with West and Pacific carrying Edmonton in Brooklyn. Hometown Hockey from CFB Esquimalt, BC has the Canadiens in very southern Florida. Wednesday Night Hockey showcases the Winnipeg Jets in Denver.

Rogers Sportsnet One has the all-Canadian battle of the Ottawa Senators in Winnipeg. The channel jumps in late on Wednesday as the Calgary Flames host Brooklyn's best.

NBCSN

Tuesday
Toronto @ St. Louis, 8p

NHL Network

Saturday
Montréal @ Tampa Bay, 7p

Tape delayed
Wednesday Toronto @ St. Louis, 1:30p (90-min)

ESPN+

Saturday
Calgary @ Pittsburgh, 1p
Monday
Arizona @ Calgary, 4p
Wednesday
Winnipeg @ Colorado, 8:30p
Thursday
Washington @ Toronto, 7p

CBC

Saturday
Toronto @ Arizona, 7p
Vancouver @ San Jose, 10p

City

Saturday
Montréal @ Tampa Bay, 7p

Rogers Sportsnet

Saturday
Edmonton @ NY Islanders, 7p (SNW, SNP)
Sunday
Montréal @ Florida, 7p
Wednesday
Winnipeg @ Colorado, 8:30p

Rogers Sportsnet One

Saturday
Ottawa @ Winnipeg, 7p
Wednesday
NY Islanders @ Calgary, 9:30p

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Found out Saturday morning that NHL Center Ice did have coverage of Hockey Day in Canada. They carried the events before the matinee game and covered the second part before 6 pm Eastern. Incomplete, last-minute, and expensive to access: that sounds the NHL in motion.

The first part was reduced from 2 hours to an hour.

The NHL Network carried a vague NHL Tonight that ran from 1 pm Eastern so this wasn't like the network had programming to run instead.

To be clear, the games would have been nice but our concern was the actual programming: 1 hour before the matinee and 1 hour after the matinee. Shuffling off the coverage to Center Ice at the very last minute is poor form.

The NHL Network hasn't carried a whole lot of anything Canadian in the 2019 calendar year. While this always happens in the second half of the season, not carrying Hockey Day in Canada is an extra slap to the face.

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The highlight from the Rogers pregame was the Stephen Brunt essay about Saskatchewan and hockey as read by Dick Irvin, Jr.

CanadianCrossing.com NHL coverage

NBCSN had an "interview" with Auston Matthews and Jeremy Roenick but gave no coverage to the Maple Leafs in the intermission breaks Sunday night.

John Forslund worked with the top NBCSN crew of Eddie Olczyk and Pierre McGuire for the Oilers game. Made me miss Ken Daniels and Ray Ferraro in the game in Edmonton.

Kathryn Tappen worked at ice level. We did get an interview with Leon Draisaitl. We also had analysis on the Canadian team after the 1st period, a rarity from NBCSN.

Gord Miller worked in Philadelphia Monday night. Chris Cuthbert will work one of the Hockey Day in America games on Sunday from Detroit on NBCSN.

NHL the week in preview February 8, 2019

NBCSN shows the same Hometown Hockey game with the Toronto Maple Leafs in an Original 6 game at Madison Square Garden Sunday night. The channel also has Connor McDavid and the Edmonton Oilers in Pittsburgh with the same Wednesday Night Hockey game.

The Scotiabank Hockey Day in Canada festivities will be in Swift Current, Saskatchewan. Other celebrations will be in Montréal, Halifax, and Whistler. The NHL Network is blowing off everything from the 2019 version. ESPN+ isn't carrying any of the games. You can find out more details about the 2019 version of Hockey Day in Canada.

CBC runs a tripleheader with the Winnipeg Jets in Ottawa as the matinee; the classic Toronto-Montréal battle from La Belle Province (simulcast on Citytv); and the Calgary Flames out west in Vancouver.

Rogers Sportsnet helps out with Edmonton hosting the lone U.S. team of the day: San Jose. Hometown Hockey from Whistler, BC has the Maple Leafs game mentioned at the top. Wednesday Night Hockey has the previously mentioned Edmonton Oilers game.

Rogers Sportsnet One shows the late Wednesday night game with Vancouver in Orange County.

