NHL on TSN
Encyclopedia
The NHL on TSN is TSN
The Sports Network
The Sports Network, commonly abbreviated as TSN, is a Canadian English language Category C specialty channel and is Canada's leading English language sports TV channel. TSN premiered in 1984, in the first group of Canadian specialty cable channels...

's broadcast of 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. The show's current incarnation debuted in 2002. The channel has exclusive local rights to the Montreal Canadiens
Montreal 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 ...

 and the Winnipeg Jets
Winnipeg Jets
The Winnipeg Jets were a professional ice hockey team based in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada. They began play in the World Hockey Association in 1972, moving to the National Hockey League in 1979 following the collapse of the WHA...

.

Coverage overview

TSN usually televises three or four games per week during the regular season, with their primary night being Wednesdays, when they enjoy exclusive coverage. This means that no other NHL game may be broadcast in Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...

 while TSN's Wednesday Night Hockey is on the air.

During the playoffs
Stanley Cup playoffs
The Stanley Cup playoffs is an elimination tournament in the National Hockey League consisting of four rounds of best-of-seven series. Eight teams from each of the league's two conferences qualify for the playoffs based on regular season records...

, TSN has third, fifth, seventh, and eighth choices of first-round series, second and fourth in the second round, and second in the Conference Finals. This means that there is the possibility of TSN covering a Canadian team during the playoffs. This happened during the 2009 Stanley Cup Playoffs
2009 Stanley Cup playoffs
The 2009 Stanley Cup playoffs of the National Hockey League began on April 15, 2009, after the 2008–09 regular season. The sixteen teams that qualified, eight from each conference , play a best-of-seven series for the conference quarterfinals, semifinals and championships, and...

, as TSN televised the Calgary Flames
2008–09 Calgary Flames season
The 2008–09 Calgary Flames season was the 29th season for the Calgary Flames, and the 37th for the Flames franchise in the National Hockey League . The Flames finished second in the Northwest Division, and qualified for the 2009 Stanley Cup Playoffs as the fifth seed in the Western Conference,...

' first-round series against the Chicago Blackhawks
2008–09 Chicago Blackhawks season
The 2008–09 Chicago Blackhawks season is the club's 83rd season in the National Hockey League . Prior to the start of the season, the Blackhawks announced that 20-year-old center Jonathan Toews would serve as the team's captain for the 2008–09 season, thus making him the 3rd-youngest player to earn...

 and in the 2010 Stanley Cup Playoffs
2010 Stanley Cup playoffs
The 2010 Stanley Cup playoffs of the National Hockey League began on April 14, 2010, after the 2009–10 NHL regular season. The Finals ended on June 9, 2010, with the Chicago Blackhawks defeating the Philadelphia Flyers four games to two to win their fourth championship and their first since 1961...

 when the Montreal Canadiens
2009–10 Montreal Canadiens season
The 2009–10 Montreal Canadiens season is their 101st season of play and 93rd in the National Hockey League . The 2009 NHL Entry Draft took place in Montreal, Quebec, on June 26–27.-Off-season:...

 defeated the Washington Capitals
2009–10 Washington Capitals season
The 2009–10 Washington Capitals season was the 36th season for the Washington Capitals in the National Hockey League . The season started with the 2009 NHL Entry Draft on June 26–27, with the Capitals holding the 24th selection in the draft....

 in seven games.

TSN owned the national cable rights to NHL games in Canada from 1987–88 through 1997–98, after which CTV Sportsnet
NHL on CTV Sportsnet
NHL on CTV Sportsnet was CTV Sportsnet's broadcast of National Hockey League games. CTV Sportsnet held the national cable rights for NHL regular season and playoff games from 1998 to 2002. The broadcasts were sponsored by Labatt.-History:...

 purchased the national cable rights to NHL games. Prior to this, TSN's NHL coverage was sparse as they only acquired games a la carte
À la carte
À la carte is a French language loan phrase meaning "according to the menu", and used in* A reference to a menu of items priced and ordered separately, i.e. the usual operation of restaurants * To order an item from the menu on its own, e.g...

