Entries with the tag: hnic

Quit the Whining

by Alanah on 04/24/08 at 05:18 PM
Comments (8)

From Rory Boylen at The Hockey News:

And, yet, there are still complaints raining in about Hockey Night in Canada, the premiere hockey production.

Bias coverage.
Don Cherry is a hot-air-filled loud mouth. 
Bob Cole can’t keep up with the play.
P.J. Stock, the bubble boy, is uninformed and irrelevant.

Give it a rest. Next thing you know people will be complaining how Foster Hewitt welcomed the hockey fans from Canada and Newfoundland, but not Quebec or any other province, in the opening sequence.

The fact of the matter is, HNIC is the best of the best, the cream of the crop, the hockey fan’s weekly spiritual gathering, if you will.

Couldn’t agree more.

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It’s Not About No-Touch Icing

by Alanah on 03/24/08 at 03:02 PM
Comments (5)

From Ken Campbell at The Hockey News,

It was about as predictable as an episode of Three’s Company. The moment Kurtis Foster of the Minnesota Wild went hurtling into the boards and broke his leg last week trying to beat Torrey Mitchell of the San Jose Sharks to the puck, the usual hue and cry came from the hockey community calling for an immediate move to no-touch icing.

The loud dresser with the loud mouth who rules Canada during the first intermission on Saturday night was, of course, first in line, continuing to beat a nag that he has had for years.

How noble.

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*If you need a reminder, Campbell’s piece is partly in reference to this clip from Don Cherry on the latest Coach’s Corner.

Jim Hughson Signs 6 Years with CBC

by Alanah on 03/11/08 at 01:25 PM
Comments (15)

From CBC:

CBC Sports announced Tuesday that it has re-signed Gemini Award-winning announcer Jim Hughson to a six-year contract.

The new deal goes into effect immediately and runs through to the end of the 2013-14 NHL season.

Hughson, from Fort St. John, B.C., will continue to work on two of CBC’s major sports properties, Hockey Night in Canada and Blue Jays baseball, during the course of the agreement.

Since Hughson has been fairly clear he will not be working both at Rogers Sportsnet and CBC in the future—it was to be one or the other—it seems Canucks fans are now awaiting word of a new play-by-play man for next season. 

Any nominations? Hughson’s tenure will be a tough act to follow.

Leafs Fans Need a Safe Haven

by Alanah on 03/04/08 at 09:28 PM
Comments (4)

Toronto fans: Are you looking for a team to make it through the long, cold nights ahead?  William Houston at the Globe & Mail inspired me tonight when he questioned: Whatever will CBC do without Toronto on the schedule?  And it’s coming.

Despite the cheery optimism of Mats Sundin & Co., the Toronto Maple Leafs are unlikely to make the playoffs.

Still, the conversation on the most recent Hockey Night focused almost entirely on the Leafs, 12th in the Eastern Conference.

The national hockey media’s preoccupation with the Leafs is hardly news, but it does encourage me to extend an olive branch to Leafs fans. 

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Play-by-Play Man Needed

by Alanah on 02/15/08 at 12:14 PM
Comments (12)

From the Canucks/Wild game last night, on Sportsnet Pacific:

JOHN GARRETT: Do you think Alexander Edler ever gets excited? I don’t think so.
JIM HUGHSON: No. Typical of the Swedish defensemen… I don’t think they get excited when they get a paycheque.

Speaking of Jim Hughson, I always had a feeling that CBC was a threat to Canucks fans.  And so finally it comes to pass… bad things are on the horizon.

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Bright Lights, Small Town

by Alanah on 02/13/08 at 10:30 AM
Comments (4)

When CBC’s Hockey Day in Canada came to the Cowichan Valley [map] last weekend, it was an exciting experience for a community accustomed to being somewhat isolated on this Pacific island. 

With a climate more suited to year-round street hockey than frozen ponds, Vancouver Island might be unique environment when it comes to hockey culture in this country.

But I think it’s also fair to say that the game is as important to people here as anywhere else in the nation, and Valley resident Greg Adams—veteran of the Washington Capitals and six other NHL teams over his eleven-year career—gave me his thoughts on why that is.