NBCSN

Sunday
Toronto @ NY Rangers, 7p
Wednesday
Edmonton @ Pittsburgh, 8p

NHL Network

Tape delayed
Friday Winnipeg @ Montréal, 1p
Monday Toronto @ NY Rangers, 1a (2-hour), 1p
Tuesday San Jose @ Vancouver, 1p
Wednesday Calgary @ Tampa Bay, 1p
Thursday Vancouver @ Anaheim, 1p
Edmonton @ Pittsburgh, 2p (2-hour)

ESPN+

Sunday
Winnipeg @ Buffalo, 3p
Monday
San Jose @ Vancouver, 10p
Tuesday
Calgary @ Tampa Bay, 7:30p
Wednesday
Vancouver @ Anaheim, 10:30p
Thursday
Toronto @ Las Vegas, 10p

CBC

Saturday
Winnipeg @ Ottawa, 2p
Toronto @ Montréal, 7p
Calgary @ Vancouver, 10p

City

Saturday
Toronto @ Montréal, 7p

Rogers Sportsnet

Saturday
San Jose @ Edmonton, 7p
Sunday
Toronto @ NY Rangers, 7p
Wednesday
Edmonton @ Pittsburgh, 8p

Rogers Sportsnet One

Wednesday
Vancouver @ Anaheim, 10:30p

Oh baby!

For 50 years, Bob Cole’s calls have captivated the country.

Tonight he takes to the broadcast booth in Toronto for the final time. Congratulations and thank you, Bob! pic.twitter.com/Ox7FOHU0XN

— Toronto Maple Leafs (@MapleLeafs) February 7, 2019

Hope you caught the matinee rebroadcast of the Battle of Ontario on the NHL Network. This was Bob Cole's last game in Toronto and the Maple Leafs put together some of Cole's calls over the years.

There was about a month in between appearances for Cole and another month until his next appearance. The next Bob Cole appearance is March 9 with the Ottawa Senators in Boston.

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Catching up on telecasts from before and after the break, I enjoyed getting some Ray Ferraro into the telecasts. Ferraro was in Edmonton for NBCSN, Toronto for NBCSN, and Winnipeg against Columbus on TSN3.

His knowledge is vast, his analysis is crisp and insightful, his stories are fun, and even makes the most of the mini-interviews with the coaches on NBCSN.

CanadianCrossing.com NHL coverage

NBCSN will use Kenny Albert and Brian Boucher for the Maple Leafs game Sunday night at Madison Square Garden. Albert is the radio voice of the New York Rangers, though he does have a decent national sensibility. Would rather have Albert call the Rangers than John Forslund. Then again, I would rather have Joe Micheletti (Rangers TV analyst) do this game than Boucher.

The NHL Network carried the Philadelphia Flyers feed for the game with Edmonton.

Twitter capture: @MapleLeafs

NHL the week in preview February 1, 2019

NHL Network shows us another Canadian team in Philadelphia, likely with the home feed as Edmonton makes that trip on Saturday afternoon.

The channel is forced to go dark on Saturday night because NBC is afraid to have another game during its national game Saturday night. [end of rant]

CBC gets its first shot at the NHL after the All-Star Game break with Sidney Crosby and his group in Toronto. The Vancouver Canucks get a mile high in Denver in the nightcap.

Citytv follows the Detroit Red Wings to Ottawa on Saturday night.

Rogers Sportsnet has a Saturday matinee with the Edmonton Oilers in Philadelphia. Hometown Hockey is the Super Bowl matinee with an all-Canadian game with the Oilers in Montréal and festivities from Leduc, AB.

Wednesday Night Hockey features Bob Cole and the Battle of Ontario from Toronto.

Rogers Sportsnet One helps out on Tuesday with Vancouver in the U.S. capital and a Calgary home game on Thursday against San Jose.

Rogers Sportsnet 360 gets a rare Saturday game with the Winnipeg Jets hosting Anaheim on Hockey Night in Canada. The channel has some Super Bowl Sunday fun with the Calgary Flames visiting the former home of their current coach.

The NHL Network rebroadcast of the Super Bowl matinee is late on Sunday night.

