Hockey Night in Canada Hockey Night in Canada is a television broadcast of National Hockey League games in Canada , produced by the CBC . " Hockey Night " has consistently been among the highest - rated programs on Canadian television , and is the world ' s oldest sports - related television program still on the air . The intermission highlight on " HNIC " is " Coach ' s Corner " , a segment featuring Don Cherry and Ron MacLean . History . Radio . " Hockey Night in Canada " has its origins in the " General Motors Hockey Broadcast " which transmitted Saturday night hockey games of the Toronto Maple Leafs beginning in November 1931 over the Canadian National Railway radio network . In 1933 , the CNR ' s successor , the Canadian Radio Broadcasting Commission , commenced broadcasts of Montreal Canadiens and Montreal Maroons games on its Quebec stations . In 1934 , Imperial Oil of Canada took over the sponsorship from General Motors Products of Canada and the broadcast became known as the " Imperial Esso Hockey Broadcast " . Transmission began at 9 p . m . Eastern Time ( the beginning of the second period of play ) . Starting in 1936 , the games were broadcast on CRBC ' s successor , the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation ( CBC ) ( with the series acquiring its present title around the same time ) . In much of Ontario and points west the show featured the Maple Leafs and were hosted by Gordon Calder with play - by - play announcer Foster Hewitt and colour man was Percy Lesueur . Montreal broadcasts were hosted by Doug Smith and Elmer Ferguson broadcast for Montreal Maroons games in English and René Lecavalier broadcast Montreal Canadiens games in French . After the Maroons folded in 1938 , Smith and Ferguson provided English broadcasts of Canadiens games . The great popularity of the radio show ( and its announcer Foster Hewitt ) across Canada made it an obvious choice for early Canadian network television programming . CBC Radio aired Saturday night " HNIC " broadcasts through 1965 , switching to " Sunday Night NHL Hockey " from 1965 – 76 , after which the games moved exclusively to television coverage . In Toronto , CFRB ( originally a CNR Radio affiliate ) continued to simulcast Maple Leaf games for many years alongside CBC Radio ' s Toronto station CBL . Television . " Hockey Night in Canada " began airing on Saturday nights on CBC Television in 1952 , retaining Imperial Oil as sponsor . It continued to feature regular season NHL games on the English language network every Saturday evening during the NHL season , and retained many of the features such as the " Hot Stove Lounge " and the three stars selection , which originated as an Imperial Oil gasoline promotion and survived even as sponsorship eventually passed from Imperial to Molson and , later , Labatt . Until the 1990s , there was only one game televised each Saturday night in any particular locality and up to 1968 , regular season games were still not broadcast in their entirety . In the early 1960s , the broadcast time was moved to 8 : 30 p . m . Eastern Time , which allowed the game to be joined in progress during the first period . Starting in the fall of 1968 , regular - season games were shown in their entirety . In 1970 – 71 , the Vancouver Canucks joined the NHL , meaning that there were now three possible venues for an " HNIC " telecast . Four more Canadian - based teams joined the fold in 1979 – 80 and 1980 – 81 , further increasing coverage . It should be noted , however , that the Quebec Nordiques were initially never shown at home on " HNIC " , as their owners , Carling O ' Keefe Breweries , forbade Molson from televising games in their building . This was partly in response to efforts by the Montreal Canadiens , who were owned by Molson , to keep Quebec out of the league . After the 1989 merger between Molson and Carling O ' Keefe , and the subsequent sale of the Nordiques , " HNIC " was now free to show games from Quebec City . Still , they rarely did , as the Nordiques English - speaking fan base was very small . They appeared more frequently on " La Soiree du Hockey " ( the French equivalent of Hockey Night in Canada ) . After Wayne Gretzky was traded to the Los Angeles Kings in 1988 , the network began showing occasional double - headers when Canadian teams visited Los Angeles , in order to give the game ' s greatest star network exposure in Canada . These games were often joined in progress , as the regular start time for " HNIC " was still 8 : 00 Eastern Time and the Kings home games began at 7 : 30 Pacific Time ( 10 : 30 Eastern ) . Beginning in the 1995 season , weekly double - headers became the norm , with games starting at 7 : 30 Eastern and 7 : 30 Pacific . In 1998 , the start times were moved thirty minutes earlier . Instant replay made its debut on a 1955 " HNIC " broadcast . CBC director George Retzlaff made a kinescope recording of a goal , and replayed it to the television audience seconds later . Beginning with the 1966 – 67 NHL season , all games broadcast on " HNIC " were in colour . Present day . CBC ' s deal with the NHL ran through the 2013 – 14 season , and was replaced in 2014 – 15 by a sublicensing deal with Rogers Communications ( see below ) . The deal includes airings of games on the conventional over - the - air CBC Television network as well as carriage of those broadcasts through digital media , including CBCSports . ca . The deal came after controversy and discussion before and during the 2006 - 07 NHL season , when private broadcaster CTV globemedia attempted to acquire exclusive Canadian distribution rights to the NHL for its own networks , including broadcast network CTV and cable channels TSN and RDS . Such a package , which would have left CBC without NHL hockey , would have increased TSN ' s previously existing coverage of NHL games ; the attempt also came at a time when CTV globemedia had outbid the CBC for Canadian television rights to the 2010 and 2012 Olympics ( along with Rogers Media ) , as well as the major television package for curling . Despite the rumors , it always seemed that CTV was unlikely to be interested in the nightly playoff coverage currently