. From 1987-88 to 1997-98, they usually showed games twice per week through the regular season and in the first round of the playoffs, they provided extensive coverage of series not involving Canadian-based teams.

The 1986
38th National Hockey League All-Star Game
The 38th National Hockey League All-Star Game was held in the Hartford Civic Center in Hartford, Connecticut, home to the Hartford Whalers, on February 4, 1986.-Game summary:*Referee: Ron Wicks*Linesmen: Gord Broseker, John D'Amico...

 Canadian coverage of the NHL All-Star Game
National Hockey League All-Star Game
The National Hockey League All-Star Game is an exhibition ice hockey game that is traditionally held at the midway point of the regular season of the National Hockey League , with many of the league's star players playing against each other...

 was to be provided by CTV
NHL on CTV
NHL on CTV is the name of a former television program that broadcast National Hockey League games on the CTV Television Network.-Regular season coverage:...

. However, CTV
CTV television network
CTV Television Network is a Canadian English language television network and is owned by Bell Media. It is Canada's largest privately-owned network, and has consistently placed as Canada's top-rated network in total viewers and in key demographics since 2002, after several years trailing the rival...

 had a prior commitment to carry a U.S. mini-series. As a result, TSN took over coverage of the game in Hartford
Hartford Civic Center
The XL Center, formerly known as the Hartford Civic Center, is a multi-purpose arena and convention center located in downtown Hartford, Connecticut, USA. It is owned by the City of Hartford and operated by Anschutz Entertainment Group under contract with the Connecticut Development Authority...

.

Toronto Maple Leafs on TSN

TSN began airing Toronto Maple Leafs games regionally, presented by Molson
Molson
Molson-Coors Canada Inc. is the Canadian division of the world's fifth-largest brewing company, the Molson Coors Brewing Company. It is the second oldest company in Canada after the Hudson's Bay Company. Molson's first brewery was located on the St...

, in the 1998-99 season, when they lost the national contract. The package was originally for 30 games, but reduced to 17 once TSN re-acquired the national rights in 2002. Ten of those games were ones that TSN acquired from the NHL to air nationally. The other seven, TSN acquired from the Maple Leafs as regional games. However, TSN eventually came to an agreement with the other five Canadian clubs to air these games nationally. Play by play of the regional Leafs games was handled by Joe Bowen
Joe Bowen
Joe Bowen , is a Canadian sportscaster. He is known as "The Voice of the Toronto Maple Leafs", having broadcast over 2,100 Leaf Games. He started calling games for the Leafs in 1982, after calling games for the Nova Scotia Voyageurs.Bowen's catchphrase is "Holy Mackinaw!", typically used when an...

, with Harry Neale
Harry Neale
Harold Watson Neale is a hockey colour commentator, who currently works for the Buffalo Sabres on the Sabres Hockey Network...

 (1998-2007). The deal expired at the conclusion of the 2006-07 season and since the 2007-08 season, every Maple Leafs game on TSN has been shown nationally and covered by the regular NHL on TSN crew.

Montreal Canadiens on TSN

TSN is the exclusive regional English-language broadcaster for Montreal Canadiens
Montreal 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 ...

 games. During the 2010-11 season, TSN aired 24 Canadiens games to viewers in Quebec
Quebec
Quebec or is a province in east-central Canada. It is the only Canadian province with a predominantly French-speaking population and the only one whose sole official language is French at the provincial level....

, Atlantic Canada
Atlantic Canada
Atlantic Canada is the region of Canada comprising the four provinces located on the Atlantic coast, excluding Quebec: the three Maritime provinces – New Brunswick, Prince Edward Island, and Nova Scotia – and Newfoundland and Labrador...

 and parts of Eastern Ontario
Eastern Ontario
Eastern Ontario is a subregion of Southern Ontario in the Canadian province of Ontario which lies in a wedge-shaped area between the Ottawa River and St. Lawrence River...

