Quote (Darksern @ Nov 12 2019 01:16pm)
Damn paywalls.
What’s next for Coach’s Corner and Hockey Night in Canada?
By Scott Burnside 54m ago 105
In the wake of Don Cherry’s dismissal from the iconic “Hockey Night in Canada” broadcast and, specifically, the Coach’s Corner segment he oversaw for 30-plus years comes the question: who is next?
And it is a wholly fair and important question given the manner in which the vacancy was created.
But maybe the better question and the question that serves the game better is not who, but what next for “Hockey Night in Canada” and the game itself?
If anything is certain after the reprehensible comments by Cherry on last Saturday’s segment about immigrants that led to a public firestorm of criticism – the Canadian Broadcasting Standards Council was so overwhelmed with calls about Cherry’s comments that their system broke – Cherry’s dismissal stands as a great opportunity, and with that a great responsibility.
This isn’t just about the flagship hockey show in Canada, a show that for decades was a meeting place for an entire nation sharing its passion for the game, but in many ways it is the flagship show for the game itself – a show that would be imitated and repurposed on many networks in many cities.
You didn’t have to be Canadian or to grow up with the game to understand what that theme music (which is now the property of rival sports network TSN) meant as it welcomed fans to Saturday night hockey. And you didn’t need to be a hockey insider as you settled in for the discussion on the second intermission Satellite Hot Stove with familiar hockey faces like John Davidson, Al Strachan, Scott Morrison, my current colleagues Eric Duhatschek and Pierre LeBrun and so on, although you might have felt a little more on the inside when the segment was completed.
When it was at its best, “Hockey Night in Canada” was appointment television, telling the stories of the game, and informing us of the trends and nuances of the game. Regardless of whether Montreal was whipping Toronto or vise-versa on any particular Saturday, you stuck around for the duration because the information shared and the theater that was produced between periods mattered as much as the game.
That was the magic of the show when it worked, and many people from myriad backgrounds and ways of life have described how that show became a touchstone for feeling included in the greater hockey community.
It was the show’s first intermission and its centerpiece Coach’s Corner segment that was the prize that drew millions of viewers each week and made oodles of money for decades for first the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation and then Sportsnet. It would be so in spite of the fact it became a bully pulpit for a man that no one had the courage to reign in until he finally crossed a line so egregious his handlers at Sportsnet had no choice but to fire him.
It was a moment that came years too late given his repeated attacks on people that didn’t fit his narrow view of what a good Canadian might have been.
So, now what?
A source familiar with the broadcast said that as of Monday there wasn’t a firm plan on what to do when the show airs on Saturday.
The popular second-intermission Saturday Headlines segment with top hockey journalists Chris Johnston and Elliotte Friedman could be moved to the first intermission, but that still doesn’t answer the question of ultimately what replaces “Coach’s Corner.”
The easiest thing to do is simply fill one larger than life personality with another personality to whom hockey fans will gravitate.
There are some but not many who fit that bill.
The obvious choice and one that on some levels appears as though it would be seamless would be to move Brian Burke into the chair, although it’s not a given according to those familiar with the workings of the national broadcaster.
Few know the game from as many perspectives as longtime hockey executive Burke. He built a Stanley Cup winner in Anaheim before becoming the GM of the Toronto Maple Leafs and then president of the Calgary Flames. So in spite of the fact he is an American, Burke knows and understands the Canadian market as well as anyone.
Personality-wise Burke has the chutzpah to pull off this kind of segment with his unique blend of edge and wit. It might not be fair to ask him to be the man to slide into Cherry’s burnt out chair, but Burke could do the job without a doubt.
Regardless of whether it’s Burke or someone else, the issue of who should host the segment needs to be addressed.
I thought longtime Coach’s Corner host Ron MacLean provided a heartfelt apology for his shameful part in Cherry’s final segment where he offered no pushback for the commentary, simply giving a lamentable thumbs up to end the segment. But his time has come, too, and I would argue the need for a fresh face as a host is critical regardless of who fills Cherry’s chair.
