| Hockey Night in Canada | |
|---|---|
 The current logo, used since1998 | |
| Also known as | Hockey Night in Canada presented by Rogers Hockey Night in Canada on Sportsnet Hockey Night in Canada on CBC Molson Hockey Night in Canada on CBC(1988–1998) |
| Presented by |
|
| Starring |
|
| Theme music composer | John Herberman (since 2014) |
| Opening theme | "The Hockey Theme" (1968–2008) "Canadian Gold" (2008–present) |
| Country of origin | Canada |
| Original language | English |
| Production | |
| Production locations | Canadian Broadcasting Centre,Toronto (until 2021) Rogers Building,Toronto (since 2021) |
| Camera setup | multi-camera |
| Running time | >6 hours |
| Production companies |
|
| Original release | |
| Network |
|
| Release | November 12, 1931 (1931-11-12) – May 16, 1976 (1976-05-16) |
| Network |
|
| Release | October 11, 1952 (1952-10-11) – present |
| Related | |
| NHL on Sportsnet NHL on ABC (U.S. over-the-air broadcaster) La Soirée du hockey | |
Hockey Night in Canada (often abbreviatedHockey Night orHNiC) is a long-running program of broadcastice hockey play-by-play coverage in Canada. With roots in pioneering hockey coverage on private radio stations as early as 1923, it gained its current name as theCanadian Broadcasting Corporation (CBC) formed in 1936, and by that time had solidified its focus on theNational Hockey League (NHL). Transitioning to television in 1952, the program became a Canadian Saturday night cultural fixture and was an exclusive mainstay ofCBC Sports through the2013–14 NHL season. The program continued to be broadcast onCBC Television and expanded to several other outlets in a cross-licensing arrangement followingRogers Media's acquisition of exclusive NHL television rights in Canada beginning in2014–15; the CBC maintains ownership[3] of the Hockey Night in Canada brand itself.
Saturday NHL broadcasts began in 1931 on theCNR Radio network, and debuted on television in 1952. Initially games were aired once a week, but doubleheader games had debuted in 1995 at 7:30 pm and 10:30 pm(ET) start times. Since 1998, the games begin at 7:00 pm and 10:00 pm (ET). The broadcast features various segments during the intermissions and between games, as well aspre-game andpost-game coverage of games that day, and player interviews. It also shows the hosts' opinions on news and issues occurring in the league.
Ahead of the2014–15 season,Rogers Media had secured exclusive national multimedia rights to NHL games and would sub-license Saturday night and playoff games to the CBC. In addition, theHNiC brand would be licensed to Rogers forSportsnet-produced SaturdayNHL broadcasts airing on CBC Television, as well as the Rogers-ownedCitytv and Sportsnet outlets.[4] This sub-license agreement runs through the end of the Rogers deal with the NHL.
Hockey broadcasting originated withplay-by-play radio broadcasts from Toronto'sArena Gardens, which began on February 8, 1923, on Toronto stationCFCA whenNorman Albert announced the third period of play of an intermediate men'sOntario Hockey Association game.Foster Hewitt took over announcing duties within a month,[5] and after several years of sporadic coverage that began to includeNational Hockey League games, the broadcasts went national in 1931 as theGeneral Motors Hockey Broadcast. The program began broadcasting Saturday-nightToronto Maple Leafs games onNovember 12, 1931, over theCanadian National Railway radio network, of which CFCA was an affiliate. The more-powerfulCFRB replaced CFCA as the program's Toronto flagship station in 1932. The show was sponsored byGeneral Motors Products of Canada and produced byMacLaren Advertising, which had acquired exclusive radio-broadcasting rights forMaple Leaf Gardens fromConn Smythe in 1931 and produced the TV broadcast that becameHockey Night in Canada from 1952 until 1988.
TheCanadian Radio Broadcasting Commission (CRBC) broadcast MontrealCanadiens andMaroons games on itsQuebec stations in 1933.[6]Imperial Oil took over sponsorship from General Motorsthe following year, and the broadcast became known as theImperial Esso Hockey Broadcast.[7][8] The broadcasts began at 9 p.m.Eastern Time, around the start of the second period of play. The games began to be broadcast on theCanadian Broadcasting Corporation (CBC), the CRBC's successor, in 1936. The program acquired what would become its permanent title—Hockey Night in Canada—around that time, which was coined by Foster Hewitt.[9] It featured the Maple Leafs and was hosted by Gordon Calder, with play-by-play announcer Hewitt andcolour commentary byPercy Lesueur, in much of Ontario and points west.[6] Montreal Maroons broadcasts were hosted by Doug Smith andElmer Ferguson in English, andRené Lecavalier called Montreal Canadiens games in French. After the Maroons folded in 1938, Smith and Ferguson hosted Canadiens games in English. The popularity of the radio show (and Hewitt) across Canada made it an obvious choice for early Canadian network-television programming.
Although it was never carried on a U.S. radio station,HNIC became popular with listeners in thenorthern United States; if a U.S.-based team (inBoston,Chicago,Detroit, orNew York City) was playing in Toronto on a Saturday night, thousands of fans in the American city whose team faced the Leafs would listen to the CBC broadcast viaskywave (usually via 50,000-watt flagshipsCBL orCBM); a game often attracted more listeners toHNIC than local stations did.
CBC Radio aired Saturday-nightHNIC broadcasts through 1965, followed bySunday Night NHL Hockey through 1976 (when the program moved to national television). Toronto's CFRB (originally a CNR Radio affiliate) took over the broadcast from CFCA in 1932, and continued to broadcast Maple Leaf games for many years with CBC Radio's Toronto station CBL.[6]
Hockey Night in Canada began airing on Saturday nights onCBC Television in1952. According to the CBC,instant replay made its world debut on a 1955HNIC broadcast; CBC director George Retzlaff made akinescope of a goal, and replayed it for the television audience seconds later.