NHL Network

Saturday
Edmonton @ Philadelphia, 1p

Tape delayed
Friday Columbus @ Winnipeg, 1a (2-hour), 1p
Saturday Calgary @ Washington, 1a (2-hour)
Monday Edmonton @ Montréal, Midnight (2-hour), 1p
Wednesday San Jose @ Winnipeg, 1p
Vancouver @ Washington, 2p
Thursday Ottawa @ Toronto, 1p

ESPN+

Friday
Calgary @ Washington, 7p
Saturday
Pittsburgh @ Toronto, 7p
Sunday
Edmonton @ Montréal, 2p
Monday
Vancouver @ Philadelphia, 7p
Thursday
San Jose @ Calgary, 9p

CBC

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

City

Saturday
Detroit @ Ottawa, 7p

Rogers Sportsnet

Saturday
Edmonton @ Philadelphia, 1p
Sunday
Edmonton @ Montréal, 2p
Wednesday
Ottawa @ Toronto, 7:30p

Rogers Sportsnet One

Tuesday
Vancouver @ Washington, 7p
Thursday
San Jose @ Calgary, 9p

Rogers Sportsnet 360

Saturday
Anaheim @ Winnipeg, 7p
Sunday
Calgary @ Carolina, 2p

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There were only 10 NHL teams in action since Monday. Winnipeg and Philadelphia each played 3 games. Boston, Buffalo, Columbus, New Jersey, NY Rangers, and Pittsburgh each played 2 games. Dallas and Tampa Bay each played Wednesday.

Each NHL team gets scheduled time off during the season but 21 NHL teams got some extra time. Playing these games so soon after the All-Star break could give those teams a disadvantage down the road.

CanadianCrossing.com NHL coverage

Almost every Canadian team has a decent shot at the playoffs. Calgary, Winnipeg, and Toronto have the strongest positions. Montréal and Vancouver have been pleasant surprises. Edmonton is close to a playoff spot. Ottawa has virtually no shot and has to give up its #1 draft pick to Colorado in the Matt Duchene deal.

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Turns out NBCSN used national announcers for the Winnipeg Jets on Monday. Kenny Albert and Brian Boucher had the call.

Gord Miller worked for NBCSN at Madison Square Garden Tuesday night. Chris Cuthbert will work the NBC game in St. Paul on Saturday night.

NHL the week in preview January 18, 2019

NBCSN brings Canadian teams to the U.S. audience on back-to-back evenings. The U.S. channel will be in Edmonton Tuesday night with the Detroit Red Wings. The first-round series from spring 2017 is on tap Wednesday night with Washington in Toronto.

NHL Network will carry Hometown Hockey via the Rogers Sportsnet feed.

CBC is lost without the Maple Leafs but gravitates toward the Montréal Canadiens hosting Philadelphia. The CBC knows what to do with the Battle of Alberta in the provincial capital in the late game.

Citytv showcases for the Ottawa Senators on the banks of the Mississippi River in St. Louis.

Rogers Sportsnet has Hometown Hockey has the lonely desert team in Toronto with festivities in West Kelowna, BC. Wednesday Night Hockey offers the aforementioned Washington game in Toronto.

Rogers Sportsnet One is a little obsessed with Edmonton with home games against Carolina on Sunday and that Detroit game on Tuesday. The channel also helps out on Wednesday night with the forgotten desert team in La Belle Province.

Rogers Sportsnet 360 gets involved on Saturday night with the Winnipeg Jets in Dallas.

The NHL All-Star Game break runs Thursday-Sunday.

NBCSN

Tuesday
Detroit @ Edmonton, 9p
Wednesday
Washington @ Toronto, 7:30p

NHL Network

Sunday
Arizona @ Toronto, 7p

Tape delayed
Friday Toronto @ Tampa Bay, 3p
Wednesday Detroit @ Edmonton, 1p

ESPN+

Friday
Detroit @ Calgary, 9p
Saturday
Philadelphia @ Montréal, 7p
Sunday
Detroit @ Vancouver, 4p
Wednesday
Carolina @ Vancouver, 10:30p