provided by the CBC , since weeknight games in April and May would conflict with new episodes of CTV ' s slate of American programming . As well , the title " Hockey Night in Canada " could not be used as the name is owned by CBC , unless CTVglobemedia paid royalties to CBC for use of the name . The current deal with CBC and Rogers maintains the 50 - plus - year tradition of " Hockey Night in Canada " on CBC , but also allows Rogers to expand its coverage . A caveat of the deal limits CBC to the number of games per Canadian team it can show so that the seven Canadian - based teams , particularly the Toronto Maple Leafs , can distribute more games to regional carriers , thereby increasing the value of their local packages . In addition to television coverage , CBC produced a daily radio program , " Hockey Night in Canada Radio " , that premiered October 1 , 2007 on Sirius Satellite Radio channel 122 ( aka Sports Play - by - Play 1 ) . While the broadcaster trumpeted " HNIC Radio ' s " launch as the return " back to the radio airwaves " for " HNIC " , " HNIC Radio " was an NHL - oriented talk show that featured appearances by " HNIC " hosts and commentators , and did not cover games . After the merger between Sirius Satellite Radio and XM Satellite Radio was completed , the show moved to NHL Network Radio , which is found on Sirius channel 207 and XM channel 211 . Although Rogers does not take over national radio rights to the NHL until the 2015 - 16 season , CBC chose to end the production of " HNIC Radio " for the 2014 - 15 season , citing high production costs between itself and Sirius XM , and conflicts with Rogers in regards to the transition . 2014 : Rogers takeover . " We close tonight with what I said back in ' 87 , [ my ] first time around at the helm of this broadcast , ' Here ' s to an endless summer , and here ' s to an early fall . . . ' [ We ] bid you a good " Hockey Night " , for now . " In negotiations for a new contract with CBC , NHL commissioner Gary Bettman had reportedly recognized the broadcaster ' s financial difficulties , and had offered CBC a smaller package which would have consisted of a national doubleheader on Saturday nights ( as opposed to regional coverage of multiple games ) , reduced playoff coverage , and the loss of digital rights and the All - Star Game . Rights to the remaining properties not covered under the CBC ' s contract would have been offered to other broadcasters . However , CBC Sports ' staff , including executive director Jeffrey Orridge , continued to insist that it have exclusivity for every Saturday night game involving Canadian teams . In turn , CBC was unable to reach a deal ; the league had reportedly aimed for its next round of Canadian television contracts to have a value of at least $ 3 . 2 billion in total . BCE ( owners of Bell Media and previous cable rightsholder TSN ) made a bid for sole national rights to the NHL , and attempted to contact the CBC in regards to forming a partnership . However , CBC Sports ' staff did not respond . In turn , Rogers Communications also made a bid of its own . On November 26 , 2013 , the NHL announced a 12 - year deal with Rogers for exclusive television and digital media rights to all national NHL broadcasts beginning in the 2014 - 15 season ; the deal was valued at $ 5 . 2 billion , twice as much as what NBC paid for its own long - term contract with the league in 2011 . As part of the deal , CBC sub - licensed a package of games from Rogers , allowing the network to continue airing " Hockey Night in Canada " at least the first four seasons of the agreement ( 2014 – 15 thru 2017 – 18 ) . The last CBC - produced " Hockey Night " broadcast aired on June 13 , 2014 , when the Los Angeles Kings clinched the Stanley Cup in a four - games - to - one Final series over the New York Rangers ; the broadcast closed with a season - ending montage , set to Queen ' s " The Show Must Go On " that included highlights from the season and playoffs interspersed with images and sounds from CBC ' s six decades of NHL coverage . The new season marked a significant change in format for " Hockey Night " , as games are no longer split by region . Instead , CBC is joined by Rogers ' over - the - air City network , the Sportsnet family of specialty channels , and FX Canada , who air other games nationally alongside CBC and share the " Hockey Night in Canada " branding . Decisions on network assignments for the games are made on a week - by - week basis , and ensure that viewers have on - air access to every " Hockey Night " game as they are being played . CBC continues to feature coverage of the NHL All - Star Game , Stanley Cup Playoffs and Stanley Cup Final , though it may be possible for coverage of the latter to be simulcast on a Rogers network if needed . The NHL Winter Classic aired in 2015 on CBC , but moved exclusively to Sportsnet the following year . CBC does not pay any rights fees to Rogers or the NHL ; however , Rogers assumed responsibility for production and all advertising sales during the telecasts . CBC does not receive any advertising revenue , although Rogers agreed to include promotions for CBC programming in its " Hockey Night " telecasts on the network , and the corporation still receives some revenue from Rogers for its use of CBC - employed production staff and personalities during the games ( such as producers Joel Darling and Sherali Najak ) , along with its rent of offices and Studio 41 of the Canadian Broadcasting Centre for both " Hockey Night " and Sportsnet ' s overall coverage . " Hockey Night in Canada " had been a financial boon for CBC Television , which by one estimate received half of its total advertising revenue from the broadcasts . In order to assign responsibility for the content of the telecasts , compliance with regulatory guidelines , and advertising to Rogers , the " HNIC " broadcasts are broadcast on a part - time television network owned by Rogers ' Sportsnet subsidiary , which is affiliated with CBC ' s English - language television stations . A license for this arrangement was approved by the Canadian Radio - television and Telecommunications Commission in April 2015 . The loss of