Regular-season games were not broadcast in their entirety until 1968, and only one game was televised each Saturday night until the 1990s. From 1952 to 1964, theHNIC telecast followed the lead of the radio broadcast by beginning at 9 p.m. ET; games were typically joined in progress shortly before (or during) the second period. Its start time was moved up to 8:30 p.m. ET at the beginning of the1963–64 season, allowing games to be joined in progress late in the first period. In the fall of 1968, regular-season games were shown in their entirety and the program began at 8 p.m. Although a handful of games were broadcast incolour during the 1966–67 regular season, allHNIC games began colour broadcasting during the1967 Stanley Cup playoffs. From 1965 through 1975,HNIC also produced and broadcast a Wednesday-night game onCTV (the CBC's privately owned competitor); the midweek games began to be broadcast by local stations during the1975–76 NHL season.
TheVancouver Canucks joined the NHL in1970–71, increasing the number ofHNIC venues from two to three. During the1979–80 and1980–81 seasons, four more Canadian teams (theEdmonton Oilers,Quebec Nordiques,Winnipeg Jets, andCalgary Flames) joined the NHL or relocated from the United States. The Oilers and Flames were featured frequently, since the teams were playoff contenders during the 1980s. The Nordiques, owned byCarling O'Keefe (a rival ofHNIC sponsorMolson) with a small Anglophone fan base, were never broadcast fromQuebec City during the regular season.
The CBC announced before the preliminary round of the1976 playoffs that they would not televise any preliminary-round games, and the rights were sold back to the individual Canadian teams. SinceMontreal earned abye into the quarterfinals, this impactedToronto andVancouver's television coverage. WhileCHCH andCITY televised all three games of the Toronto-Pittsburgh series (withBill Hewitt andBrian McFarlane),CHAN picked up the Vancouver-New York Islanders series. Game 1 of thePhiladelphia-Toronto playoff series was televised locally toSouthern Ontario by CHCH. Game 1 of the1977Pittsburgh-Toronto playoff series was seen regionally insouthern Ontario onHamilton's CHCH.
During the1978 playoffs, theNHL Network begansimulcasting many games withHockey Night in Canada.Dan Kelly, the NHL Network's lead play-by-play announcer, covered play-by-play withHNIC's colour commentators; in Game 7 of the quarterfinal series between theToronto Maple Leafs andNew York Islanders on April 29, 1978, Kelly teamed up withBrian McFarlane. The1978 Stanley Cup Finals between theMontreal Canadiens andBoston Bruins and the1979 Stanley Cup Finals between theMontreal Canadiens andNew York Rangers were also simulcast.[10]
On April 9, 1980, the CBC carried theACTRA Awards ceremony. Game 2 of theHartford–Montreal playoff series was televised in French and theEdmonton-Philadelphia andToronto-Minnesota games were shown only on local stationsCITV inEdmonton andCHCH inHamilton, respectively. TheVancouver-Buffalo game was televised by the CBC regionally inBritish Columbia, since the ACTRA Awards show wastape-delayed intoprime time on thewest coast.
Except for the1982 Stanley Cup Finals, the CBC's only other nationally televised postseason games that year were the April 23Boston-Quebec game (Game 6), the April 25 Quebec-Boston game (Game 7), and the May 6Vancouver-Chicago game (Game 5). All the other games were seen regionally.
CTV had the national rights for the 1986Calgary-St. Louis playoff series, except in theCalgary market (in which the CBC andMolson retained exclusive rights). CTV was unable to televise Games 2 and 3 of this series due to prior commitments. The CBC was allowed to televise Games 2 and 3 toAlberta andBritish Columbia, but not nationally.
On April 18, 1988 (during Game 1 of theMontreal–Boston playoff series) at 8:08 p.m. local time,Quebec experienced a power outage. Darkness envelopedMontreal and theForum; the Forum's reserve generators could only illuminate the rink enough to keep the game moving, and the CBC abandoned its coverage after the first period.Chris Cuthbert was assigned by the CBC to report and provide updates on Game 1 of theWashington-New Jersey playoff series. When Quebec blacked out, the CBC tasked Cuthbert with working the rest of the game. In Boston,WSBK-TV lost the picture but continued audio of the game withFred Cusick andDerek Sanderson by telephone.[11][12]Canwest/Global aired the 1988Calgary-Edmonton playoff series nationally, except for theEdmonton andCalgary markets (where the CBC retained exclusive rights).
AfterWayne Gretzky was traded to theLos Angeles Kings in1988, the network began showing occasionaldouble-headers when Canadian teams visited Los Angeles to showcase the sport's most popular player. The games were often joined in progress, since the start time forHNIC was still 8 p.m. ET, while Gretzky's Kings home games began at 7:30 p.m.Pacific (10:30 p.m. ET). Weekly double-headers became permanent during the1994–95 season, with games starting at 7:30 p.m. ET (4:30 p.m. PT) and 7:30 p.m. PT (10:30 p.m. ET), respectively. The start times were moved up to 7 p.m. ET (4 p.m. ET) and PT (10 p.m. ET) in 1998, with a 30-minutepre-game show airing at 6:30 p.m. ET (3:30 p.m. PT).
