I have a great fondness for Don Cherry. The Hockey Night in Canada icon has granted me some memorable interviews over the years, dating back to my days at TV Guide and The Toronto Sun. We would talk about his vintage Lincoln Mark VI’s, Bobby Orr, and my dad’s stint in the Provost Corps during
Last Sunday afternoon I checked to see if there was a late NFL football game on Fox. Instead, commentators were making a big deal out of bowling. I thought I was back in 1968. Chubby, middle-aged guys named “Chip” and “The Hammer” (names are approx; don’t make me look them up) were being touted as
You know how you can be shocked and not shocked at the same time? That was me yesterday upon hearing the news that Nick Kypreos and Doug Maclean were adios at Sportsnet. Rogers has had the broom out for months as losses continue to mount in connection with their ever-escalating (it gets more expensive every
Thursday marked the start of the second round of the Stanley Cup playoffs and, as suggested here previously, the elimination of all three Canadian teams in the first round has caught Rogers with its head down. Last Monday’s seventh and deciding game between the Toronto Maple Leafs and the Boston Bruins drew an overnight, estimated
Some giants in the world of entertainment have passed away recently. Aretha Franklin, the Queen of Soul. Neil Simon, the prolific playwright behind “The Odd Couple” and one of the legendary writers of the sketch series that started it all, “Your Show of Shows.” Robin Leach, the often imitated host of the giddy celebrity distraction
Every spring, just as the swallows return to Capistrano, I request an interview with Rogers’ President of Sportsnet & NHL Scott Moore. Every Spring, to my surprise, he takes my call. This is when I speak with the broadcasting executive at the start of the annual Stanley Cup playoffs. Mr. Moore is always friendly and insightful on
On Saturday, Ron MacLean returns to a job he held for 28 years — host of Hockey Night in Canada. The past two NHL seasons, however, were spent in the wilderness; for Hockey Night in Canada, ratings-wise, and –quite literally — for MacLean. We all know what happened. Rogers acquired all national NHL rights for a dozen years
It’s official. after a full week of speculation, Ron MacLean will be back next fall as host of Hockey Night in Canada. Joining him as host, according to the Monday release from Rogers Media, is David Amber, a HNiC rinkside reporter the past five years who also spent eight years covering sports Stateside for ESPN. Gone “to explore new