NHL rights came as other reductions in funding and revenue had been occurring at CBC , which in turn led the Crown - owned public broadcaster to make budgetary , staffing , and programming cuts in its overall services ; it also led to a decision by CBC in April 2014 to no longer directly compete for NHL or other pro sports broadcast rights . Among the staff members laid off were the advertising sales staff who handled " Hockey Night " under CBC . CBC President Hubert T . Lacroix , in an internal memo to staff notifying them of the Rogers deal , noted that though the arrangement with Rogers " may not be the ideal scenario " for the CBC , he felt the network would have suffered a major blow in prestige had it been shut out from NHL broadcasts entirely . Lacroix believed the deal " is the right outcome for Canadian hockey fans , " as it allows " Hockey Night in Canada " to remain on CBC and be made available to a wider audience and at a low cost to the broadcaster , especially in the lead - up to the 2015 Pan - American Games and 2016 Summer Olympics , whose broadcast rights are owned by the CBC . CBC staff also described the agreement as a " structured exit " from NHL coverage in the event that Rogers does not extend the agreement . Rogers ' " Hockey Night " is guided by Scott Moore , who was named to the position of president of Sportsnet and its NHL coverage in January 2014 ; Moore has been with Rogers Media since 2010 , and previously served as president of CBC Sports . After announcing its deal , Rogers set forth on reviewing on - air content and production of games and ancillary content , including the retaining and sharing of announcers and other personnel . The first major reveal of " Hockey Night " ' s new look came on March 10 , 2014 , when CBC personality George Stroumboulopoulos was tapped to become studio host of " Hockey Night " and City ' s Sunday night " Hometown Hockey " package , working alongside Sportsnet ' s Daren Millard and Jeff Marek . The hire of " Strombo , " who is an alum of Toronto sports radio station CJCL and had been hosting his own CBC talk show ( which ended its 10 - year run in 2014 ) , has been seen as an effort by Rogers to expand " Hockey Night ' s " appeal toward a younger demographic . Though Ron MacLean ceded hosting duties for " Hockey Night " to Stroumboulopoulos , he remains alongside Don Cherry on the " Coach ' s Corner " segment , and serves as the on - location host of Sportsnet ' s " Hometown Hockey " games . Cherry , who has been termed as " iconic " by Rogers resident Keith Pelley , remains under contract with CBC through 2018 . Besides MacLean and Cherry , several other CBC " Hockey Night " veterans continued in roles with " HNIC " and Rogers ' NHL coverage , including game announcers Jim Hughson and Bob Cole ; analysts Craig Simpson , Glenn Healy , Harry Neale , Kelly Hrudey , and P . J . Stock ; reporters Elliotte Friedman , Scott Oake , and Cassie Campbell - Pascall ; New hires include game announcers Dave Randorf and Paul Romanuk . Content and features on " Hockey Night " are spread out and featured on CBC , City , and Sportsnet , including " Coach ' s Corner " , which will remain for at least two years according to TSN personality Bob McKenzie . The brokerage agreement between CBC and Rogers reduced CBC ' s total advertising revenue , which fell by 37 % during the final three months of 2014 , in comparison to 2013 . Industry analysts reported that , despite the increased promotion for other CBC programming that is available through the arrangement , that CBC may experience even larger losses in advertising revenue during the Stanley Cup Playoffs due to games nearly every night over its duration . In June 2016 , Rogers announced that Strombopolous was leaving the show and that MacLean will be returning to host with David Amber . MacLean will host the early game along with continuing to co - host " Coach ' s Corner " , while Amber will be hosting the late game . MacLean will also be continuing as host of " Rogers Hometown Hockey " on Sundays . Coverage overview . Regular season . Pregame show . " Hockey Night in Canada " coverage typically begins at 6 : 30 P . M . Eastern time , a little more than 30 minutes prior to the opening faceoff of the first games with the pre - game show , " Hockey Central Saturday " , hosted by George Stroumboulopoulos and a panel of Sportsnet personalities . Prior to the Rogers takeover , " Scotiabank Hockey Tonight " aired prior to the first game , which was hosted by Ron MacLean , Kelly Hrudey and Mike Milbury , if he was not on assignment for NBC . Game 1 . The first game of the Saturday night doubleheader typically originates in Eastern Canada , beginning at 7 p . m . ET / 4 p . m . PT . CBC stations air the night ' s featured game , usually involving the Toronto Maple Leafs . Play - by - play for the CBC is provided by Sportsnet ' s lead commentator Jim Hughson , with Craig Simpson serving as color commentator . Prior to the 2014 - 15 season , additional games involving Canadian teams were split to air regionally on different parts of the country ; for example , Winnipeg Jets games were often seen in Central Canada , and Ottawa Senators games in the Ottawa area and Eastern Canada . As of the 2015 - 16 season , the second - most important game is allocated to Sportsnet , and the remaining game to City or other Sportsnet channels if needed . Commentator teams for these games include Paul Romanuk and Garry Galley , Bob Cole and Greg Millen , and broadcasters of teams that are regionally contracted to Sportsnet , if needed . While second - tier games were typically shown on City in the inaugural season , these games were moved to Sportsnet ( with City sometimes airing all - U . S . games or simply simulcasting CBC ' s game ) in order to encourage pay television subscriptions . The " Hockey Night in Canada " logo , used until 1998 on CBC , and 2004 on Radio - Canada . In recent years , this logo has reappeared as a secondary logo on the program , and is used in various merchandising by CBC . At the end of the first period , MacLean hosts " Coach ' s Corner " , featuring himself and former NHL Coach of the Year Don Cherry . On " Coach ' s Corner " , Cherry analyzes the game ' s first period , shares his opinions on current issues surrounding the sport or league , and gives tips on various points of hockey , with MacLean acting as Cherry ' s foil . There are times in which Cherry tends to be controversial ; for example , in 2003 , Cherry stated that the majority of players wearing facial protection in the NHL are French - Canadians and Europeans ( though a study done by a lawyer confirmed Cherry ' s assertion ) . In any case , this controversy led to " Coach ' s Corner " being put on a seven - second delay for the rest of the season by the CBC . The seven - second delay has been subsequently removed from the broadcast , although the segment is still only shown live during the telecast of the first game that enters the first intermission . The " Coach ' s Corner " segment is followed by a recap of other games going on during the evening . There are also interviews with players in between periods , during which the players often brandish towels with the " HNIC " logo on it . Following the " three stars " selection of the first game ( s ) , and before the faceoff of Game 2 , MacLean and the rest of the 2nd intermission crew talk about the early games and show scores and highlights of other games before breaking away to pre - game coverage for the late games . Game 2 . The second game airs at 10 or 10 : 30 p . m . ET ( 7 p . m . PT , 8 p . m MT ) originating from a Mountain or Pacific Time Zone city and usually featuring one of the three teams from Western Canada ( the Calgary Flames , Edmonton Oilers , Vancouver Canucks , or occasionally Winnipeg Jets ) . Since hurry - up faceoffs were introduced , it is extremely rare that a regular season game runs longer than three hours , and every double - header game is seen in its entirety . The broadcast team usually consists of Dave Randorf , Louie Debrusk and Cassie Campbell - Pascall , although sometimes Hughson and Simpson call the late game if it is deemed to be the marquee game of the night . Scott Oake is usually the ice - level reporter . Beginning in the 2013 NHL season , the first intermission of the second game features a short analysis segment with Ron MacLean and Don Cherry , followed by the segments " Inside the Game " , and " Scoreboard Saturday " — which features highlights from earlier games . Only on rare occasions has " HNIC " broadcast regular - season games involving two U . S . - based teams , and this has usually been due to exceptional circumstances . Special occasions have included Wayne Gretzky ' s final game in 1999 ( which actually took place on a Sunday afternoon ) , the retirement of Steve Yzerman ' s jersey in 2007 , Sidney Crosby ' s comeback game in Pittsburgh against the New York Islanders in 2011 , and the league ' s major outdoor games ( such as the Winter Classic , though the 2014 edition did feature a Canadian team , and the Stadium Series ) . The second game is followed by a post - game show ; from the 2000 – 01 season to 2014 - 15 , CBC aired " After Hours " , an extended post - game show hosted most recently by Scott Oake and Kevin Weekes . The program featured a wrap - up of the night ' s games , along with an extended interview and viewer questions with an NHL player or coach . Following " After Hours " , and late local newscasts in the west , CBC previously aired " Hockey Night in Canada Replay " — an abbreviated encore of the night ' s featured game . " After Hours " and the encore presentation was discontinued as of the 2014 - 15 season . " After Hours " will be revived for the 2016 - 17 season . Playoffs . CBC also provides extensive Stanley Cup playoff coverage every spring with a focus on Canadian teams . They also have exclusive English - language rights to the Stanley Cup Finals . While its playoff coverage and rights to the Finals will continue under the Rogers sub - licensing agreement , coverage will be shared with Sportsnet . For years , all playoff games involving Canadian teams were aired by the CBC , though not always on a national basis . From 2008 through 2014 , rights to individual series were instead picked using a draft - like setup ; in the first round , CBC had first , second , fourth , and sixth selections among opening round series , and TSN had the third , fifth , seventh , and eighth selections . CBC tended to select series involving at least 1 Canadian team and series involving teams with strong Canadian fanbases ( such as Boston , Buffalo , Detroit , and Pittsburgh ) ; as a result of this arrangement , if more than 2 Canadian teams qualified for the playoffs , it was likely that at least 1 series involving a Canadian team would be broadcast by TSN . During the first three rounds of the playoffs , the NHL usually gives higher priority to NBC ' s requests to schedule afternoon games on the weekends , which results in little or no post - season contests on Saturday nights . This may include holding a playoff game on Saturday afternoon even if a Canadian club is the home team ( like Game 1 of the 2014 Eastern Conference Final hosted by the Montreal Canadiens ) . Stanley Cup Finals coverage . CBC ' s coverage of Games 3 - 5 of the 1954 Stanley Cup Finals were joined in progress at 9 : 30 p . m . ( approximately one hour after start time ) . Meanwhile , CBC joined Game 6 in at 10 : 00 p . m . ( again , one hour after start time ) . Game 7 was carried Dominion wide ( nationwide ) from opening the face off at 9 : 00 p . m . Since Game 7 was played on Good Friday night , there were no commercials ( Imperial Oil was the sponsor ) . The 1961 Stanley Cup Finals were almost not televised in Canada at all . At that time , the CBC only had rights to the Montreal Canadiens and Toronto Maple Leafs ' games ; home games only during the season and all games in the playoffs . However , with both the Canadiens and Maple Leafs eliminated in the semi - finals , the CBC ' s worst nightmare became reality . The CBC had to conceive a way to carry the Finals between the Chicago Black Hawks and Detroit Red Wings or face public revolt . According to lore , the CBC found a way to link their Windsor viewers as having a vested interest