Of the three rounds played so far in this year’s Stanley Cup Playoffs, the third round has been, by far, the most awkward for viewers and broadcasters – particularly in regards to the Blackhawks-Sharks Western Final. The series lasted the minimum four games but managed to rotate between three different broadcasters and three different start times, of which only one was in prime time. The complete audience ratings haven’t been disseminated yet, but it’s a good bet the numbers will be all over the place.
In terms of broadcasters, TSN had the rights to the first three games of the series and the specialty channel announced that it would use Chris Cuthbert and Pierre McGuire to call the action. But this wasn’t entirely accurate because NBC televised the first game in the U.S. and, for whatever reason, whenever NBC televises a game for which TSN holds the Canadian rights, TSN uses the NBC feed. So viewers in Canada got NBC’s Mike Emrick and Ed Olczyk for game one, TSN’s Chris Cuthbert and Pierre McGuire for games two and three, and then the series shifted to CBC where Jim Hughson and Craig Simpson called the action for game four. Hughson and Simpson would have continued to work the remainder of the series had it not been a sweep but, with the Blackhawks winning in four straight games, the top duo at Hockey Night in Canada was limited to calling only one game in the third round – and it was an afternoon contest to boot - not exactly a ratings bonanza for CBC.
Speaking of afternoon contests, the Blackhawks-Sharks series had two of them. In fact, the series comprised more afternoon games than prime time telecasts: Game one was on a Sunday afternoon (not good for TSN's ratings), game two a late night Tuesday (not good for TSN's ratings), game three a prime time Friday (much better for TSN's ratings), and game four back to a Sunday afternoon (back to poor ratings - this time for CBC). Throw in another afternoon contest for game four of the Canadiens-Flyers series (again, bad for CBC), juxtaposed against prime time starts for its other four contests (much better for CBC), and everyone had to have been scratching their heads as to why there wasn’t more consistency with start times. In all fairness to the NHL, the remainder of the third round was all scheduled to be played in prime time and promised to deliver a string of large audiences – the only problem was that both series were over too quickly for any of these games to actually get played. And so, don’t be surprised if the ratings we see in a few days aren’t quite as strong as those to which we have grown accustom - they certainly won't be consistent.
TONIGHT'S GAMES:
No games scheduled
Showing posts with label Jim Hughson. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Jim Hughson. Show all posts
Wednesday, May 26, 2010
Tuesday, May 25, 2010
Made for (U.S.) TV
It features neither Alex Ovechkin nor Sidney Crosby, but NBC has to be pretty happy nonetheless with the matchup for this year’s Stanley Cup Final. In fact, this year’s confrontation between the Chicago Blackhawks and Philadelphia Flyers is the third season in a row in which the final round involves two teams from major U.S. hockey markets. And, unlike the past two seasons in which one of the markets (Detroit) straddled the Canadian border and split the local audience with CBC’s Hockey Night in Canada, fans in both Chicago and Philadelphia will have no alternative to the U.S. telecasts.
As in past years, however, NBC will only show five of the potential seven games in the series, with the other two contests available to the American audience via cable only. The problem for NBC is that three of its five games will only be played if necessary, meaning that the network would only have two games to air in the event of a sweep. And should a sweep materialize, NBC would not air the clinching game. Of course, considering NBC’s level of “commitment” to hockey in general – particularly in the coveted prime-time spot in which all of the games will now air – the network may very well consider a short series to be a good thing.
In Canada, although CBC would have much preferred to see the Montreal Canadiens representing the Eastern Conference, the Flyers-Blackhawks matchup should still deliver good ratings – most notably for the first game which is scheduled for the public broadcaster’s traditional Saturday evening timeslot. Look for Jim Hughson, Craig Simpson, and Glenn Healy to work this series. The real loser in all of this is French-language RDS, which had benefited from amazing ratings with the Canadiens, but will now have its numbers plummet back to earth. Of note, Jacques Demers, who has been named to the Canadian Senate, saw his broadcasting career end last night with the elimination of the Canadiens. Demers will not work the final round.
