NHL on RDS
Encyclopedia
LNH à RDS is a French Canadian
television program
that broadcasts National Hockey League
games on the cable
speciality channel Réseau des sports
(RDS).
announced a deal to licence its French-language broadcast rights for all of its preseason, season, and playoff games to RDS. This was controversial as it threatened the longest-running television show in Quebec, Radio-Canada
's La Soirée du hockey
. Days later, an agreement was reached whereby RDS and Radio-Canada would simultaneously broadcast Canadiens games on Saturday nights, saving the show. Within the province of Quebec, this arrangement stopped after the 2003–04 NHL season, and French-language Canadiens broadcasts now air only on RDS. Simulcasted coverage continued in regions that do not receive RDS on analog TV (all of Canada south/west of the Ottawa
Region) on Radio-Canada until the 2006–07 NHL season. In addition to Canadiens games, RDS also televises a smaller package of Ottawa Senators
games, which appear on either RDS or RIS as well as other games. RDS also has French-language rights to the Stanley Cup playoffs and Finals, regardless of what teams participate.
The NHL game broadcasts vary in name depending of the day of the week. Saturday games are known as Le hockey du samedi soir (Saturday Night Hockey) and Tuesday games are known as Les méchants mardis Molson-Ex (Molson-Ex Mad Tuesdays). Games involving the Montreal Canadiens on other days of the week are known as Le hockey Subway des Canadiens (Subway Canadiens Hockey) and Ottawa Senators games are similarly named Le hockey Subway des Sénateurs (Subway Senators Hockey). Games that do not involve the Canadiens or Senators are branded Le hockey Bud Light de la LNH (Bud Light NHL Hockey). The sponsor affiliations change from time to time.
from televising games in English as part of Hockey Night in Canada
). Also, RDS has exclusive rights to French television broadcasting rights for the NHL All-Star Game and Skills Contest, as well as one NHL game per week that does not involve the Canadiens and a minimum of 40 playoff games for either RDS or RIS. The Canadiens also granted RDS exclusive rights to 'new media' coverage for the team (i.e., cell-phone TV, pod-cast and others).
Most other broadcast contracts are acquired through TSN and ESPN.
" after the CBC decided not to renew its rights to the theme song. A re-orchestrated version of the tune, which has been the theme song of La Soirée du hockey and Hockey Night in Canada since 1968, will be used for hockey broadcasts on RDS and TSN beginning in the fall of 2008.
French Canadian
French Canadian or Francophone Canadian, , generally refers to the descendents of French colonists who arrived in New France in the 17th and 18th centuries...
television program
Television program
A television program , also called television show, is a segment of content which is intended to be broadcast on television. It may be a one-time production or part of a periodically recurring series...
that broadcasts National Hockey League
National Hockey League
The National Hockey League is an unincorporated not-for-profit association which operates a major professional ice hockey league of 30 franchised member clubs, of which 7 are currently located in Canada and 23 in the United States...
games on the cable
Cable television
Cable television is a system of providing television programs to consumers via radio frequency signals transmitted to televisions through coaxial cables or digital light pulses through fixed optical fibers located on the subscriber's property, much like the over-the-air method used in traditional...
speciality channel Réseau des sports
Réseau des sports
Réseau des sports , is a Canadian French language Category C specialty channel showing sports and sport-related shows. It is available in 2.5 million homes, and is owned by CTV Specialty Television Inc....
(RDS).
Background
In 2003, the Montreal CanadiensMontreal Canadiens
The Montreal Canadiens are a professional ice hockey team based in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. They are members of the Northeast Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League . The club is officially known as ...
announced a deal to licence its French-language broadcast rights for all of its preseason, season, and playoff games to RDS. This was controversial as it threatened the longest-running television show in Quebec, Radio-Canada
Télévision de Radio-Canada
Télévision de Radio-Canada is a Canadian French language television network. It is owned by the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, known in French as Société Radio-Canada. Headquarters are at Maison Radio-Canada in Montreal, which is also home to the network's flagship station, CBFT-DT...
's La Soirée du hockey
La Soirée du hockey
La Soirée du hockey was a popular ice hockey show in Quebec. It was the French language SRC equivalent of the English Canadian CBC show Hockey Night in Canada...
