Dear CBC and those responsible for Hockey Night in Canada,
I’ve been watching Hockey Night in Canada on Saturday nights since before I could even walk or skate. Undoubtedly, Hockey Night in Canada is legendary, as both a radio show on CBC Radio from 1931 to 1976, as well as a TV program that has been around since 1952. In present times, there are always plenty of televised NHL games to watch on any given week, thanks to major networks like TSN and Rogers Sportsnet, speciality channels like Leafs TV and the NHL Network, and of course the smörgåsbord that is Center Ice Package. Yet HNIC is still a dear establishment to myself, and likely to the majority of hockey fans in this country. Its tradition and attention to hockey detail still cannot be beat.
The fact that I hold HNIC in such high regard causes me some remorse to say that I believe there to be a glaring problem with it. I’m well aware that the first game on Saturday nights is traditionally a Toronto Maple Leafs game. The Leafs must have a lot of influence such that the NHL generates a schedule that ensures that the Leafs play at 7PM Eastern every Saturday evening. Since HNIC is a “coast to coast” broadcast, the entire country sees the Leafs in the evenings’ first game.
Since the 1966-67 season, the Leafs have not won the Stanley Cup, and for the most part they haven’t been all that competitive. Yet they continue to be the highest-grossing NHL team in the league. The fact that they are a Canadian team in the country’s largest market surely plays a massive role in this. However, in terms of entertainment value, the Leafs have been a painful team to watch in recent years. As a hockey fan, I enjoy watching good hockey, and Leafs games are not good hockey. The team is atrocious. All the while, the CBC still insists on calling the program Hockey Night in Canada, when “Hockey Night in Toronto” would be more apt. And I say this as a person residing in southern Ontario (aka: “Leafs Nation”).
There are currently six NHL teams based in Canadian cities: Vancouver Canucks, Calgary Flames, Edmonton Oilers, Ottawa Senators, Montreal Canadiens and Toronto Maple Leafs. The second game of the night on HNIC broadcasts at least one of the three teams in western Canada (Canucks, Flames or Oilers), providing variety each week. Yet HNIC‘s first game of the night is always a Leafs game, even if one or both of the other two eastern Canada teams (Ottawa and Montreal) are playing. Until recently, francophone CBC affiliates showed Montreal Canadiens games on La Soirée du Hockey; why that doesn’t continue to this day, I’m not entirely sure. Since I’d like to see entertaining hockey, I’d much rather watch a Sens or Habs game now, than a Leafs game. Both Ottawa and Montreal have strong teams who are exciting to watch and have some star power. The Leafs, on the other hand, are a dismal team bound to miss the playoffs again, and are not very enjoyable to watch on most nights. To add, because the CBC is a public broadcasting network, Canadian tax payers finance it. By constantly being subjected to the lowly Leafs each Saturday evening, I believe that we, the Canadian tax payers, are not getting good value for our hard-earned dollars.
I propose a simple solution: treat Saturday evening’s first game the same way the second game is treated. Since the Saturday evenings that the Canucks/Flames/Oilers are televised on HNIC are varied, the Leafs/Senators/Canadiens should be treated the same way. The staggering number of Leafs fans would be on equal footing with Sens and Habs fans in terms of their favourite team’s games broadcast schedule, and there also are the other aforementioned networks capable of showing Leafs games. My proposed solution, or a similar one, seems fair and would hopefully ensure that Saturday evenings will truly continue to be a hockey night in Canada.
Sincerely,
Chris Bellini, a hockey fan and tax payer
8 Responses to "a plea to the cbc and hnic"
And yet us in the USA see no hockey games unless you buy the $200 package.
Sad.
Fair enough. I’m well aware that the majority of the US would rather watch cars repeatedly make left turns than watch hockey. Yet Gary Bettman would still like to see teams in Las Vegas and Kansas City. But that wasn’t the point of my post.
