Archive for the ‘Junior Hockey’ Category
World Juniors Begin Boxing Day
I probably don’t really need to tell anyone that the World Junior Hockey Championship starts in one week. Fans who can’t make it out to their local rink have been waiting since June for meaningful hockey. Undoubtedly Canadians will wake up at 5:30am (that’s for those in the maritimes) and earlier to watch Canada obliterate Germany on Boxing Day. This is the first time since 2008 (no that is not a typo) that the tournament has taken place outside of North America. And it isn’t just in Europe, but its in Ufa, Russia; 11 hours ahead of Toronto. While that should result in lower ratings for TSN, I’m still betting they will do just fine.
TSN is producing the world feed for the 2013 World Juniors. That, in itself, is not odd. However, this is the first time ever that TSN has produced the world feed for an event taking place in Russia. You can see TSN producer Paul Graham talk more about this below:
TSN will broadcast sixteen games from Russia, along with four pre-competition games this week from Finland. TSN will also have pre and post game shows for all Team Canada games. Encores will air later in the day as well. A sixty minute preview show will air on Christmas Eve. James Duthie and Bob McKenzie will host TSN’s World Juniors coverage from Toronto, while Gord Miller and Ray Ferraro will provide play-by-play from Ufa.
TSN.ca is also offering live streaming; however, it is pay-per-view. I’m disappointed that TSN is doing this. For years they have offered free live streaming of the World Juniors. At the cost of $4 a game, or $20 for the entire tournament, paying for TSN itself is a cheaper option. With most of Canada’s games on before people go to work (and again at night), I have to wonder how many will be willing to pay the steep price.
Continue after the break for the complete schedule.
Memorial Cup Tiebreaker Alert
There will be a tiebreaker game at the Memorial Cup tomorrow night. The loser of tonight’s QMJHL showdown between Saint John and Shawinigan will play Edmonton for a spot in the semifinal. Sportsnet will broadcast it.
Sportsnet will provide live coverage of the pivotal Tie-Breaker game from the 2012 MasterCard Memorial Cup tomorrow (Thursday, May 24) at 7 p.m. ET / 4 p.m. PT on Sportsnet East, Ontario, West and Pacific.
The two scenarios for Thursday’s Tie-Breaker, pending the outcome of tonight’s final Round Robin game featuring Shawinigan vs. Saint John (7 p.m. ET / 4 p.m. PT; Sportsnet East, Ontario, West and Pacific) are as follows:
· If Saint John defeats Shawinigan, the Edmonton Oil Kings will face Shawinigan
· If Shawinigan defeats Saint John, the Edmonton Oil Kings will face Saint John
HOCKEY CENTRAL host Daren Millard and analysts Nick Kypreos and John Garrett are live on location at the Centre Bionest in Shawinigan, providing pre-game, intermission and post-game analysis for all of Sportsnet’s broadcasts. Play-by-play commentator RJ Broadhead and analyst Sam Cosentino are calling all of the games, alongside host Rob Faulds.
Sportsnet’s wall-to-wall coverage of the 2012 MasterCard Memorial Cup culminates on Sunday, May 27 at 7 p.m. ET / 4 p.m. PT with live coverage of the highly-anticipated Championship Final.
2012 Memorial Cup: Starts Friday on Sportsnet
The NHL isn’t the only league with playoff hockey this may. The Canadian Hockey League postseason wraps up in the next week with the Memorial Cup. Sportsnet will show complete coverage of every game. Here are more details.
With the Canadian Hockey League Championship up for grabs, Sportsnet heads to Shawinigan, Que. for comprehensive coverage of the 2012 MasterCard Memorial Cup. Sportsnet is there every step of the way to the Championship Final with multiplatform coverage across television, radio, digital, mobile and print, kicking off on Friday, May 18 at 7 p.m. ET/ 4 p.m. PT on Sportsnet East, Ontario, West and Pacific as the host team Shawinigan Cataractes battle the Edmonton Oil Kings.