Paul Graham was the senior producer ofHockey Night in Canada from 1998 until 2009.[13][14]
Olympic women's ice hockey championCassie Campbell joinedHockey Night in Canada in 2006 as a rink-side reporter, becoming (on October 14, 2006) the first femalecolour commentator on anHNIC broadcast.[15] Campbell substituted whenHarry Neale was snowed in at his home inBuffalo.[16] (Helen Hutchinson was the first woman to appear onHNIC telecasts in 1974, when she conducted between-period interviews on the Wednesday night CTV telecasts.)
Trevor Pilling becameHNICexecutive producer on July 23, 2010, replacing Sherali Najak.[17] In September 2012, Steve Sloan and Joel Darling became the show's executive producers when Pilling became the head of CBC Sports programming.
The CBC's deal with the NHL ran through the2013–14 season, and was replaced in2014–15 by a sublicensing deal withRogers Communications. The deal included over-the-air broadcasts of games on theCBC Television network and digital broadcasts on CBCSports.ca. It was reached after controversy during the 2006–07 NHL season, when private broadcasterCTVglobemedia tried to acquire exclusive Canadian distribution rights to the NHL for its own networks (including broadcast networkCTV and cable channelsTSN andRDS).[18]
The CBC also producedHockey Night in Canada Radio, a daily radio program which premiered on October 1, 2007, onSirius Satellite Radio channel 122 (also known as Sports Play-by-Play 1). Although the broadcaster calledHNIC Radio a return "back to the radio airwaves" forHNIC,[19]HNIC Radio was an NHL-orientedtalk show with appearances byHNIC hosts and commentators; it did not cover games. After the merger of Sirius Satellite Radio and XM Satellite Radio, the show moved to NHL Network Radio (Sirius channel 207 and XM channel 211).[20] Rogers did not take over national radio rights to the NHL until the 2015–16 season, but the CBC ended production ofHNIC Radio for the 2014–15 season due to high production costs and conflicts with Rogers.[21]
We close tonight with what I said back in '87, [my] first time around at the helm of this broadcast, "Here's to an endless summer, and here's to an early fall ..." We will leave you congratulating the Los Angeles Kings with the music of Queen, and [we] bid you a goodHockey Night, for now.
Negotiating a new contract with the CBC, NHL commissionerGary Bettman reportedly recognized the broadcaster's financial difficulties and offered a smaller package which would have consisted of a national doubleheader on Saturday nights (as opposed to regional coverage of multiple games), reduced playoff coverage, and the loss of digital rights and the All-Star Game. Rights to the remaining properties not covered under the CBC contract would have been offered to other broadcasters. However,CBC Sports' staff (including executive directorJeffrey Orridge) continued to insist on exclusivity for every Saturday-night game involving Canadian teams. The CBC was unable to reach a deal; the league reportedly aimed for its next round of Canadian television contracts to have a total value of at least $3.2 billion.BCE (owners ofBell Media and previous cable rights-holderTSN) bid for sole national rights to the NHL, and attempted to contact the CBC about a partnership; the CBC Sports staff did not respond.Rogers Communications also made a bid of its own.[21]
On November 26, 2013, the NHL announced a 12-year deal with Rogers for exclusive Canadian television and digital media rights to all NHL broadcasts beginning with the2014–15 season; the deal was valued at $5.2 billion, twice as much as whatNBC paid for its 2011 long-term contract with the league. The CBC sub-licensed a package of games from Rogers, allowing the network to continue airingHockey Night in Canada for at least the first four seasons of the agreement (2014–15 through 2017–18).[23] The last CBC-producedHockey Night broadcast aired on June 13, 2014, when theLos Angeles Kings clinched theStanley Cup in a four-games-to-onefinal series over theNew York Rangers, ending with a montage set toQueen's"The Show Must Go On" which included season and playoff highlights interspersed with images and sounds from the CBC's six decades of NHL coverage.[24]
The new season had a significant change in format forHockey Night, with games no longer split by region. The CBC was joined by Rogers' over-the-airCitytv network, the Sportsnet family ofspecialty channels and (initially)FX Canada, who aired other games nationally with the CBC and shared theHockey Night in Canada brand. Decisions on network assignments for the games were made on a week-by-week basis, ensuring that viewers have live on-air access to everyHockey Night game.[25][26] The CBC continued to cover theNHL All-Star Game,Stanley Cup playoffs andStanley Cup Finals, with the latter simulcast on a Rogers network if needed. TheNHL Winter Classic aired in 2015 on the CBC, moving to Sportsnet the following year.[25][27]
The CBC did not pay any rights fees to Rogers or the NHL, but Rogers assumed responsibility for production and advertising sales. Promotions for CBC programs are included on CBC simulcasts; Rogers paid the corporation for CBC production staff[28] and rent for offices and Studio 41 of theCanadian Broadcasting Centre forHockey Night andSportsnet coverage.[21][29]Hockey Night in Canada was a financial boon forCBC Television, which received half of its total estimated advertising revenue from the broadcasts.[30] To assign responsibility for televised content, compliance with regulatory guidelines and advertising to Rogers, theHNIC broadcasts are broadcast on a part-time television network owned by Rogers' Sportsnet subsidiary and affiliated with the CBC's English-language television stations (although CBC Television branding and continuity is still used on air). A licence for the arrangement was approved by theCanadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission in April 2015.[31]
