Canadian Crossing

2023 Stanley Cup notebook: Toronto and Edmonton eliminated

The Toronto Maple Leafs got further in the Stanley Cup Playoffs than they had in a generation. The Edmonton Oilers didn't get a far as they did last year.

Well before the Victoria Day weekend, the NHL season is over for the Canadian teams. The Winnipeg Jets did better than the other remaining Canadian teams in making the playoffs.

Calgary, which came closest to making the playoffs of any Canadian team that didn't make the playoffs, fired their head coach (Darryl Sutter) during the second round of the playoffs long after the general manager quit in part because of the coach. The search will likely led to a new general manager, followed by the hiring of a coach.

The only thing more certain than death and taxes is consternation about Canadian NHL teams: the ones that made the playoffs and the ones that didn't get so fortunate. We don't cover that part of hockey. We just roll up in October and see where that year's mess will lead.

Next month marks the 30th anniversary of the last Canadian NHL team to win the Stanley Cup: the 1993 Montréal Canadiens. Whenever Toronto was honouring a player from the team that last won the Stanley Cup, a very old man would make his way on the ice. This needs to happen more often in Canada. The Gary Bettman curse continues: new and Southern teams in the mix. Bettman couldn't be happier. Canada cries when that happens.

2023 Stanley Cup notebook: Toronto (finally) and Edmonton advance

We talk about NHL players and how they can act, depending on the team where they play. Sam Bennett didn't come across as a dirty player with the Calgary Flames.

Then again, Bennett couldn't have gotten away with the behaviour he showed for Florida against Toronto as a member of the Flames. Bennett had a vicious cross check to neck of Michael Bunting. That only cost a fine, the price of being rough. Bennett grabbed Matthew Knies in a headlock, dragged him to the ice, and punched him in the back of the head. A referee saw the whole thing: no punishment on or off the ice.

Knies didn't return to the series. Here is to hoping the next NHL commissioner will change the "playoff hockey" mentality. If I had children, I would have them watch a less violent sport, like the CFL.

2023 Stanley Cup notebook: NHL news not related to the playoffs

Edmonton’s Leon Draisaitl, along with Joe Pavelski of Dallas, managed to score 4 goals in a Stanley Cup Playoffs game and have his team lose that game. Both did so in Game 1 of the series.

Ray Ferraro was the last player to score 4 goals in a playoff game his team lost.

Hockey style is to downplay individual efforts if the team did not win. Still this was impressive.

Just think how much different things might have been had the Sabres beaten Florida on April 4, rather than lose 2-1.

— John Wawrow 🤷‍♂️ (@john_wawrow) May 13, 2023

The idea of playing Boston in the second round seemed like a cruel fate for the Toronto Maple Leafs. Florida seemed like a better choice. Don't know if the results would have been too different.

The Florida Panthers initially limited playoff tickets to U.S. residents and then had trouble selling out their arena for a playoff game. There was speculation that the spacing of the games in that area had something to do with the Panthers not wanting to go up against the NBA Miami Heat.

The Gary Bettman NHL strategy isn't working. The Carolina-Florida draw might be good in NASCAR country but not in the hockey world.

Canadian film review: Offside: The Harold Ballard Story

NHL suspensions. Each of these defencemen got a 1-game suspension. Las Vegas defenceman Alex Pietrangelo got a 5-minute major penalty and a game misconduct for an aggressive slash on Edmonton's Leon Draisaitl in Game 4.

Edmonton defenceman Darnell Nurse instigated a fight with a willing participant in the last 5 minutes of the game. Nurse's suspension was automatic.

Pietrangelo made an deliberate attempt to injure. If the punishment isn't a deterrent, especially when really trying to hurt a player, then this [bleep] will just get going.

Time to bring needed limits on gambling ads during sports programming

We would love to be surprised that the referees disallowed a Toronto Maple Leafs goal at a key point in Game 5. The inconsistencies are inconsistent and random.

Morgan Rielly appeared to score for Toronto late in the second period of Game 5, tucking the puck behind the right pad of the Florida goaltender. An angle showed the puck crossed the line. There apparently was a whistle but not one people could hear.

This does happen in the regular season but also never in favour of a Canadian team in the Stanley Cup Playoffs.

Matthews, Marner, Tavares and Nylander...have a combined total of 0 goals in this series.

— Tim Micallef (@tim_micallef) May 8, 2023

This came through the first 3 games of Toronto's first second-round series after breaking the streak. This didn't help, especially when games were close.

2023 NHL Stanley Cup playoffs scoreboard

Joseph Woll is a good goaltender, but when Woll is your backup in playoff time, your team is in bad shape. Woll had to replace Ilya Samsonov, who was injured in a collision with Leafs defenceman Luke Schenn, early in the second period in Game 3. Woll started Games 4 and 5.

2023 NHL Stanley Cup playoffs preview for Canadian teams

We liked Paul Maurice when he was a coach of the Winnipeg Jets. The team felt like they were in good hands. Maurice decided abruptly to leave the Jets. He didn't think he was getting through to the team. Maurice found himself in Florida, the team in Florida that seemed invisible.

The talent has certainly changed for that team but their success follows because of Maurice's leadership. As a former Maple Leafs head coach, beating his former team has to feel good to him if not to us.

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

The Edmonton Oilers win our unofficial award for the Canadian NHL team that went the furthest in the Stanley Cup Playoffs. The Oilers won this award last year. Every Canadian team wants to win this award and the Stanley Cup. For now, this is the best reward.

"If this is the end of the line, been a helluva run for us."

Joe Bowen and Jim Ralph bid farewell for perhaps the last time ever.#LeafsForever @Bonsie1951 @Jim_Ralph pic.twitter.com/VTQX3UuGec

— LeafsJellyHD (@LeafsJelly) May 13, 2023

We have no news or speculation about the status of the Toronto Maple Leafs radio crew. We know the passion for this radio team of Joe Bowen and Jim Ralph sounds louder than any other radio team in Canada. That could be a Toronto bias and we acknowledge that.

NHL notebook: Wrapping up the end of the 2023 regular season

The NHL released a day for Game 2 of the Edmonton Oilers series. Then that day changed. The move led to a lot of fans having to change or cancel their plans to travel to Las Vegas.

We had known for some time that the U.S. TV outlet was unknown and that a Game 6 would be on Mothers Day. The time and network didn't kick in until Saturday morning for a late Sunday night game. Was curious if ESPN and TNT were fighting to carry the game or not carry the game.

Not sure how you grow a game when you only have a single game on Sunday and the game doesn't start until 10 pm Eastern.

The embarrassment of ESPN running a 9-1 baseball game while ESPN2 started the Game 6 coverage is one people should remember for years to come.

The NHL is a priority in Canada and not for U.S. television.

NHL Canadian teams 2023 schedule down the stretch

A team with a racist logo and a terrible history of covering up sexual assault will get the chance to draft Connor Bedard in the 2023 NHL draft. Montréal stays at #5 while Vancouver, Bedard's hometown team, is at #11. The Canucks were the furthest one could be and still move up to the top pick.

"I'm proud of my culture. I'm proud of where I come from and where I was raised, who I was raised by," he [Whitecloud] said.
"I carry my grandfather's last name and nothing makes me more proud than to be able to do that." https://t.co/IxegYMutMs

— Tsanavi Spoonhunter, M.J. (@Tsanavi) May 10, 2023

John Anderson of ESPN had a stupid, ignorant comment concerning Zach Whitecloud's last name. "It was a joke" is the boilerplate reply. These jokes weren't funny when your humble narrator was growing up and that was a long time ago. Grow up.

Tracking the NHL 2022 media changes

Our guide to the NHL Canadian teams coverage

For years, we thought Eddie Olczyk would jump from the NBC or TNT to the front office. Turns out Keith Jones is the one, jumping from TNT to the Philadelphia Flyers to be the team's president of hockey operations.

TNT was a lot smarter to put Jones on the telecasts rather than studio work. We liked his work but we know this was a job you couldn't turn down.

Both TNT and the Flyers have analyst openings for the season in the fall.

We are also waiting on who will replace John Garrett on Vancouver Canucks local telecasts on Rogers Sportsnet Pacific. Garrett will still cover national games on Sportsnet and occasionally on CBC.

NHL the month in preview April 2023

ESPN is required by contract to carry the NHL playoff games the network is supposed to carry, wherever they are. They aren't required to come to Canada during the regular season. Their credibility is questioned at playoff time since they have been afraid to come to Canada during the regular season. A game in Calgary in January 2023 (Johnny Gaudreau related). An added game in Edmonton, also in January 2023. That is it in 2 years of the contract.

If the ESPN people read these stories, we would love to have a sincere conversation on why ESPN is afraid to come to Canada. ESPN wasn't afraid to come to Canada for MLS in the before time or even a rare Toronto Blue Jays MLB game. You have TSN buddies in Canada. Ray Ferraro, Leah Hextall, and Cassie Campbell-Pascall live in Canada and work for ESPN.

CanadianCrossing.com NHL coverage

We keep hearing speculation of turnover of rosters in Winnipeg and Toronto and perhaps a few other Canadian cities. Not to say this will work but some steadiness and faith would help Canadian NHL fans not feel as insecure, depending on playoff success. We all want playoff success but this pattern is not helping anyone.

Our notebook coverage hasn't been as extensive this spring. Life and the growing frustration of covering this sport is incredibly exhausting.

photo credit: NHL
Twitter captures: @john_wawrow; @tim_micallef; @LeafsJelly; @Tsanavi

2023 Stanley Cup notebook: Toronto (finally) and Edmonton advance

GAME WINNER!
SERIES WINNER!

LET’S. GO. LEAFS. NATION!!!!!!!!! pic.twitter.com/dkttq8eBpW

— Toronto Maple Leafs (@MapleLeafs) April 30, 2023

Bob Cole was on the CBC Sports microphone when the 2004 Toronto Maple Leafs defeated the Ottawa Senators in the opening round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs. Chris Cuthbert was still with CBC at that time; Cuthbert had an extensive career at TSN before jumping to Rogers Sportsnet, all of them since the Maple Leafs advanced beyond the first round.

Cuthbert called the game winner Saturday night in overtime. John Tavares got the game-winning OT goal.

The Maple Leafs went 3-0 in Tampa, all OT wins. Edmonton and overtime playoff games has been an ugly reality. The Oilers came into 2023 with 6 OT losses in its last 7 playoff games that went into extra time. The streak dated back to 2017: Connor McDavid scored the game winner at Calgary in Game 5 in 2022.

The Oilers made it 8 of the last 9 by losing Games 1 and 3 in this playoff round to Los Angeles. Edmonton snapped the streak by winning in overtime in Game 4.

All 3 of the Canadian teams went to overtime in Game 3 of their series: Edmonton lost in single OT, Winnipeg lost in double OT, and Toronto won in single OT

Toronto and Edmonton won Game 4 in OT, both on the road. Toronto also won Game 6 in OT on the road to wrap up the first postseason series win since 2004.

Toronto will face Florida with home ice resting in Toronto. Las Vegas has home ice advantage in its series with Edmonton.

Sleep well Oil Country. 🧡💙 pic.twitter.com/4e4Dq1OQfX

— Sportsnet (@Sportsnet) April 30, 2023

The Edmonton Oilers feel the most comfortable in this position, defeating the Los Angeles Kings for the second year in a row in the playoffs. The only defeats came in overtime. Like the Maple Leafs, the Oilers clinched on the road.