Whoever steps in as host, if the segment is to maintain its current format, has to be someone with some journalistic/broadcast chops who can trade jabs or barbs with Burke and call him if he goes off the rails.
If not Burke, who else could command the same attention and respect?
Glenn Healy is as sharp a mind as there is in hockey and few are as quick on their feet. Healy was a regular contributor to panels, providing in-game analysis for years and working for Hockey Night in Canada at one time, but is now the head of the NHL’s Alumni Association.
Kevin Weekes does great work with the NHL Network. A veteran Canadian journalist with a lifelong passion for hockey, Christie Blatchford would bring a fresh perspective to the seat. And Anson Carter has grown quickly into a must-listen on NBC’s national broadcasts in the U.S. TSN’s Dave Poulin is sharp as a tack and has a great hockey pedigree. Craig Button, too.
It might seem heretical but what about TSN stars like Bob McKenzie or Darren Dreger, although both are known more for their inside knowledge of the game than pontificating. There’s also the immensely popular Ray Ferraro who could ably fill the role.
It’s hard to imagine TSN ever letting any of these top assets go, but if you’re Sportsnet, this is your one chance to swing at the fences in restoring the tattered image of this segment.
But to imagine this kind of future for the hole that was Coach’s Corner is to take just a small step away from that mindset. And is a small step enough?
Maybe it requires a step away from who to what?
Sportsnet has done a nice job of telling a broad range of hockey stories on its “Hometown Hockey” series on Sunday nights. But that reaches a quarter of the audience that “Hockey Night in Canada” reaches on a normal Saturday night.
Where else should the most compelling of hockey stories – whether it’s the tragedy of a bus crash in Humboldt, Saskatchewan, or the generosity of superstars like Sidney Crosby or the opening up of mental health issues in the sport – be told but on “Hockey Night in Canada?”
It’s certainly cheaper not to tell those stories. It’s cheaper to put two people in front of a camera and have them talk. But maybe the national broadcast partner of the NHL in Canada should be held to a higher standard.
Multiple sources familiar with the Canadian hockey broadcast world said that, even before the Cherry incident, NHL commissioner Gary Bettman was less than pleased with Sportsnet in terms of the product being presented on a weekly basis as it relates to the NHL brand and that displeasure was made well-known to broadcast executives during the events surrounding the recent Heritage Classic outdoor game in Regina, Saskatchewan.
Sportsnet cut costs in recent months by cutting high profile personalities, including Nick Kypreos, Scott Morrison, John Shannon and radio personality Bob McCown.
So, just as the firing of Cherry was a defining moment for the national broadcaster in Canada where hockey is never just a game, what happens next is no less defining for the broadcaster.
Multiple sources familiar with the hockey broadcast culture in Canada described Coach’s Corner in recent years as being very stale and believe this is the perfect opportunity to re-examine the entire structure of the broadcast and to examine it’s very raison d’etre.
And that means thinking beyond replacing one body with another and focusing on what has always propelled the game forward: the stories of the people in it.
Maybe it’s a rotating chair with a group of hockey minds from different places on the hockey spectrum taking their turns in the great chair from week to week.
Maybe it’s a rotating group that reflects the changing demographics of fans and the game itself with top hockey women and people from different ethnic backgrounds taking the stage to talk about critical hockey issues in the news.
What about a group of scouts talking about top draft picks one week or the art of scouting?
Maybe it’s NHL executives breaking down what goes into making a trade leading up to the trade deadline.
Maybe it’s about spending money to produce features that address important hockey issues like mental health and the concussion issue.
Maybe it’s a look at technology and how it impacts the game, whether it’s in terms of player preparation, diet, equipment or the way the game is broadcast or interpreted.
This is the perfect vehicle to not just tell important hockey stories but to have intelligent debate buttress those stories.
Maybe it’s something that is limited only by the imagination of why we care so much for the game.
And maybe, in the end, whatever it looks like will serve the game and all of us so much better.
This post was edited by KrWWW on Nov 12 2019 12:21pm