Hockey Night in Canada

As a television producer myself, I know a fair bit about television, and how so many things could go wrong. The CBC has done an unbelievable job when it comes to sports coverage, and I believe that HNIC's coverage is by far superior to the american networks. I will give ESPN, and Fox credit though, they do a great job... the glowing puck was and I'm sure you already know a bad idea. Hey... CBC has been doing this since forever, it's no wonder their coverage is better.

I began watching this regular Saturday night broadcast in the mid-1950's when we had our first television set. This was on the CBC English network. It was a black &white screen with a grainy picture, not the sharp colour broadcasts we view nowadays. I remember Bill Hewitt, Foster's son, doing the play by play commentary in Toronto on alternate weeks while Danny Gallivan handled the broadcasts in Montreal.

My dad and I would watch the Toronto games with great enthusiasm as we cheered for the Maple Leafs. For the Montreal games, we watched the far noisier Montreal fans who made those games seem like life or death struggles. If players like Jean Beliveau, Dickie Moore or Maurice Richard scored the winning goal, the sirens and organ music would blare with boots, hats and just about anything else ending up on the ice surface.

How we looked forward to those games! In the 1960's, the broadcasts became flashier and racier. Times have changed but the excitement of this fast-paced sport has been our national obsession. From its low key production days to now, it has always been the top draw on Canadian television and a part of our shared history.

Every Saturday night during hockey season, The Canadian broadcasting corporation (CBC for short) shows 1 or 2 hockey games involving Canadian teams. sometimes the Canadian teams play the American teams, but never in the regular season (only during the playoffs) will 2 American teams play each other on CBC.

Don cherry is a classic color commentator, his big mouth keeping him a contract with CBC. Ron McLean is also the perfect play-by-play commentator, with great enthusiasm.

The Vancouver Canucks, Edmonton Oilers, Calgary Flames, Ottawa senators, Montreal Canadians, and Toronto maple leafs are the teams that are televised today. in the past, there was also Winnipeg, Quebec, and a few others.

Hockey night in Canada prepares to enter it's 54th season, and i expect great stuff from it.

This is a tradition in Canada.

It is much better than anything that ESPN or Fox has. We got Ron McLean and Don Cherry to ramble on at the intermission. This show's theme song is pretty much the other national anthem in Canada and it has been a tradition for over fifty years.

Hockey Night In Canada is the best hockey show on TV. It's better then NHL on FOX, (Although FOX is cool), and better than all the hockey games on ESPN, it's just too awesome, plus the theme music is the best. Just remember if you're in Canada on Saturday Nights, switch to CBC, and watch Hockey Night In Canada!