Leon Draisaitl got hurt in the LA series in 2022 but should be in a lot better shape in 2023.

We are not fans of Will Ferrell as a comedian or actor. He made headlines with his checkered pattern as a Kings fan. Won't miss that in the next round.

#NHLJets Adam Lowry's game tying goal yesterday called by @UtilityVoice & @JamieThomasTV on @680CJOB pic.twitter.com/oPbPJHWR7S

— Winnipeg Sports Talk (@SportsTalkWPG) April 23, 2023

The Winnipeg Jets had a sharp game in Game 1 and a thrilling 3-goal comeback in Game 3 in Winnipeg. Unfortunately, the Jets came up short, losing in 5 games to Las Vegas.

Whatever we might think of the violence of football and basketball, the NFL and NBA does not go out of their way to injure opposing players just before the playoffs start.

Ryan Hartman did get a 1-game suspension for what is likely a concussion to Nikolaj Ehlers, who hadn't played since that night. Minnesota and Winnipeg weren't destined to even meet in the playoffs.

Ehlers had a non-hockey injury. The play was deliberate to injure Ehlers.

Reminded us painfully off what Duncan Keith (Chicago) did with a cheap hit against Daniel Sedin (Vancouver) in 2012. Duncan Keith got a 5-game suspension.

There is the thought of the offending player sitting out as long as the injured player is out. Daniel Sedin's play suffered even when he came back. The penalty needs to be strong enough to stop this behaviour.

The NHL thinks this is normal behaviour. Your humble narrator sharply disagrees.

Ehlers finally got into Game 5 after being out for that injury. He played 21:10 in a losing cause. The Winnipeg Jets depth was tested when Josh Morrissey suffered an LBI early in the 1st period of Game 3 and was out for the series. Mark Scheifele hurt his shoulder after being tripped early in Game 4.

Winnipeg became the first team out of the playoffs since that series was the only one that ended at 5 games.

Edmonton 3-0-1 against Las Vegas this season. Toronto has a 3-0-1 edge on Florida this season. The Maple Leafs haven't won 2 playoff series in a year since 2002.

2023 Stanley Cup notebook: NHL news not related to the playoffs

The home teams went 2-6 in Game 1 in the opening round. The visiting teams went 4-0 on April 22 and April 23 and won the first three games on April 24. The 11-game streak was a new record for the Stanley Cup playoffs.

Toronto accounted for 2 of those wins in Tampa. Edmonton got a road win in Los Angeles in that streak. Unfortunately, Winnipeg went 0-2 in that streak at Canada Life Centre.

All 8 playoff series started 2-1.

Road teams went 11-3 in OT games in the first round.

Canadian film review: Offside: The Harold Ballard Story

We have said on Twitter in the first round that U.S. national outlets don't show the anthems for late games. They start things at the last minute. Turner (TNT and TBS) use as much studio time as possible before starting the late game.

ESPN, specifically ESPN2, took the U.S. audience early to Edmonton and showed the anthems. Colour us surprised. The pattern is true most of the time but good to get an exception.

Time to bring needed limits on gambling ads during sports programming

We have chided the NHL in giving American teams more time in between playoff games than Canadian teams, especially in 2021. Toronto and Winnipeg played Monday, Thursday, and Saturday in the final week of April while Edmonton played Sunday, Tuesday, and Saturday.

The Maple Leafs and Jets only got 1 extra day between Games 4-5 while the Oilers had 2 extra days between Games 5-6. The Edmonton gift is more about the NBA Los Angeles Lakers and Los Angeles Clippers in the playoffs sharing space with the NHL Kings at what was Staples Center.

The Stanley Cup playoffs are a grind. American teams in recent years have been better rested than their Canadian counterparts.

2023 NHL Stanley Cup playoffs scoreboard

The NHL has this habit where a Toronto player in the first round has to receive an outrageous suspension. Nazeem Kadri knows that pain. This spring, Michael Bunting was caught in that NHL trap on top of a match penalty and game misconduct. No hit on a player for a Canadian team would ever garner a 3-game playoff suspension.

Matthew Knies played well in Bunting's absence. The Maple Leafs went 3-0 without Bunting in the series against Tampa. Bunting was a healthy scratch for Game 5.

Bunting played in Game 6. Knies set up Tavares for the game winner in Game 6.

ONTO ROUND 2!! 🎊@MapleLeafs | #StanleyCup pic.twitter.com/ufmEaJ95Nq

— Sportsnet (@Sportsnet) April 30, 2023

Sean McDonough called Game 1 in Toronto for ESPN. We don't figure this is his first national game in any sport in Toronto since he called Joe Carter's home run in Game 6 of the 1993 World Series. Still, McDonough should have great memories of his time in Toronto 30 years ago.

McDonough took over for Jack Buck as the top voice on CBS coverage of MLB. He called both Toronto Blue Jays World Series championships.

The distance between Rogers Centre to Scotiabank Arena is approximately 833 meters. Wonder if he took that walk while in Toronto.

The Jets come back from a 3 goal deficit to tie it!

Golden Knights-Jets overtime is coming up on TBS 📺 pic.twitter.com/IqpTSlK1yE

— NHLonTNT (@NHL_On_TNT) April 22, 2023

We have wondered for years why U.S. national outlets haven't borrowed from Canadian crews to fill freelance opportunities in the first round. Dean Brown has had plenty of springs where the Ottawa Senators haven't made the playoffs.

ESPN did borrow Gord Miller last spring but Miller has called a lot of playoff games for U.S. outlets.

Rick Ball was available this spring in part because the Calgary Flames missed the playoffs. Turner got smart and brought Ball in to call Game 3 from Winnipeg on TBS.

Unlike U.S. national announcers, who only had Winnipeg for 1 national game in 2022-2023, Ball had called the Winnipeg Jets on a national basis this season.

The only time Winnipeg has been on a U.S. national outlet in the new TV deal was the sham invite to Arizona on October 28, 2022. John Buccigross, Brian Boucher, and Leah Hextall called that game on ESPN+/Hulu.

The Jets were definitely a playoff team early in the season and was worthy of a sincere visit. Then again, ESPN has only carried 2 games in Canada, both in January in Alberta.

Ball and Jennifer Botterill had an exciting game with a Jets 3-goal comeback to lose in double overtime.

Cassie Campbell-Pascall only worked a single game on ESPN in the opening round: Game 5 of the Winnipeg series.

NHL Network did offer CBC/Sportsnet feeds in matinee rebroadcasts for Edmonton Game 1, Toronto Game 2, and Edmonton Game 5.

Crumbs but we will always take crumbs.

2023 NHL Stanley Cup playoffs preview for Canadian teams

NHL notebook: Wrapping up the end of the 2023 regular 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 second round.

Chris Cuthbert and Craig Simpson (Kyle Bukauskas) stay with the Maple Leafs. Harnarayan Singh and Louie DeBrusk (Gene Principe) will cover the Oilers. Scott Oake is taking this series off.

John Bartlett and Garry Galley (Ryan Leslie) will take care of Games 1-2 of the Seattle-Dallas series and the rest of the Carolina-New Jersey series (Games 4-7) on CBC.

We won't be able to know but inherently curious what the TV ratings will be like with Seattle Kraken fans choosing the CBC (via cable) over ESPN/TNT coverage. Eddie Olczyk, who works on TNT and as a colour analyst for Root Sports Northwest, is not working either of the first 2 games.

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

May 2 Florida @ Toronto, 7p
May 2 Seattle @ Dallas, 9:30p
May 3 Edmonton @ Las Vegas, 9:30p
May 4 Florida @ Toronto, 7p
May 4 Seattle @ Dallas, 9:30p
May 6 Edmonton @ Las Vegas, 7p
May 7 Toronto @ Florida, 6:30p
May 8 Las Vegas @ Edmonton, 8:30p
May 9 Carolina @ New Jersey, 7p
May 10 Toronto @ Florida, 7p
May 10 Las Vegas @ Edmonton, 10p
May 11 New Jersey @ Carolina, 7p
May 12 Florida @ Toronto, 7p
May 12 Edmonton @ Las Vegas, 10p
May 14 Las Vegas @ Edmonton, 10p

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

NHL Canadian teams 2023 schedule down the stretch

May 2 Florida @ Toronto, 7p Steve Levy/AJ Mleczko/Dom Moore ESPN
May 3 Edmonton @ Las Vegas, 9:30p Bob Wischusen/Brian Boucher/Linda Cohn ESPN
May 4 Florida @ Toronto, 7p Brendan Burke/Darren Pang/Aly Lozoff TNT
May 6 Edmonton @ Las Vegas, 7p John Forslund/Shane Hnidy/Jody Shelley TNT
May 7 Toronto @ Florida, 6:30p Brendan Burke/Darren Pang/Aly Lozoff TBS
May 8 Las Vegas @ Edmonton, 8:30p Bob Wischusen/Brian Boucher/Leah Hextall ESPN
May 10 Toronto @ Florida, 7p Steve Levy/AJ Mleczko/Dom Moore ESPN
May 10 Las Vegas @ Edmonton, 10p Mike Monaco/Ryan Callahan/Leah Hextall ESPN
May 12 Florida @ Toronto, 7p Brendan Burke/Darren Pang/Kathryn Tappen TNT
May 12 Edmonton @ Las Vegas, 10p John Forslund/Shane Hnidy/Jody Shelley TNT
May 14 Las Vegas @ Edmonton, 10p John Buccigross/AJ Mleczko/Dom Moore ESPN

CanadianCrossing.com NHL coverage

We will add CBC telecasts and U.S. crews for the Toronto and Edmonton series later. We will update this story through the second round.

Twitter captures: @MapleLeafs; @Sportsnet; @SportsTalkWPG; @Sportsnet; @NHL_on_TNT
photo credit: Rogers Sportsnet/CBC/NHL

2023 NHL Stanley Cup playoffs preview for Canadian teams

Once again, we have 3 Canadian teams in the Stanley Cup playoffs, 2023 edition. Toronto and Edmonton are return teams with Winnipeg replacing Calgary. The Flames would be in if the team halved its OT/shootout losses into wins.

Montréal and Ottawa seemed out early though the Senators lasted a lot longer in the playoff hunt. Vancouver replaced coaches (again), got better but not by enough.

Les Habs is the last Canadian team to reach the Stanley Cup finals in 2021. The 3 teams in for 2023 want to surpass that goal.

You could be feeling deja vu with the Toronto Maple Leafs hosting Tampa Bay and the Edmonton Oilers hosting Los Angeles. Edmonton would be hosting Winnipeg, a rematch of the 2021 playoffs in the Canadian Division if Seattle had beaten Las Vegas in regulation on Thursday. Winnipeg will be in Las Vegas, a rematch of the 2018 Western Conference final.

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

NHL Network, TNT, and ESPN/ESPN+ games in 2023 season analysis

2023 NHL Stanley Cup playoffs scoreboard

Once again, Dave Randorf gets to spend some time back on Canadian soil as the Tampa Bay TV voice. The Lightning are good but a boring team to watch. Then again, playoff hockey means boring and violent. Speaking of violent, Boston likely awaits Toronto if the Maple Leafs finally win a series.

