Time for a change at HNIC

Earlier this week the Globe and Mail uncovered what most of us already knew....people are not happy with CBC's Hockey Night in Canada broadcast. Thing is it wasn't just the fans. It is the NHL's Canadian teams that are also feeling aggravated.

Being from the West coast it is almost natural that I have a negative bias towards the CBC (DAMN YOU TORONTO!! *Shakes Fist*), But I will try and take the neutral middle path. There are two obvioius concerns that seem to come up regularly. Coach's Corner being a pedestal for whatever angers Don Cherry that week (no holds barred) and the number of games each team is alotted over the year.

I'll try and keep my Coach's Corner rant to a minimum because I'm sure most of you agree. It's time for Cherry to retire. In the Globe and Mail article it states that CBC loses over 600k viewers during the first intermission. For some shows that can be your ENTIRE audience. Which shows that as great as he has been (and he was great despite his tunnel vision views) it's time for a fresh face.

The game has changed a lot since he coached/played....but his opinions have not. The analysis, critiques and angry tirades that were once relevant are not anymore, and people have just started tuning him out. So he has started stirring controversy where there is none. It's time for a fresh face with new opinions and other ridiculous ideas.

Point number two I thought was only a Western problem but apparently it's not. Ottawa Senators owner Eugene Melnyk is unahppy with the broadcast schedule for HNIC. It is no surprise Toronto and Montreal lead the way, while other teams take a back seat. In fairness Ottawa was not supposed to be any sort of contender this year, and being a smaller market it would have been tough to generate interest. At the time, the right move.

We also forget that despite our tax dollars paying for it, the CBC is a BUSINESS. They want to make money just like any other business. To do that you offer to your advertisers the largest market possible, the Maple Leaf and Canadiens fan bases. Unless it is a Vancouver v Toronto game, the Maple Leaf audience will ALWAYS draw a larger viewing. And with a Vancouver fan base that is unhappy with HNIC and tending to tune out, it makes more sense to broadcast a Leafs game versus a Canucks game. (ditto for Edmonton/Calgary)

Here is why I have no problems with the broadcast schedule. The fewer games I have to watch on CBC the better. There broadcast as a whole is far inferior to that of Sportsnet and TSN. Their broadcast team is an old gentlemans club. Great broadcasters, just many beyond their time and others with no personality. I find it hard to get excited during a CBC broadcast. We don't get any insider information or breaking stories, and if somone starts to show some character they get the choke chain.

HNIC has Canadian hockey fans in their palms. It is a tradition, and just feels right sitting with your friends/family/rivals on a Saturday night and watch 6 hours of hockey. Show the fans that you care. It is time to make changes, improve the broadcast, don't be afraid to stir the pot (that isn't an old man trying to start an argument for the sake of argument) and show the fans that HNIC can and will be a tradition for years to come.

TJ

five4five March 4 w/ Bik Nizzar

This weeks five4five with Bik Nizzar (@stretfordbik). We cover:

- Winners of the NHL Trade Deadline
- Loser of the NHL Trade Deadline
- New Orleans Saints "Bounty"gate
- MLB expanding it's playoffs