From the first puck drop to the hoisting of the Memorial Cup, HOCKEY CENTRAL host Daren Millard and analysts Nick Kypreos and John Garrett will be live on location at the Centre Bionest in Shawinigan to provide pre-game, intermission and post-game analysis. Play-by-play commentator RJ Broadhead and analyst Sam Cosentino will call all of the games, alongside host Rob Faulds.
Sportsnet primes fans for the highly-anticipated CHL tournament with the MasterCard Memorial Cup Preview Show on Thursday, May 14 at 8 p.m. ET on Sportsnet ONE. The one-hour special, hosted by Millard, Kypreos and Garrett, will feature predictions from the panel, introduction to the stars playing the MasterCard Memorial Cup and the top plays of the year from Friday Night Hockey. Broadhead and Cosentino will also appear with analysis and Faulds will look back at the history of the tournament
Continue after the break for the complete schedule and the rest of the PR.
Friday Night Hockey Heads to London
The final Friday Night Hockey broadcast before the Memorial Cup is in London this Friday as the Knights host Niagara in game 5 of the OHL final.
Sportsnet’s Friday Night Hockey continues to pave the way to the 2012 MasterCard Memorial Cup with Game 5 of the Rogers OHL Championship series on Friday, May 11 featuring the London Knights hosting the Niagara IceDogs at 7 p.m. ET/4 p.m. PT on Sportsnet East, Ontario, West and Pacific.
HOCKEY CENTRAL host Daren Millard and analyst Nick Kypreos set the stage for the pivotal match-up from the Sportsnet studio, while play-by-play announcer RJ Broadhead, analyst Sam Cosentino and host Rob Faulds will be at the John Labatt Centre in London to call the game.
Friday Night Hockey on Sportsnet provides CHL playoff game coverage Friday nights throughout the post-season, culminating with wall-to-wall coverage of the 2012 MasterCard Memorial Cup beginning Friday, May 18 at 7 p.m. ET through to the Championship Final on Sunday, May 27 at 7 p.m. ET. (Full MasterCard Memorial Cup broadcast schedule to be released at a later date).
Friday Night Hockey Returns to Saint John
Sportsnet’s Friday Night Hockey will return to Saint John for the third time in as many months this week. The Sea Dogs will host Rimouski in game 1 of the Presidents Cup final on national TV beginning at 8pm Atlantic. This is the penultimate Friday Night Hockey telecast of the year. The final Friday night broadcast of the year, on May 11, will feature game 5 in the OHL final between Niagara and London.
Here is the press release with details of Friday’s broadcast.
Sportsnet’s Friday Night Hockey kicks off the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League’s President’s Cup Championship Series when the defending MasterCard Memorial Cup champion Saint John Sea Dogs host the Rimouski Oceanic. Coverage begins on Friday, May 4 at 7 p.m. ET/4 p.m. PT on Sportsnet East, Ontario, West and Pacific.
HOCKEY CENTRAL host Daren Millard and analyst Nick Kypreos set the stage for Friday’s series opener from the Sportsnet studio, while play-by-play announcer RJ Broadhead, analyst Sam Cosentino and host Rob Faulds will be at the Harbour Station arena in Saint John to call the game.
Friday Night Hockeyon Sportsnet provides CHL playoff game coverage Friday nights throughout the post-season, culminating with wall-to-wall coverage of the 2012 MasterCard Memorial Cup beginning Friday, May 18 at 7 p.m. ET through to the Championship Final on Sunday, May 27 at 7 p.m. ET. (Full MasterCard Memorial Cup broadcast schedule to be released at a later date).
Friday Night Hockey Returns to the Q This Weekend
As the first round of the NHL playoffs comes to an end, the Quebec League semifinals are heating up. Rimouski leads Halifax 2-1 (game 4 is tonight). Meanwhile, defending Memorial Cup champions Saint John are up 2-1 on Chicoutimi.