Edmonton went 14-0-1 down the stretch, the Oilers winning their last 9 games. Connor McDavid finished with 153 points. Leon Draisaitl finished with 32 power play goals. Not 32 goals, but 32 of them with the man advantage. Ryan Nugent Hopkins made it 3 Oilers players with over 100 points.

The 2022-23 Edmonton Oilers had the greatest power play in NHL history. Well, recorded history since the NHL started tracking the stat in 1977-1978. The Oilers 32.4% mark surpassed the 1977-1978 Montréal Canadiens. That team finished at 31.9%.

The Oilers had a slim chance of facing Seattle or Winnipeg yet ended up with Los Angeles as the first round opponent. California was shut out of the 2020 and 2021 playoffs. The Kings are the only California playoff team for the second year in a row.

The Winnipeg Jets looked great early in the hunt for the "Norris" division crown. The second half was a lot of not scoring and wondering if the team would hold onto a playoff spot. The Jets beat Nashville down the stretch and then saw Calgary lose to Nashville a couple of days later. The Flames almost played Nashville in last year's first-round series. Winnipeg now made playoffs 5 of the last 6 seasons (not 2022).

Winnipeg went 0-2-1 against Las Vegas this season.

October 20 @ Las Vegas 5, Winnipeg 2
October 30 @ Las Vegas 2, Winnipeg 1 (OT)
December 13 Las Vegas 6, @ Winnipeg 5

Toronto was 2-0-1 with Tampa Bay in the regular season.

December 3 @ Tampa Bay 4, @ Toronto 3 (OT)
December 20 @ Toronto 4, Tampa Bay 1
April 11 Toronto 4, @ Tampa Bay 3

Edmonton split 2-2 with Los Angeles in the regular season.

November 16 Los Angeles 3, @ Edmonton 1
January 9 @ Los Angeles 6, Edmonton 3
March 30 @ Edmonton 2, Los Angeles 0
April 4 Edmonton 3, @ Los Angeles 1

Rogers Sportsnet previewed the upcoming series for the 3 Canadian teams: Toronto, Edmonton, and Winnipeg.

This Rogers Sportsnet graphic is not new yet very relevant. 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. Montréal played for a Stanley Cup in 2021. Winnipeg played for a conference title in 2018.

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

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 2023 regular season

The Rogers Sportsnet pattern is pretty much set for the opening round. Chris Cuthbert and Craig Simpson (Kyle Bukauskas) will have the Maple Leafs series.

Harnarayan Singh and Louie DeBrusk (Scott Oake) will cover the Edmonton Oilers series.

John Bartlett and Garry Galley (Sean Reynolds) will be on the Winnipeg Jets series.

The Vancouver duo of John Shorthouse and John Garrett (Caroline Cameron) will cover U.S. games in the East for CBC, mostly Boston-Florida. Perhaps a send-off with John Garrett cutting back on his analysis work.

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

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

April 17 Florida @ Boston, 7:30p
April 17 Los Angeles @ Edmonton, 10p
April 18 Tampa Bay @ Toronto, 7:30p
April 19 Florida @ Boston, 7:30p
April 19 Los Angeles @ Edmonton, 10p
April 20 Tampa Bay @ Toronto, 7p
April 20 Winnipeg @ Las Vegas, 10p
April 21 Boston @ Florida, 7:30p
April 21 Edmonton @ Los Angeles, 10p
April 22 Las Vegas @ Winnipeg, 4p
April 22 Toronto @ Tampa Bay, 7p
April 23 Edmonton @ Los Angeles, 9p
April 24 Toronto @ Tampa Bay, 7:30p
April 25 Los Angeles @ Edmonton, 9:30p
April 26 Florida @ Boston, 7p
April 27 Tampa Bay @ Toronto, 7p
April 27 Winnipeg @ Las Vegas, 10p
April 28 Boston @ Florida, 7:30p
April 29 Toronto @ Tampa Bay, 7p
April 29 Edmonton @ Los Angeles, 10p
April 30 Florida @ Boston, 6:30p

U.S. viewers in Detroit, Buffalo, Seattle, and other markets get a great option, even for select U.S. games. We update this story with CBC games in the opening round.

Citytv is scheduled to carry its first ever NHL Stanley Cup playoff game, albeit a U.S. matchup (New Jersey-NY Rangers Game 3) on April 22. There are very few Americans who can retrieve a Citytv signal and Rogers will carry a U.S. feed for that game. The game is opposite Game 3 of the Toronto Maple Leafs series.

Our guide to the NHL Canadian teams coverage

We had this picture up for last year's preview because Gord Miller (TSN) and Cassie Campbell-Pascall (Sportsnet and ESPN) worked together. They proved to be a top team for ESPN in its Stanley Cup playoffs coverage. The picture stems from this Sobey's Safeway ad in 2019 as part of our quest to showcase quirky Canadian advertising.

We are showing the picture again despite neither of them are on the ESPN call list in the first 4 days. This picture also amuses us. Miller's next TSN assignment is the 2023 IIHF World Championship on May 12-28 in Tampere, Finland and Riga, Latvia.

ESPN and TNT split the first round based on nights and availability. In other words, the network not covering the NBA that night covers the NHL.

ESPN2 and TBS also carry Stanley Cup playoff games. We don't consider whether a game is on ESPN vs. ESPN2 or TNT vs. TBS to be anything more than a nuance. ESPNEWS and TruTV will be the source for overlapping starts. Miss the days of the NHL Network serving that role.

TNT/TBS will use a lot of freelancers in the first round. John Forslund and Alex Faust, among others, are limited since their local teams play in the first round. We would love to see Ken Daniels (Detroit TV) and Dean Brown (Ottawa radio) in the mix.

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. The Warner Bros. Discovery takeover has been terrible on multiple fronts, the least of which is accessing NHL press releases for TNT and TBS. You can filter the page with TNT Sports but they should hire someone to make a better mousetrap.

This schedule will be updated for all opening round games.

April 17 Los Angeles @ Edmonton 10p John Buccigross/Kevin Weekes/Ryan Callahan ESPN
April 18 Tampa Bay @ Toronto 7:30p Sean McDonough/Ray Ferraro/Emily Kaplan ESPN
April 18 Winnipeg @ Las Vegas 9:30p Roxy Bernstein/Kevin Weekes/Linda Cohn ESPN2
April 19 Los Angeles @ Edmonton 10p John Buccigross/Kevin Weekes/Linda Cohn ESPN
April 20 Tampa Bay @ Toronto 7p John Buccigross/Kevin Weekes/Ryan Callahan ESPN
April 20 Winnipeg @ Las Vegas 10p Alex Faust/Eddie Olczyk/Shane Hnidy TBS
April 21 Edmonton @ Los Angeles 10p John Forslund/Eddie Olczyk/Shane Hnidy TNT
April 22 Las Vegas @ Winnipeg 4p Rick Ball/Jennifer Botterill/Aly Lozoff TBS
April 22 Toronto @ Tampa Bay 7p Brendan Burke/Butch Goring/Darren Pang TBS
April 23 Edmonton @ Los Angeles 9p John Forslund/Eddie Olczyk/Shane Hnidy TBS
April 24 Toronto @ Tampa Bay 7:30p Brendan Burke/Jennifer Botterill/Darren Pang TBS
April 24 Las Vegas @ Winnipeg 9:30p Mike Monaco/Dom Moore/Leah Hextall ESPN
April 25 Los Angeles @ Edmonton 9:30p Mike Monaco/Dom Moore ESPN
April 27 Tampa Bay @ Toronto 7p Brendan Burke/Darren Pang/Tarik El-Bashir TBS
April 27 Winnipeg @ Las Vegas 10p Mike Monaco/Cassie Campbell-Pascall/Linda Cohn ESPN2
April 29 Toronto @ Tampa Bay 7p Brendan Burke/Darren Pang/Jackie Redmond TBS
April 29 Edmonton @ Los Angeles 10p John Forslund/Eddie Olczyk/Shane Hnidy TBS

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

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" last season to refer to the opening round series. We agree except for the borderline part.

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. There is a general bias against Canadian teams in penalties and cheap hits resulting in major injuries.

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

2023 NBA Toronto Raptors play-in tournament preview

Next stop ➡️ Play-In Tournament

In case y’all were wondering how the format works, we got you covered pic.twitter.com/hDuzoxlKUD

— Toronto Raptors (@Raptors) April 6, 2023

Editor's note: Chicago defeated Toronto 109-105 in the NBA play-in tournament on Wednesday. The offseason begins.

The 2023 Toronto Raptors find themselves in the 2023 NBA play-in tournament. Which meant your humble narrator had to look this up.

This felt like the confusion over the 2020 NHL playoffs where they couldn't figure out whether the opening round was the playoffs. In other words, this is NBA purgatory.

The Raptors finished as the proverbial #9 seed, which means under the old rules, they would barely miss the playoffs. So Toronto gets a chance and a home game, hosting the Chicago Bulls, the #10 seed.

Should the Raptors advance past this game, the team will travel to the loser of the #7 seed (Miami) and the #8 seed (Atlanta). The winner of the Atlanta-Miami game becomes the playoffs #7 seed. The Raptors-Bulls winner versus the Heat-Hawks loser becomes the playoffs #8 seed.

Los Angeles Lakers forward LeBron James in 2021 said whoever came up with the play-in tournament "needs to be fired." Then again, the Winnipeg Jets, Calgary Flames, and Nashville Predators may want this in the NHL this week.

Milwaukee plays the #8 seed while Boston plays the #7 seed in the opening round of the actual NBA playoffs. Those were Toronto's final 2 opponents in the regular season.

Toronto won the season series with the Heat (3-1) and Bulls (2-1) but lost the season series with the Hawks (1-2). The irony is that the Raptors are the #9 seed because of the tiebreaker. Would the Raptors have fought harder without the safety net of the play-in tournament?

The 7/8 game is on Tuesday while the 9/10 game is on Wednesday. The play-in game to be the lowest seed is on Friday. The real NBA playoffs start Saturday. Game times are at 7:30 pm Eastern on Tuesday, 7 pm Eastern on Wednesday, and one of those starting times on Friday.

The play-in tournament gives the top 2 teams a chance to rest while teams beat each other up to play tired against really good teams.

In the first 2 seasons with the play-in tournament, none of the play-in teams advanced past the first round of the actual NBA playoffs. All of the 7 seeds stayed at 7 while 3 of the 4 #8 seeds were the original #9 seed. That is a good sign for the Raptors being at #9.

The game may come down to who has the better postseason game: former Raptors star DeMar DeRozan (Chicago) or current Raptors star Fred VanVleet (Toronto).

In the U.S., TNT has the Atlanta-Miami game Tuesday night as well as the Friday battle for the #8 seed in the playoffs. ESPN has the Chicago-Toronto game from Scotiabank Arena.

TSN will carry the play-in games in Canada. Rogers Sportsnet and TSN will split Raptors games in the actual playoffs.

I feel like Rod Roddy telling people they won't be confused about the next episode of Soap. You will be confused.

The Toronto Raptors finished the 2022-2023 NBA season with a 41-41 record, going 27-14 at home and a frustrating 14-27 road record.

The team had a quick exit in 2022 in the first round, missed the 2021 playoffs, and lost in 7 to Boston in the 2020 playoffs since winning the 2019 NBA title.

