HNIC Will Add A Fifth Broadcast Team
August 24, 2011 8 Comments
I know a lot of you have speculated on this over the summer, now we have our answer. Bruce Dowbiggin reports:
In fact, Pilling said that, with the addition of a seventh Canadian team in Winnipeg, HNIC is adding a fifth broadcast crew. “We’ll have some announcements coming up about crews for the additional games and replacements for departed staff,” Pilling told Usual Suspects on Tuesday. For purposes of doubleheaders, Winnipeg will be considered for the first half of the bill (a 6 p.m. CT start).
“When we get to later in the season and teams are out of the running, we will adjust which teams get national exposure and which get regional coverage only,” Pilling said. “For now we’re very happy with the distribution of games that we have.”
Puck The Media 
Who has left CBC over the summer that they have to replace? That’s what I’m trying to figure out. Maybe (hopefully?) they’ve quietly fired PJ Stock.
For weeks where they need 5 crews, I’d do this:
Bob Cole, Glenn Healy on Toronto
Bruce Rainnie, Garry Galley on Montreal
Dean Brown, Greg Millen on Ottawa
Mark Lee, Kevin Weekes on Winnipeg
Jim Hughson, Craig Simpson on the 10pm ET game
A replacement is needed for Jeff Marek. I would assume he’s talking about him and to a lesser extent, Pierre Lebrun.
Your assignments make sense except I suspect Hughson and Simpson will stay on a 7 PM game
It’s really an intriguing puzzle. Dean Brown is virtually assured of staying with Ottawa, but beyond that I think they’d give the new guy (be it Rainnie or Robertson or someone else) the lowest-distribution game, which would be Winnipeg. Give Hughson the marquee 7 PM game, Cole the other one, and Lee the late game, and there you go.
Really that’s my only quibble with canadiansportsfan’s list – I don’t think they’ll waste Lee on the Prairies, nor do I think Rainnie would get Montreal in his first year.
As long as they don’t turn to Steve Armitage for PBP I’m happy!
As a Habs fan, I’ve enjoyed hearing Bob Cole call our games. And I was one of many who called for his retirement a couple of years ago.
Canadian announcers on the move: Dowbiggin reports that Dennis Beyak is the new voice of the Jets, doing regional TV games on TSN and radio if the game is on national TV. The Leafs will be in the market for a new B-team radio PBP guy, which should be interesting.
What I took from Dowbiggin’s column was that TSN will be using the same feed for radio and TV for games that they broadcast regionally. Too bad.
Josh – No, that is not happening nor inferred in the article.