 (including 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...

, Belleville
Belleville, Ontario
Belleville is a city located at the mouth of the Moira River on the Bay of Quinte in Southern Ontario, Canada, in the Quebec City-Windsor Corridor. It is the seat of Hastings County, but is politically independent of it. and the centre of the Bay of Quinte Region...

, Kingston
Kingston, Ontario
Kingston, Ontario is a Canadian city located in Eastern Ontario where the St. Lawrence River flows out of Lake Ontario. Originally a First Nations settlement called "Katarowki," , growing European exploration in the 17th Century made it an important trading post...

 and Pembroke
Pembroke, Ontario
Pembroke is a city in the province of Ontario, Canada, at the confluence of the Muskrat River and the Ottawa River in the Ottawa Valley...

) on a TSN alternate feed. The network will regionally broadcast 30 Canadiens games during the 2011-12 and 2012-13 seasons.

Dave Randorf
Dave Randorf
Dave Randorf is a Canadian sportscaster and current host of TSN's Canadian Football League studio show as well as TSN's and CTV's coverage of figure skating...

 and Mike Johnson are the broadcast team for TSN's Canadiens regional broadcasts.

TSN previously broadcast regional Canadiens games from 1998 to 2002. Paul Romanuk (1998 to 2001) and Gord Miller (2001 to 2002) were the play by play announcers and Gary Green (1998 to 2000) and Pierre McGuire (2000 to 2002) were the colour commentators.

Winnipeg Jets on TSN

On July 21, 2011, it was announced that TSN has picked up the rights to telecast games of the Winnipeg Jets
Winnipeg Jets
The Winnipeg Jets were a professional ice hockey team based in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada. They began play in the World Hockey Association in 1972, moving to the National Hockey League in 1979 following the collapse of the WHA...

. The agreement between the Jets and TSN is for 10 years and also gives radio rights to Sports Radio 1290.

TSN Jets will broadcast more than 60 regional regular season and pre-season games to fans in Manitoba
Manitoba
Manitoba is a Canadian prairie province with an area of . The province has over 110,000 lakes and has a largely continental climate because of its flat topography. Agriculture, mostly concentrated in the fertile southern and western parts of the province, is vital to the province's economy; other...

, Saskatchewan
Saskatchewan
Saskatchewan is a prairie province in Canada, which has an area of . Saskatchewan is bordered on the west by Alberta, on the north by the Northwest Territories, on the east by Manitoba, and on the south by the U.S. states of Montana and North Dakota....

, Nunavut
Nunavut
Nunavut is the largest and newest federal territory of Canada; it was separated officially from the Northwest Territories on April 1, 1999, via the Nunavut Act and the Nunavut Land Claims Agreement Act, though the actual boundaries had been established in 1993...

, the Northwest Territories
Northwest Territories
The Northwest Territories is a federal territory of Canada.Located in northern Canada, the territory borders Canada's two other territories, Yukon to the west and Nunavut to the east, and three provinces: British Columbia to the southwest, and Alberta and Saskatchewan to the south...

 and parts of Northwestern Ontario
Northwestern Ontario
Northwestern Ontario is the region within the Canadian province of Ontario which lies north and west of Lake Superior, and west of Hudson Bay and James Bay. It includes most of subarctic Ontario. Its western boundary is the Canadian province of Manitoba, which disputed Ontario's claim to the...

.

The channel launched on September 20, 2011 for the Jets' first pre-season game against the Columbus Blue Jackets.

Dennis Beyak
Dennis Beyak
Dennis Beyak is a Canadian media personality from Manitoba.After waiting for his opportunity, Beyak quickly ascended the ranks of play-by-play broadcasters working in the National Hockey League. Beyak's first NHL broadcasting job was at CFRN-TV, as the TV play-by-play voice of the Edmonton Oilers...

