Get more of Coach’s Corner

I’m going to completely admit it. Before I moved to Vancouver, I had no knowledge of CBC’s Hockey Night in Canada other than its existence. I also had no clue, as a loving hockey fan, how good their coverage is. Of course, I lived my whole life in the U.S. This is Canada. There’s your difference.

To my dear friends who also love hockey and don’t get the coverage that you should, especially in the states, take this information that comes off of Inside the CBC. If you’re not checking out the Don Cherry[wiki], then you’re not getting all the hockey you could be.

CBC.ca will launch a special online version of Coach’s Corner tomorrow with new content, design and features. Enhancements include an improved and larger video picture and an online forum allowing hockey fans to submit their remarks regarding Don’s, uh, “legendary” weekly commentary.

Episodes from the 2006/07 season are available online, and in the coming weeks, a full-screen viewing option and a revamped archive consisting of some of the most memorable Coach’s Corner moments from the past will also be available exclusively on CBC.ca/coach. [insidethecbc]

I was chatting with my buddy, Sushi, back in Iowa about the coverage he gets back there. Even with digital cable, mostly likely the basic package, he hardly gets any hockey on TV. Comcast SportsNet shows Blackhawks games from time to time, and combined with the weekly games on NBC, that’s about it. His cable package doesn’t include OLN (who the NHL has the explicit contract with for broadcasts in the states), and there isn’t an extra package he can buy for the NHL Network, NHL Center Ice, Versus, or an “Ice Pack”.

How’s that for someone living within a four hour drive to Chicago, five hours to Minneapolis, and five hours to St. Louis?

If anyone is complaining about the lack of success that the NHL is experiencing in the U.S., then there’s your reason. Hockey fans can’t get what they want, and there is very little for new fans to get exposed to. If it wasn’t for the NHL on ESPN[wiki] while I was in high school, I don’t think I would have ever come to love the sport. And yes, that was before Fox ever did the glowing puck thing[wiki].

Additional Note

I was just checking out the Coach’s Corner site and had a thought, so let’s see if anyone at the CBC is paying attention to me(which I highly doubt).

Why not publish all this video content to YouTube? Or do Google Video or whatever. The point is, make it so that anyone can embed the video on their website or blog. On top of that, and to sweeten the deal for you guys, tack on a five second ad for CBC programming at the very beginning. Nothing too flashy, but a quick voice over and a slide for a CBC program.

This way, we can share Coach’s Corner with the world, and you CBC folks get to promote your stuff. TV, radio, podcasts, or whatever. Have at it, but just make it simple and to the point. Go beyond five or ten seconds, and I am fast forwarding to the good stuff.

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5 Replies to “Get more of Coach’s Corner”

  1. Yes and thank you for subjecting me to the NHL on NBC the other day too. I know you like to get a good idea of what the other coverage is like out there but sheesh 😛

  2. “How’s that for someone living within a four hour drive to Chicago, five hours to Minneapolis, and five hours to St. Louis?”
    Unreal. That really puts that misery into perspective, doesn’t it?

    Oooo! A revamped Coach’s Corner site? I am so in! I’ve been watching Cherry since 1977. A great Canadian guy, you gotta love him!

  3. I found out what hockey was all about in 2002 in the USA, when I bought the Center Ice package. I found myself forgoing any coverage from FSN or other USA based networks to watch Canadian coverage. It respects the game and allows the game to happen…rather than trying to make it exciting.

    ATTN: USA BROADCASTERS! Treat the NHL like the NFL, with in depth, intelligent coverage (like they do in Canada!), and you would probably have an audience.

    Rebecca…just remember…you have to count them up as ‘cross-cultural’ experiences. You moved John to Canada…he makes you watch American TV…its a wash. 😉

  4. Rebecca enjoys the torture. :p

    The misery is more like a plight. I’m with GZ; there needs to be a lot more in depth take on hockey in the U.S. rather than making it more of a spectacle.

    I mean, oddly enough, the one channel we have on our current cable package here in Vancouver? The NFL Network. It can totally suck you in because of the way they portray “the battle” that makes up a single football game. Amazing what slow motion can do for a sport.

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