Most of the recent drama for the Raptors has been off the court. The team not converting Jeff Dowtin Jr.’s two-way contract so he is ineligible for the play-in tournament and playoffs. Whether these will be the final game(s) Nick Nurse will coach for the Toronto Raptors.

The Raptors ceiling this season is 2 games above .500. Doesn't say "playoffs" with that type of track record.

Jully Black opens the door for O Canada lyrics change

2022 Toronto Raptors NBA preview

2022 NBA Toronto Raptors preseason schedule

Toronto Raptors fall in 6 games to Philadelphia in 2022 NBA playoffs

CanadianCrossing.com NBA coverage

Chicago hasn't played Toronto in the NHL playoffs since 1995 when the Maple Leafs lost in 7 in the opening round. Toronto has won 6 of the 9 series against Chicago (1931, 1932, 1938, 1940, 1962, 1967, 1986, 1994, 1995).

The Toronto Blue Jays defeated the Chicago White Sox 4-2 in the 1993 American League Championship Series.

The Chicago Sting defeated the Toronto Blizzard 2 games to 0 to win the 1984 North American Soccer League championship.

Chicago and Toronto have never met in the NBA playoffs or postseason.

Toronto Raptors playoffs history

2023	Chicago	0-1
2022	Philadelphia	2-4
2020	Boston	3-4
2020	Brooklyn	4-0
2019	Golden State	4-2
2019	Milwaukee	4-2
2019	Philadelphia	4-3
2019	Orlando	4-1
2018	Cleveland	0-4
2018	Washington	4-2
2017	Cleveland	0-4
2017	Milwaukee	4-2
2016	Cleveland	2-4
2016	Miami	4-3
2016	Indiana	4-3
2015	Washington	0-4
2014	Brooklyn	3-4
2008	Orlando	1-4
2007	New Jersey	2-4
2002	Detroit	2-3
2001	Philadelphia	3-4
2001	New York	3-2
2000	New York	0-3

Twitter capture: @Raptors
photo credit: NBA
logo credit: Toronto Raptors/NBA

NHL the month in preview April 2023

TNT shows some affection to the Alberta teams down the stretch. We get to see Edmonton in Anaheim (5) and Calgary hosting San Jose (12).

Remember when NBCSN and the NHL Network went on long sabbaticals in not showing live NHL games from the province of Alberta. ESPN has been afraid of Canada outside 2 appearances in Alberta in January after 2 years on the contract.

Speaking of ESPN, like last year, they backloaded telecasts involving Canadian teams. Well, Edmonton and Toronto. The primary network follows Connor McDavid in Los Angeles (4) and Denver (11).

If Toronto at Tampa Bay (11) sounds familiar, this is the matchup of the first ESPN telecast involving a Canadian team that didn't happen until April 2022. ESPN does have a doubleheader involving Canadian teams, the first for the network since the new deal was signed. TNT isn't afraid to have Canadian teams in a doubleheader with games in Canada.

NHL Network only has the Winnipeg Jets hosting New Jersey (2) on a Sunday night.

The NHL Network has a balancing act in its role in the United States. Curious to see how this experiment goes.

The last ESPN+/Hulu game of the season also has the Toronto Maple Leafs in the Sunshine State (10). As many games involving Toronto in the state of Florida than games in all of Canada for the first 2 years of the contract. There is chicken parm in Canada.

The NHL season ends on April 14. Canadian teams stop playing on April 13. NHL Stanley Cup playoffs start on April 17.

There should be a NHL Center Ice free preview, maybe over the last 7 days of the schedule.

TNT

April 5
Edmonton @ Anaheim, 10p
April 12
San Jose @ Calgary, 10p

ESPN

April 4
Edmonton @ Los Angeles, 10:30p
April 11
Toronto @ Tampa Bay, 7p/Edmonton @ Colorado, 9:30p

NHL Network

April 2
New Jersey @ Winnipeg, 7p

ESPN+/Hulu

April 10
Toronto @ Florida, 7p

Hockey Night in Canada

April 1

Toronto @ Ottawa, 7p/Carolina @ Montréal, 7p/Anaheim @ Edmonton, 10p

April 8

Montréal @ Toronto, 7p/Tampa Bay @ Ottawa, 7p/Nashville @ Winnipeg, 7p/Calgary @ Vancouver, 10p

Rogers Sportsnet national telecasts

April 4 Chicago @ Calgary, 9p

April 5 Calgary @ Winnipeg, 7:30p/Edmonton @ Anaheim, 10p

April 6 Chicago @ Vancouver, 10p

April 10 Toronto @ Florida, 7p/Carolina @ Ottawa, 7p/San Jose @ Winnipeg, 7p/Nashville @ Calgary, 9:30p

April 11 Edmonton @ Colorado, 9:30p

April 12 Montréal @ NY Islanders, 7p/San Jose @ Calgary, 10p

April 13 San Jose @ Edmonton, 9p

“So sit back, because the story is getting to the interesting part.” 🎞️

Canadian Oscar-nominated filmmaker Sarah Polley (@realsarahpolley) opens #HockeyNight in Canada. 🍿🔥 pic.twitter.com/EkbFefotyN

— Sportsnet (@Sportsnet) March 12, 2023

Sarah Polley got to fulfill the dream of a lot of Canadians: narrate the open to Hockey Night in Canada. Polley noted in a tweet how now her nephew Owen thinks she's cool.

We don't know if Polley got to shape the script. After all, she is an Oscar winner for her words. The words are painfully true for the 7 Canadian teams as we get closer to the Stanley Cup Playoffs. No offense to Brendan Fraser and Daniel Roher, fine Canadians who won Oscars the next night, but this moment was made for Sarah Polley. If you stumbled upon this and aren't into hockey, watch the video and listen to the words.

2023 Oscars through the lens of Canada

TSN does the best job of covering the NHL trade deadline because when trades happen, they are on it like a hungry dog. The network knows there will be down times. The opening to TradeCentre was Bruce Boudreau going through the TSN facility looking for things. People tell him "Bruce, there it is" in a calm tone.

Is it ridiculous that TSN starts at 8 am Eastern? Absolutely. Doesn't matter. They are the best.

Couldn't sit through ESPN's coverage. Frayed nerves as it is. Sat through the NHL Network coverage. Talking heads about things not connected to trades while posting tweets from Canadian sports journalists about actual trades.

Rogers Sportsnet will be better than any U.S. effort ever. Still not as good as TSN. The Bad for Bedard video has little to do with trades. Still a damn funny video.

Canadian ads from fall 2022 NHL Center Ice free preview

Tereza Vanisova scored the overtime winner to give the Toronto Six their first Isobel Cup title with a 4-3 win over the Minnesota Whitecaps. Vanisova was the player of the game. Toronto's Michela Cava was named the MVP.

The Six had reached the semifinals in the previous 2 years. This was the first final and PHP championship for the Toronto Six.

The goal capped a thrilling final that was the first to feature two expansion franchises in the eighth PHF season. It marked Toronto’s first championship in its third campaign after reaching the semifinals in each of the previous two years.

The Six rallied from a 2-goal deficit to force overtime in Game 2 against the Connecticut Whale. Toronto won 3-0 win in Game 3 to advance to the Isobel Cup final.

For all the jokes about the Toronto Maple Leafs, the Toronto Marlies (AHL) won the Calder Cup in 2017-2018. In the same season, the Markham Thunder (now-defunct CWHL) won a Clarkson Cup title.

NHL the month in preview March 2023

Joe Biden's visit to Canada as president shouldn't be his last

“I like your [hockey] teams, except the Leafs.”

U.S. President Joe Biden: not a Maple Leafs guy. 😂 pic.twitter.com/QpAZHkGSYX

— Sportsnet (@Sportsnet) March 24, 2023

"Our labour unions cross borders. So do our sports leagues. Baseball, basketball, hockey, listen to this, hockey."

"I have to say, I like your teams except the Leafs."

No one thinks the president of the United States spends too much time thinking about the Toronto Maple Leafs. President Joe Biden is a smart politician who knows his audience.

Even Toronto-area MPs understand the dynamic in the line the U.S. president delivered before the House of Commons on March 24.

Biden cited a Maple Leafs win over the Philadelphia Flyers, hometown team for Dr. Jill Biden, the first lady.

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau represents the Papineau riding in Montréal and is a Habs fan. "I'm just amazed at how hope continues to spring eternal in Leafs fans," Trudeau told CP24 in 2021. "As a Habs fan, I'm kind of in admiration of Toronto fans who continue to cling to hopes every year — year in and year out. It's impressive to see."

If Toronto somehow wins a playoff series and advances to the Stanley Cup finals, we want a friendly wager between Trudeau and Biden where the U.S. president would have to wear a Maple Leafs sweater. The leaders had a friendly wager for the 2021 Stanley Cup with Montréal and Tampa Bay.

NHL the month in preview February 2023

Boston Bruins players get away with cheap shots at an alarming rate. We don't know why their players get a special exemption from the NHL. This is especially egregious when Montréal is involved.

If a player from a Canadian team cross checked a player in the face, the league and its supporters in the media would have talked up the dangerous element of what happened.   

Mike Hoffman is not one to complain. Boston forward A.J. Greer only got a 1-game suspension for cross-checking Hoffman in the face. Good for Hoffman to speak up. Unfortunately, the league does not care.

Boston players keep doing cheap shots because the punishment, if there is one, never comes close to fitting the crime.

Blake Lizotte of the Los Angeles Kings got a 1-game suspension for a similar vicious cross check to the face on Josh Morrissey, Winnipeg’s top defenseman. 

The Stanley Cup playoffs are so poorly officiated that we wonder whether a cross check to the face will even get a penalty, unless the player is on a Canadian team. 

NHL the month in preview January 2023

We think the federal legislation to bring down the increasing prices of housing in Canada by not allowing most foreign people to buy housing means well but is misguided.

We also know that NHL players, even from Canada, have a lot of reasons not to play in Canada. The idea of adding another reason that isn't financially or hockey related is a depressing thought.

Preventing people from buying housing and not living in the properties is the intent of the legislation. People working in Canada who want to stay in Canada shouldn't be hurt by this process.

NHL the month in preview December 2022

"It’s about saying this community is valuable and important and we want to honour them."

Brian Burke joined Ron MacLean to discuss Pride Nights across the NHL and supporting the LGBTQ+ community. pic.twitter.com/fFo3kiG4XM

— Sportsnet (@Sportsnet) March 26, 2023

The NHL has been good on teams celebrate Pride by having players wear warmup jerseys. A few individual players opted out of wearing the jerseys and didn't participate in the warmups.

The Chicago team ran into a similar issue, citing the pressure on Russian players due to Russian laws. That is a more complicated matter.

The individual religious exemptions are peculiar. They claim that wearing the Pride jerseys is against their religion. Well, that sounds … incorrect.

Not wearing the jerseys may conflict with your interpretation of that religion, but the religion itself isn't at fault. "It's against my religion" is a cop-out. Just say this feels icky with your limited vision of the world that makes you feel comfortable. I won't agree with your interpretation but at least you will be honest.

NHL the month in preview November 2022

The Kraft Hockeyville finalists for 2023 are set: Maple Ridge, British Columbia, Ste. Anne, Manitoba, West Lorne, Ontario, and Saint-Anselme, Quebec. Online voting runs today starting at 9 am EDT through tomorrow at 5 pm EDT. The announcement will be made on Hockey Night in Canada on April 1.