The point that I was making is that each and every Saturday night at 7PM Eastern during the 7 month-long regular season, no matter where you live in Canada, you will be watching a Leafs game. An American analogy to this would be if America’s team, the Dallas Cowboys, struck up a deal with the NFL and ESPN. This deal would guarantee that the Cowboys are broadcasted nation-wide on every Sunday night game on ESPN for each week of the regular season, regardless of whether Dallas is having a good season or not. That’s essentially what the NHL, CBC and the Leafs have done. And because the CBC is a publicly funded network, anybody who pays taxes in Canada is paying for this.
I think what Jason is trying to say is stop complaining – at least you get to watch hockey.
However, I agree with you….no more boring Leafs games!!! 🙂
What she said.
However soon (maybe) the NHL will be on NBC for the one night a week! Ya!
The myth that the “Leafs” are Canada’s team was, and still is, in large part, propagated by the CBC and its Toronto Centric Hockey Night in Canada crew (read Hockey Night in Toronto) that has been force feeding the Maple Leafs down the throats of so many Canadians for decades (perhaps fair enough before 1980). They refuse to carry any game (a few very rare exceptions) but a Toronto game outside the Ottawa Valley in the 7PM to 10 PM Eastern time zone slot– and that small favour for Ottawa fans has only been in existence for the past two years!. If I didn’t know better, I would think the CBC are in cahoots with MLSE for a share of the obscene profits the corporation makes from its shoddy product, CBC huckstering, and the easy to fleece, long suffering fan base – a fan base artificially fostered outside of southern Ontario by the CBC. Leaf nation would be very tiny outside of the GTA (except perhaps for a few over 40 diehards) if other Canadian teams were given equal time on the CBC. Do you really believe that everyone outside the GTA loves Toronto as a city? Give TSN credit for, while realizing that TO residents make up a sizeable viewership, at least trying to be neutral (outside of weighted coverage) and not becoming cheerleaders for what passes as a hockey team.
If I was Eugene Melnyk and other Canadian owners, I would seriously consider suing the CBC for its blatant boosterism of Toronto, at Ottawa’s and other Canadian teams literal and figurative expense. With few exceptions, the Toronto Maple Leafs have done NOTHING over the past 40 years to earn the following that they have, except through a massive media propaganda machine that too many naïve Canadians have bought into.
I agree with the esteemed Mr. Bellini. The early broadcast of HNIC would be sad if it wasn’t already so pathetic.
There are three eastern teams that deserve to be showcased to the rest of the country, just like those teams in the west.
La Soirée du Hockey is unfortunately no longer because RDS was provided the rights to Habs games beginning in 2005. The SRC, as a public, general-interest network, was not allowed to provide exclusive airtime to the Habs, and RDS airs all 82 regular-season Habs games.
As a result, La Soirée du Hockey went bye-bye, but perhaps the English broadcast can be a little more egalitarian.
Dave.
No it’s not a myth. There’s no “Canada’s” team it’s just when the leafs are on Generally. Nationwide ratings are really high. Meaning they can sell more ads and make more money. Not to worry PPV hockey is coming soon. You’ll be able to see any game you want. And we won’t have to be subjected to this mindless drivel again.
Here’s another idea, just pony up for the Hockey Package. I did. That way I’m not subjected to the Canucks every Sat night.
I completely agree with Chris B. It really sucks to watch the Leafs lay yet another clinker when the Sens or Habs are playing good hockey. The CBC should follow the NFL system. For the prime time slot on Sunday, the NFL tries to put the best game on.
I grew up right in the middle of the Toronto/Ottawa/Montreal triangle so I felt the pain when I could not watch competitive hockey coming out of Scotiabank Place.
Now I’m in Edmonton. Do we get the Oilers every night? No, we get variety. CBC should treat the eastern Canadian market in the same manner.
Now there is talk of getting rid of the HNIC song!
Canada’s other National Anthem. Does Gary Bettman run the CBC as well?
SHAME!
Chris