STANLEY CUP FINAL - SCHEDULE:
1 - Sat. May 29 at Chicago, 8 p.m. (NBC)/(CBC)/(RDS)
2 - Mon. May 31 at Chicago, 8 p.m. (NBC)/(CBC)/(RDS)
3 - Wed. June 2 at Philadelphia, 8 p.m. (CBC)/(RDS)
4 - Fri. June 4 at Philadelphia, 8 p.m. (CBC)/(RDS)
*5 - Sun. June 6 at Chicago, 8 p.m. (NBC)/(CBC)/(RDS)
*6 - Wed. June 9 at Philadelphia, 8 p.m. (NBC)/(CBC)/(RDS)
*7 - Fri. June 11 at Chicago, 8 p.m. (NBC)/(CBC)/(RDS)
*if necessary
As in past years, however, NBC will only show five of the potential seven games in the series, with the other two contests available to the American audience via cable only. The problem for NBC is that three of its five games will only be played if necessary, meaning that the network would only have two games to air in the event of a sweep. And should a sweep materialize, NBC would not air the clinching game. Of course, considering NBC’s level of “commitment” to hockey in general – particularly in the coveted prime-time spot in which all of the games will now air – the network may very well consider a short series to be a good thing.
In Canada, although CBC would have much preferred to see the Montreal Canadiens representing the Eastern Conference, the Flyers-Blackhawks matchup should still deliver good ratings – most notably for the first game which is scheduled for the public broadcaster’s traditional Saturday evening timeslot. Look for Jim Hughson, Craig Simpson, and Glenn Healy to work this series. The real loser in all of this is French-language RDS, which had benefited from amazing ratings with the Canadiens, but will now have its numbers plummet back to earth. Of note, Jacques Demers, who has been named to the Canadian Senate, saw his broadcasting career end last night with the elimination of the Canadiens. Demers will not work the final round.
STANLEY CUP FINAL - SCHEDULE:
1 - Sat. May 29 at Chicago, 8 p.m. (NBC)/(CBC)/(RDS)
2 - Mon. May 31 at Chicago, 8 p.m. (NBC)/(CBC)/(RDS)
3 - Wed. June 2 at Philadelphia, 8 p.m. (CBC)/(RDS)
4 - Fri. June 4 at Philadelphia, 8 p.m. (CBC)/(RDS)
*5 - Sun. June 6 at Chicago, 8 p.m. (NBC)/(CBC)/(RDS)
*6 - Wed. June 9 at Philadelphia, 8 p.m. (NBC)/(CBC)/(RDS)
*7 - Fri. June 11 at Chicago, 8 p.m. (NBC)/(CBC)/(RDS)
*if necessary
Monday, May 17, 2010
Third Round Confirmations
So the third round got underway yesterday and, as expected, broadcasting executives and NHL schedule makers didn’t really throw fans any curve balls (pardon the baseball pun). As anticipated, NBC elected to go with the all-American matchup between San Jose and Chicago twice but was also forced to reluctantly accept one game between Montreal and Philadelphia. CBC, for its part, is covering the entire Canadiens-Flyers series and, as I forecasted, is opting to go with Bob Cole in the booth. As for Jim Hughson, he will work the Sharks-Blackhawks series beginning with game four, after TSN concludes its coverage of the first three games. Now that TSN doesn’t have multiple series to cover, Chris Cuthbert will work alongside Pierre McGuire for the specialty channel’s remaining broadcasts – which just goes to confirm my much earlier belief that it should have been Cuthbert as the network’s top play-by-play man, and not Gord Miller, calling the Canadiens-Capitals in the first round.
The Montreal Canadiens have heavily impacted TSN’s playoff coverage this year. In the first round, it was the presence of the Canadiens on TSN that gave the specialty channel its highest hockey ratings in the network’s history. But the continued presence of the Canadiens – now on CBC – has since had the opposite effect for TSN. The specialty channel has not yet released its ratings for the second round, but one can only imagine that they won’t come close to what CBC has been reporting: A whopping 4.239 million watched game seven between the Canadiens-Penguins on CBC alone, with another 2.417 million watching on French-language RDS – that means there weren’t too many people left to watch game six between the Flyers-Bruins on TSN, which aired at the same time as game seven of the Canadiens-Penguins series on the other networks.
And the news doesn’t get better for TSN. The Canadiens are still alive in the third round and will still continue to rack-up ratings for TSN’s competitors. Even more frustrating for the specialty channel, two of the three games it does get to broadcast in the third round start at non-peak times – a Sunday afternoon at 3 o’clock and a Tuesday night beginning afterhours at 10 o’clock. CBC, on the other hand, will have the Canadiens at 7 o’clock each night – except for Saturday, when the game will be played in the afternoon to accommodate U.S. television. Notwithstanding the bad foot on which the playoffs started for CBC, the public broadcaster has to be pretty happy with how things have since turned around.
