Cuthbert Shutout from TSN's Top Line

Foster Hewitt, Danny Gallivan, Bob Cole, and Chris Cuthbert: Conventional wisdom once held that this was going to be the natural evolution at Hockey Night in Canada. Until, that is, Cuthbert was terminated by CBC in early 2005 - a casualty of the NHL's season-long lockout. TSN wasted little time hiring Cuthbert and having him work the network's top CFL telecasts, including the Grey Cup Championship Game. But when it came to hockey, TSN was - and still is - reluctant to give Cuthbert what he has rightfully earned.

During the 1988 Stanley Cup Playoffs, a power outage at the Montreal Forum forced CBC to switch away from the lead Canadiens-Bruins telecast to the back-up Capitals-Devils game. Cuthbert, who had been positioned solo in Washington to provide sporadic updates on the out-of-town scoreboard, suddenly found himself doing play-by-play, providing colour commentary, and acting as intermission host. Impressed with his work, CBC made Cuthbert into a Hockey Night in Canada regular - first pairing him alongside Dick Irvin for Canadiens games and, later, assigning him to the second game of the network's doubleheader. In 1998, Cuthbert won a Gemini Award for Best Sports Broadcaster and, in 2004, was recognized by Sports Media Canada as Sportscaster of the Year. It was Cuthbert who called the outdoor Heritage Classic game between the Canadiens and Oilers and it was Cuthbert who was scheduled to take over primary play-by-play duties for Bob Cole when the latter retired. But then the lockout hit, CBC had to cut costs, and Cuthbert ended-up at TSN.

For whatever reason, TSN has always considered Cuthbert second fiddle to Gord Miller. I have nothing against Miller or his work, but no one is ever going to mention him in the same breath as Foster Hewitt or Danny Gallivan. Nonetheless, since Cuthbert joined TSN, most of the top hockey work has gone Miller's way. The one notable exception was the Gold Medal Game at the Vancouver Olympics, but only because Cuthbert had it explicitly written into his contract. Other than that one game, Miller regularly gets the network's top assignments: Calling Canada's semi-final game and two of Canada's three preliminary round games at the Olympics (including the key matchup with the U.S.), the entirety of the annual World Junior Hockey Championship Tournament, and the best of TSN's NHL schedule.

Case in point: Chris Cuthbert was on the air last night from New Jersey, covering TSN's secondary Devils-Flyers series alongside Ray Ferraro. Why? Because Gord Miller will be on the air tonight from Washington, covering TSN's primary Capitals-Canadiens series with Pierre McGuire.

Now that the Olympics are over, one has to wonder for how long TSN can relegate Cuthbert to back-up duties. The chance to call Team Canada's gold medal performance on home ice was a once in a lifetime opportunity that Cuthbert now has under his belt. With that experience behind him, one would imagine he isn't going to be satisfied being demoted to the likes of the Philadelphia-New Jersey series for much longer.

Could Cuthbert return to Hockey Night in Canada? It may be emotionally difficult to do so - perhaps for both parties - but the fact is that CBC is in desperate need of play-by-play talent. After Jim Hughson, there isn't much long-term depth on the Hockey Night in Canada broadcasting bench. Bob Cole is in his late 70s and can't keep working forever, and neither Mark Lee nor Dean Brown is a serious contender to move up to the big games. If Cuthbert continues to be shutout from TSN's top line, he may be the heir apparent on Hockey Night in Canada after all.

TONIGHT'S GAMES:
Canadiens at Capitals - Game 1, 7 p.m. (TSN)/(RDS)
Bruins at Sabres - Game 1, 7 p.m. (CBC)
Kings at Canucks - Game 1, 10 p.m. (CBC)/(RDS)