The 2020 winner (Twillingate, Newfoundland and Labrador) and 2021 winner (Elsipogtog First Nation, New Brunswick) finally got their games in the 2022 NHL preseason. Rogers Sportsnet didn't broadcast the games or even give them to CBC. TVA Sports covered the games en Francaise.

The 2022 winner (Sydney, Nova Scotia) will likely have its preseason game in the fall. Maybe that will be on television in English in Canada.

John Garrett retirement opens the door of opportunity for Vancouver Canucks TV colour analysis

I am in shock as John Garrett announces this will be his last season doing Canuck regional games. Honestly, I love watching this broadcast crew.

— Elliotte Friedman (@FriedgeHNIC) March 24, 2023

Elliotte Friedman summed up what a lot of us felt. John Garrett is sharply cutting back his schedule so there is an opening on Rogers Sportsnet Pacific. John Shorthouse is a very giving play by play person.

As a journalist, I have made a few of these lists in sports and outside sports. Always be creative. When you are creative, you are likely to be more inclusive. Hockey is for everyone also applies to possibilities in the booth.

Corey Hirsch (if he wants) and Kevin Bieska (if Sportsnet wants) are the likely top prospects. Hopefully, Sportsnet will consider a wide number of possibilities.

The Calgary Flames (Cassie Campbell-Pascall) and New York Islanders have had women in this prominent role in their telecasts.

NHL the month in preview October 2022

ABC is intruding on Saturday nights late in the season. That would be fine, except the NHL Network is banned from showing an early Saturday night game, such as Hockey Night in Canada. This makes sense in Gary Bettman's mind but doesn't grow the game.

However, the NHL Network, which has been afraid to carry Saturday late night games, carried all-American games at 10:30 pm on the last 2 Saturday nights. The 10:30 pm starting times are crucial, since that allows for very little overlap for the ABC 8 pm starts. Theoretically, 10 pm starts wouldn't be allowed, which prohibits Hockey Night in Canada games.

The ESPN/ABC family is at it again with Saturday night games with a ESPN2 game on April 1 and an ABC game on April 8. None of the ABC games have had Canadian teams and likely never will.

Either the U.S. channel should carry more late games on Saturday, including Hockey Night in Canada, or not concede this practice.

The best solution is for ABC to stay out of Saturday nights or even better: give actual choice to NHL fans south of the Canadian border.

Our guide to the NHL Canadian teams coverage

Rogers Sportsnet has been a lot better this season about taking Toronto Maple Leafs games for its own selfish purposes. The gamble was that fans would flock to Toronto at Vancouver instead of the Edmonton game in Winnipeg on CBC.

The highlight of the first game was the Canucks scoring 2 short-handed goals in the same power play, setting a new team mark for shortest time in between short-handed goals. Meanwhile, the CBC and Citytv audience along with APTN and Omni saw a high-flying very exciting game with the Oilers and Jets on Wasac Night. Fans in the U.S. who can watch CBC were likely happier with that game.

Karma doesn't always work that way. Sometimes, karma knows what is happening.

On a related note, CBC was so good at getting Hockey Night in Canada in Punjabi. Rogers Sportsnet has worked well to get occasional games called in Cree on APTN. This is how you grow the game so hockey is for everyone.

.@JenBotterill paying homage to our old pal Rick Tocchet during intermission of @AnaheimDucks-@Canucks on @NHL_On_TNT 😂 pic.twitter.com/4Ulzjrc1d0

— blaircofield (@blaircofield) March 9, 2023

Jennifer Botterill has quietly been rather awesome with studio analysis and on-ice commentary on NHL games on both sides of the border. Botterill has worked for MSG on New York Islanders telecasts and works for Rogers Sportsnet in Canada and TNT in the United States.

Botterill was on the NHL on TNT panel on March 8, International Women's Day, in place of Paul Bissonnette. Anson Carter had an improvised Botterill Team Canada sweater (#17). Her shot got some social media love. She might have "missed" the net yet that was a forceful and precise shot, all in high heels.

Botterill has brought great strength to the Hockey Night in Canada studio presence on Saturday nights.

TNT has an opening in its studio show with Rick Tocchet leaving to be the Vancouver coach. The U.S. network has been using Henrik Lundqvist, who has been marvelous. They feel Paul Bissonnette fits a demo they desire. Botterill should get some time in the TNT studio because her analysis is as strong as that shot she took.

TNT featured a current Canadian female hockey player in Sarah Nurse on the panel on the March 15 coverage. Darnell Nurse, Sarah's cousin, plays for Edmonton but didn't have a game on TNT.

Tracking the NHL 2022 media changes

March 6 Edmonton @ Buffalo, 7:30p Bob Wischusen/Brian Boucher/Emily Kaplan ESPN+/Hulu
March 8 Anaheim @ Vancouver, 10p John Forslund/Eddie Olczyk TNT
March 9 Edmonton @ Boston, 7:30p Steve Levy/Ray Ferraro/AJ Mleczko ESPN+/Hulu
March 15 Colorado @ Toronto, 7p Kenny Albert/Eddie Olczyk/Keith Jones TNT
March 21 Toronto @ NY Islanders, 7:30p Mike Monaco/AJ Mlezcko ESPN+/Hulu
March 22 Arizona @ Edmonton, 10:30p Brendan Burke/Darren Pang/Jennifer Botterill TNT
March 28 Edmonton @ Las Vegas, 10p Steve Levy/Ray Ferraro/Emily Kaplan ESPN+/Hulu

ESPN+ had a strong lineup for the Edmonton Oilers game in Boston, more so than the lineup for the Oilers game in Buffalo. Watching Boston is tougher on your humble narrator for the litany of cheap shots that never get called.

How good do we think AJ Mlezcko is? ESPN+ put Mlezcko on an Islanders game in Toronto (she works on Islanders telecasts) and we didn't care.

Ray Ferraro got to give analysis on 2 Edmonton games in March, both on the road.

John Forslund was a logical pick to call the Vancouver game for TNT even if we aren't as wild about him on the call. That said, Forslund is far less annoying than he was on NBCSN and a lot better than he was from his Versus days. He's great on the Seattle Kraken games. Some announcers lift their game for the national stage; Forslund isn't one of them. Unlike ESPN, TNT genuinely likes covering the Vancouver Canucks.

Part of the charm in the U.S. national coverage should be showing excited Canadian crowds. ESPN generally doesn't believe in that and its overall coverage suffers as as result.

CanadianCrossing.com NHL coverage

The NHL Network had the bravery to show all-Canadian matchups on a Saturday night 2 weeks in a row that didn't involved the Habs. Those were the final HNIC appearances for the year on the U.S. channel thanks to the ESPN family doing their Saturday night schtick.

The March 11 game, unlike the March 4 game was on CBC.

The 2023 Junos with host Simu Liu was 2 days after the game so a truly obvious choice. 3 promos is a bit much.

Both CBC promos in the 1st period ran after obsessive gambling ads. The audience eagerly ignores the gambling ads, reducing the impact of the promos. The first promo ran before the beginning of the 2nd period. The promos are supposed to be in-game, not before the period starts.

Another 5 promos in a game instead of the required 6 promos. This also meant that 60% of the aired promos applied to the 2023 Junos.

March 11 early game: 2023 Junos; Canada's Ultimate Challenge (1st); 2023 Junos; 2023 Junos (2nd); Canada's Ultimate Challenge (3rd)

photo credit: NHL
Twitter captures: @Sportsnet; @Sportsnet; @Sportsnet; @FriedgeHNIC; @blaircofield
video credit: TSN

John Garrett retirement opens the door of opportunity for Vancouver Canucks TV colour analysis

Thank you for everything, John Garrett 💙💚@SNJohnGarrett | @Canucks pic.twitter.com/cxyZHrNqqd

— Sportsnet (@Sportsnet) March 24, 2023

John Garrett has been the stable force on Vancouver Canucks telecasts for a very long time. His retirement leaves a gigantic hole on the Canucks TV broadcast crew.

Garrett will do select broadcasts next season but otherwise will enjoy a well-deserved retirement. Maybe golf with former partner Jim Hughson. 

Garrett knew the nuance of local versus Hockey Night in Canada telecasts in ways that Louie DeBrusk will never get.

The primary colour Canucks TV analyst is a great position for those who want to make a move. John Shorthouse is a generous play by play person. Shorthouse and Garrett is shorthand for excellent hockey broadcasting. 

A few names in my head for a replacement:

Jennifer Botterill. Good chemistry with studio work for Rogers Sportsnet and gets to call a few games for TNT. Could see where this doesn't fit into her plans but an intriguing choice.

Patrick Sharp. Canadian NHL player who has done studio analysis for NBCSN and occasional analysis on Chicago TV games for NBC Sports Chicago. Does Sharp want to do that many games for any team?

Drew Remenda. Canadian NHL player back working San Jose games. He had worked Edmonton games for awhile and has Hockey Night in Canada experience.  

Corey Hirsch. Did Vancouver Canucks radio analysis and then left before this season. Has filled in for Garrett in the past on Canucks TV. Would Hirsch want to come back for this?

Jamal Mayers. Has been an occasional analyst on Hockey Night in Canada on Rogers Sportsnet. Might be a bit inexperienced for the Canucks job but should be in the mix. 

Cheryl Pounder. Done studio work for TSN. Don't know how much colour analysis she has done.

Anson Carter. He is more of a studio person for TNT and Sportsnet. Carter has a sharp mind that would do well with colour analysis. This won't happen but a name worth mentioning.

Shane Hnidy. Not saying he would leave Las Vegas and occasional TNT work for the Vancouver Canucks job. He did Winnipeg Jets games so he isn't afraid of Canada.  

Kevin Bieska. He is perfect on the surface. Well-known former Canucks player. Experience with analysis on Sportsnet, though not game analysis. He can be a bit irritating in the studio. A chance to reinvent himself in the Canucks booth could work out well.

Cammi Granato. So having an assistant general manager also serving as a colour analyst would be highly unusual. Granato certainly knows the players. Would also be amusing if ESPN then sent Ray Ferraro (Granato's husband) to cover a Vancouver Canucks game. That is not likely to happen because ESPN+ has only carried a single Vancouver game in the last 2 years (Seattle Kraken initial home opener) and may never cover a game in Vancouver. Ferraro cut back on Toronto Maple Leafs games on TSN4 this season for a lighter schedule. 

Cassie Campbell-Pascall, Greg Millen, and Daryl "Razor" Reaugh have career paths that likely don't include a job with the Canucks. 

NHL the month in preview March 2023

CanadianCrossing.com NHL coverage

The Winnipeg Jets did a really healthy search to replace Dennis Beyak, not an easy job. Dan Robertson was an excellent choice to call the Jets games on TSN3. Colour analysis is a different skill set.

If we missed someone, especially with BC or Vancouver roots, let us know in the comments section or tweet us @canadian_xing.

Twitter capture: @sportsnet

NHL the month in preview March 2023

TNT reunites Rick Tocchet and the studio crew with a trip to Vancouver (8) as the Canucks host Anaheim. Tocchet left the panel to be the Vancouver coach. The U.S. channel has the reigning Stanley Cup champs in Toronto (15). One of Gary Bettman's favourite desert teams (the one with 5,000 home seats) travels to Edmonton where the crowd will be about 4x the size (22).