TONIGHT'S GAMES:
No games scheduled
The Montreal Canadiens have heavily impacted TSN’s playoff coverage this year. In the first round, it was the presence of the Canadiens on TSN that gave the specialty channel its highest hockey ratings in the network’s history. But the continued presence of the Canadiens – now on CBC – has since had the opposite effect for TSN. The specialty channel has not yet released its ratings for the second round, but one can only imagine that they won’t come close to what CBC has been reporting: A whopping 4.239 million watched game seven between the Canadiens-Penguins on CBC alone, with another 2.417 million watching on French-language RDS – that means there weren’t too many people left to watch game six between the Flyers-Bruins on TSN, which aired at the same time as game seven of the Canadiens-Penguins series on the other networks.
And the news doesn’t get better for TSN. The Canadiens are still alive in the third round and will still continue to rack-up ratings for TSN’s competitors. Even more frustrating for the specialty channel, two of the three games it does get to broadcast in the third round start at non-peak times – a Sunday afternoon at 3 o’clock and a Tuesday night beginning afterhours at 10 o’clock. CBC, on the other hand, will have the Canadiens at 7 o’clock each night – except for Saturday, when the game will be played in the afternoon to accommodate U.S. television. Notwithstanding the bad foot on which the playoffs started for CBC, the public broadcaster has to be pretty happy with how things have since turned around.
TONIGHT'S GAMES:
No games scheduled
Thursday, May 13, 2010
Fog Clears on Third Round
Last night’s stunning Canadiens victory in game seven over the defending Stanley Cup Champion Pittsburgh Penguins confirms the third of four participants in the next round of the playoffs. Although the NHL schedule makers will have to wait until Friday night’s game seven between Philadelphia and Boston before publishing the dates and start times for the third round games, we already have a pretty good idea of what the schedule will look like and what the implications will be for the various broadcasters.
Obviously, CBC will be showing the entire Canadiens series – regardless which team they face – and the ratings promise to be huge. However, because game 7 of the Flyers-Bruins series goes Friday night, the eventual winner of that tilt will not be able to begin the next series against Montreal until at least Sunday, meaning CBC won’t get the Habs for the traditional Saturday night timeslot. The other series between Chicago and San Jose – which will be split between CBC and TSN – also can’t get underway until at least Sunday because the San Jose arena has a prior commitment on Saturday. Thus, there will be no Saturday night hockey this weekend.
NBC resumes its playoff coverage on Sunday afternoon after a long hiatus and then continues coverage the following weekend with games on both Saturday and Sunday afternoon. So, unless the NHL schedules the Blackhawks-Sharks on back-to-back afternoons (which is highly unlikely given the travel distance between the two cities), there won’t be any Saturday night hockey next weekend either. Of the three NBC telecasts, the U.S. network will probably have to take the Canadiens series at least once because of the back-to-back phenomenon, meaning that CBC will have to cope with a minimum of one afternoon game for the marquee series.
It could go either way – but look for Bob Cole to call the Canadiens series for the public broadcaster with Jim Hughson working the Blackhawks-Sharks. Cole, who rarely travels to the west coast, has done a great job covering the Canadiens – particularly the games in Montreal – and it would certainly make financial sense for him to stay out east, given that he lives in Newfoundland. Jim Hughson calls British Columbia home – only a short distance from San Jose.
Meanwhile, before TSN gets to its limited third round coverage, it has the privilege of televising game seven between the Flyers and Bruins. With the Flyers looking to win the series after trailing 3-0, the specialty network may very well be in for another ratings bonanza . . . but nothing like what the network's sister station RDS is going to attract for the Canadiens third round presence.
TONIGHT'S GAMES:
No games scheduled
Obviously, CBC will be showing the entire Canadiens series – regardless which team they face – and the ratings promise to be huge. However, because game 7 of the Flyers-Bruins series goes Friday night, the eventual winner of that tilt will not be able to begin the next series against Montreal until at least Sunday, meaning CBC won’t get the Habs for the traditional Saturday night timeslot. The other series between Chicago and San Jose – which will be split between CBC and TSN – also can’t get underway until at least Sunday because the San Jose arena has a prior commitment on Saturday. Thus, there will be no Saturday night hockey this weekend.