. Days later, an agreement was reached whereby RDS and Radio-Canada would simultaneously broadcast Canadiens games on Saturday nights, saving the show. Within the province of Quebec, this arrangement stopped after the 2003–04 NHL season, and French-language Canadiens broadcasts now air only on RDS. Simulcasted coverage continued in regions that do not receive RDS on analog TV (all of Canada south/west of the Ottawa
Ottawa
Ottawa is the capital of Canada, the second largest city in the Province of Ontario, and the fourth largest city in the country. The city is located on the south bank of the Ottawa River in the eastern portion of Southern Ontario...
Region) on Radio-Canada until the 2006–07 NHL season. In addition to Canadiens games, RDS also televises a smaller package of Ottawa Senators
Ottawa Senators
The Ottawa Senators are a professional ice hockey team based in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. They are members of the Northeast Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League...
games, which appear on either RDS or RIS as well as other games. RDS also has French-language rights to the Stanley Cup playoffs and Finals, regardless of what teams participate.
The NHL game broadcasts vary in name depending of the day of the week. Saturday games are known as Le hockey du samedi soir (Saturday Night Hockey) and Tuesday games are known as Les méchants mardis Molson-Ex (Molson-Ex Mad Tuesdays). Games involving the Montreal Canadiens on other days of the week are known as Le hockey Subway des Canadiens (Subway Canadiens Hockey) and Ottawa Senators games are similarly named Le hockey Subway des Sénateurs (Subway Senators Hockey). Games that do not involve the Canadiens or Senators are branded Le hockey Bud Light de la LNH (Bud Light NHL Hockey). The sponsor affiliations change from time to time.
Contract details
At the end of July 2007, RDS and the Montreal Canadiens extended their exclusive broadcasting rights contract through 2013. The deal includes all of the Canadiens' 82 regular season games and all of their playoff games, if need be (none of this precludes CBC SportsCBC Sports
CBC Sports is the division of the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation responsible for English-language sports broadcasting. The CBC's sports programming primarily airs on CBC Television, with some additional broadcasts on bold, CBC.ca, and occasionally CBC Radio One...
from televising games in English as part of Hockey Night in Canada
Hockey Night in Canada
Hockey Night in Canada is the branding used for CBC Sports' presentations of the National Hockey League...
). Also, RDS has exclusive rights to French television broadcasting rights for the NHL All-Star Game and Skills Contest, as well as one NHL game per week that does not involve the Canadiens and a minimum of 40 playoff games for either RDS or RIS. The Canadiens also granted RDS exclusive rights to 'new media' coverage for the team (i.e., cell-phone TV, pod-cast and others).
Most other broadcast contracts are acquired through TSN and ESPN.
Theme music
In June 2008, RDS's parent, CTV Inc., acquired the rights to "The Hockey ThemeThe Hockey Theme
"The Hockey Theme" is a Canadian theme song written in 1968 by Dolores Claman and orchestrated by Jerry Toth. It has been referred to as Canada's second national anthem....
" after the CBC decided not to renew its rights to the theme song. A re-orchestrated version of the tune, which has been the theme song of La Soirée du hockey and Hockey Night in Canada since 1968, will be used for hockey broadcasts on RDS and TSN beginning in the fall of 2008.
Current
- David Arsenault - Montreal Canadiens reports and interviews/Ottawa Senators host
- Joel BouchardJoel BouchardJoël Bouchard nicknamed "Mortimer" is a retired professional ice hockey defenceman who played in the National Hockey League. He is currently the president and general manager of the Blainville-Boisbriand Armada in the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League.-Playing career:Bouchard last played for the...
- Montreal Canadiens studio analyst/rinkside reporter - Yanick Bouchard - Le Hockey Bud Light de la LNH host
- Benoît BrunetBenoit BrunetBenoît Brunet is a Canadian retired professional ice hockey player. He was drafted by the Montreal Canadiens in the second round, 27th overall, of the 1986 NHL Entry Draft.-Playing career:...
- Montreal Canadiens studio analyst - Denis Casavant - Play-by-Play
- Alain Crête - Montreal Canadiens host/Ottawa Senators play-by-play
- Marc DenisMarc DenisMarc Denis is a former Canadian professional ice hockey goaltender, who last played with the Montreal Canadiens of the National Hockey League . For the 2009–10 season, he has been hired as the goaltenders' coach of the Chicoutimi Sagueneens, a Quebec Major Junior Hockey League team...