ESPN takes the month of March off from Canadian teams. Cowards.

NHL Network starts out March with rare (for them) coverage of Toronto in Vancouver on Hockey Night in Canada (4). The U.S. channel also throws in an all-Canadian matchup (that isn't Toronto-Montréal) with Connor McDavid in Toronto on Hockey Night in Canada (11).

The other 3 telecasts for the month involve the Habs hosting Colorado (13) and a pair of Toronto Maple Leafs games, hosting Carolina (17) and in Nashville (26).

The NHL Network isn't carrying Hockey Night in Canada games on the last 2 weekends of the month since ABC is invading the Saturday night space. Given the "growth" that only exists in Gary Bettman's mind, the U.S. channel is not allowed to carry a second national game at the same time. The ABC telecasts in Canada (via cable or satellite) cut into the audience for Sportsnet and CBC for the Saturday night games.

While ESPN blows off Canada for March, ESPN+/Hulu loves Connor McDavid, just not in Edmonton. The channel features Oilers road games in Buffalo (6), which was a late addition, Boston (9), and Las Vegas (28). Rogers Arena is a nice place. They are invited to come north of the border.

The other game in March is the John Tavares bowl from Long Island (21).

Rogers Sportsnet has been better about this in the 2022-2023 season but is pulling an exclusive on the Toronto at Vancouver game (4) to promote SN Now subscriptions. This is also a loss for NHL fans in Buffalo and western Washington who can't watch the game via CBC on cable. CBC viewers will get Edmonton at Winnipeg that night.

The NHL trade deadline is March 3. We have more on the coverage later in this story.

TNT

March 8
Anaheim @ Vancouver, 10p
March 15
Colorado @ Toronto, 7p
March 22
Arizona @ Edmonton, 10:30p

NHL Network

March 4
Toronto @ Vancouver, 7p (HNIC)
March 11
Edmonton @ Toronto, 7p (HNIC)
March 13
Colorado @ Montréal, 7:30p
March 17
Carolina @ Toronto, 7p
March 26
Toronto @ Nashville, 6p

ESPN+/Hulu

March 6
Edmonton @ Buffalo, 7:30p
March 9
Edmonton @ Boston, 7:30p
March 21
Toronto @ NY Islanders, 7:30p
March 28
Edmonton @ Las Vegas, 10p

Hockey Night in Canada

March 4

Toronto @ Vancouver, 7p/Columbus @ Ottawa, 7p/Edmonton @ Winnipeg, 7p/
Minnesota @ Calgary, 10p

March 11

Edmonton @ Toronto, 7p/New Jersey @ Montréal, 7p/Winnipeg @ Florida, 7p/
Ottawa @ Vancouver, 10p

March 18

Toronto @ Ottawa, 7p/Montréal @ Tampa Bay, 7p/
Dallas @ Calgary, 10p/Vancouver @ Los Angeles, 10p

March 25

Toronto @ Carolina, 7p/Columbus @ Montréal, 7p/Ottawa @ New Jersey, 7p/Vancouver @ Dallas, 7p/
Las Vegas @ Edmonton, 10p

Rogers Sportsnet national telecasts

March 1 Toronto @ Edmonton, 8p

March 6 Edmonton @ Buffalo, 7:30p/San Jose @ Winnipeg, 7:30p

March 8 Minnesota @ Winnipeg, 7:30p/Anaheim @ Vancouver, 10p

March 9 Edmonton @ Boston, 7:30p

March 13 Colorado @ Montréal, 7:30p/Buffalo @ Toronto, 7:30p

March 14 Calgary @ Arizona, 10p

March 15 Colorado @ Toronto, 7p

March 16 Calgary @ Las Vegas, 10p

March 18 Edmonton @ Seattle, 4p

March 22 Arizona @ Edmonton, 10:30p

March 25 San Jose @ Calgary, 4p

March 27 Florida @ Ottawa, 7p/Montréal @ Buffalo, 7p

March 28 Edmonton @ Las Vegas, 10p

March 29 Florida @ Toronto, 7:30p

March 31 Calgary @ Vancouver, 10p

NHL the month in preview February 2023

NHL the month in preview January 2023

Edmonton Oilers captain Connor McDavid hit the 50 goals mark for the first time in his career, only taking 61 games to accomplish the feat. Rooting on some level for an Edmonton-Toronto Stanley Cup final and have lots of scoring.

NHL the month in preview December 2022

We generally ignore the NHL All-Star Game due to the inconsistency of the event and the oddity of some of the events within the weekend. A chance to take a break from thinking about hockey.

We also generally ignore this time because of the lack of interest in Canada. For only the 4th time in the 2000s, the NHL All-Star Game will be on Canadian soil. The 2024 NHL All-Star Game will be at Scotiabank Arena in Toronto on February 2-3, 2024.

Ottawa, well Kanata, is the last Canadian city to host the All-Star Game back in 2012. This has been the only appearance in the Ottawa region.

Montréal has hosted 12 All-Star games, only 3 since 1970: 1975, 1993, and 2009. The latter is the only time at the Bell Centre.

This will be the 9th All-Star game for Toronto, only the second since 1970. Toronto hosted the 2000 All-Star Game at the then Air Canada Centre.

Vancouver has hosted 2 All-Star games: 1977 at the old Pacific Coliseum and 1998 in what was then General Motors Place. The NHL All-Star Game has only been on Alberta soil twice: 1985 at the Olympic Saddledome in Calgary and 1989 at Northlands Coliseum in Edmonton.

For those counting at home, Gary Bettman has been the NHL commissioner for 4 NHL All-Star games on Canadian soil with the fifth coming in 2024.

Winnipeg and Quebec City never hosted a NHL All-Star game.

Canadian ads from fall 2022 NHL Center Ice free preview

NHL the month in preview November 2022

NHL the month in preview October 2022

The 2023 trade deadline coverage starts on Friday. Let's start in Canada.

TSN

TradeCentre, the consensus best NHL trade coverage, starts at the earliest time at 8 am (All times Eastern Standard). Coverage starts at 8 am on TSN1, TSN4, and TSN5. TSN3 joins the coverage in progress around noon.

Rogers Sportsnet

Hockey Central Trade Deadline, while the second best in Canada, is still better than anything in the United States. Sportsnet's coverage starts at 10 am.

NHL Network

After years of aligning with TSN, the U.S. network jumped to the Sportsnet coverage. The U.S. channel carries the Sportsnet coverage until 2 pm. At 2 pm, an hour before the deadline, the NHL Network switches over to its own coverage with NHL Tonight: 2023 Trade Deadline Day.

ESPN family

TradeCentre from TSN runs on ESPN+ starting at 8 am. That is the good news for U.S. readers. The bad news is that The Point from ESPN runs its own trade coverage starting at 2 pm on ESPN2.

Analysis

The idea is that U.S. fans lose the best coverage at the most important time of the trade deadline. The Canadian outlets are faster at picking up trades with less filler. If you are stuck below the 49th parallel, we suggest TradeCentre on ESPN+ and switching to the NHL Network coverage at 2 pm.

TSN has an advantage over Sportsnet. The NHL Network coverage is decidedly better than ESPN's in-house results, based off last year.

Trades of note

Ryan O'Reilly and Noel Acciari going from St. Louis to Toronto is significant, provided lightning can strike twice in O'Reilly's case. Veteran leadership from player who have crashed through the first-round blunders: let's hope that helps.

The Montréal Canadiens rolled a huge gamble in acquiring Shea Weber for a younger and less injury prone P.K. Subban. The Habs even got Evgenii Dadonov for Weber's contract for the unofficially retired Canadiens defenceman in 2022.

Weber's contract went from Las Vegas to Arizona about a week ago with a 5th round pick for Dysin Mayo. Weber will never wear the sweaters of these teams. As long as Montréal isn't paying the bills. Thanks, salary cap.

Canadian film review: Black Ice

We reviewed Black Ice, the really intriguing documentary on Black ice hockey players and racism. You can find the film on Crave in Canada. The film definitely deserves a U.S. release at some point. TSN showed the film and the NHL Network should fight hard to get the film on its channel.

Tracking the NHL 2022 media changes

February 7 Edmonton @ Detroit, 7:30p Bob Wischusen/Chris Chelios/Mark Messier ESPN+/Hulu
February 15 Chicago @ Toronto, 7p Brendan Burke/Darren Pang/Jackie Redmond TNT
February 19 Edmonton @ Colorado, 3p Bob Wischusen/Brian Boucher/Leah Hextall ESPN+/Hulu
February 19 Toronto @ Chicago, 6p Mike Monaco/Kevin Weekes/Emily Kaplan ESPN+/Hulu
February 21 Toronto @ Buffalo, 7:30p John Buccigross/Brian Boucher/Ryan Callahan ESPN+/Hulu
February 23 Calgary @ Las Vegas, 9p Mike Monaco/Cassie Campbell-Pascall/Emily Kaplan ESPN

A bit surprised Eddie Olczyk didn't cover a Chicago-Toronto game for TNT. He played for both franchises.

We sort of forgive the use of Brian Boucher for the Oilers game (19) since Ray Ferraro worked the outdoor game the night before. Doesn't explain the additional game in Buffalo (21). Kevin Weekes was solid in the Maple Leafs game in Chicago (19). This is how a former NHL goalie should provide analysis.

Fun to hear Cassie Campbell-Pascall on a game on ESPN involving a Canadian team. Campbell-Pascall used to provide analysis on Flames games until this season.

On the Canadian side, Victor Findlay may get some good opportunities to fill in for Bryan Mudryk on Montréal telecasts on TSN2. Mudryk also covers curling for TSN. Last season, Dan Robertson jumped up from Canadiens radio to fill in on the TV side. Robertson left to call the Winnipeg Jets games on TSN3.

Yet Robertson called the Habs game in New Jersey for TSN2. The Jets and Canadiens were in the greater NYC area so with an off day, he called a Montréal game.

2022 NHL preseason schedule

Our guide to the NHL Canadian teams coverage

CanadianCrossing.com NHL coverage

The NHL Network usually cuts back on Canadian teams in the second half of the season. The U.S. channel went 3 weeks without carrying a single Canadian team. There was only a single HNIC game in February on the NHL Network.

The 2023 Junos, once again with host Simu Liu, will be on March 13 on CBC. Plan B made its debut Monday night.

The ski and snowboarding promo ran before the start of the 2nd period, a technical violation.

February 25 early game: 2023 Junos; Son of a Critch (1st); FIS freestyle ski and snowboarding; 2023 Junos (2nd); Canada's Ultimate Challenge; Plan B (3rd)

photo credits: NHL; TSN; Black Ice

2023 Toronto Blue Jays spring training schedule

A normal start to spring training but yet another year without a finish at Olympic Stadium in Montréal. The Toronto Blue Jays haven't been to Quebec's largest city since 2019. 

Unlike 2022, the Grapefruit League starts on time (tomorrow) and will end on time. As the Blue Jays have done since 1977, the team trains in Dunedin, Florida.