The loss of NHL rights accompanied other reductions in CBC funding and revenue, leading the corporation to cut its budget, staff, and programming. In April 2014, the CBC decided not to compete for NHL or other professional-sports broadcast rights.[32] Among staff members laid off were the advertising sales staff who handledHockey Night.[21] In an internal staff notification of the Rogers deal, CBC presidentHubert T. Lacroix wrote that the arrangement with Rogers "may not be the ideal scenario" for the CBC but the network would have suffered a major blow to its prestige if it was excluded from NHL broadcasts. Lacroix said that the deal "is the right outcome for Canadian hockey fans", allowingHockey Night in Canada to remain on the CBC for a wider audience at a low cost before the2015 Pan-American Games and2016 Summer Olympics (whose broadcast rights were owned by the broadcaster).[21][33] CBC staff called the agreement as a "structured exit" from NHL coverage if Rogers did not extend it.[23]
Rogers'Hockey Night was initially guided by Scott Moore, appointed Rogers Media president of Sportsnet andNHL properties in January 2014; Moore, with Rogers Media since 2010, was a former CBC Sports president.[34] Rogers reviewed on-air content and production of games and ancillary content, including announcers and other personnel.[35]Hockey Night's new look was revealed on March 10, 2014, when CBC personalityGeorge Stroumboulopoulos became studio host ofHockey Night andCitytv's Sunday nightHometown Hockey package with Sportsnet'sDaren Millard andJeff Marek. Stroumboulopoulos, an alumnus of Toronto sports radio stationCJCL and host of aCBC talk show, was seen as an effort by Rogers to expandHockey Night's appeal to a younger demographic.[36]
Although Ron MacLean ceded hostingHockey Night to Stroumboulopoulos, he remained withDon Cherry on theCoach's Corner segment and was the on-location host of Sportsnet'sHometown Hockey games.[37][38][39] Cherry, called "iconic" by Rogers president Keith Pelley, remained under contract to the CBC until he was released on November 11, 2019.[40] Several other CBCHockey Night veterans continued in roles withHNIC and Rogers' NHL coverage, including game announcersJim Hughson (who retired in 2021) andBob Cole (who retired in 2019); reportersElliotte Friedman,Scott Oake, andCassie Campbell-Pascall; and analystsGlenn Healy,Kelly Hrudey,Craig Simpson,Garry Galley, andP. J. Stock. New hires included game announcersDave Randorf andPaul Romanuk.[41][42]
The CBC-Rogers agreement reduced the CBC's advertising revenue, which fell by 37 percent in the last quarter of 2014 from the previous year. Industry analysts reported that, despite the agreement's increased promotion of other CBC programming, the corporation might lose more advertising revenue during the Stanley Cup playoffs.[43]
In June 2016, Rogers announced that George Stroumboulopoulos was leaving Sportsnet. Ron MacLean was reinstated as the studio host ofHockey Night's early game, in addition to his on-location role onHometown Hockey. David Amber was the late-game studio host.[44][45]
Bob Cole retired in April 2019, and Don Cherry was fired after a November 9 incident during his "Coach's Corner" for comments that suggested Canadian immigrants benefit from the sacrifices of veterans but do not wearRemembrance poppies.
On June 5, 2020, Sportsnet announced that it had hired TSN commentator and formerHockey Night in Canada broadcasterChris Cuthbert.[46] Jim Hughson retired before the2021–22 season.[47]Hockey Night features, until 2019, included the "Coach's Corner" segment during the first intermission of the first game.[48]
Hockey Night in Canada typically begins at 6:30 p.m. Eastern time (a little more than 30 minutes before the first game's opening faceoff) withHockey Central Saturday, apre-game show. Ron MacLean hostsHockey Central Saturday with analystsKelly Hrudey,Elliotte Friedman,Kevin Bieksa, andJennifer Botterill.[49]
The first game of the Saturday nightdoubleheader typically originates inEastern Canada, beginning at 7 p.m. ET (4 p.m. PT). Since2021–22,Chris Cuthbert,Craig Simpson, and Kyle Bukauskas serve as the lead broadcast team, primarily calling the CBCToronto Maple Leafs broadcast. Other Eastern Canada games aired onCitytv are called by the secondary team ofJohn Bartlett,Garry Galley, and Shawn Mackenzie. When three or more early games involve Canadian teams, Sportsnet uses its regional announcers for those broadcasts. From 2008 to 2020,Jim Hughson was the lead play-by-play voice ofHockey Night in Canada until his retirement on September 21, 2021; Hughson only called nationalVancouver Canucks home games during theprevious season due to theCOVID-19 pandemic.[50][51] Before the 2014–15 season, additional games involving Canadian teams were split to air regionally on CBC stations;Winnipeg Jets games were often seen inCentral Canada, andOttawa Senators games were seen in the Ottawa area and Eastern Canada.
During the 2015–16 season, the second-most-important game (typically featuring either the Jets, the Senators or the Montreal Canadiens) was allocated to Citytv. Sportsnet also sometimes simulcast the CBC's or Citytv's featured games, and broadcasters (of teams) regionally contracted to Sportsnet as needed. Although second-tier games were shown on Citytv during the inaugural season, these games were later moved to Sportsnet (with Citytv sometimes airing all-U.S. games or simulcasting the CBC game) to encourage pay-television subscriptions.[52][53]
Until the end of the first period on November 9, 2019, MacLean hosted "Coach's Corner"; the segment featured formerNHL Coach of the Year Don Cherry.[54][55] Cherry analyzed the first period(s) of the game(s) in progress, expressed his opinions about issues affecting the sport (or the league), and gave tips on various points of hockey; MacLean was Cherry'sfoil. "Coach's Corner" was followed by highlights of other evening games. MacLean also hosts "Saturday Headlines", the second-intermission segment, with Hrudey, Friedman, Bieska, and Botterill. The segment usually focuses on the previous week's NHL news, along with highlights and analysis of the games in progress.