- Montreal Canadiens colour commentator - Norman Flynn - Le Hockey Bud Light de la LNH colour commentator/studio analyst/Ottawa Senators colour commentator
- Denis GauthierDenis GauthierDenis Gauthier, Jr. is a Canadian former professional ice hockey defenceman. A first round selection of the Calgary Flames at the 1995 NHL Entry Draft, Gauthier played for the Flames, Phoenix Coyotes, Philadelphia Flyers and Los Angeles Kings during his ten season National Hockey League ...
- Le Hockey Bud Light de la LNH studio analyst/Ottawa Senators studio analyst - Luc Gélinas - Montreal Canadiens interviewer
- Pierre HoudePierre HoudePierre Houde is a Canadian play-by-play sports announcer for RDS. He has announced broadcasts of Montreal Canadiens games since 1989. Over the years he was partnered with Pierre Bouchard and Yvon Pedneault. Since 2007, his partner has been former Canadiens player Benoit Brunet...
- Montreal Canadiens play-by-play - Michel Y. Lacroix - Le Hockey Bud Light de la LNH studio host
- Renaud Lavoie - Montreal Canadiens interviewer
- Patrick LalimePatrick LalimePatrick Lalime is a Canadian professional ice hockey broadcaster and former player. Lalime played twelve seasons in the National Hockey League with the Pittsburgh Penguins, Ottawa Senators, St. Louis Blues, Chicago Blackhawks and Buffalo Sabres...
- Le Hockey Bud Light de la LNH/Ottawa Senators Analyst - Jocelyn LemieuxJocelyn LemieuxJocelyn Lemiux is a retired former professional ice hockey player who played for the St. Louis Blues, Montreal Canadiens, Chicago Blackhawks, Hartford Whalers, New Jersey Devils, Calgary Flames and Phoenix Coyotes. He is the younger brother of fellow NHL player Claude Lemieux...
- Studio Analyst - Chantal Machabée - Montreal Canadiens ice level reporter
- Claude Mailhot - Ottawa Senators studio host
- Sylvain Pedneault - Montreal Canadiens player profiler
- Félix Séguin - Le Hockey Bud Light de la LNH play-by-play
- Mario TremblayMario TremblayMario Tremblay is a former professional ice hockey player and former coach in the National Hockey League...
- Montreal Canadiens studio analyst
Former
- Guy CarbonneauGuy CarbonneauGuy Carbonneau is a Canadian retired professional ice hockey player in the National Hockey League. He is also the president of the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League 's Chicoutimi Saguenéens. He has two daughters Anne-Marie and Kristina, with wife Line Carbonneau. Anne-Marie married his former...
- Montreal Canadiens studio analyst (2010–2011) - Jacques Demers - Montreal Canadiens analyst (2000–2010)
- Michel BergeronMichel Bergeron (hockey coach)Michel Bergeron is a former National Hockey League head coach.Bergeron coached the Quebec Nordiques from 1980 to 1987 before being traded to the New York Rangers for a first round draft pick and $75 000, a first in the NHL history...
- Montreal Canadiens analyst (2008–2010) - Bob HartleyBob HartleyRobert Hartley is a former head coach in the National Hockey League. He coached the Colorado Avalanche from 1998–2002, period during which he won the Stanley Cup . He also coached the Atlanta Thrashers from the 2003 up until the beginning of the 2007, when he was fired after the Thrashers got off...
- Ottawa Senators colour commentator/Le Hockey Bud Light de la LNH analyst (2008–2010) - Dave MorissetteDave MorissetteDave "Moose" Morissette is a retired Canadian professional ice hockey forward who played 11 games in the National Hockey League for the Montreal Canadiens.-External links:...
- Ottawa Senators analyst - Yvon PedneaultYvon PedneaultYvon Pedneault is a French Canadian sports journalist and television and radio broadcaster from Chicoutimi, Quebec who is known for his coverage of ice hockey. Pedneault is the only person to have worked full-time for all three French-language Montreal daily papers, as well as every French-language...
- Montreal Canadiens colour commentator (1998–2008)