2023 Blue Jays Spring Training schedule

February 25 @ Pittsburgh
February 26 NY Yankees
February 27 @ Atlanta
February 28 Detroit/@ Philadelphia
March 1 @ Baltimore
March 2 Pittsburgh
March 3 Tampa Bay
March 4 @ Detroit
March 5 Philadelphia
March 7 @ Pittsburgh
March 8 Minnesota
March 9 Atlanta/@ Tampa Bay
March 10 @ Boston
March 11 Baltimore
March 12 @ Philadelphia
March 13 Boston
March 14 @ NY Yankees (6:35p)
March 15 Pittsburgh
March 16 @ Baltimore (6:05p)
March 17 Philadelphia/@ Philadelphia
March 18 NY Yankees
March 19 @ Tampa Bay
March 20 @ Detroit
March 22 Baltimore
March 23 @ Minnesota
March 24 Philadelphia (6:07p)
March 25 Detroit (6:07p)
March 26 @ NY Yankees
March 27 Philadelphia
March 28 @ Philadelphia (12:05p)

All times at 1:07 pm (home)/1:05 pm (road) unless noted. All times are EST through March 11; EDT March 12-28.

Rogers Sportsnet will carry all the home games and 5+ select road games, including the opener on Saturday. The road games might come from alternate feeds (think YES). You can always check to see which games are on television.

ESPN+ will carry 2 Toronto Blue Jays spring training games, using the available feeds. Those telecasts will be the home game with Philadelphia on March 24 and the road game with the New York Yankees on March 26.

MLB Network in the United States will carry live and tape-delayed versions of spring training games, including live coverage of the Toronto home opener. Games may be subject to blackout in a team's region.

A statement from Pat Tabler: pic.twitter.com/X74VZCzuLn

— Sportsnet PR (@SportsnetPR) December 2, 2022

The spring training broadcast schedule will have Dan Shulman and Ben Wagner sharing play-by-play duties while Buck Martinez and Joe Siddall as colour analysts. They are likely to be TV/radio simulcasts for those TV games. The plan is to carry all the home games in Dunedin plus 5 select road games.

For those who wondered, Pat Tabler left (forced out). Rogers chose not to replace Tabler in the booth, though Siddall and Caleb Joseph are the likely backups. Ben Wagner gets to suffer through another year in the radio booth without a permanent partner. Trust us when we say this is an embarrassment for Rogers.

Martinez will also be the analyst for the Pool C international feed (Sportsnet feed) from Phoenix, AZ for the 2023 World Baseball Classic. Pool C features Canada, United States, Great Britain, Mexico, and Colombia.

Sportsnet will not resume on-site radio broadcasts for #BlueJays road games this season and will instead provide remote coverage from its downtown Toronto studio.

“I’m very disappointed in the network,” said retired Jays radio voice Jerry Howarth. https://t.co/xOlEqbn6CX

— Toronto Star Sports (@StarSports) February 17, 2023

As if things weren't bad enough for Wagner, et al, the Toronto Blue Jays will be the only MLB team whose radio broadcasters will not travel in 2023.

2022 Toronto Blue Jays spring training schedule

2021 Toronto Blue Jays spring training schedule

2020 Toronto Blue Jays spring training schedule

CanadianCrossing.com MLB coverage

We will deal with all the changes to the Toronto Blue Jays in our season preview.

photo credit: Toronto Blue Jays
Twitter captures: @SportsnetPR; @StarSports

NHL the month in preview February 2023

TNT gives us the first half of the Chicago-Toronto season matchup from Scotiabank Arena (15).

The main ESPN network (23) gives us a rare Calgary Flames game (for them) at one of Gary Bettman's favourite desert teams (the one that has more than 5,000 home seats).

NHL Network knows this is the second half of the season where fewer games feature Canadian teams. Amazingly, the U.S. channel doesn't show a single Toronto game in February.

The channel rarely carries an all-Canadian matchup that doesn't involve the Maple Leafs. Yet Ottawa is at Montréal (25) on Hockey Night in Canada. The U.S. channel has an Edmonton home game with Boston on the itinerary (27).

ESPN+/Hulu gives us the second half of the Chicago-Toronto doubleheader from the Windy City (19) and follows the Maple Leafs to Buffalo 2 days later (21). The U.S. outlet also has Connor McDavid in the Motor City (7) and Denver (19).

ABC starts carrying Saturday afternoon games, none involving Canadian teams, after the All-Star Game break.

The NHL All-Star Game break runs through February 5 with games starting back on Monday. There is a U.S. outdoor game on February 18; the league loves to schedule the Habs and Leafs together when that happens.

TNT

February 15
Chicago @ Toronto, 7p

ESPN

February 23
Calgary @ Las Vegas, 9p

NHL Network

February 25
Ottawa @ Montréal, 7p (HNIC)
February 27
Boston @ Edmonton, 8:30p

ESPN+/Hulu

February 7
Edmonton @ Detroit, 7:30p
February 19
Edmonton @ Colorado, 3p/Toronto @ Chicago, 6p
February 21
Toronto @ Buffalo, 7:30p

Hockey Night in Canada

February 11

Columbus @ Toronto, 7p/Chicago @ Winnipeg, 10p

February 18

Montréal @ Toronto, 7p/NY Rangers @ Calgary, 10p/Philadelphia @ Vancouver, 10p

February 25

Ottawa @ Montréal, 7p/Boston @ Vancouver, 7p/Calgary @ Colorado, 10p

Rogers Sportsnet national telecasts

February 1 Boston @ Toronto, 7:30p

February 6 Vancouver @ New Jersey, 7:30p/Calgary @ NY Rangers, 7:30p

February 7 Edmonton @ Detroit, 7:30p

February 8 Vancouver @ NY Rangers, 8p

February 9 Calgary @ Detroit, 7p

February 11 Calgary @ Buffalo, 12:30p

February 13 Calgary @ Ottawa, 7:30p

February 15 Chicago @ Toronto, 7p/Detroit @ Edmonton, 9:30p

February 19 Edmonton @ Colorado, 3p

February 20 Philadelphia @ Calgary, 4p/Winnipeg @ NY Rangers, 7p

February 22 Winnipeg @ NY Islanders, 7p/Calgary @ Arizona, 9:30p

February 23 Edmonton @ Pittsburgh, 7p/Calgary @ Las Vegas, 9p

February 25 Edmonton @ Columbus, 12:30p

February 27 Boston @ Edmonton, 8:30p/Vancouver @ Dallas, 8:30p

February 28 Boston @ Calgary, 9p

Canucks fans continue to support embattled coach Bruce Boudreau with "Bruce there it is" chants at Rogers Arena.

🎥 @Sportsnetpic.twitter.com/NVyRj62ilx

— The Athletic NHL (@TheAthleticNHL) January 22, 2023

The Vancouver Canucks waited hours after Hockey Day in Canada to announce what everyone knew: Rick Tocchet would replace Bruce Boudreau as head coach of the team. The crowd at the Edmonton-Vancouver game knew. Boudreau knew this was his last game but not officially. Most coaches who get fired get no warning. This was too much warning but not in a good way.

The way Canucks management handled this was a sad story to how things have been so poorly run of late. Jim Rutherford has a good reputation. Bruce Boudreau has an amazing reputation. How could things fall apart so quickly.

Bo Horvat could have been guided into staying with Vancouver by more competent management instead of being a lame duck in a Canucks sweater. The trade to the New York Islanders might benefit the Canucks in the long run but the loss of leadership looms large now.

Trent Cull also lost his job as an assistant coach. Adam Foote has been named an assistant coach and Sergei Gonchar has been hired as a defensive development coach.

Tocchet has coaching experience, mostly as an assistant coach. He did lead Tampa Bay from 2008–2010 and Arizona from 2017-2021. He spent the last year and a half on TNT studio coverage.

Tocchet, like Boudreau, can't play defence or get Thatcher Demko back in goal quickly. A coaching change is like changing the colour of a couch that is on fire.

As we alluded to last month, the unofficial is now official. The 2023 Heritage Classic will feature the Battle of Alberta at Commonwealth Stadium on October 29. That date is the day after the end of the CFL season. The Edmonton Elks home season ends 15 days before the NHL game.

The starting time is still to be announced. The original Heritage Classic was at night in Edmonton. As far north as Winnipeg and Regina (recent Heritage Classic sites) are, Edmonton is much further north so that would affect sunshine issues and sunsets.

The October 28 edition of Hockey Night in Canada won't feature either Alberta team so they can get ready for the Heritage Classic.

2022 NHL preseason schedule

Our guide to the NHL Canadian teams coverage

Really sad news about Ottawa Senators assistant coach Bob Jones being diagnosed with ALS. Our hearts go out to his family, friends, and the entire Ottawa Senators organisation.

Canadian ads from fall 2022 NHL Center Ice free preview

Turns out there was a brief NHL Center Ice free preview running January 1-7. This was on a week where there were no Canadian teams on Monday or Wednesday. The free previews used to have a pattern compared to the random lack of pattern.

NHL the month in preview January 2023

NHL the month in preview December 2022

NHL the month in preview November 2022

NHL the month in preview October 2022

Gary Bettman says NHL teams do not tank. Connor Bedard would be that reason, if they did. Bedard was the World Juniors tournament MVP with 9 goals and 14 assists with 2 game-winning goals in only 7 games. Shane Wright scored a key goal on his birthday in the gold medal game for the Canada team in the World Juniors. Gord Miller pointed out that Halifax wouldn't have another long wait to host the tournament. Presumably, this also applies to Moncton, the co-host for the 2023 tournament.

Tracking the NHL 2022 media changes

January 11 Nashville @ Toronto, 7:30p Kenny Albert/Eddie Olczyk/Keith Jones TNT
January 12 Toronto @ Detroit, 7p Bob Wischusen/Ray Ferraro/Emily Kaplan ESPN
January 14 Calgary @ Dallas, 2p Stephen Nelson/Kevin Weekes NHL Network
January 19 Tampa Bay @ Edmonton, 9p John Buccigross/Ray Ferraro/Leah Hextall ESPN
January 23 Columbus @ Calgary, 9:30p John Buccigross/Ray Ferraro/Leah Hextall ESPN+/Hulu
January 25 NY Rangers @ Toronto, 7p Kenny Albert/Eddie Olczyk/Keith Jones TNT
January 25 Columbus @ Edmonton, 9:30p Brendan Burke/Darren Pang/Jennifer Botterill TNT

ESPN has listened to some of my pleas and had Ray Ferraro on all 3 of its games in January. 2 of them games were in Western Canada, the channel's only 2 regular season games in Canada. By the way, unless the schedule changes, ESPN and ESPN+/Hulu has no more games in Canada until the playoffs.

Stephen Nelson and Kevin Weekes are my top choices for a NHL Network crew. They got an exciting game involving the Calgary Flames.

We get where John Buccigross got a little too excited over the Columbus presence with Johnny Gaudreau in Calgary. That would be easier to take if ESPN weren't so reluctant to come to Canada.

TNT lost one of its studio people in Rick Tocchet when he took over as the Vancouver head coach. The only scheduled game TNT has left involving the Canucks is March 8 with a home game against Anaheim. Could be a fun reunion.

CanadianCrossing.com NHL coverage

We had no bananas or CBC promos in December. January had all of that.

There were 3 Hockey Night in Canada games available. We have covered the new shows as well as CBC News Explore.