Until November 9, 2019, after the "three stars" selection of the first game(s), and before the face-off of Game 2, MacLean and Cherry return to give updates on scores and highlights from around the league. The commentators for Game 2 preview the upcoming contest. Since then, the second-intermission crew return to give updates on scores and highlights from around the league.
On the November 9, 2019 "Coach's Corner", Cherry suggested that Canadian immigrants benefit from the sacrifices of veterans without wearingremembrance poppies: "You people that come here ... you love our way of life, you love our milk and honey, at least you can pay a couple bucks for a poppy or something like that! These guys paid for your way of life that you enjoy in Canada! These guys paid the biggest price."[56] TheRoyal Canadian Legion, Canada's poppy distributor, denounced Cherry's statement: "Mr. Cherry's personal opinion was hurtful, divisive and in no way condoned by the Legion."[57] Sportsnet apologized for his remarks, stating that they were discriminatory and offensive and "do not represent our values and what we stand for as a network."[58] His co-host, Ron MacLean, tweeted regret for giving a thumbs-up and for allowing Cherry to make the comments.[59] The NHL released a statement on Cherry's comments: "The comments made last night were offensive and contrary to the values we believe in."[60] Cherry later told theToronto Sun that he would not apologize: "I have had my say."[61]
TheCanadian Broadcast Standards Council (CBSC) said that its internal systems was overloaded by a high number of complaints.[62] Two days later, onNovember 11, Sportsnet president Bart Yabsley announced that Cherry had been fired: "Following further discussions with Don Cherry after Saturday night's broadcast, it has been decided it is the right time for him to immediately step down."[63] Cherry said to aToronto Sun reporter, "I know what I said and I meant it. Everybody in Canada should wear a poppy to honour our fallen soldiers ... I would have liked to continue doing 'Coach's Corner'. The problem is if I have to watch everything I say, it isn't 'Coach's Corner'".[64] He later said that if he had to do it again, he would have said "everybody".[65][66] The following Saturday, MacLean reflected on the incident duringHockey Night in Canada (his first without Cherry) and announced the end of "Coach's Corner".[54][55]
The second game airs at 10 p.m. ET (7 p.m. PT, 8 p.m. MT) on the CBC and Sportsnet, originating from a Mountain or Pacific Time Zone city and usually featuring at least one ofWestern Canada's three teams: theCalgary Flames,Edmonton Oilers orVancouver Canucks. Regular-season games rarely last longer than three hours since the introduction of quickerfaceoffs, and every double-header game is seen in its entirety.
Since 2024–25, for Western Canada games,Jack Michaels,Louie DeBrusk, andScott Oake are the lead broadcast team, while from 2016 to 2022,David Amber took over from MacLean as host. Like the early games, when at least two Western Canadian teams played, Sportsnet assigned regional announcers to call the games. From2012–13 until early in the2019–20 season, the first intermission of Game 2 contained a short analysis segment with Ron MacLean and Don Cherry followed by "Inside the Game" and "Scoreboard Saturday" with highlights of earlier games.[67]
Game 2 was followed on the CBC from2000–01 to 2014–15 byAfter Hours, a post-game show hosted by Oake and DeBrusk from the game's arena. The program featured a wrap-up of the night's games and a lengthy interview with (and viewer questions to) a player or coach, usually from one of the game's teams.After Hours was revived for 2016–17, and is shown on Sportsnet and the CBC.[68]
Only on rare occasions hasHNIC broadcast regular-season games involving two U.S.-based teams, and this has usually been due to exceptional circumstances. Special occasions have includedWayne Gretzky's final game in 1999 (which actually took place on a Sunday afternoon), the retirement ofSteve Yzerman's jersey in 2007,Sidney Crosby's comeback game inPittsburgh against theNew York Islanders in 2011, and early editions of the league's major outdoor games (such as theWinter Classic). However, due to their decline in popularity, outdoor games are no longer shown on the CBC or brandedHNIC unless a Canadian team is involved.
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The CBC provides extensiveStanley Cup playoff coverage every spring (focusing on Canadian teams), and has exclusive English-language rights to the Stanley Cup Finals. Its playoff coverage and rights to the Finals continue under the Rogers sublicensing agreement, with coverage shared with Sportsnet and all Canadian-based teams' series being shown on CBC. Due to rights agreements with Rogers, playoff games are not available to livestream on the CBC Gem or CBC Sports online platforms, even if the broadcast airs on CBC Television.
In1972,Hockey Night in Canada moved playoff coverage from the CBC toCTV to avoid a lengthyNABET strike against the CBC.Bob Cole, Dan Kelly andJim Robson shared the play-by-play for the CBC's1980 coverage.
In 1986, the CBC televised games one and two of theStanley Cup Finals inMontreal andCalgary; it televised games three, four and five nationally. WhenCTV televised games one and two, both games wereblacked out in Montreal and Calgary.
The first game four (May 24) of the1988 Stanley Cup Finals was hampered by fog before a power outage caused its cancellation with theEdmonton Oilers andBoston Bruins tied, 3–3. The CBC televised that game and the "official" fourth game (on May 26), which the Oilers won 6–3.
Since 2000, the CBC has aired an annualHockey Day in Canada to celebrate the game. The afternoon broadcast of hockey-related features leads up to a triple-header of NHL games with the seven Canadian teams: theCalgary Flames,Edmonton Oilers,Montreal Canadiens,Ottawa Senators,Toronto Maple Leafs,Vancouver Canucks, andWinnipeg Jets. The 2008 edition featured four games which included two American teams (Detroit and Colorado) with the six Canadian teams, due to the NHL's schedule format.COVID-19 travel restrictions in 2021 led to the Edmonton Oilers missing out; seven teams (an odd number) were in the temporaryNorth Division.
