It seemed that Wednesday evening was a busy one in Canadian sports media. The most pressing news is coming out of Alberta where Toronto Sports Media is reporting that Peter Loubardias has been fired by Rogers Sportsnet. Even though Loubardias is one of the worst Canadian hockey broadcasters, this comes as slightly surprising news. Loubardias has been Sportsnet’s top hockey voice doing the Memorial Cup and the 2010 Winter Olympics. The have been rumblings that Sportsnet is in for a major shakeup talent-wise, which I think would be a good thing. With the right pieces gone, their hockey coverage has a chance to be great.
The first question that comes to mind is, is this the end of the road for Loubardias? TSN certainly doesn’t need a play-by-play; CBC might though. Considering they will have an extra game many weeks this year, with the Jets returning to the NHL, they may need an extra broadcast team too. It would make a lot of sense to hire Loubardias to do either Winnipeg games or the 10pm ET games in the doubleheader.
Speaking of Winnipeg, either TSN or Sportsnet will be announced as the local rights holders for the Jets later this month. In either event a regional TSN or Sportsnet Jets channel would have to be created to carry the games. TSN has an obvious play-by-play lined up in Winnipeg native Rod Black. Sportsnet’s choices are a bit less clear. RJ Broadhead is a Saskatchewan native, so he could be an option. Or how about Jeff Marek? A local broadcaster like Paul Edmonds might be an option for Sportsnet too. Gary Green would be an excellent, and logical, choice for either network, but especially TSN due to his historical ties there.
As to who the Flames could get to replace Loubardias? If New Brunswick native (had to throw that plug in there) Peter Mahar wasn’t close to retirement, he’d be the best choice. RJ Broadhead could be a choice for Flames broadcasts as well. Veteran Calgary Hitmen play-by-play Brad Curle is another obvious choice.
Ratings
Moving away from hockey, last Friday’s Argonauts-Blue Bombers game attracted 676, 000 viewers to TSN, beating out the competing Jays-Indians game on Sportsnet (594, 000). 606, 000 watch the Jays lose a tight one to Cleveland the night before. 404, 000 watched that afternoon game that Bob McCown couldn’t watch on Independence Day vs. Boston, while 605, 000 watched Red Sox get revenge the next night.
The Molson Honda Indy Toronto drew a 14-year high 559, 000 on TSN (maybe there is hope for IndyCar?). Finally a total 444, 000 watched the Canadian Women’s National team not show up against Nigeria between the live and encore broadcasts on CBC (221, 000 and 223, 000 respectively).
Hockey Realignment
I don’t know if it’s the want to go back to 90s-style hockey or what, but there seems to be a growing sentiment for the NHL to go back to four divisions. The broadcasting networks could take a hit if it comes to fruition, which it looks like it will, as the Jets won’t be playing in the same division as the Flames, Oilers and Canucks. Nor, in fact, will they be playing in the same division as the Maple Leafs like they did in the 90s. NBC and Versus may also lose the current Atlantic Division with at least one team being split from it. It seems that the new alignment will have the Red Wings heading east. Here how I think it should shakedown.
My method is simple. Use the 1997-98 divisions as a base, with the 1995-96 season being used for Winnipeg and 1992-93 season being used for Minnesota. Then fill everything else in where it makes sense. Here is what I started with:
Pacific: Colorado Avalanche, Anaheim Ducks, Edmonton Oilers, Vancouver Canucks, Calgary Flames, LA Kings, San Jose Sharks
Central: Dallas Stars, Phoenix Coyotes, Detroit Red Wings, St. Louis Blues, Chicago Blackhawks, Toronto Maple Leafs, Winnipeg Jets, Minnesota Wild
Northeast: Buffalo Sabres, Ottawa Senators, Montreal Canadiens, Boston Bruins, Pittsburgh Penguins
Atlantic: New Jersey Devils, Philadelphia Flyers, New York Rangers, New York Islanders, Florida Panthers, Washington Capitals, Tampa Bay Lightning
First I had to move the Maple Leafs and the Coyotes out of the Central, with the Leafs joining the Northeast (where they belong) and the Coyotes joining the Pacific. The only reason the Coyotes were in the Central to begin with was because they moved from Winnipeg. That gave me a full 8 teams to form the Pacific division.
Then the Central was left with 6. Take the Red Wings out, that brings it down to 5. However, expansion teams Nashville and Columbus will remain in their Central spot, so that gives the Central 7 teams, which I will leave it at.
The Northeast picks up current occupants Toronto and their former central division-mates Detroit. That gives it the full compliment of 7 teams. That leaves the rest for the Atlantic, which would resume its former teams in addition to the Carolina Hurricanes. So, here is what I came up with.
Pacific: Anaheim Ducks, Los Angeles Kings, Phoenix Coyotes, San Jose Sharks, Calgary Flames, Colorado Avalanche, Edmonton Oilers, Vancouver Canucks
Central: Chicago Blackhawks, Columbus Blue Jackets, Nashville Predators, St. Louis Blues, Minnesota Wild, Dallas Stars, Winnipeg Jets
Northeast: Boston Bruins, Buffalo Sabres, Montreal Canadiens, Ottawa Senators, Toronto Maple Leafs, Detroit Red Wings, Pittsburgh Penguins
Atlantic: New Jersey Devils, New York Islanders, New York Rangers, Philadelphia Flyers, Carolina Hurricanes, Florida Panthers, Tampa Bay Lightning, Washington Capitals.