CBC

Saturday
Philadelphia @ Montréal, 7p
Calgary @ Edmonton, 10p

Citytv

Saturday
Ottawa @ St. Louis, 7p

Rogers Sportsnet

Sunday
Arizona @ Toronto, 7p
Wednesday
Washington @ Toronto, 7:30p

Rogers Sportsnet One

Sunday
Carolina @ Edmonton, 9:30p
Tuesday
Detroit @ Edmonton, 9p
Wednesday
Arizona @ Montréal, 7:30p

Rogers Sportsnet 360

Saturday
Winnipeg @ Dallas, 7p

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The U.S. feed hadn't seen a Rogers pregame since December 22, 2018. So the first pregame in several weeks turned out to be very U.S. friendly. Boston and Colorado got way more coverage than Toronto and Montréal in the Rogers pregame. We had no promotion of the late games, but that was far less of a surprise than the slanted coverage.

CanadianCrossing.com NHL coverage

Scott Oake usually hosts After Hours from the site of the late CBC game. CBC went with Ottawa in San Jose but Oake was in Edmonton. Drew Remenda worked in his old stomping grounds in San Jose on Hockey Night in Canada on CBC. John Bartlett worked with Remenda doing the Senators game. Dave Randorf was back east in Montréal this week.

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NBCSN brought out the unusual team of John Forslund, AJ Mleczko, and Brian Boucher. 1 out of 3 isn't all that great. We saw Mleczko outshine Boucher last spring in the Stanley Cup playoffs. This was the only Montréal game on the channel's schedule.

Chris Cuthbert wasn't used in Boston on Monday night but NBCSN did use him late on Wednesday night in the non-exciting desert stop.

2019 CBC television winter schedule

The CBC promos returned to U.S. TV for the first time in 2019. We got 5 promos instead of the usual 6 promos. There certainly could have been a second promo in the 3rd period but there were no breaks in the last 6:55 of the period, an almost unprecedented stint.

Coroner and Unspeakable are brand new shows.

Early game: Coroner; Grand Slam of Curling (1st); Kim's Convenience; Unspeakable (2nd); Little Dog (3rd)

NHL the week in preview January 11, 2019

NBCSN shows its only Montréal Canadiens game of the season Monday night and, of course, the game is in Boston.

The NHL Network picks up the CBC feed for the Toronto Maple Leafs on Hockey Night in Canada.

CBC has those Bruins in Toronto in the early game with the Ottawa Senators finding the way to San Jose in the late game.

Citytv copies the CBC feed in the early game.

Rogers Sportsnet carries the hot Colorado Avalanche in Montréal early on Saturday night and features the Edmonton Oilers hosting the older desert team late. The regional channels have Roberto Luongo back in Vancouver with Hometown Hockey in Langley, BC. Wednesday Night Hockey follows Colorado to the Canadian capital against Ottawa.

Rogers Sportsnet One is following the Calgary Flames with a pair of home games Sunday vs. the ignored desert team and Buffalo late on Wednesday.

NBCSN

Monday
Montréal @ Boston, 7:30p

NHL Network

Saturday
Boston @ Toronto, 7p

Tape delayed
Friday Toronto @ New Jersey, 2p
Monday Anaheim @ Winnipeg, 2p (90-min)
Tuesday Montréal @ Boston, 2p (2-hour)

ESPN+

Monday
Colorado @ Toronto, 7p
Wednesday
Buffalo @ Calgary, 9:30p
Thursday
Toronto @ Tampa Bay, 7:30p
Winnipeg @ Nashville, 8p

CBC

Saturday
Boston @ Toronto, 7p
Ottawa @ San Jose, 10p

Citytv

Saturday
Boston @ Toronto, 7p

Rogers Sportsnet

Saturday
Colorado @ Montréal, 7p
Arizona @ Edmonton, 10p
Sunday
Florida @ Vancouver, 7p
Wednesday
Colorado @ Ottawa, 7p

Rogers Sportsnet One

Sunday
Arizona @ Calgary, 9:30p
Wednesday
Buffalo @ Calgary, 9:30p

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The NBCSN audience got John Walton and Pierre McGuire to call the Winnipeg Jets in St. Paul. We did joke about Gord Miller calling the game, given what happened last April. Miller and Chris Cuthbert were working their day jobs on Thursday.