 (play-by-play), Brian Engblom
Brian Engblom
Brian Paul Engblom is an ice hockey broadcaster and retired Canadian professional hockey defenseman.-Biography:...

 (colour commentator), and Sara Orlesky
Sara Orlesky
Sara Orlesky is a Canadian sports reporter at The Sports Network. In 2008, the Globe and Mail newspaper described her as "among the top young female sports broadcasters in Canada."...

 (reporter) are the announcers for TSN's regional Jets broadcasts.

On-air staff

James Duthie
James Duthie (sportscaster)
James "Boom Boom" Duthie is an Ottawa-born Canadian sportscaster for TSN. He is currently the host of The NHL on TSN. In the past, he has hosted CFL Live, NBA in the Paint and SportsCentre. He also writes a column for TSN.ca called The Good the Bad the Duthie...

 serves an in-studio host with analysts including Bob McKenzie
Bob McKenzie (broadcaster)
Robert "Bob" McKenzie is a Canadian hockey commentator who has covered ice hockey since joining TSN in the late 1980s....

, Darren Dreger
Darren Dreger
Darren Dreger is a Canadian sportscaster for TSN. He serves as hockey insider on the NHL on TSN, and is the host of Leafs Lunch on AM640 Toronto Radio...

, Pierre LeBrun, Marc Crawford
Marc Crawford
Marc Joseph John Crawford is a Canadian professional ice hockey head coach, most recently employed by the Dallas Stars of the National Hockey League. He was previously the head coach of three other organizations and won a Stanley Cup in 1996 with the Colorado Avalanche...

, Aaron Ward, and Jamie McLennan
Jamie McLennan
Jamie McLennan is a former professional ice hockey goaltender. He retired from playing in 2008 after spending a season with the Nippon Paper Cranes of Asia League Ice Hockey.-Playing career:...

. Dave Hodge
Dave Hodge
Dave Hodge is a Canadian sports announcer who currently works for TSN, and has worked in the past for the CBC and CFRB 1010 radio in Toronto.-Broadcasting career:...

, Keith Jones, Barry Melrose
Barry Melrose
Barry James Melrose is a former player and head coach in the National Hockey League, as well as a current commentator and hockey analyst for ESPN.-Playing career:...

, Matthew Barnaby
Matthew Barnaby
Matthew Barnaby is a Canadian retired professional ice hockey right winger. Barnaby played in the NHL for the Buffalo Sabres, Pittsburgh Penguins, Tampa Bay Lightning, New York Rangers, Colorado Avalanche, Chicago Blackhawks and the Dallas Stars.-Playing career:He was drafted by the Buffalo Sabres...

, Michael Peca
Michael Peca
Michael Anthony "Mike" Peca is a retired Canadian professional ice hockey forward in the National Hockey League . He most recently played for the Columbus Blue Jackets of the NHL. He has also played for the Vancouver Canucks, Buffalo Sabres, New York Islanders, Edmonton Oilers and Toronto Maple...

, Bobby Clarke
Bobby Clarke
Robert Earle Clarke, OC , better known as Bobby Clarke or, in later life, Bob Clarke, is a Canadian former professional ice hockey centre who played his entire National Hockey League career with the Philadelphia Flyers and is currently an executive with the team...

, and Darren Pang also contribute periodically in the studio. If Ray Ferraro or Mike Johnson are not doing colour commentary, they may appear as well. Gord Miller
Gord Miller (sportscaster)
Gord Miller is a Canadian sportscaster for the cable networks, TSN and Versus. Working alongside Pierre McGuire, Miller has been the lead National Hockey League play-by-play announcer for TSN since 2002, when the network re-acquired national broadcast rights for the NHL...

, Chris Cuthbert, Dave Randorf
Dave Randorf
Dave Randorf is a Canadian sportscaster and current host of TSN's Canadian Football League studio show as well as TSN's and CTV's coverage of figure skating...

