I Wish I Got CBC On My TV

During the pre-game of yesterday's Bruins-Canucks Game 5, NBC viewers got Dan Patrick feigning excitement for 15 minutes. CBC got this bit of awesomeness.



Even more fitting considering the game that followed. For those wondering, the song used here is "Weapon" by Matthew Good.

CBC's Awesome Pre-Series Montage

While American viewers had to deal with NBC cross-promoting The Green Lantern in their pre-series montage, CBC viewers got treated to something way more awesome. Instead of making hockey second fiddle to a lame movie, CBC gave their viewers a montage illustrating the passion, excitement, and awesomeness of this year's post-season to one of today's biggest international hit songs. Put another way, it is really, really awesome.



Just how lame was NBC's Green Lantern montage in comparison to that? Well, unfortunately, I cannot show you because no one felt it was worthwhile to upload to YouTube.

News That Is Sure To Surprise You: The NHL Favors NBC Over CBC

Stunning. I know. But it is quite clear that by what the NHL is doing on Saturday, they care much more about NBC and their American audience than CBC and hockey's Canadian audience, even though hockey is a much bigger sport in Canada than it is in the United States. So what has Garry Bettman done this time? Well....Hockey Night In Canada won't exactly be Hockey Night in Canada this Saturday. Instead, it will be Hockey Afternoon In Canada. From The Hockey News.

If there were ever any doubt the NHL has almost no regard for Canadians and the network that broadcasts games to them, let there be doubt no more. The league’s decision to cater to NBC by having Game 4 of the Montreal-Philadelphia Eastern Conference final at 3 p.m. Saturday is nothing short of an outrage.

You see, the Saturday night slot for Hockey Night in Canada is sacrosanct. The last time the league pulled this, in Game 2 of the first round series between the Pittsburgh Penguins and Canadiens, CBC lost 800,000 viewers. There are those at CBC who reckon that number will be up well over one million for this one. That’s because Canadiens aren’t hard-wired to watch hockey on a Saturday afternoon and, as it turns out, they won’t all watch it regardless of what time it’s on.

Nice, eh? The league gives priority times to a network that would probably draw about the same numbers as it would if it showed old strongman competitions or tractor pulls at the same time. Meanwhile, people in British Columbia get treated to Hockey Morning in Canada, all in the name of catering to American viewers. To add insult to injury, NBC had apparently originally planned to not air any of the games in Montreal during the playoffs, but has since backtracked on that decision.

And don’t think the people at the CBC aren’t incensed at how they’ve essentially been told by the NHL they’re second-class citizens. You’d think the NHL would realize the CBC recoups that $110 million it gives the league with ad revenues, but again, you’d be wrong. Cutting out that many viewers by putting the game on in the afternoon puts a serious dent in the rates CBC can charge advertisers, so it makes far less money. And if you think the NHL will make that up with increased revenues from advertisers on NBC, you’re dreaming.

And when it comes to league-wide hockey-related revenues, something that should get the league’s attention, just how many more $10 beers does the NHL think it’s going to sell by putting a game on at 3 p.m. as opposed to 7 p.m.?

When games are played in Montreal, traditionally Reseau des Sports gets first priority in terms of camera positioning, intermission guests and access to the teams. CBC is second and NBC is third. In all other Canadian cities, CBC gets top priority and in all American cities, top priority goes to NBC, with CBC second in the pecking order.

Some at CBC are anxious to see what the pecking order will be for Saturday’s game. Chances are, though, they’ll show up at the rink on Saturday to find out the league is rolling out a red carpet and hiring a marching band for NBC and they’ll have to be pleased with getting Ryan O’Byrne as an intermission guest.

I can't say I disagree with anything here. CBC has been partners with the NHL since the days of yore and they completely disregard them for a network that has proven countless times that it does not give two shits about hockey. But alas, that is Gary Bettman and his hard on for the United States. After all, since when has Gary Bettman ever cared about that huge island landmass northeast of the United States?

Throw The Snake Gets It's Own Segment On HNIC's iDesk

You've seen me throw around the phrase Throw The Snake all week long both here and on Twitter. If you are not sure what I am talking about, read this Puck Daddy article first before proceeding. While reading, make you take duel notes of the roles of the names Chemmy and Travis Hair.

Now that you are all caught up on what this is about, you will then understand the greatness of this mention during the first intermission of the Avs-Sharks game by the folks at the Hockey Night In Canada (HNIC) iDesk when discussing the snake(s) that got thrown when the Coyotes scored their first goal.



Now that is the definition of awesome. I am sure SB Nation blogs have been mentioned on national TV before, it is not like this is a little unknown network of blogs we are dealing with here, but I would be surprised if this is not one of the bigger coups in the history of SB Nation. A meme started by 2 blogs just got 2 minutes worth of airtime on Hockey Night In Canada. Wow. How awesome is that.