NBCSN interviews the coaches by this pattern: home team coach in 1st period and road team coach in 2nd period. McGuire interviews the Minnesota coach and does a nice job. McGuire doesn't interview Paul Maurice of Winnipeg. We only monitor games involving Canadian teams. More often that you would imagine, NBCSN blows off the coach of the Canadian team and never blows off the coach of the U.S.-based team. This is just sad.

Elias Pettersson was injured and didn't play on Saturday for Vancouver in Toronto. Rogers Sportsnet still did a feature on Pettersson in the pregame. The pregame didn't air in the United States but the video was posted online.

CanadianCrossing.com NHL coverage

ESPN+ proved its continued allergy to the Hockey Night in Canada feed. Carrying the Nashville feed with Montréal at home on Hockey Night in Canada continues the pattern. The channel also blew off a chance to carry a Bob Cole telecast. The service does carry home feeds during the week.

The NHL Network used the NBC Sports Philadelphia feed with the Calgary Flames on Saturday afternoon. The only relative surprise is that the channel carried the Philly feeds during the intermissions.

Cuthbert called his first NBCSN game of 2019 with Brian Boucher in the U.S. capital on Tuesday.

NHL the week in preview January 4, 2019

NBCSN shows the rematch of the opening round from last spring's Stanley Cup playoffs with the Winnipeg Jets in St. Paul on Thursday night. Would be appropriate if Gord Miller is driving to the game through a snowstorm at the last minute.

The NHL Network blows off Hockey Night in Canada and the pregame again but runs what should be a NBC Sports Philadelphia simulcast with the Calgary Flames on Saturday afternoon.

CBC starts out 2019 with the Vancouver Canucks traveling to Toronto for a 4 pm start in their home zone. The Edmonton Oilers have their sunglasses ready for the bright lights of LA in the nightcap.

Citytv welcomes P.K. Subban and his team back to Montréal.

Rogers Sportsnet has Hometown Hockey from Strathcona County, AB as the nearby Edmonton Oilers are in Orange County.

NBCSN

Thursday
Winnipeg @ Minnesota, 8p

NHL Network

Saturday
Calgary @ Philadelphia, 1p

Tape delayed
Thursday Colorado @ Calgary, 1p

ESPN+

Friday
Winnipeg @ Pittsburgh, 7p
Saturday
Nashville @ Montréal, 7p
Sunday
Dallas @ Winnipeg, 5p
Monday
Nashville @ Toronto, 7p
Wednesday
Colorado @ Calgary, 9:30p

CBC

Saturday
Vancouver @ Toronto, 7p
Edmonton @ Los Angeles, 10p

Citytv

Saturday
Nashville @ Montréal, 7p

Rogers Sportsnet

Sunday
Edmonton @ Anaheim, 8p

Mosaic Stadium in Regina will host the Heritage Classic with the Winnipeg Jets and Calgary Flames on October 26. The Jets will be the host team.

While Regina and Saskatchewan deserves an outdoor NHL game, we do wonder about a few things.

Why does the NHL insist on the Heritage Classic being dumped in October instead of a more ideal time such as December? We saw the Winnipeg Heritage Classic take place in October when December was the originally plan. The CFL season is done by December.

The game will be in the late part of the CFL season. The Roughriders play at home against Winnipeg on October 5 with road games in Calgary (October 11); BC (October 18); and Edmonton (October 26). The team plays at Mosaic Stadium November 2 against Edmonton.

So if the game is part of Hockey Night in Canada with a 7 pm Eastern start, the game would be opposite the Saskatchewan Roughriders. If there are going to be minor-league games on the outdoor ice in Regina, they have to be played very soon after since the field needs to be ready for football within a week.

The Jets and Flames have only played in a single outdoor game when they hosted the event in 2016 and 2011, respectively. The Montréal Canadiens are the only Canadian team that has not hosted an outdoor game of any kind.

Is #ESPN+ allergic to @hockeynight feeds? Thought the service was mostly home feeds but getting MSG+ instead.