in the Finals with the across the river Red Wings . Thus , CBC was able to carry the series after inking special contracts with the Red Wings and Black Hawks as a service to the Windsor market . From Windsor , CBC linked the signal to Toronto and they relayed the coverage Dominion - wide . From there , Canadians were able to see the Finals with nary a glitch in the coverage . To accommodate the American TV coverage on NBC ( 1966 marked the first time that a Stanley Cup Finals game was to be nationally broadcast on American network television ) , Game 1 of the 1966 Stanley Cup Finals was shifted to a Sunday afternoon . This in return , was the first time ever that a National Hockey League game was played on a Sunday afternoon in Montreal . While Games 1 and 4 of the NBC broadcasts were televised in color , CBC carried these games and all other games in black and white . The most commonly seen video clip of Bobby Orr ' s famous overtime goal ( " The Flight " ) in Game 4 of the 1970 Stanley Cup Finals is the American version broadcast on CBS as called by Dan Kelly . This archival clip can be considered a rarity , since about 98 % of the time , any surviving kinescopes or videotapes of the actual telecasts of hockey games from this era usually emanate from CBC ' s coverage . According to Dick Irvin , Jr . ' s book " My 26 Stanley Cups " ( Irvin was in the CBC booth with Danny Gallivan during the 1970 Stanley Cup Finals ) , he was always curious why even the CBC prototypically uses the CBS replay of the Bobby Orr goal ( with Dan Kelly ' s commentary ) instead of Gallivan ' s call . The explanation that Irvin received was that the CBC ' s master tape of the game ( along with others ) was thrown away in order clear shelf space at the network . In 1972 , " Hockey Night in Canada " moved all playoff coverage from CBC to CTV ( in actuality , MacLaren Advertising , Ltd . , the actual rights holders of " HNIC " at the time , worked out arrangements with CTV to move the full NHL playoffs there ) to avoid conflict with the lengthy NABET strike against the CBC . In 1986 , CBC only televised Games 1 and 2 of the Stanley Cup Finals in Montreal and Calgary . CBC would go on to televise Games 3 , 4 and 5 nationally . When CTV televised Games 1 and 2 , both games were blacked out in Montreal and Calgary . Had the series gone to a seventh game , then both CBC and CTV would have televised it while using their own production facilities and crews . Game 4 ( May 24 ) of the 1988 Stanley Cup Finals is well - known for fog that interfered with the game and a power outage that caused its cancellation before a faceoff . The game ended with the Edmonton Oilers and Boston Bruins tied at 3 – 3 . CBC televised the first Game 4 as well as the " official " fourth game ( on May 26 ) , for which the Oilers won 6 – 3 . Ron MacLean did not host CBC ' s coverage Games 2 and 3 of the 1997 Stanley Cup Finals ( those duties fell into the hands of Scott Oake ) as he was attending the funeral of Don Cherry ' s wife , Rose . " Hockey Day in Canada " . Since 2000 , the CBC has aired an annual special " Hockey Day in Canada " broadcast to celebrate the game in Canada . The broadcast includes hockey - related features all afternoon , leading up to a tripleheader of NHL action featuring the seven Canadian teams ( Calgary Flames , Edmonton Oilers , Montreal Canadiens , Ottawa Senators , Toronto Maple Leafs , Vancouver Canucks , Winnipeg Jets ) . One exception was the 2008 edition that featured four games including two American teams ( Detroit and Colorado ) along with the six Canadian teams ; this was due to the NHL ' s schedule format at the time , as there was no inter - conference games between Canadian teams . Lead commentators , Don Cherry and Ron MacLean broadcast from a remote area . The broadcast includes live broadcast segments from smaller communities right across the country and features panel discussions on issues facing " Canada ' s game " at both the minor and pro levels . The day is usually in mid - February , but was broadcast in early January in 2002 and 2006 due to the 2002 Winter Olympics and 2006 Winter Olympics , respectively ; the 2007 event was also held in January ( January 13 ) , though no sporting events key to Canada were scheduled . The 2010 events were held on January 30 because of the 2010 Winter Olympics , held in February . The 2014 event was held on January 18 due to the 2014 Winter Olympics , which were held from February 8 to February 24 . " Hockey Day in Canada " has also featured special events , such as world - record all - night pick - up hockey games from Red Deer , Alberta ( in 2001 ) and Windsor , Nova Scotia ( 2002 ) . Viewers got to see the games after the CBC ended regular programming for the night , without commentary . " Hockey Day in Canada " was held in Whitehorse , Yukon on February 12 , 2011 . The Edmonton Oilers hosted the Ottawa Senators , the Toronto Maple Leafs visited the Montreal Canadiens and the Vancouver Canucks welcomed the Calgary Flames . With the arrival of the new Winnipeg Jets for the 2011 - 12 NHL season , there was an odd number of Canadian teams in the NHL , meaning " HDIC " again required the presence of an American team . This season , the Jets played the Pittsburgh Penguins . " HDIC " will continue under the Rogers arrangement , with Scotiabank becoming title sponsor . As Sportsnet also holds national broadcast rights to the Canadian Hockey League , the 2015 edition included a primetime QMJHL game between the hosting Halifax Mooseheads and the Cape Breton Screaming Eagles . In January 2005 , due to the NHL labour dispute , the CBC cancelled that year ' s broadcast . Rival TSN aired a similar broadcast instead , " Hockey Lives Here : Canada ' s Game " , based from the World Pond Hockey Championships in Plaster Rock , New Brunswick . It also featured NHL players competing in an exhibition game to raise money for various charities in Hamilton , Ontario . TSN did not revive its version after the lockout ended . Lockout programming [ edit ] . During the 2004 – 05 NHL lockout , CBC replaced " Hockey Night in Canada " with a triple - feature of movies , mostly of the Hollywood variety . ( The pregame was replaced with repeats of " The Red Green Show " . ) However , as a reminder to viewers that Saturday night was supposed to be " Hockey Night " , Ron MacLean hosted the movies from various hockey venues throughout Canada , under the title " Movie Night in Canada " . Ron would mention some facts about the film and talk hockey during the commercial breaks . The venues were usually those of CHL teams . A labour deal was reached in time to contest the 2005 – 06 NHL season . CBC ' s own on - air talent was also locked out during the summer of 2005 , nearly missing the start of the hockey season . Some journalists have suggested that this helped cause TSN and the CFL to end their sublicense deal with CBC after the 2007 season , as games from that league aired without commentary during the lockout . During the 1994 - 95 and 2012 - 13 lockouts , the CBC ran classic " Hockey Night in Canada " games in its place . During the latter of the two lockouts , the games were selected by viewer polls at " HNIC " ' s website . Minority language coverage [ edit ] . Owing to the country ' s multiculturalism , " Hockey Night in Canada " has also produced special telecasts of games in the country ' s minority languages , primarily as part of Hockey Day in Canada ; for HDIC 2007 , the cable channel TLN simulcast a game between the Toronto Maple Leafs and Vancouver Canucks in Italian , with special features and commentary by Alf De Blasis , who hosts soccer games for TLN . For HDIC 2010 , CBC also televised a game in the Inuit language Inuktitut , with commentary by CBC North personalities Charlie Panigoniak and Annie Ford . In the years following , matches were also presented in Hindi , Punjabi , Tagalog , Mandarin Chinese and Cantonese . CBC subsequently broadcast one series per round during the 2008 Stanley Cup Playoffs in Mandarin , and added a regular schedule of games broadcast in Punjabi ( Canada ' s third - most - spoken language after English and French ) , via the network ' s website and some cable / satellite providers . Citing financial issues , CBC suspended its Punjabi broadcasts just prior to the beginning of the 2010 - 11 season , but coverage was subsequently restored for the 2013 season via a new sponsorship deal . On September 24 , 2014 , Rogers announced that it would continue to produce a regular schedule of " Hockey Night in Canada : Punjabi Edition " broadcasts under the new contract , with the games moving to its multicultural Omni Television stations . Harnarayan Singh ' s Punjabi call of the game winning Pittsburgh Penguins goal by Nick Bonino during the first game of the 2016 Stanley Cup Final , where he rapidly exclaimed Bonino ' s name several times in a row , received national attention as a viral video . Penguins head coach Mike Sullivan , who showed footage of the call to the team as part of a video recap prior to Game 2 , described the calls as being " entertaining " . Singh was invited to Pittsburgh to join the Penguins ' Stanley Cup celebrations . On November 30 , 2016 , Singh participated in his first English - language broadcast , serving as a reporter during a Calgary Flames / Toronto Maple Leafs game on Sportsnet . French [ edit ] . Main article : La Soirée du hockey In parallel with CBC , its French language sister network Ici Radio - Canada Télé ( then known as Télévision de Radio - Canada ) aired " La Soirée du hockey " , featuring Montreal Canadiens games on Saturday evenings . In the past , the network also aired Quebec Nordiques and Ottawa Senators games occasionally during the regular season if the Canadiens were not playing that night , as well as the Stanley Cup Finals regardless of participating teams . Beginning with the 2002 – 03 season , RDS secured exclusive French language rights to the NHL . The deal , negotiated with the Canadiens and not with the league itself , was meant to ensure a consistent home for all Canadiens games . Radio - Canada did not bid for these rights , saying that , as a general - interest network , it could not give up so much airtime to hockey . The announcement drew the ire of , among others , then - Heritage - Minister Sheila Copps , who suggested that the network would somehow be violating its conditions of licence by not airing " LSDH " . In reality there is no specific regulatory requirement that the CBC ' s networks carry the NHL , nor that the two networks have the same level of NHL coverage . During the years that Radio - Canada carried " La Soiree du Hockey " , play - by - play men included René Lecavalier ( as beloved in French - speaking Canada as Foster Hewitt was in English - speaking Canada ) , Richard Garneau , and Claude Quenneville . Radio - Canada soon reached an agreement to produce the Saturday night games , to remain branded " La Soirée du Hockey " , to be simulcast on both Radio - Canada and RDS . That agreement was terminated after the 2004 playoffs , but the RDS - produced replacement , " Le Hockey du samedi soir " , continued to be simulcast on Radio - Canada outside Quebec , where RDS has limited distribution , through the end of the 2005 – 2006 season . Radio - Canada no longer simulcasts RDS broadcasts as of 2006 – 2007 , and Rogers opted instead to sublicence French language rights to the NHL to TVA Sports instead of Radio - Canada . Availability outside of Canada [ edit ] . As mentioned previously , during the era that " HNIC was " on radio , it was broadcast over several powerful CBC clear - channel stations whose nighttime signals reached much of the northern United States . As a result , the games had a following throughout the northern U . S . , and especially so in Boston , Chicago , Detroit , and New York , the four U . S . cities that had NHL teams at the time . Foster Hewitt always acknowledged these listeners in his opening greeting , " Hello Canada , and hockey fans in the United States and Newfoundland " ( before Newfoundland joined Canada in 1949 ; the line is immortalized in the opening montage of today ' s " Hockey Night " telecasts ) . This continued into the television era ( despite waning in recent years with the expansion of local team TV coverage on regional sports networks ) , although some C - band satellite dishes can still receive the CBC ' s over - the - air feeds . U . S . cable television outlets near the international border ( including markets such as Metro Detroit ( which includes Windsor , Ontario ) ; Seattle , Washington ; Buffalo , New York ; Burlington , Vermont and Sault Ste . Marie , Michigan ) typically carry a nearby CBC affiliate on their systems ( though some cable systems carry a non - regional station ) . As a general rule , CBC stations are carried within about 150 miles of the border , and are not blacked out of sporting events . Beginning with the 2008 – 09 season , " Hockey Night " s main games were simulcast weekly in the United States on NHL Network , complete with pre - and post - game shows . If U . S . - based teams appear in these games , the telecast is blacked out in the markets of the participating teams or is televised instead by the U . S . team ' s local broadcaster . For example , if the Toronto Maple Leafs host the Boston Bruins in " Hockey Night " ' s main game , the NHL Network ' s telecast is blacked - out in the Boston area and the game is instead televised by the Boston - based New England Sports Network ( NESN ) . In the 2009 - 10 season , only the first game of the " HNIC " doubleheader is simulcast live on NHL Network , with the second game and post - game " After Hours " program being shown in tape delay on Sunday , the sole exception being the " Hockey Day in Canada " event . Since the Rogers takeover , however , " HNIC " games on NHL Network now feature games regardless of broadcaster ( either CBC or a Rogers network ) , and sometimes an " HNIC " game featuring two American teams is being shown as well . " NHL Center Ice " offers some " Hockey Night in Canada " games at the same time as the CBC broadcast . Usually these games are the regional " Hockey Night " games from either Ottawa or Montreal . Center Ice usually only shows the 7 p . m . ET games because the late games are usually national . Beginning with the 2006 playoffs , the NBC networks ( originally OLN and Versus ) simulcast the CBC ' s coverage of some games , generally first and second round match - ups from Western Canada , instead of using their own crews and announcers . In the early 1990s , SportsChannel America covered the Stanley Cup playoffs in a similar fashion . Versus , and its current incarnation as NBCSN , continues to use CBC and Sportsnet feeds to augment its own playoff coverage , sometimes even picking up a Canadian broadcast of a game involving two American teams . " Hockey Night in Canada " is also broadcast live ( and occasionally as - live ) in the United Kingdom and Ireland on ESPN and ESPN America . When the broadcast is shown on the main ESPN channel it is also available in high definition on ESPN HD . The pre - and post - game segments are not included , but the entirety of the two games are shown , as well as the segments between periods . " Hockey Night in Canada " is also seen in some other European markets on ESPN America , distributed on multiple cable and satellite platforms . Until its closure in 2014 , Canadian Forces Radio and Television rebroadcast HNIC games to Canadian Forces members stationed overseas . " Hockey Night in Canada " is available on Cayman 27 in the Cayman Islands as part of their regular Saturday night programming . Announcers [ edit ] . Main article : List of Hockey Night in Canada commentators The legendary Foster Hewitt , who had developed a style that welcomed Canadians to the radio broadcast each week , proved that his radio style could also work in the new medium of television in 1952 . His move from radio to television was successful and Hewitt continued to work in television for many years , including the famed 1972 " Summit Series " between a team representing Canada ( an NHL all - star team ) and the Soviet National Team . This style of play - by - play announcers in hockey broadcasting really hasn ' t changed between radio and TV , as broadcasters still describe the action as if viewers cannot see what is on the screen they ' re watching . Hewitt was followed ( in no particular order ) by Danny Gallivan , Dan Kelly , Dick Irvin , Jr . , Jim Robson , Bob Cole , Hewitt ' s son , Bill Hewitt , and Jim Hughson . Previous show hosts included Wes McKnight , Ward Cornell , Jack Dennett , Ted Darling , Dave Hodge and George Stroumboulopoulos . Ron MacLean ( east coast games ) and David Amber ( west coast games ) serve as the current hosts as of the 2016 - 17 season . Jim Hughson , Dave Randorf , Paul Romanuk and Bob Cole are the current play - by - play announcers . Theme music [ edit ] . 1952 - 1968 [ edit ] . The television show ' s original theme song was " Saturday ' s Game " , a march composed by Howard Cable . The CBC and the advertising agency responsible for the broadcasts at the time , MacLaren Advertising , later replaced the tune with the " Esso Happy Motoring Song " . 1968 - 2008 : " The Hockey Theme " [ edit ] . See also : The Hockey Theme The companies later commissioned the composition of yet another theme , " The Hockey Theme " , composed in 1968 by Dolores Claman and orchestrated by Jerry Toth . The CBC ' s most recent licence to use " The Hockey Theme " expired at the conclusion of the 2007 – 08 NHL season . Claman ' s publisher issued a statement on June 4 , 2008 , claiming the CBC had informed them it would not be renewing its rights to the composition . CBC Sports head Scott Moore denied the reports , saying that the CBC wanted to keep the song and that negotiations on a new licence agreement for the song were still ongoing . 2008 : CBC loses rights to " The Hockey Theme " [ edit ] . In the early evening of June 6 , 2008 , the CBC announced it could not reach an acceptable agreement to renew its licence , to the outrage of some viewers across the country . Perpetual rights to " The Hockey Theme " were subsequently picked up by CTV , which began using it for hockey broadcasts on its TSN and RDS sports channels beginning in the 2008 – 09 season . ( The theme would also later be featured during the closing ceremonies of the 2010 Olympic Winter Games , aired on CTV . ) The CBC said it had offered nearly $ 1 million for perpetual rights to Claman ' s theme , but that Copyright Music was asking for $ 2 . 