The broadcast includeslive segments from smaller communities across the country, and features panel discussions on issues facing "Canada's game" at the amateur and professional levels. Usually telecast on a Saturday in mid-February, it was shown in early January due to the2002 and2006 Winter Olympics; the 2007 event was also held in January (January 13). The 2010 broadcast was on January 30 because of the February2010 Winter Olympics, and the 2014 event was on January 18 due to the February2014 Winter Olympics.
Hockey Day in Canada has included world-record all-nightpick-up games fromRed Deer, Alberta (in 2001) andWindsor, Nova Scotia (2002). Viewers saw the games, without commentary, after the CBC ended regular programming for the night.
HDIC continued under the Rogers agreement, withScotiabank the sponsor. Since Sportsnet also holds national broadcast rights to theCanadian Hockey League, the 2015 edition included a prime-timeQuebec Major Junior Hockey League (QMJHL) game between the hostingHalifax Mooseheads and theCape Breton Screaming Eagles.[69][70]
When the 2005 edition was cancelled,TSN airedHockey Lives Here: Canada's Game. The telecast, based at theWorld Pond Hockey Championships inPlaster Rock, New Brunswick, featured NHL players playing anexhibition game to raise money for charities inHamilton, Ontario.
| Team | W | L | T | OTL |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Calgary Flames | 11 | 8 | 1 | 4 |
| Edmonton Oilers | 9 | 11 | 0 | 3 |
| Montreal Canadiens | 12 | 10 | 0 | 2 |
| Ottawa Senators | 11 | 11 | 0 | 2 |
| Toronto Maple Leafs | 11 | 9 | 0 | 4 |
| Vancouver Canucks | 13 | 7 | 1 | 3 |
| Winnipeg Jets | 10 | 3 | 0 | 0 |
| Anaheim Ducks | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Boston Bruins | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Chicago Blackhawks | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Colorado Avalanche | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Detroit Red Wings | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2 |
| Nashville Predators | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| New York Rangers | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Pittsburgh Penguins | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| San Jose Sharks | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| St. Louis Blues | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Tampa Bay Lightning | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
The CBC replacedHockey Night in Canada withMovie Night in Canada, a block of Saturday-night movies hosted by Ron MacLean fromjunior-hockey venues, during the2004–05 NHL lockout. A labour agreement was reached for the2005–06 NHL season.Movie Night in Canada was revived in 2020, when league play was suspended by the COVID-19 pandemic.[83] During the1994–95 and2012–13 lockouts, the CBC aired classicHockey Night in Canada games.
Hockey Night in Canada has occasionally airedalternate broadcasts of games in Canada'sminority languages, primarily as part ofHockey Day in Canada.HDIC simulcast a 2007 game between the Toronto Maple Leafs and Vancouver Canucks on theTLN cable channel inItalian, with features and commentary by soccer host Alf De Blasis.[84] It televised a 2010 game in theInuit languageInuktitut, with commentary byCBC North's Charlie Panigoniak and Annie Ford,[85][86] and games have been presented inCree,Hindi,Punjabi,Tagalog,Mandarin Chinese andCantonese.[85][87]
The CBC broadcast one series per round during the2008 Stanley Cup playoffs in Mandarin, and added a regular-season schedule of games in Punjabi (Canada's third- and fifth-most-spoken languages, after English and French)[88] on the network's website and some cable and satellite providers. It suspended the Punjabi broadcasts just before the 2010–11 season,[89] but coverage was restored for the 2013 season with a new sponsorship deal.[85][87]
With the transition to the Rogers contract, the Punjabi broadcasts moved to Rogers' multiculturalOmni Television stations asHockey Night in Canada: Punjabi Edition.[90][91]
Harnarayan Singh's Punjabi call of the game-winningPittsburgh Penguins goal byNick Bonino during the first game of the2016 Stanley Cup Finals wentviral.[92] Penguins head coachMike Sullivan, who showed footage of the call to the team as part of a video recap before game two, called it "entertaining".[93][94][95] Singh was invited to Pittsburgh to join the Penguins' Stanley Cup celebrations.[92] On November 30, 2016, Singh began to also participate in English-language broadcasts for Sportsnet.[96]
In 2022, theAboriginal Peoples Television Network (APTN) began to air a package of selectedHockey Night in Canada games in Cree; the network had previously sub-licensed a package of games from the formerHometown Hockey package in 2019. In 2025, the channel also added Inuktitut broadcasts.[97][98][99][100]
The CBC'sFrench sister network,Ici Radio-Canada Télé (then known as Télévision de Radio-Canada), airedLa Soirée du hockey withMontreal Canadiens games on Saturday evenings. The network had also airedQuebec Nordiques andOttawa Senators games occasionally during the regular season (if the Canadiens were not playing that night) and the Stanley Cup Finals.
During the2002–03 season,RDS secured exclusive French-language rights to the NHL. The deal, negotiated with the Canadiens rather than the NHL, was meant to ensure a consistent home for all Canadiens games. Radio-Canada did not bid for the rights, saying that it could not devote so much airtime to hockey. The announcement angeredHeritage MinisterSheila Copps, who suggested that the network was violating its licence conditions by not airingLa Soirée du hockey. When Radio-Canada carriedLa Soirée du hockey, play-by-play announcers includedRené Lecavalier,Richard Garneau, andClaude Quenneville.