A Rouge Point 
I didn’t like Peter Loubardias as a play by play guy, but he seemed like a good guy and had great knowledge.
I am picking TSN to land the Jets regional rights, which will also include an increase to more than 10 national Jets games on TSN/TSN2. Ya, I could see Rod Black doing those games when there is no CFL conflicts in October and November.
I also think that the NHL will add an additional round of playoffs when they realign the divisions.
It could mean more than 10, but that would depend on the other Canadian teams giving the okay like they have with Toronto. It might allow for more all-Canadian Jets games (that wouldn’t count against the Jets 10 appearances), but TSN would need permission to do that they do with Leafs games (air regional games nationally). I’m not entirely sure that the other Canadian teams, especially since Sportsnet controls their rights, would go for it this time. Maybe I’m wrong though.
I think that for sure Jets games that fall during TSN Wednesday window would end up on TSN2.
Oops – more. The Oilers had a couple this a couple times during the current TV deal. Sens also had additional games over the 10.
Anyways, it will be interesting.
Ah, I didn’t think you meant Wednesdays. In that case, yeah its possible. I though you meant an extra 5-10 random games like the Leafs get.
Well, I sort of do mean those extra games too. In the previous contract, TSN could show 3 Oilers game per season. However, they would often “purchase” more games from the Oilers … games that would have otherwise ended up on PPV. One year, the Oilers released two PPV schedules, one with say 14 games and then another with 12 (my count may be off) as TSN added 2 games.
Really for TSN to show even 10 games, some regional games were purchased from the teams just to get to 10. Check back at Bill Houston’s articles around the time of the deal for more elaboration.
Anyways, it will be interesting to see how it all shakes down. Brian Munz (Moose radio PXP guy) apparently did a report for SNET Connected on the Bombers recently. That should add something to the rumors.
When it comes to realignment, we have to figure out where the Coyotes will play in 2012-13, if Bettman wants this decided in December, that would seem to be the Phoenix deadline.
That’s the reason I like the 4 division alignment. It makes it easy to move the Coyotes to any division because of the uneven divisions.
Winnipeg is a Central team and needs to establish natural rivalries with Minnesota, St. Louis, and Chicago (especially with Jonathan Toews). The rivalries with Calgary, Edmonton, and Vancouver will come naturally.
Hope in this realignment that teams will still play enough outside the division, so there will be enough Jets games with the Flames, Oilers, and Canucks.
Would seem that CBC has its 5th play-by-play guy in Bruce Rainnie, though bringing in Loubardias gives them flexibility and options if there is an opening.
Well, I think the big issue is for the Canadian teams outside of the Leafs division. Like it or not, the Leafs are big draws in Western Canada and so any schedule would have to accommodate this (more gate revenue = more money to distribute to the weaker teams via revenue sharing)
Dunno what the Leafs would think of it though, esp. because they fought so hard to get away from the Western Conference.
I have trouble seeing Loubardias at the CBC. He says things on his Twitter feed that I just don’t think people working for the public broadcaster can really get away with (implying that certain players are gay – or at least using derogatory terms to refer to them – and picking fights with other sports media types). I never really cared for him as a broadcaster, but I had nothing against him personally until I started following him on Twitter.
Don’t have a lot of time for him, personally.
What is his Twitter handle? I don’t think I’m following him.
He had been at p_loubo, but his account seems to have been deleted. He was vicious on the Canucks during the Final (he constantly implied that the Sedins were women), and has gone after one of your favourite targets – Dowbiggin – at one point calling him a “vag”.
There was a lot more to it than that. It’s at the level grade three schoolyard taunts, the kind of stuff he was putting out on his Twitter, and while it’s mostly harmless, the only guy at the CBC who can get away with childish stuff like that is Don Cherry. I just can’t picture him there.
Well there goes any chance of CBC taking him. Obviously they couldn’t even trust him to be partial during Canucks broadcasts.
I wouldn’t be surprised if his Twitter has something to do with it. After all, it got that guy from Connected who made the anti-gay comments (can’t even remember his name now) fired. I wish someone had screenshots of some of the things he has said.
Funny thing is Dowbiggin just said yesterday that Sportsnet wasn’t going to make any major changes. I’d say firing their #1 hockey guy is a major change.
Here are a couple of snippets of Dowbiggin’s exchanges with Loubardias on Twitter, for what that’s worth: http://twitter.com/#!/dowbboy/status/77942400105975808
Sadly, it looks like even all of p_loubo’s caches have been removed from Google now. How does that even happen?
It doesn’t look like that is really him to me, but it does seem odd it all disappeared on the day Loubardias was fired. His bio seems suspect.
Where are you able to see the bio? I can’t see anything from the account.
Click on the link you posted, it’s at the bottom.
“I am some kinda play by play guy. When im not commenting on one c_Simmer’s hair im usually spouting off how many chl players names i know.”
That has got to be fake.
Here’s a cache:
and this:
“@dowbboy @fan960walker double douche radio for the rest of the week!!! Fml!”
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Minnesota Wild Owner leaks out possible realignment:
Minnesota would be put in the Central with Winnipeg, Chicago, St.Louis, Nashville , Dallas and Possibly Columbus
Check out the Full Article:
http://detroit.sbnation.com/detroit-red-wings/2011/5/31/2198807/thrashers-winnipeg-nhl-realignment-red-wings
Yeah I think the west is pretty much set in stone. The only question is, how does the NHL want to breakup the east. Unless they want Carolina (or Washington I suppose) in the Northeast, they will have to take one team out of the current Atlantic Division.