5 to $ 3 million for those rights . Copyright Music turned it down because it was , " . . . a settlement that barely covered our legal bills , let alone losses . " One proposed payment method would have allowed CBC to continue using the theme at a cost of $ 500 per play , for a total cost of $ 65 , 000 annually , while not actually giving CBC ownership of the music . Despite being contacted by five parties interested in buying Claman ' s theme , " [ Copyright Music ] had no desire to start a bidding war " Moore has been quoted as saying , " We have no real idea why the deal fell apart . We ' re not sure why because the other side hasn ' t communicated with us . " Yet , Copyright Music states that Moore gave them an unrealistic deadline of 24 hours to meet him when his client was 5 timezones away . Moore has also been quoted as saying that he didn ' t think the " Hockey Night in Canada " show would lose viewers if he lost the theme song . " Hockey ' s a game , not a song , " he said . Mike Myers disagrees with this ambivalence towards the song calling it , " . . . the second anthem [ of Canada ] " Canadian jazz fusion band The Shuffle Demons even jokingly introduced the song as " . . . [ Canada ' s ] national anthem " during performances . In an informal poll on CBC ' s website which puts forth the question , " Can Canada go on as we know it without the " Hockey Night in Canada " theme ? " , ( 3361 ) 84 % respond no . Finding a new theme : Canada ' s Hockey Anthem Challenge [ edit ] . After the loss of the well - known " The Hockey Theme " to CTV , CBC proceeded with a nationwide contest powered by the Filemobile Media Factory platform for a new theme in collaboration with music label Nettwerk . The contest began June 10 , 2008 , and at the end of the submissions period on August 31 , the network had received over 14 , 000 entries . These entries were reduced to five semi - finalists , whose themes were re - arranged by producer Bob Rock and presented for public voting : There was some controversy when Hockey Scores , one of the highest - rated submissions , was not chosen as a semi - finalist . Voting commenced on October 4 , 2008 , with 2 finalists being picked for a final 1 - day vote . October 11 , 2008 - present : " Canadian Gold " [ edit ] . The two finalists — Burke ' s " Sticks to the Ice " and Oberst ' s " Canadian Gold " — were revealed on October 9 , 2008 . On October 11 , 2008 , after a final round of voting , " Canadian Gold " was announced live by Don Cherry on " Scotiabank Hockey Tonight " as the new " HNIC " theme . Oberst received $ 100 , 000 , plus 50 % of the theme ' s royalties , the other half of which will be donated to minor hockey . CBC received exclusive rights on the theme for three years , and renewed the rights for the 2011 – 2012 season . A re - orchestrated version of the theme was introduced for the 2014 – 15 season . It was arranged and orchestrated by John Herberman , and recorded in Toronto with a 50 - piece orchestra . Herberman also created an extensive library of new stings and bumpers derived from the main theme . Awards [ edit ] . " Hockey Night in Canada " has received 4 Gemini Awards out of 6 nominations most notably for Ron MacLean . Criticism [ edit ] . Programming choices [ edit ] . Critics of what the show chooses to program allege that " Hockey Night " particularly favours the Toronto Maple Leafs . On March 11 , 2006 , CBC did not air the pre - game sweater retirement ceremony for Canadiens legend and credited slapshot inventor Bernard " Boom Boom " Geoffrion , electing to continue on with its planned broadcast of a Toronto Maple Leafs / Tampa Bay Lightning game . The decision was worsened by the fact that Geoffrion had died earlier in the day . CBC did devote portions of its coverage to Geoffrion , including a pre - game tribute , and acknowledgements during the first intermission and " Coach ' s Corner " , while the ceremony was broadcast in full by French - language outlets . A CBC spokesperson explained that the network had only received a " handful " of complaints surrounding the lack of coverage ; if CBC had aired the ceremony in full , it would have pre - empted coverage of the Leafs game for 40 minutes . A writer for the " Ottawa Citizen " considered the decision to be an example of this perceived bias towards the Maple Leafs by CBC , believing that they did not want to " offend " their fans by not showing their game in full . When the 2011 NHL Winter Classic was delayed into primetime , the CBC chose to broadcast the night ' s original featured game between the Maple Leafs and Ottawa Senators in Ontario only , with the remainder of the network airing the Winter Classic . Content [ edit ] . Criticism of the show ' s content often focuses around Don Cherry , who has made several controversial statements during his live on - air segments . He has been accused of xenophobia towards European - born players , problematic because the broadcasts air live in Europe , and French Canadians , and is often seen as an advocate of the old - school rough style of hockey frowned upon both by some hockey fans ( including NHL administrators ) and many of their TV partners . Despite these controversies , Cherry ' s popularity among English Canadians endures . The Canadian punk rock group Propagandhi has written a song , " Dear Coach ' s Corner " , that criticizes Cherry and the overt nationalism on display at NHL hockey games . As of the Rogers - produced " Hockey Night " , " Coach ' s Corner " was noticeably shortened , from as long as 10 minutes to as short as 5 — a change that was lampshaded by both Cherry and MacLean during their first segment of the new season . The following Monday , Scott Moore had a short discussion with Cherry regarding the matter , laughing it off and explaining that " if you have more to talk about , all you need to do is make sure you tell the executive producer what you want to talk about and we ' ll make sure you have lots of time . " For more details on this topic , see Don Cherry § Political views and controversy .