— Chad Rubel (@canadian_xing) December 30, 2018

One of the joys of paying for ESPN+ was getting Canadian feeds on games the NHL Network wasn't carrying. We have seen ESPN+ carry Hockey Night in Canada feeds during the Battle of Alberta but when given a choice, ESPN+ is going to extremes to not carry the Hockey Night in Canada feed when a U.S. team is involved.

The host argument is that usually the home feed is carried, which should have been the case in Toronto. Perhaps ESPN+ will carry the Montréal feed on Saturday; if not, the pattern will continue.

Even if Hockey Night in Canada is in the United States, the Canadian national feed should be the dominant choice.

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We know the 2020 All-Star Game will not be in Canada. Canadian cities have only hosted 3 All-Star Games in the 2000s with Toronto (2000), Montréal (2009), and Ottawa (2012).

While Toronto and Montréal have hosted quite a few All-Star Games, Ottawa (2012), Calgary (1985), and Edmonton (1989) have only hosted once. Vancouver (1977, 1998) has had a pair of All-Star Games. Winnipeg has never hosted the All-Star Game.

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The NHL Network blew off the Rogers pregame last week and this week. Sportsnet didn't post any video from the pregame show so Americans outside of the CBC range were out of luck. If we find video this week, we can pass that on. You can track the videos that Sportsnet does post.

CanadianCrossing.com NHL coverage

Rick Ball worked a game in the East last weekend in the nation's capital. Ball had a cushion with no Canadian teams playing on Sunday.

We will look to see if the pattern continues with Rogers phasing out Bob Cole and keeping Dave Randorf out west most weeks.

We continue to push Mark Lee as the Calgary Flames backup play-by-play person so Ball can do more national games in the east or elsewhere.

Photo credit: NHL
Twitter capture: @canadian_xing

NHL the week in preview December 28, 2018

CBC has the old team for John Tavares visit his new team for the final Hockey Night in Canada of 2018. The 2 Canadian Winter Olympics cities battle in the late game in the home of the 1988 Winter Olympics.

Citytv carries the battle of the capitals again this week in the Canadian capital.

Rogers Sportsnet shows the Canadiens in western Florida on Saturday night. Hometown Hockey airs from Collingwood, ON at 7:30 pm Eastern with no Canadian teams playing after the show on Sunday night. Wednesday Night Hockey starts 2019 with Vancouver traveling all the way to Ottawa.

Rogers Sportsnet One celebrates New Year's Eve with the Calgary Flames hosting San Jose. The channel will also highlight Edmonton's trip to the older of the desert teams late on Wednesday.

The NHL Network won't even show the Rogers Sportsnet pregame show on Saturday. You wish for a secondary U.S. feed or a CBC feed at times like this.

ESPN+ will have the Maple Leafs on Saturday night hopefully with the HNIC feed.

NHL Network

Tape delayed
Saturday Toronto @ Columbus, 11a (2-hour)

ESPN+

Friday
Toronto @ Columbus, 7p
Saturday
NY Islanders @ Toronto, 7p
Thursday
Calgary @ Boston, 7p

CBC

Saturday
NY Islanders @ Toronto, 7p
Vancouver @ Calgary, 10p

Citytv

Saturday
Washington @ Ottawa, 7p

Rogers Sportsnet

Saturday
Montréal @ Tampa Bay, 7p
Wednesday
Vancouver @ Ottawa, 7p

Rogers Sportsnet One

Monday
San Jose @ Calgary, 9p
Wednesday
Edmonton @ Arizona, 9:30p

Hopefully, you didn't get coal in your stocking unless you got Bob Cole in your stocking. The above video ran on This Hour Has 22 Minutes with cast member Mark Critch and was shown in the Hockey Night in Canada open. Cole runs through a few of his catch phrases. Cole seems to have a good sense of humour in these moments, including his stint as the Voice of the Republic on Republic of Doyle. We also get a glimpse in the sketch of the Don Cherry Fairy.

Felt like old time having Bob Cole in Toronto call a Maple Leafs game on a Saturday night. Even though Cole gets a few more games, unless his fate is changed again, that was the last Saturday night in Toronto.

Jim Hughson and Craig Simpson usually work out west close to Christmas but got an unexpected weekend off. Rogers went with the local crew in Edmonton, which did get Drew Remenda on Hockey Night in Canada.

