Weekend Off! Your Hockey Night in Canada Announcers/Open Thread

7PM, Detroit vs. Toronto, CBC Full Network, NHL Net US
Play by Play: Jim Hughson
Color: Craig Simpson
Inside the Glass: Glenn Healy
Reporter: Elliotte Friedman

7PM, New Jersey vs. Ottawa, CBC Ottawa
Play by Play: Dean Brown
Color: Gary Galley

7PM, Tampa Bay vs. Montreal, CBC Quebec
Play by Play: Bob Cole
Color: Greg Millen and Guy Carbonneau

10PM, NY Rangers vs. Calgary, CBC Full Network
Play by Play: Mark Lee
Color: Kevin Weekes
Reporter: Scott Oake

Coming Soon To the NHL Network: More Radio on TV

We love NHL Live, it’s usually dependent on the host of the day, but the show ultimately entertains us most afternoons when we see it.  So, NHL Network thinks, why don’t we add some more radio simulcasting to it’s network during those dull mid-day hours where they could be airing a re-run of a radio simulcast.  They’ve added XM Home Ice’s Scott Laughlin-hosted “The Power Play”.  If you, like me, have never heard the show, here is your description from Home Ice’s Website:

Scott Laughlin shares the spotlight with one of the world’s leading hockey shrines and takes listeners on an end to end rush of hockey excitement. Hockey’s greatest names – players, coaches, general managers and legends – come together to deliver the most comprehensive hockey program in radio history all right from the floor of Wayne Gretzky’s Restaurant in downtown Toronto. You never know who is going to drop in to give us the ‘man advantage’ but you can be assured, it will be entertaining, informative and always on the net.

Tell us what to expect, readership.

NHL Network Featured Schedule Next Week, Including HHOF Inductions and Reports from the GM Meetings

Monday, Nov. 9
6:30 Off the Ice: Pronger, Carter, Van Riemsdyk
7:00 2009 Hockey Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony
8:30 NHL On the Fly

Tuesday, Nov. 10
12:00 NHL Live at the GM Meetings
6:00 NHL On the Fly at the GM Meetings
7:00 2009 Lester Patrick Awards
8:00 NHL On the Fly

Wednesday, Nov. 11
12:00 NHL Live at the GM Meetings
7:00 LIVE: NY Islanders vs. Washington
9:30 NHL On the Fly

Thursday, Nov. 12
7:30 LIVE: New Jersey vs. Pittsburgh
10:00 NHL On the Fly

Friday, Nov. 13
8:00 NHL On the Fly
8:30 NCAA Hockey: St. Cloud State vs. North Dakota
11:00 NHL On the Fly

Saturday, Nov. 14
6:30 HNIC Pre-Game
7:00 LIVE: Calgary vs. Toronto
9:30 NHL On the Fly

Sunday, Nov. 15
5:30 2009 Hockey Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony
7:00 2009 Lester Patrick Awards
8:00 NHL On the Fly

Some Kindly Friday Suggestions for NHL Network

Some random thoughts on a night of the NHL’s flagship station:

1. Better game selections, please.  Nashville-Anaheim doesn’t exactly light my fire on a Thursday night, when Pittsburgh-Los Angeles is on in a similar timeslot.  Predators-Ducks just feels like a letdown, especially when considering Bob Miller & Jim Fox >>>>>> John Ahlers & Brian Hayward.  That said, if you were planning on showing us the FS Pittsburgh’s (Puck the Media’s official Worst Broadcasters Alive) feed, we would’ve skipped the night all together.
2. Something we definitely do like: eschewing lame local network intermission reports for On the Fly.  They showed us pretty extensive highlights of what other games are on at the same time, basically cutting to live look-ins, in addition to the necessary breakdown of the period at hand.  VERSUS would be bright to employ this.
3. That said, ON THE FLY NEEDS TO GET BETTER.  A host and three panelists needs to be the lineup every night.  Weeksie is great, and really getting better as an analyst on the show, but there need to be more voices.  Last Friday with Mark Osbourne and Bill Berg was a surprising example of improvement.  It was two guys not doing fake banter (VERSUS!) but having an honest discussion of the game.  Like what Baseball Tonight was before John Kruk.
4. Also, come on guys, please, we beg you, get the freakin’ show in HD.  We love the new graphics, especially the expanded ones for NHL Live.  It really does manage to make a radio show on TV more interesting.  But get On the Fly in HD… please!

We have another NHL Network story later today at 4, featuring the announcement of a new show that the network is adding.  We also have the net’s featured schedule at 2.  It’s NHL Network Fridays, apparently.

Hoedown Friday