By Katie Paterson
 It's all gold for Hockey Night in Canada
As the puck drops
at centre ice, hockey fans tune in to the greatest hockey show of all time. It's a
Saturday night ritual 50 years in the making. |
It's the national
love affair.
In a country divided by vast
spaces and great differences in language and culture, it's the
love of a game that unites millions of
Canadians.
A simple
television program has been a source of national pride like no
other. In
English and French, from coast to coast to coast, for 50 years,
Canadians love watching Hockey Night in Canada.
"On the frozen pond in High
Level in the backyard in Marmora on a frosty night, or in the community centre in
Chester, it's always Hockey Night in Canada. CBC has been broadcasting this
Canadian passion for more than 60 years, a half century on television
alone" boasts CBC's website.
This year CBC celebrates Hockey Night in Canada's 50th anniversary on television. Viewership is up, says CBC publicist Christian Hasse. It has been rising steadily one or two per cent over the years. This year it rose five per cent.
“That's pretty impressive, considering the fragmentation in the marketplace," he says.
"It will continue to progress, Hasse says, and we know that the viewership in Canada is very loyal. We hope Hockey Night in Canada will be around for another 50 years."
What's the same
"I think the way we have produced the game has been similar over the years. A lot of the other networks have used different camera angles and so on. We have stayed traditional — no glowing puck or anything like that. Our viewers are knowledgeable enough that they can follow the game the way we show it to them. It is the traditional way, but it's worked for us for 50 years," according to Hasse.
What's new
To keep viewers interested and to keep things fresh, this year Hockey Night in Canada:
- Reintroduced Hotstove at
intermission (reporters get together via satellite with Ron
MacLean to discuss different issues on and off the
ice);
- Is featuring The Road to Salt Lake City retired NHL goalie Kelly Hrudey previews the top-notch teams that are going to the Olympics in Salt Lake
City;
- Is appealing
to nostalgia by presenting It Happened on Hockey Night, in
which Dick Irvin takes viewers through the greatest moments
in the program's history.
It is a matter of opinion
whether those 50 years have been Saturdays full of dated coverage of a changing game, or a prized and anticipated part of Canadian
culture.
The critics
speak
John Rodenburg, host on
Sports Radio 1200's The Team:
"I've been an avid Hockey Night in Canada watcher for 25 years and what I saw then is pretty much what I see now. It's your benchmark broadcast. They go with the traditional centre ice camera, no fancy stuff. True, a station and broadcast that remains the same looks tired. Other stations run the cameras all over the ice, behind the net they enjoy using the gizmos.
"But it's all about the game and people are just used to watching hockey on CBC.
"Americans like watching Hockey Night in Canada because the commentators assume the audience is informed — they take for granted Canadians know their hockey. They enjoy that Canadian sentiment over the U.S. tendency to baby their audience."
Jeff Zillgitt, sports columnist, USA Today:
"Growing up in Michigan, near the Ontario border, there was no questioning which channel we would watch hockey: Channel 9 out of Canada. That's how you watch hockey
on Canadian TV.
"Since I was transplanted to the Washington, D.C. area six years ago, I haven't had many opportunities to watch hockey on CBC.
"Everyone involved in the production of a hockey game on CBC, from the producers to the cameramen to the announcers, has an innate sense of hockey action. It makes for wonderful coverage. And that's to take nothing away from the folks at ABC and ESPN. It's just that those guys are that
good."
Wayne Scanlan, sports columnist, Ottawa Citizen:
"I think (CBC does) a sensational job. They are the trendsetters when it comes to hockey production, when it comes to presenting the entire hockey package on television. They did for hockey what Monday Night Football did for football in the United States. Hockey Night in Canada has been there for 50 years. Everybody more or less follows what they've done and how they've presented the game. This is a case where the Canadian network is the expert and the Americans try to emulate that status.
"They have knowledge and a sense of history, they know their audience and they know the game. They don't need coloured pucks."
Jerry Sullivan, sports columnist, Buffalo News:
"I really don't watch Hockey Night in Canada because I usually watch the Sabres' telecast. But I can say it's refreshing when I do watch because the knowledge and love of the sport come across loud and clear. You know they're talking to an audience that grew up with hockey as a big part of their culture. It captures the intensity of the sport better than other telecasts and, of course, Cherry's a hoot even though some of his opinions are a little out there."
The word on the street
"I really enjoy Hockey Night in Canada. When I get a chance to watch hockey, I always go to CBC first. But since they only air once a week, there is some channel surfing. Canadian hockey coverage is the best. I like the announcers the best. Don Cherry should be prime minister.
"Saturday night, you turn to Hockey Night in Canada, God given."
Paul Miller, hockey fan, Cold Lake, Alberta
"I like Hockey Night in Canada's camera angles, I like it down level with the ice so I can see the hockey. And I never like that Fox stuff with the glowing puck."
Stormy Knight, hockey fan, Cold Lake, Alberta
"I love Hockey Night in Canada. It's the only hockey I ever watch. I love Ron
MacLean, I love (Don Cherry), I love the
Hotstove, bigtime!"
Jason Thompson, hockey fan, Ottawa, Ontario
"Don Cherry's a moron!"
Dalton Henry, hockey fan, Ottawa, Ontario
Whatever they think of Don
Cherry, Hockey Night in
Canada has millions of loyal fans. Canadians love their hockey and
they stick to their traditions.
Hockey Night in Canada combines
both.
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