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You might have noticed that the Toronto Maple Leafs Thursday home game with Minnesota has a 2 pm start. This is the Next Generation Game, designed to have a game where kids can attend. The Next Century Game last season with the Maple Leafs was also kid-friendly.

CanadianCrossing.com NHL coverage

The CBC promos were focused on 2019. Coroner is one of the new dramas that we are previewed next week. Cavendish is the lone new comedy on the winter schedule.

The game only had 4 promos instead of the required 6 promos. Would have been fun to hear Bob Cole read a Schitt's Creek promo.

Early game: CBC Gem; Coroner (1st); Cavendish; Kim's Convenience (2nd)

video credit: This Hour Has 22 Minutes/CBC

NHL the week in preview December 21, 2018

The NHL Network takes the CBC feed on Saturday night with the Maple Leafs hosting the Blue Shirts.

CBC has Bob Cole with the New York Rangers in Toronto in an Original 6 game. The all-Canadian matchup of the Winnipeg Jets in Vancouver is the late game.

Citytv has a battle of the capitals in the Canadian capital in the early game. The network gets a rare late Saturday game as Connor McDavid and the Oilers host Tampa Bay.

Hometown Hockey stays close to home in Mississauga, ON with Detroit visiting Toronto on Rogers Sportsnet.

Rogers Sportsnet One feasts on an all-Canadian game with Vancouver in Edmonton on Thursday.

The NHL takes a holiday break Monday-Wednesday.

NHL Network

Saturday
NY Rangers @ Toronto, 7p

Tape delayed
Friday St. Louis @ Vancouver, 1p

ESPN+

Saturday
Tampa Bay @ Edmonton, 10p

CBC

Saturday
NY Rangers @ Toronto, 7p
Winnipeg @ Vancouver, 10p

Citytv

Saturday
Washington @ Ottawa, 7p
Tampa Bay @ Edmonton, 10p

Rogers Sportsnet

Sunday
Detroit @ Toronto, 7:30p

Rogers Sportsnet One

Thursday
Vancouver @ Edmonton, 9p

We get that @Rogers has a contract with #Huawei to be that prominent on @hockeynight with 2 Canadians being illegally detained by China over the arrest, there has to be a point where $ isn't everything,

— Chad Rubel (@canadian_xing) December 16, 2018

Last week, Rogers did the smart thing and toned down the Huawei sponsorship of Hockey Night in Canada. The visuals remained but the audio mentions went away. This past week, with 2 Canadians illegally detained by China, Rogers goes back to the regular status quo.

The Huawei contract should have some kind of clause that deals with this, but Rogers has been blinded by money in the past. Even if the contract can't be broken, reducing the impact of the sponsorship would have been a smart move for both sides.

While the Saturday Headlines didn't air in the U.S., we watched them online and they had full sponsorship.

The names of entrepreneur Michael Spavor and former diplomat Michael Kovrig should mean something to all Canadians.

Canada paying a price to go along with U.S. desire to arrest Meng Wanzhou

Rogers isn't known for smart decisions, so we shouldn't be surprised. The Huawei name is damaged goods in Canada as long as those Canadians are illegally detained. The only ones not to know this is Rogers. For those who complained to the CBC about the Huawei sponsorships, the CBC is sadly not responsible for what airs on their channels.

#HNIC still promoting #Huawei phones, with two Canadians being illegally detained by Chinese government #CBC

— Jason Steele (@TheJasonSteele) December 16, 2018

Why is @hockeynight still advertising a known cybersecurity threat with #Huawei smartphones? @TerryGlavin @ianjamesyoung70 pic.twitter.com/Ii2rgI0pbD

— Duane Woods (@Out_ofthe_Woods) December 16, 2018

ESPN+ usually carries the home feed. So you would think that a Hockey Night in Canada game in Vancouver would have the Hockey Night in Canada feed. Unfortuantely, ESPN+ stuck the U.S. audience with a Philadelphia feed.

CanadianCrossing.com NHL coverage

Jim Hughson and Craig Simpson get to stay out west for the holidays. They also get the cover the Winnipeg Jets, a team they may be calling in the spring.

Twitter captures: @canadian_xing; @TheJasonSteele; @Out_ofthe_Woods