With just three weeks remaining until the puck drops on the 2012 MasterCard Memorial Cup Tournament, Sportsnet’s Friday Night Hockey fuels fans with playoff action from the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League as the Rimouski Oceanic host the Halifax Mooseheads in Game 5 of the President’s Cup Semifinal Series at 7 p.m. ET/4 p.m. PT on Sportsnet East, Ontario, West and Pacific.
HOCKEY CENTRAL host Daren Millard and analyst Damien Cox set the stage for the showdown from the Sportsnet studio, while play-by-play announcer RJ Broadhead, analyst Sam Cosentino and host Rob Faulds bring viewers all of the live playoff action from the Colisée de Rimouski.
Friday Night Hockey provides CHL playoff game coverage Friday nights throughout the post-season, culminating with wall-to-wall coverage of the 2012 MasterCard Memorial Cup beginning Friday, May 18 at 7 p.m. ET through to the Championship Final on Sunday, May 27 at 7 p.m. ET. (Full MasterCard Memorial Cup broadcast schedule to be released at a later date).
Also of note, the 2nd round of the NHL playoffs begins Friday night when the Predators visit the Coyotes. Puck drop is 9pm ET. This series will likely be on TSN in Canada. The rest of the 2nd round schedule will be released late Thursday night.
World U18 Hockey Championship Starts Tomorrow on TSN
The 2012 World Under-18 Hockey Championship starts tomorrow in the Czech Republic. TSN and RDS will broadcast it in Canada. Here is TSN’s press release.
As Canada’s next generation of hockey stars go for gold at the 2012 IIHF WORLD UNDER-18 CHAMPIONSHIP, TSN delivers live coverage of the tournament from the Czech Republic beginning Tuesday, April 17.
TSN’s coverage of the 2012 IIHF WORLD UNDER-18 CHAMPIONSHIP features at least four games, including Team Canada’s final preliminary round match-up against the United States along with one quarter-final and one semifinal game, and the Gold Medal final (see broadcast schedule below).
All games are also available live on TSN Mobile TV and on-demand at TSN.ca. French-language coverage of the 2012 IIHF WORLD UNDER-18 CHAMPIONSHIP is available on RDS, RDS2 and RDS INFO.
TSN’s Dave Randorf calls the action from the broadcast booth alongside game analyst Craig Button. Nabil Karim hosts the coverage and is joined in the TSN studio by analyst Dave Reid.
Team Canada is headlined by a host of elite 2012 NHL Draft prospects including defenceman Mathew Dumba of the Red Deer Rebels and forward Brendan Gaunce of the Belleville Bulls. Dumba serves as captain of this year’s squad as it looks to improve on its fourth place finish at last year’s tournament in Germany. Canada is a two-time gold medallist at World Under-18 Championship, winning in 2003 and 2008.
TSN is the official broadcaster of all Hockey Canada events.
Here is the broadcast schedule. All times ET. All games are on TSN. RDS will show every game except the final, as far as I can tell.
Tuesday 4/17, 2:00pm – Canada vs. United States
Thursday 4/19, 9:00am – Quarterfinal
Friday 4/20, 1:00pm – Semifinal
Sunday 4/22, 6:00am – Bronze Medal Game*
Sunday 4/22, 10:00am – Championship Game
*TSN will only show the bronze medal game is Canada is playing in it.
Friday Night Hockey in Ottawa for 2nd Straight Week
Sportsnet has announced that their Friday Night Hockey broadcast will originate from Ottawa for the second consecutive week. This week features game 1 of the OHL semifinal series between Ottawa and Barrie. Here is their press release.
Sportsnet’s Friday Night Hockey drops the puck on Game 1 of the Ontario Hockey League’s Eastern Conference semifinal series as the Ottawa 67’s host the Barrie Colts on Friday, April 6 at 7 p.m. (ET)/4 p.m. (PT) on Sportsnet East, Ontario, West and Pacific.
HOCKEY CENTRAL host Jeff Marek and analyst Damien Cox set the stage for the showdown from the Sportsnet studio, while play-by-play announcer RJ Broadhead, analyst Sam Cosentino and host Rob Faulds bring viewers all of the live playoff action from the Ottawa Civic Centre.