NBC resumes its playoff coverage on Sunday afternoon after a long hiatus and then continues coverage the following weekend with games on both Saturday and Sunday afternoon. So, unless the NHL schedules the Blackhawks-Sharks on back-to-back afternoons (which is highly unlikely given the travel distance between the two cities), there won’t be any Saturday night hockey next weekend either. Of the three NBC telecasts, the U.S. network will probably have to take the Canadiens series at least once because of the back-to-back phenomenon, meaning that CBC will have to cope with a minimum of one afternoon game for the marquee series.
It could go either way – but look for Bob Cole to call the Canadiens series for the public broadcaster with Jim Hughson working the Blackhawks-Sharks. Cole, who rarely travels to the west coast, has done a great job covering the Canadiens – particularly the games in Montreal – and it would certainly make financial sense for him to stay out east, given that he lives in Newfoundland. Jim Hughson calls British Columbia home – only a short distance from San Jose.
Meanwhile, before TSN gets to its limited third round coverage, it has the privilege of televising game seven between the Flyers and Bruins. With the Flyers looking to win the series after trailing 3-0, the specialty network may very well be in for another ratings bonanza . . . but nothing like what the network's sister station RDS is going to attract for the Canadiens third round presence.
TONIGHT'S GAMES:
No games scheduled
Monday, May 3, 2010
CBC Scores On Its Own Net . . . Again
To the surprise of many, Hockey Night in Canada regular Greg Millen was nowhere to be found on CBC’s coverage of the first two games of the Canadiens-Penguins series. Instead, veteran play-by-play broadcaster Bob Cole was paired with analyst Garry Galley in the booth, with third man Glenn Healy providing commentary from behind one of the nets. Although this trio was used together during the first round Senators-Penguins matchup, it was thought that Galley was only there because of his regional assignments with the Ottawa Senators during the regular season. Once the Senators were eliminated, he was supposed to cede his place to Greg Millen, who is Cole’s regular broadcast partner. So why didn’t this happen?
Sports media columnist William Houston suggests that Millen “appears to have fallen out of favour” at CBC and that it was the network’s decision not to use the “once presumed successor to Harry Neale” beyond the first round. But could the story be the other way around? Is it possible that Millen, tired at being given second tier assignments and regional telecasts, told CBC where to go? After all, Millen spent years slowly climbing the ladder at Hockey Night in Canada and must resent being relegated to back-up duties.
From his early days working as the “junior” alongside the likes of Dick Irvin – Millen was there in 1995 when Patrick Roy had his meltdown against the Detroit Red Wings – the young analyst eventually graduated to work the late game of the doubleheader with Chris Cuthbert. In 2007, Millen worked his first Stanley Cup Final alongside Bob Cole and Harry Neale. The next year, with Neale out of the picture, Millen was the sole analyst with Cole. But that was it. Craig Simpson – who arrived at the network in 2007 – called last year’s Final with Jim Hughson, and the two are expected to do the same this year and well into the future. Whereas it took Millen 12 years to receive his first Stanley Cup assignment, Simpson was handed the reins after only two seasons – and at Millen’s expense. It would be understandable if Millen were more than a little ticked-off. The respective parties are keeping pretty quiet on the issue: When columnist William Houston asked the executive producer of Hockey Night in Canada why Millen was no longer being used, her response was “because Garry Galley is”. As for Millen, his only comment was “have a good summer”.
Whether the public broadcaster was thrown a curve ball by Millen’s sudden departure, or whether the network itself was responsible for pulling the plug, the larger short-term question is why pick Garry Galley as Millen’s replacement? The highest ranking analyst after Simpson and Millen, based on assignment frequency during the regular season, wasn’t Galley – it was Kevin Weekes. Should we be reading anything into the fact that Weekes was overlooked? Is CBC trying to alienate its entire stable of commentators or just the television viewers that have to watch a first-rate series picked apart by a fourth-tier analyst?
I have nothing against Garry Galley personally, but the whole setup that CBC has going for this series is wrong. Galley is an Ottawa Senators guy – he hasn’t been assigned to another team all season long, and it isn’t fair to either him or the viewers at home that he be thrust into the spotlight of the Canadiens-Penguins matchup, trying to analyze two teams with which he isn’t very familiar. And then there is this whole business about having Glenn Healy behind one of the nets, providing sporadic commentary during the game from his “unique vantage point”. I know CBC elected not to cover the Canadiens first round series against Washington, but didn’t the public broadcaster realize that Montreal was getting badly outshot in these playoffs and that posting an analyst behind the other team’s net for two of the three periods may not be the best move? How, exactly, can Healy contribute to the telecast when all the action is taking place at the other end of the ice? With Galley unsure of what to say, Healy can’t come to the rescue, and the whole arrangement results in a heavily disjointed broadcast that puts Hall of Fame announcer Bob Cole between a rock and a hard place. He can't be too happy.