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Ron MacLean on the NHL Hour Today

by Alanah on 02/07/08 at 12:28 PM
Comments (0)

CBC’s Hockey Night in Canada host Ron MacLean will be Gary Bettman’s guest on the NHL Hour today.

The NHL Hour broadcasts live Thursdays from 4-5 pm ET on NHL Home Ice, (XM channel 204) and NHL.com. The show will re-run on XM Satellite Radio and NHL.com, with archived shows available for download via a podcast on NHL.com.

*At showtime, listen live at this link.  While on the air, listeners can call into the show at 1-877-645-6696, or send questions/comments via this email address: .

It’s a Slippery Slope…

by Alanah on 01/28/08 at 01:11 PM
Comments (9)

Simon Tonekham’s blog relates this odd story of a Barrie, ON high school hockey player—Adam Zussino dyed his hair blue for the upcoming playoffs, and so the school “unofficially” suspended him.

The school officials told him that “hair colour is a concern to parents because there are a lot of different styles related to gangs.” The school officials meanwhile have to take the issue seriously. The dress code from that particular school states that, “Students shall not have extreme colours and styles related to certain subcultures … not in keeping with Christian values.“

Ummm, blue hair offends Christians...? (That’s a new one...) But anyway, support came from a surprising (or maybe not-so-surprising) source—Don Cherry:

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Start Naming Names

by Paul on 12/04/07 at 05:40 AM
Comments (0)

The segment HNIC did on Saturday regarding some of the hockey blogs has of course created some great conversation.

Probably the best thing I have read about it comes from Tom Benjamin at his NHL weblog,

I’m really tired of the unsupported criticism - advanced in the story by Kevin Allen - about the lack of accountability and journalistic ethics in the blogosphere. First, I think my readers hold me accountable. Every time I make a mistake, I hear about it in spades and so does everyone who reads the comments on the blog.

Second, if this really is a problem, it is time to name names instead of throwing it out as a general criticism. Which post or blogger violates or has violated the ethics of hockey journalism? Who has been irresponsible? Which opinion falls outside the boundaries of fair comment? Support the criticism with some evidence or shut up about it.

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The Bloggers On HNIC

by Paul on 12/01/07 at 06:50 PM
Comments (25)

Note: post is sticky to the top of KK for now.  Regular updates of hockey news will continue below.

____________

Great feature just on HNIC pre-game featuring many of the well known hockey blogs.  The mention was much appreciated and a great job by all the bloggers involved. We will have more in a bit.

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Penalty Or Not

by Paul on 11/23/07 at 08:27 AM
Comments (0)

from the Ottawa Citizen,

No one wants to return to the pre-lockout days, when players water-skied off opponents, particularly grievous in the neutral zone. Still, must the NHL call the love taps on shin pads?

In some games, officials do.

On Hockey Night In Canada’s Coach’s Corner last Saturday, Don Cherry showed a set of highlights to illustrate the dubious nature of many slashing and hooking calls. On any given night in the NHL, a player brushing his stick against another player’s shin pads or pants can result in a penalty.

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Entertaining Again

by Paul on 11/12/07 at 08:41 PM
Comments (3)

from William Houston of the Globe and Mail (Tuesday edition),

Hockey Night in Canada’s Hotstove panel on Saturday, composed of journalists for the first time this season, was provocative and entertaining — something it hasn’t been when retired players Scott Mellanby, Sean Burke and P.J. Stock made up the panel.

Al Strachan, who made his first appearance since 2005, when he was bounced from the show (some NHL club officials had complained to the CBC about the quality of his information), reported that TSN hockey analyst Glenn Healy is rumoured to be the leading candidate to replace Toronto Maple Leafs general manager John Ferguson.

It seemed like a trip into fantasyland, but was it? Sources say the Maple Leafs wanted to hire Healy about a year ago as Ferguson’s assistant.

more hockey media talk…

Darcy Tucker & Ron MacLean on the Prairies

by Alanah on 11/08/07 at 04:46 PM
Comments (0)

As I wrote back in July:

Darcy Tucker does have career aspirations.  And although there’s no confirmation that hockey is among them, he and Ron MacLean of Hockey Night in Canada have undertaken a new venture this summer: acting.