, and Rod Black
Rod Black
Rod Black is a Canadian sports announcer for TSN and CTV Sports. He calls games for the CFL, occasionally for the The NHL on TSN, and used to call games for the Toronto Blue Jays, ending in 2009. He also calls Canadian golf tournaments for the PGA, on occasion bowling tournaments, curling, boxing ...

 do play-by-play for the live games, while Ray Ferraro
Ray Ferraro
Raymond Ferraro is a retired professional ice hockey player. He played in the National Hockey League for the Hartford Whalers , New York Islanders , New York Rangers , Los Angeles Kings , Atlanta Thrashers and St. Louis Blues...

 and Mike Johnson serve as colour commentators. Darren Dutchyshen
Darren Dutchyshen
Darren Dutchyshen is a Canadian sportscaster, who cohosts the evening edition of SportsCentre on TSN. He was born in Porcupine Plain, Saskatchewan. Dutchyshen graduated from the Western Academy Broadcasting College in Saskatoon, and went on to stints at STV and Global Edmonton before his current...

 or Jennifer Hedger
Jennifer Hedger
Jennifer Frances Hedger is a Canadian television personality, the co-host of TSN's nightly sports news program SportsCentre...

 provide updates of other games in progress.

Former staff

The studio hosts were Jim Van Horne
Jim Van Horne
Jim Van Horne is a Canadian sports anchor.Van Horne began his broadcasting career on CKMP in Midland, Ontario, in 1971. From 1972 to 1980, Van Horne was one of the top disc jockeys in Canada at 1050 CHUM in Toronto. He was named Billboard Magazine's Disc Jockey of the year in 1972, the only...

 ( to ) and later John Wells
John Wells (sportscaster)
John Wells is a Canadian sportscaster. His most recent show, which ended in April 2008, was Wells And Company on CJOB radio in Winnipeg. He broadcast Canadian Football League games for over 30 years. He is the son of "Cactus" Jack Wells.-Early life and career:Wells broadcasting career began in...

 ( to ) and Gord Miller
Gord Miller (sportscaster)
Gord Miller is a Canadian sportscaster for the cable networks, TSN and Versus. Working alongside Pierre McGuire, Miller has been the lead National Hockey League play-by-play announcer for TSN since 2002, when the network re-acquired national broadcast rights for the NHL...

 ( to ), with Bob McKenzie
Bob McKenzie (broadcaster)
Robert "Bob" McKenzie is a Canadian hockey commentator who has covered ice hockey since joining TSN in the late 1980s....

 providing studio analysis. Primary play-by-play broadcasters were Jim Hughson
Jim Hughson
Jim Hughson is a Canadian sportscaster, best known for his play-by-play of professional ice hockey and baseball.-Biography:...

 ( to ) and Paul Romanuk
Paul Romanuk
Paul Romanuk is a Canadian sportscaster and writer. He was born in Oshawa, Ontario, Canada. Romanuk has lived in London, England since 2005.-Early career:...

 ( to ). Colour commentators were Roger Neilson
Roger Neilson
Roger Paul Neilson, CM was a National Hockey League coach, and was responsible for many innovations in the game...

 ( to ) and Gary Green ( to ). Howie Meeker
Howie Meeker
Howard William Meeker, C.M. is a former right winger in the National Hockey League, youth coach and educator in ice hockey and television sports announcer as well as a former Progressive Conservative Member of Parliament...

 was also often part of the game-night crew, providing highlights and analysis with the telestrator
Telestrator
A telestrator is a device that allows its operator to draw a freehand sketch over a moving or still video image. The telestrator is most famously recognized in sports and weather broadcasts to diagram and analyze sports plays or incoming weather patterns. The talent typically draws on a...

.