Friday Night Hockey on Sportsnet provides CHL playoff game coverage Friday nights throughout the post-season, culminating with wall-to-wall coverage of the 2012 MasterCard Memorial Cup beginning Friday, May 18 at 7 p.m. ET through to the Championship Final on Sunday, May 27 at 7 p.m. ET. (Full MasterCard Memorial Cup broadcast schedule to be released at a later date).
CIS University Cup: This Weekend in Fredericton
It’s not often that I get to write about a major Canadian sports event taking place in my hometown. This weekend I do. The CIS University Cup is Canada’s national university hockey Championship. This is the second straight year the tournament is in Fredericton. Last year the host UNB Varsity Reds won. Coming in as the top team in the country, they are favoured to do so again. The other five teams who are competing in Fredericton this weekend are OUA champs McGill Redmen (ranked 2nd), Canada West champions Saskatchewan Huskies (ranked 3rd), the Western Mustangs (ranked 4th), Moncton Aigles Blues (ranked 5th), and the UQTR Patriotes (ranked 7th).
The Varsity Reds will play in the final group stage game against Western Ontario tomorrow afternoon at 4:30pm Atlantic (TV: Sportsnet East/Ontario/Pacific). With a win, UNB would advance to Sunday’s final. The Reds are led by Kyle Bailey, who has 16 goals and 17 assists this season. The Reds also have a strong defence that includes Jonathan Harty (7 goals, 20 assists), Bretton Stamler (8 goals, 11 assists) and Luke Gallant (5 goals, 20 assists). Travis Fullerton will likely start in net for the Reds. He was second in the CIS this season with a 1.67 GAA. Keaton Turkiewicz is the star player for the Mustangs. He led the CIS in points with 47 this season. Western’s goalie, Josh Unice, gave up slightly over 2 goals per game this season.
Pool B is a bit messy. The McGill Redmen (1-0) can clinch a spot in the final with a win over Saskatchewan tomorrow. However, a Huskies win would result in a 3-way tie between Moncton, McGill and Saskatchewan (all 1-1).
Sportsnet will broadcast two games from the University Cup. Rob Faulds will host the broadcasts from the Aitken Centre and report from ice level. RJ Broadhead will call the games with analyst Sam Cosentino. Here is Sportsnet’s broadcast schedule (all times Atlantic)
Saturday 3/24, 4:30pm – UNB vs. Western Ontario (East/Ontario/Pacific)
Sunday 3/25, 8:00pm – Championship Final (East/Ontario/West/Pacific)
The Sea Dogs are on Sportsnet Again
Defending Memorial Cup champions Saint John Sea Dogs will appear on Sportsnet for the second time this season. The Sea Dogs playoff opener against Cape Breton Screaming Eagles from Harbour Station is on Sportsnet Ontario and Pacific Friday night at 8pm AT. The game is also on Sportsnet Sens, for those in the East region. Here is Sportsnet’s press release with more information.
Sportsnet’s Friday Night Hockey kicks off the 2012 Canadian Hockey League playoffs – and the 65 day-long road to the MasterCard Memorial Cup in Shawinigan, QC – with the QMHJL’s No.1-ranked Saint John Sea Dogs hosting the Cape Breton Screaming Eagles on Friday, March 23 at 7 p.m. ET / 4 p.m. PT on Sportsnet Ontario and Sportsnet Pacific. For viewers in the east, the game will also be available on the Sportsnet ONE companion channel, Sportsnet Sens.
HOCKEY CENTRAL host Jeff Marek, alongside analyst and former NHL GM and player Brian Lawton, set the stage for Friday’s playoff game from the Sportsnet studio, including a closer look at the defending MasterCard Memorial Cup champion Sea Dogs who finished the 2011-12 campaign with the best record in the CHL. Play-by-play announcer RJ Broadhead, analyst Sam Cosentino and host Rob Faulds will be front and centre at the Harbour Station arena in Saint John to bring viewers all of the live action from the QMJHL’s playoff opener.