Photos and more about the show “Little Mosque on the Prairie” can be found here.  Meanwhile, their episode was finally aired yesterday and the video below documents Tucker’s and MacLean’s efforts:

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Mellanby Blames Bettman

by Alanah on 11/06/07 at 08:19 PM
Comments (4)

From Dave Waddell at the Windsor Star,

Essex native Ralph Mellanby, the 73-year-old former executive producer of Hockey Night in Canada for two decades, says NHL commissioner Gary Bettman is responsible for many of the league’s problems.

“Bettman to me is the real problem for hockey,” said Mellanby, who will be signing his book Walking with Legends Saturday at 2 p.m. in Chapters at the Devonshire Mall and at the Essex Legion at 3:30 p.m.

“He’s done so much damage to hockey it may never recover. We don’t have time to go through the litany of errors.”

Mellanby cites the usual laundry list of being in bad hockey markets, ignoring European opportunities, slowness to improve a deteriorating product, turbulent labour relations, the ignoring of Canadian markets, the reluctance to embrace change and some controversial TV deals and asks why Bettman is still employed.

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Coach’s Corner This Week

by Alanah on 10/21/07 at 02:19 PM
Comments (7)

From CBC via Youtube. Features footage of Jonathan Toews big goal the other night, plus Don Cherry’s commentary—with associated video clips—on the instigator rule.

*Thanks to George for passing on the clip!

Great HNIC Opening

by Paul on 10/15/07 at 08:34 AM
Comments (3)

If you are an “old schooler” like me, you will really enjoy the following video clip.

Younger hockey fans should watch too, a quick glimpse at hockey’s past greats!

thanks to Empty Netters for the pointer…

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HNIC Debut Review

by Alanah on 10/07/07 at 01:41 AM
Comments (3)

From William Houston at the Globe & Mail,

It was pretty, but, at times, it was pretty boring, too.

We’re talking about Hockey Night In Canada’s Saturday night debut with its new look and programming changes.  The new studio, consisting of leather chairs and a mahogany coffee table in front of a large screen, looks clubby. Visually, it was elegant and also a little staid.

When the conversation is also staid, that’s a problem. It’s a hockey telecast, after all, not Masterpiece Theatre.

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Ron MacLean Signs on 7 Years with HNIC

by Alanah on 10/01/07 at 03:43 PM
Comments (0)

From CBC,

Host Ron MacLean will be welcoming viewers to Hockey Night in Canada for at least the next seven seasons after agreeing to a new contract Monday.

The new deal will run through the 2013-14 campaign, which coincides with the television deal struck by the CBC and National Hockey League in March.

“For millions of Canadians, Ron is the face of CBC Sports, and we are absolutely thrilled to continue our partnership with him for the long term,” Scott Moore, the executive director of CBC Sports, said in a statement.

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HNIC For This Season

by Paul on 09/20/07 at 10:49 AM
Comments (3)

Let the 2007-08 season begin! CBC’S HOCKEY NIGHT IN CANADA continues to be the premier destination for hockey fans everywhere, with a fresh, jam-packed, action-filled broadcast package featuring a walloping 87-game schedule - more games than ever before - plus a record number of games in High-Definition, 18 regional matchups, 23 all-Canadian matchups, 11 afternoon games, seven tripleheaders, Saturday night doubleheaders all season long, the 26th season of the illustrious Coach’s Corner starring Don Cherry, the 2007 Hall of Fame Game, the AMP NHL Winter Classic outdoor game, the eighth annual CBC’S HOCKEY DAY IN CANADA celebration presented by Tim Hortons and the 56th NHL All-Star Game, all capped off with the 2008 Stanley Cup Playoffs and exclusive coverage of the 2008 Stanley Cup Final.

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HNIC Radio Begins Next Month

by Paul on 09/07/07 at 09:25 AM
Comments (0)

from CBC,

The CBC announced the launching of HNIC Radio on Sirius Satellite Radio Friday, bringing back the show’s radio roots which started 74 years ago.
HNIC Radio will air Monday through Friday from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m. ET beginning Oct. 1 on channel 122, and will be available to Sirius listeners throughout North America. Terms of the deal weren’t disclosed.
“This is a wonderful extension of the Hockey Night in Canada brand,” said Scott Moore, executive director of CBC Sports.

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