When TSN re-acquired the Canadian national cable rights to NHL hockey in 2002, Pierre McGuire
Pierre McGuire
Pierre McGuire , is an ice hockey analyst for National Hockey League broadcasts on NBC and Versus in the United States. Until 2011, he was a prominent hockey analyst on The Sports Network in Canada. Previously, he was a player, coach, and scout.-Hockey career:McGuire won two Stanley Cups as a scout...

 was hired as its lead hockey analyst. After the 2011 NHL Draft, it was announced McGuire would broadcast games exclusively on NBC Sports
NBC Sports
NBC Sports is the sports division of the NBC television network. Formerly "a service of NBC News," it broadcasts a diverse array of programs, including the Olympic Games, the NFL, the NHL, MLS, Notre Dame football, the PGA Tour, the Triple Crown, and the French Open, among others...

 and Versus
Versus (TV channel)
Versus is a sports-oriented cable television channel in the United States. It was previously known as Outdoor Life Network and was launched on July 1, 1995, focusing on fishing, hunting, and other outdoor sports...

 in the United States, while continuing to appear on TSN's hockey programs and TSN Radio
TSN Radio
TSN Radio is a semi-national sports radio network in Canada carried on AM radio stations owned by Bell Media's Bell Media Radio division. The TSN Radio brand, and much of the network's content, is partially shared with Bell Media's television sports channel, The Sports Network...

.

Other broadcasters used by TSN include play-by-play announcers Dan Shulman
Dan Shulman
Daniel "Dan" Shulman is a Canadian sportscaster, currently employed with the American network ESPN as well as Canadian network TSN....

 (1994-1998), Pierre Houde
Pierre Houde
Pierre 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...

 (1996-97), Dennis Beyak
Dennis Beyak
Dennis Beyak is a Canadian media personality from Manitoba.After waiting for his opportunity, Beyak quickly ascended the ranks of play-by-play broadcasters working in the National Hockey League. Beyak's first NHL broadcasting job was at CFRN-TV, as the TV play-by-play voice of the Edmonton Oilers...

 (1997-1998, 2011-present), and Vic Rauter
Vic Rauter
Victor Rauter is a Canadian sportscaster for The Sports Network since 1985. He has covered mostly auto racing, curling and soccer since 1986 as well as hockey, baseball, bowling, squash, volleyball, equestrian and skiing....

 (2002-2003) and colour commentators Ryan Walter
Ryan Walter
Ryan William Walter is a Canadian former professional ice hockey centre who played 15 seasons in the National Hockey League...

 (1993-1998), Randy Gregg (1994-1995), and Glenn Healy
Glenn Healy
Glenn Healy is a former ice hockey goaltender who played for 15 years in the National Hockey League. Prior to that, he was a member of the Western Michigan University hockey team, and 1985 graduate of the school. He also served as the director of player affairs for the National Hockey League...

 (2003–08).

Theme song

In June 2008, TSN's parent, CTV Inc., acquired the rights to "The Hockey Theme
The 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 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...

for forty years, will be used for hockey broadcasts on TSN and RDS beginning in the fall of 2008.

TSN announced on the September 24, 2008 edition of SportsCentre
SportsCentre
SportsCentre is a sports news program airing on the Canadian network TSN. As TSN's flagship program, it airs several times daily, and beginning in the 2008 season it also began to be aired on sister network CTV as its post-game program for early NFL games....

the debut date for the song. It began on October 14, when the Colorado Avalanche
Colorado Avalanche
The Colorado Avalanche are a professional ice hockey team based in Denver, Colorado, United States. They are members of the Northwest Division of the Western Conference of the National Hockey League . The Avalanche have won the Stanley Cup twice, in 1995–96 and 2000–01. The franchise...

 visited the Calgary Flames
Calgary Flames
The Calgary Flames are a professional ice hockey team based in Calgary, Alberta, Canada. They are members of the Northwest Division of the Western Conference of the National Hockey League . The club is the third major-professional ice hockey team to represent the city of Calgary, following the...

.

External links

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