What amplifies all these problems for CBC are the quality telecasts TSN put together for the Canadiens-Capitals first round series. CBC’s second round coverage, to-date, pales in comparison. If CBC alienated fans in the first round by its absence, the public broadcaster continues to alienate the same fans this time around by its presence - only now an important chunk of on-air talent has joined the collective voice of discontent.
TONIGHT'S GAMES:
Flyers at Bruins - Game 2, 7 p.m. (TSN)/(RDS)
Canucks at Blackhawks - Game 2, 9 p.m. (CBC)/(RIS)
Sports media columnist William Houston suggests that Millen “appears to have fallen out of favour” at CBC and that it was the network’s decision not to use the “once presumed successor to Harry Neale” beyond the first round. But could the story be the other way around? Is it possible that Millen, tired at being given second tier assignments and regional telecasts, told CBC where to go? After all, Millen spent years slowly climbing the ladder at Hockey Night in Canada and must resent being relegated to back-up duties.
From his early days working as the “junior” alongside the likes of Dick Irvin – Millen was there in 1995 when Patrick Roy had his meltdown against the Detroit Red Wings – the young analyst eventually graduated to work the late game of the doubleheader with Chris Cuthbert. In 2007, Millen worked his first Stanley Cup Final alongside Bob Cole and Harry Neale. The next year, with Neale out of the picture, Millen was the sole analyst with Cole. But that was it. Craig Simpson – who arrived at the network in 2007 – called last year’s Final with Jim Hughson, and the two are expected to do the same this year and well into the future. Whereas it took Millen 12 years to receive his first Stanley Cup assignment, Simpson was handed the reins after only two seasons – and at Millen’s expense. It would be understandable if Millen were more than a little ticked-off. The respective parties are keeping pretty quiet on the issue: When columnist William Houston asked the executive producer of Hockey Night in Canada why Millen was no longer being used, her response was “because Garry Galley is”. As for Millen, his only comment was “have a good summer”.
Whether the public broadcaster was thrown a curve ball by Millen’s sudden departure, or whether the network itself was responsible for pulling the plug, the larger short-term question is why pick Garry Galley as Millen’s replacement? The highest ranking analyst after Simpson and Millen, based on assignment frequency during the regular season, wasn’t Galley – it was Kevin Weekes. Should we be reading anything into the fact that Weekes was overlooked? Is CBC trying to alienate its entire stable of commentators or just the television viewers that have to watch a first-rate series picked apart by a fourth-tier analyst?
I have nothing against Garry Galley personally, but the whole setup that CBC has going for this series is wrong. Galley is an Ottawa Senators guy – he hasn’t been assigned to another team all season long, and it isn’t fair to either him or the viewers at home that he be thrust into the spotlight of the Canadiens-Penguins matchup, trying to analyze two teams with which he isn’t very familiar. And then there is this whole business about having Glenn Healy behind one of the nets, providing sporadic commentary during the game from his “unique vantage point”. I know CBC elected not to cover the Canadiens first round series against Washington, but didn’t the public broadcaster realize that Montreal was getting badly outshot in these playoffs and that posting an analyst behind the other team’s net for two of the three periods may not be the best move? How, exactly, can Healy contribute to the telecast when all the action is taking place at the other end of the ice? With Galley unsure of what to say, Healy can’t come to the rescue, and the whole arrangement results in a heavily disjointed broadcast that puts Hall of Fame announcer Bob Cole between a rock and a hard place. He can't be too happy.
What amplifies all these problems for CBC are the quality telecasts TSN put together for the Canadiens-Capitals first round series. CBC’s second round coverage, to-date, pales in comparison. If CBC alienated fans in the first round by its absence, the public broadcaster continues to alienate the same fans this time around by its presence - only now an important chunk of on-air talent has joined the collective voice of discontent.
TONIGHT'S GAMES:
Flyers at Bruins - Game 2, 7 p.m. (TSN)/(RDS)
Canucks at Blackhawks - Game 2, 9 p.m. (CBC)/(RIS)
Thursday, April 15, 2010
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)
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)
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)