This shouldn’t come as a major surprise to hockey fans in New Brunswick. The same broadcast crew is covering the CIS University Cup in Fredericton on the weekend. Logistics likely played a bigger role in the game choice than anything else.
5 More CHL Regular Season Games on Sportsnet
Sportsnet announced their CHL Friday Night Hockey schedule for the remainder of the regular season today. 5 games will air on Sportsnet on Friday nights in February and March. Coverage will continue through the playoffs as well. There are 2 OHL games, 2 QMJHL games and 1 WHL game on the schedule. The highlights include Patrick Roy and the Quebec Remparts visiting the defending Memorial Cup champion Sea Dogs in Saint John and two appearances for the top ranked London Knights, including a game against top prospect Nail Yakupov and the Sarnia Sting. Here is Sportsnet’s press release with more information.
Sportsnet today announced the remaining regular season broadcast schedule for Canadian Hockey League games on Friday Night Hockey, featuring five hard-hitting match-ups as teams gear up for the 2012 CHL Playoffs and 2012 MasterCard Memorial Cup. (Please see full broadcast schedule below).
Sportsnet’s Friday Night Hockey resumes on Friday, Feb. 17 with two of the QMJHL’s top teams as the Quebec Remparts visit the Saint John Sea Dogs at 7 p.m. ET on Sportsnet ONE, Sportsnet East, Sportsnet Ontario and Sportsnet Pacific. The defending MasterCard Memorial Cup champion Sea Dogs, which include 2011 third overall NHL Entry Draft pick and Canadian World Junior bronze medalist Jonathan Huberdeau, will host 2012 top prospect and leading QMJHL rookie scorer Mikhail Grigorenko who earned silver with Russia at the World Junior Championship.
Sportsnet’s Friday Night Hockey broadcasts will be handled by play-by-play announcer RJ Broadhead, analyst Sam Cosentino and host Rob Faulds. Each broadcast features a pre-game studio show with analysis, scores, interviews and features. CHL coverage also extends to Sportsnet Connected and HOCKEY CENTRAL with all the latest news and highlights. On sportsnet.ca, columnist Patrick King will take a deeper look each week at the Ontario Hockey League, Western Hockey League and Quebec Major Junior Hockey League. Cosentino will also appear on the website with a weekly blog and discuss CHL news on Skype chats with fans, while Sportsnet magazine will continue to feature regular coverage of key CHL issues, topics and players. On Radio, Sportsnet 590 The FAN and Sportsnet 960 The FAN will provide regular updates on game results and stats.
Sportsnet’s CHL coverage will continue through the 2012 Playoffs leading up to and including the 2012 MasterCard Memorial Cup in Shawinigan, Quebec. The 2012 playoff broadcast schedule will be announced once matchups are confirmed. Sportsnet has been the exclusive media partner of the CHL since 1998.
And here is the broadcast schedule:
Friday 2/17, 7:00pm – Quebec @ Saint John (East, Ontario, Pacific, One)
Friday 2/24, 8:00pm – Kootney @ Saskatoon (One, West)
Friday 3/2, 7:00pm – Oshawa @ London (East, Ontario, Pacific)
Friday 3/9, 7:00pm – Rimouski @ Shawinigan (East, Ontario, Pacific)
Friday Night Hockey: January 2012 Schedule
The Canadian Hockey League returns to Sportsnet tomorrow night as the winter break comes to an end. Here are the schedules for Sportsnet and TVA Sports in January. Here is the press release from the CHL.
The Canadian Hockey League in association with Sportsnet today announced three CHL games that will be broadcasted on Sportsnet’s Friday Night Hockey in January, 2012.
Following the winter break Friday Night Hockey on Sportsnet resumes January 13 when the Chicoutimi Sagueneens visit the Halifax Mooseheads. The game features Sagueneens’ 2012 NHL draft prospect Charles Hudon and the Mooseheads’ top 2013 NHL draft prospect Nathan MacKinnon live at 7:00 pm Eastern on Sportsnet ONE, Sportsnet East, Sportsnet Ontario, Sportsnet Pacific, and on TVA Sports in Quebec.