Radio-Canada reached an agreement to produce the Saturday-night games asLa Soirée du hockey, simulcast on Radio-Canada and RDS. The agreement was terminated after the 2004 playoffs,[101] but the RDS-produced replacement (Le Hockey du samedi soir) continued to be simulcast on Radio-Canada outside Quebec – where RDS has limited distribution – through the2005–06 season. Radio-Canada stopped simulcasting RDS broadcasts in2006–07, and Rogers sold the French-language rights toTVA Sports.
WhenHNIC was on radio, it was broadcast over several powerful CBCclear-channel stations whose nighttime signals reached much of the northern United States; the games had a following inBoston,Chicago,Detroit, andNew York, which also had NHL teams at the time.Foster Hewitt acknowledged the listeners in his opening greeting, "Hello Canada, and hockey fans in the United States and Newfoundland" (beforeNewfoundland joined Canada in 1949; the line is immortalized in the opening montage of today'sHockey Night telecasts). This continued into the television era, waning in recent years with the expansion of local-team TV coverage onregional sports networks; someC-band satellite dishes, however, can still receive CBC over-the-air feeds. U.S.cable television outlets near theinternational border (includingMetro Detroit,Seattle,Buffalo,Burlington, Vermont andSault Ste. Marie, Michigan) typically carry a nearby CBC affiliate on their systems, although some systems carry a non-regional station). CBC stations are generally carried within about 150 mi (240 km) of the border, and are notblacked out.
During the 2008–09 season,Hockey Night's main games were simulcast weekly in the United States onNHL Network with pre- and post-game shows. If U.S.-based teams appear in these games, the telecast is blacked out in the markets of the participating teams or is televised by the U.S. team's local broadcaster. During the 2009–10 season, only the first game of theHNIC doubleheader was simulcast live on NHL Network; the second game and the post-gameAfter Hours program was shown Sunday ontape delay; the only exception wasHockey Day in Canada. Since the Rogers takeover,HNIC on NHL Network carries games regardless of broadcaster (the CBC or a Rogers network).
NHL Center Ice offers someHockey Night in Canada games at the same time as the CBC broadcast, usually regionalHockey Night games from Ottawa or Montreal.Center Ice generally shows the 7 p.m. ET games, because the late games are usually national.
From 2006 to 2021, theNBC networks (originallyOLN and Versus) simulcast CBC coverage of some games (generally first- and second-round matchups from Western Canada) instead of using their own crews and announcers. During the early 1990s,SportsChannel America similarly covered the Stanley Cup playoffs. Versus andNBCSN, its later incarnation, continued to use CBC and Sportsnet feeds to augment its own playoff coverage. All regular season games broadcast under the HNIC brand not on NHL Network are now[when?] available onESPN+ (in tandem with regional feeds involving games with U.S.-based teams), as part of parent companyESPN's 7-year agreement with the NHL.Blackout restrictions will[when?] apply for all games.
Hockey Night in Canada is also broadcast live (and occasionally as-live) in the United Kingdom and Ireland onViaplay. Although the pre- and post-game segments are not included, both games and the segments between periods are shown.Hockey Night in Canada was also seen in other European markets on ESPN America, distributed on cable and satellite platforms until 2013 (when ESPN America closed) Hockey Night in Canada is now broadcast in the UK and Ireland on Premier Sports now (Viaplay Sports in the UK). Until its closure in 2014,Canadian Forces Radio and Television rebroadcastHNIC games toCanadian Forces members overseas.[102]
Foster Hewitt, who welcomed Canadians to theradio broadcast each week, demonstrated that his style could also work on television in 1952. Hewitt continued to work in television for many years (including the 1972Summit Series between Canada and theSoviet national team), and his style of play-by-play announcing remained the same on television as it was on radio. Hewitt was followed byDanny Gallivan, Hewitt's son,Bill Hewitt,Dan Kelly,Bob Cole,Dick Irvin Jr.,Jim Robson, andJim Hughson. Previous show hosts includedWes McKnight,Ward Cornell,Frank Selke Jr.,Jack Dennett,Dan Kelly,Ted Darling,Dave Hodge,Brian McFarlane,Don Cherry,Dick Irvin Jr., andGeorge Stroumboulopoulos.
Ron MacLean was the host from the 1986–87 to 2013–14 season, and has been the host since the 2016–17 season.Chris Cuthbert,John Bartlett, andHarnarayan Singh are the primary play-by-play announcers, andCraig Simpson,Garry Galley, andLouie DeBrusk are the primary colour commentators.[103][45]Kyle Bukauskas,Shawn McKenzie, andScott Oake serve as the primary reporters/hosts. Sportsnet's regional announcers from theCalgary Flames andVancouver Canucks make occasional appearances when the teams hostHockey Night games.