The first promo of the January 21 game ran before the beginning of the 2nd period, which is a technical violation. The CBC Docs promo was relevant since the content from the Jason Priestley directed film was about longtime Maple Leafs owner Harold Ballard.

We have complained when the CBC promos run after commercials yet running them after betting commercials is definitely worse.

January 7 early game: Run the Burbs; Bollywed (1st); Son of a Critch; National Skating Championships (2nd); Son of a Critch; Bollywed (3rd)

January 14 early game: National Skating Championships; Bollywed (1st); Son of a Critch; Run the Burbs; Bollywed (2nd); CBC News Explore (3rd)

January 21 early game: None (1st); CBC News Explore; Run the Burbs; CBC Docs [Offside: The Harold Ballard Story]; Canada's Ultimate Challenge (2nd); Bollywed; Son of a Critch (3rd)

photo credit: NHL; NHL
Twitter captures: @TheAthleticNHL

NHL the month in preview January 2023

TNT starts 2023 with a couple of Toronto home games. Nashville crosses the border (11) in their yellow sweaters. The U.S. network has an Original 6 game as part of an all-Canadian doubleheader as the New York Rangers come to Scotiabank Arena (25) followed by Johnny Gaudreau and his squad in Edmonton.

The main ESPN network gets close to being on Canadian soil with the Maple Leafs in Detroit (12). Finally, the network finally crosses into Canada almost a year and a half into the new deal with Dave Randorf's team in Edmonton (19). TNT had the opening half of that latter rivalry back in November.

NHL Network features the Toronto Maple Leafs on Hockey Night in Canada hosting Detroit (7), in Boston (14), and a rare all-Canadian matchup in Montréal (21) as part of Hockey Day in Canada. Calgary gets a Showcase game in Dallas (14).

The Winnipeg Jets get 3 games in the month: in Pittsburgh (13) and hosting Arizona (15) and St. Louis (30). Ottawa gets more love from the U.S. channel hosting Nashville (9) and in Pittsburgh (20).

The Maple Leafs also get a Sunday game hosting Washington (29).

ESPN+/Hulu finally figured out how to get to Canada 4 days later after the addition of the Oilers game mentioned earlier and finally shows a NHL game on Canadian soil. Maybe they were afraid of how good butter tarts are and stayed away as a result. The U.S. network will show Johnny Gaudreau's return to Calgary (23). Unless the schedule changes significantly, these will be the only ESPN games in Canada in the regular season in 2 years of the contract.

Why is Rogers Sportsnet giving a gift to the CBC to let the public broadcaster show a Friday night game? Best not to ask. Both CBC and Sportsnet will show the Battle of Ontario at Scotiabank Arena on January 27 as a Hockey Night in Canada Special.

Hockey Day in Canada will be on January 21 in Owen Sound, ON. Tampa Bay is the lone U.S. team and there are 2 prime time games in the East. ESPN+ will have the other 3 games that day for the U.S. audience.

The NHL takes an All-Star Game break February 2-5 so we have added the February 1 game to this schedule.

TNT

January 11
Nashville @ Toronto, 7:30p
January 25
NY Rangers @ Toronto, 7p/Columbus @ Edmonton, 9:30p

ESPN

January 12
Toronto @ Detroit, 7p
January 19
Tampa Bay @ Edmonton, 9p

NHL Network

January 7
Detroit @ Toronto, 7p (HNIC)
January 9
Nashville @ Ottawa, 7:30p
January 13
Winnipeg @ Pittsburgh, 7p
January 14
Calgary @ Dallas, 2p (Showcase)
Toronto @ Boston, 7p (HNIC)
January 15
Arizona @ Winnipeg, 7p
January 20
Ottawa @ Pittsburgh, 7p
January 21
Toronto @ Montréal, 7p (HNIC)
January 29
Washington @ Toronto, 5p
January 30
St. Louis @ Winnipeg, 8p

ESPN+/Hulu

January 23
Columbus @ Calgary, 9:30p

Hockey Night in Canada

January 7

Detroit @ Toronto, 7p/St. Louis @ Montréal, 7p/Seattle @ Ottawa, 7p/Colorado @ Edmonton, 10p

January 14

Toronto @ Boston, 7p/Montréal @ NY Islanders, 7p/Ottawa @ Colorado, 7p/Vancouver @ Florida, 7p/Edmonton @ Las Vegas, 10p

January 21 (Hockey Day in Canada)

Tampa Bay @ Calgary, 3p/Toronto @ Montréal, 7p/Winnipeg @ Ottawa, 7p/Edmonton @ Vancouver, 10p

January 28

Montréal @ Ottawa, 7p/Philadelphia @ Winnipeg, 7p/Chicago @ Edmonton, 10p

Rogers Sportsnet national telecasts

January 3 Seattle @ Edmonton, 9p

January 5 Colorado @ Vancouver, 10p

January 9 Seattle @ Montréal, 7:30p/Nashville @ Ottawa, 7:30p

January 10 Vancouver @ Pittsburgh, 7p

January 11 Nashville @ Toronto, 7p/Edmonton @ Anaheim, 10p

January 13 Winnipeg @ Pittsburgh, 7p

January 14 Calgary @ Dallas, 2p

January 16 Ottawa @ St. Louis, 8p/Calgary @ Nashville, 8p

January 18 Pittsburgh @ Ottawa, 7p/Colorado @ Calgary, 9:30p

January 23 NY Islanders @ Toronto, 7p/Columbus @ Calgary, 9:30p

January 25 NY Rangers @ Toronto, 7p/NY Islanders @ Ottawa, 7p/Columbus @ Edmonton, 9:30p

January 27 Ottawa @ Toronto, 7p (Hockey Night in Canada Special)/Calgary @ Seattle, 10p

January 30 St. Louis @ Winnipeg, 8p

February 1 Boston @ Toronto, 7:30p

Dreams do come true. 👀@FriedgeHNIC reports that the Heritage Classic is returning to Edmonton next year for the Battle of Alberta at Commonwealth Stadium. pic.twitter.com/6FwIV2LM4T

— Sportsnet (@Sportsnet) December 11, 2022

While not official, Elliotte Friedman reported that the 2023 Heritage Classic will be the Battle of Alberta from Commonwealth Stadium. Friedman said the game would likely be in October.

Lake Louise seemed more ideal but the logistics were more difficult. Commonwealth Stadium was the site of the original Heritage Classic in 2003.

The potential October date means the game won't be that cold, the NHL will continue its lackluster promotion (compared to the U.S. outdoor games), and this will affect the CFL Edmonton Elks. The 2023 CFL schedule has the Elks final home game is October 14 with a road game in Winnipeg and a bye to finish the season.

This means one of the U.S. networks will be required to carry the Battle of Alberta.

Maybe Montréal can get an outdoor NHL game when Gary Bettman is no longer the NHL commissioner.

Canadian ads from fall 2022 NHL Center Ice free preview

NHL the month in preview December 2022

The Ottawa Senators were supposed to go into the holiday break with a home game against Detroit on December 23. The winter storm made that non viable so the game was postponed until February 27.

After last year's COVID-19 postponements, having a game postponed because of weather feels a lot more normal. 

NHL the month in preview November 2022

NHL the month in preview October 2022

Monday Night Hockey is the replacement for Hometown Hockey. David Amber shifted from the late Saturday Hockey Night in Canada slot to host the Monday segments. Cassie Campbell-Pascall and Anson Carter are consistently on the panel with a random fourth person.

Hope Carter is enjoying those Atlanta-Toronto flights. They may get rougher as winter truly rolls into Canada. Carter gets to show off his hockey insights in a better format than the TNT studio show. Campbell-Pascall feels at home in this format. She is working as an analyst for ESPN games. Greg Millen took over as the fill-in for Kelly Hrudey on Calgary Flames telecasts with Rick Ball.

The studio setup is very above average but not sure what the draw is otherwise. Maybe that is the draw. The studio crew is better than the Wednesday night games.

Happy Holidays 2022 includes Season 11 of Letterkenny

Carey Price will likely not play in the NHL for the Montréal Canadiens or any other team. We briefly touched on Carey Price and the whole hunting and guns issue last week. His heart seemed in the right place.

Feel free to read more for yourself.

2022 NHL preseason schedule

Our guide to the NHL Canadian teams coverage

Tracking the NHL 2022 media changes

December 1 Edmonton @ Minnesota, 8p Bob Wischusen/Brian Boucher/Leah Hextall ESPN+/Hulu
December 6 Toronto @ Dallas, 8:30p Bob Wischusen/Ray Ferraro/Emily Kaplan ESPN+/Hulu
December 14 Vancouver @ Calgary, 10p Brendan Burke/Darren Pang/Jennifer Botterill TNT
December 18 Ottawa @ Minnesota, 2p Jamie Hersch/Dave Reid NHL Network
December 21 Edmonton @ Dallas, 9:30p Kenny Albert/Eddie Olczyk/Keith Jones TNT
December 28 Calgary @ Seattle, 10p John Forslund/Darren Pang/Kathryn Tappen TNT
December 30 Edmonton @ Seattle, 10p Leah Hextall/Ray Ferraro ESPN+/Hulu

We note that schedules are subject to change. TNT switched out its previous game on December 28 and brought in the Calgary Flames in Seattle. A good point to check back with the blog for updates, good or bad.

John Forslund is the local Seattle announcer, continuing a TNT pattern with Canadian teams. Kathryn Tappen normally works for NBC.

The December 6 game took a while to show up on the ESPN+ menu. Odd to look for the exclusive game and that game isn't even on the ESPN+ NHL page. Hulu might have had it but the games only show up on my computer, not the TV path.

The all-Canadian matchup on December 14 was our first look at the backup TNT team this season. Burke does a fine, credible job. Pang and Botterill make the team what it is. Having Botterill helps because she covers the Canadian teams on Hockey Night in Canada. Good to see her get plenty of work on both sides of the border.

Jamie Hersch did a good job in the NHL Network showcase game (18). The Senators didn't do as well.

ESPN+/Hulu gave a nice gift at the end of the calendar year with an all-Canadian crew with the Oilers in Seattle.

CanadianCrossing.com NHL coverage

Rogers Sportsnet had already decided to take the December 3 Maple Leafs game for itself, not knowing Mitch Marner would set the all-time Toronto record for most consecutive games with a point at 19. Marner finished his streak at an impressive 23 games.

As we predicted, the Habs-Oilers game in Edmonton was way more exciting with a lot of power play goals and lead changes.

.@NHLNetwork went from one of best @NHL crews to the worst crew to chase #AlexOvechkin. Saved its audience time because they weren't going to sit through what was on the screen. Ovi didn't even get the goal.

— Chad Rubel (@canadian_xing) December 18, 2022

The December 17 CBC promos would have been American holiday specials, Canadian shows coming in January, and their news and sports outlets. There were 3 potential Hockey Night in Canada games available. The December 3 game had Rogers Sportsnet playing the Grinch while the December 10 game on the NHL Network aired on Citytv. NHL Network switched out the HNIC feed for the December 17 game for less than logical reasons.

ESPN+ did offer both feeds, something they don't normally do for a NHL Network game.

The NHL Network continued its obsessive Alex Ovechkin chase, showing the NBC Sports Washington feed for a Ottawa home game and Winnipeg road game in subsequent days.

You can check out our CBC television winter preview to see what some of those promos could have been. Hopefully, January will mean some CBC promos.

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