On June 5, 2020, Sportsnet announced that it had hired TSN commentator and formerHockey Night in Canada broadcaster Chris Cuthbert.[46] Cuthbert joinedHNIC in time for the NHL post-COVID return, calling games from Edmonton. Dave Randorf's contract was not renewed, and he joined theTampa Bay Lightning as their play-by-play announcer.[104] Hughson announced his retirement after the 2020–21 season, and Cuthbert assumed the lead play-by-play role.[105]
The television show's original theme song was "Saturday's Game", a march composed byHoward Cable.[106] The CBC andMacLaren Advertising, the advertising agency responsible for the broadcasts at the time, later replaced it with the "Esso Happy Motoring Song".[107][108]
The companies commissioned "The Hockey Theme", composed in 1968 byDolores Claman and orchestrated byJerry Toth.[109] The CBC's most recent licence to use "The Hockey Theme" expired at the conclusion of the2007–08 NHL season. Claman's publisher issued a statement on June 4, 2008, that the CBC would not be renewing its rights to the composition.[110] CBC Sports head Scott Moore denied the reports, saying that the CBC wanted to keep the song and that negotiations on a new licence agreement for the song were ongoing.[111]
On June 6, 2008, the CBC announced that it could not reach an acceptable agreement to renew its licence. Rights to "The Hockey Theme" were picked up by CTV, which began using it for hockey broadcasts on itsTSN andRDS sports channels during the 2008–09 season.[112] (The theme was also featured during the closing ceremonies of the2010 Olympic Winter Games, aired on CTV.) The CBC said that it had offered nearly$1 million for perpetual rights to Claman's theme,[113] but Copyright Music was asking for $2.5 to $3 million. Copyright Music turned it down because it was " ... a settlement that barely covered our legal bills, let alone losses."[114] One proposed payment method would have allowed the CBC to continue using the theme at a cost of $500 per play ($65,000 annually) while not giving the corporation ownership of the music.[115] Despite being contacted by five parties interested in buying Claman's theme, "[Copyright Music] had no desire to start a bidding war."[116]
Moore said, "We have no real idea why the deal fell apart. We're not sure why because the other side hasn't communicated with us."[117] According to Copyright Music, Moore gave them an unrealistic deadline of 24 hours to meet him when his client was five time zones away.[118]
Moore also said that he did not thinkHockey Night in Canada would lose viewers if he lost the theme song: "Hockey's a game, not a song".[119] Mike Myers disagreed with Moore's ambivalence towards the song, calling it " ... the second anthem [of Canada]"[119] Canadian jazz-fusion bandthe Shuffle Demons jokingly introduced it as " ... [Canada's] national anthem" during performances.[120] In a CBC-website poll asking, "Can Canada go on as we know it without theHockey Night in Canada theme?", 84 percent said no.[121]
After the loss of "The Hockey Theme" to CTV, the CBC sponsored a nationwide search[122] (powered by the Filemobile media platform)[123] for a new theme in collaboration with theNettwerk label.[124] The contest began on June 10, 2008; by August 31, the end of the submissions period, the network received over 14,000 entries. They were reduced to five semi-finalists, whose themes were re-arranged by producerBob Rock and presented for public voting:
"Hockey Scores", one of the highest-rated submissions, was not chosen as a semi-finalist.[125] Written by Logan Aubé ofAurora, Ontario, the song is described by theNational Post as "an endearingly insane cacophony of screaming babies, screeching animals and gunshot blasts",[126] and byThe Globe and Mail as sounding "a lot like a baby riding an unco-operative sheep through an industrial grinder".[127] Aubé originally posted the song onSomething Awful, asking participants to vote for it on the CBC's contest website.[128] "Hockey Scores" quickly became the most viewed and among the highest rated of the contest'ssubmissions,[126][127] though the CBC would not make the decision based on popularity alone.[128]
Voting began on October 4, 2008, with two finalists picked for a final one-day vote.
The two finalists—Burke's "Sticks to the Ice" and Oberst's "Canadian Gold"—were announced on October 9, 2008. On October 11, after a final round of voting, "Canadian Gold" was announced by Don Cherry onScotiabank Hockey Tonight as the newHNIC theme. Oberst received $100,000 plus 50 percent of the song's royalties, the other half of which would be donated tominor hockey. The CBC received exclusive rights to the song for three years, and renewed its rights for the 2011–2012 season.
A re-orchestrated version of the theme was introduced for the 2014–15 season, arranged and orchestrated by John Herberman and recorded in Toronto by a 50-piece orchestra. Herberman also created an extensive library of newstings andbumpers derived from the main theme.[129]
Hockey Night in Canada has received fourGemini Awards from six nominations, mostly for Ron MacLean:[130]
Critics ofHNIC's programming allege that the program favours the Toronto Maple Leafs.[131] The CBC did not air the March 11, 2006 pregame sweater-retirement ceremony for Canadiens legend (andslapshot inventorBernard "Boom Boom" Geoffrion), continuing its planned broadcast of a Toronto Maple Leafs-Tampa Bay Lightning game; Geoffrion had died earlier in the day. The CBC devoted portions of its coverage to Geoffrion (including a pregame tribute and acknowledgements during the first intermission and on "Coach's Corner"), and the ceremony was broadcast in full by French-language outlets. A CBC spokesperson said that the network received a "handful" of complaints about the lack of coverage; if the broadcaster aired the ceremony in full, it would have preempted the Leafs game for 40 minutes. AnOttawa Citizen article considered the decision an example of perceived bias towards the Maple Leafs by the CBC, which did not want to "offend" their fans by not showing the full game.[132]
Criticism ofHNIC's content often focused on Don Cherry, who made controversial statements during his live on-air segments.[133] Cherry was criticized for insultingQuébécois and European players, some of whom he called "soft".[134] According to Cherry, Americans were ruining the NHL.[135] Despite these controversies, Cherry's popularity among Canadians endured.[136]
The Rogers-produced "Coach's Corner" was shortened from 10 minutes to five, which was criticized by Cherry and MacLean during the first segment of the new season. The following Monday, Scott Moore had a brief discussion with Cherry; he laughingly said, "If you have more to talk about, all you need to do is make sure you tell the executive producer what you want to talk about and we'll make sure you have lots of time."[137]
| Preceded by none | NHL English network broadcast partner in Canada 1952 – present withCTV (1984–1986) withGlobal/Canwest (1987–1988) sublicensed underSportsnet (2014–present) withCitytv (2014–present) | Succeeded by Incumbent |