In addition, on January 20 several 2012 NHL prospects will be featured when the defending OHL champion Owen Sound Attack visit the number one ranked team in the BMO CHL MasterCard Top-10 the London Knights live at 7:00 pm Eastern on Sportsnet East, Sportsnet Ontario, Sportsnet West, and Sportsnet Pacific. Four players in that contest have been named to rosters for the Home Hardware CHL/NHL Top Prospects Game including the Attack’s Jarrod Maidens and Gemel Smith, with Olli Maatta and Andreas Athanasiou of the Knights.
One week later on January 27, top 2013 NHL draft prospect Sean Monahan and the Ottawa 67′s host 2012 top NHL draft prospect Nail Yakupov of the Sarnia Sting. The game can be seen live at 7:00 pm on Sportsnet East, Sportsnet Ontario, Sportsnet West, and Sportsnet Pacific.
The Friday Night Hockey broadcasts will continue to be handled by play-by-play announcer RJ Broadhead, analyst Sam Cosentino, and host Rob Faulds. Each broadcast will feature a studio show previewing the game.
Additionally, CHL coverage will extend to Sportsnet Connected and HOCKEY CENTRAL with all the latest news and highlights.
Friday Night Hockey on Sportsnet will continue right through the 2012 Playoffs leading up to the MasterCard Memorial Cup. The remaining regular season schedule will be released in the coming weeks.
In October, Sportsnet and the CHL announced the creation of Friday Night Hockey, a regular weeknight destination for Canadian Hockey League games, plus integration across the multiple Sportsnet platforms – television, radio, digital and print.
Sportsnet has been the exclusive media partner of the CHL since 1998.
Note: This press release was issued before Nail Yakupov was injured. It is expected that Yakupov will not play on January 28 against the 67s.
A Canada Loss is Good for Junior Hockey
SportsCentre anchors Darren Dutchyshen and Kate Beirness led off last night’s 11:30pm ET broadcast with what they described as a sad Canadian hockey story to begin the New Year. Watching, you could tell they were sad just by their facial expressions. I had a hard time feeling sad about the lose, considering I know there aren’t many in Russia who watched the game and cared that they beat Canada. This wasn’t like the 2006 Olympic hockey quarterfinal loss to Russia, or even the back-to-back losses to Russia in the 2008 and 2009 World Hockey Championship finals. The TV reaction was sure the same as that 2006 game, mostly because it was such a shock to TSN, who count on a Canada final every year for ratings. Canada had made ten straight finals, dating back to 2002. Since 1991, when TSN began broadcasting the tournament, Canada had made the final 17 of 21 times.
I think that Canada’s loss was a great thing for hockey. The main reason is the tournament needs credibility in Europe. Russia and Sweden are two traditional hockey powers. After Canada, most top NHL draft picks have come from those countries. Their round robin game on New Year’s Eve, which decided the winner of Group A, was a 4-3 overtime result for Sweden. The 2013 World Junior Championship is in Ufa, Russia. The 2014 World Junior Championship is on Malmö, Sweden. Surely people in Russia and Sweden, and maybe throughout Europe, will watch this game. A Canada vs. Sweden final wouldn’t have had any interested in Russia.
TSN, who promote the tournament as a source of Canadian pride, will surely take a hit in the ratings Thursday evening because of this though. An average of 6.9 million Canadians tuned in to watch last year’s final, where Canada lost to Russia in a third period collapse. I think TSN can draw in the 2 to 3 million range for a final without Canada, which is still great compared to the NHL on TSN’s regular season ratings, but is not what advertisers expect.
Order of Canada… Is anyone in sports broadcasting more deserving of the Order of Canada than Brian Williams? Williams, who has covered almost every Olympic Games since 1976 in Montreal, is the most recognizable face in Canadian sports broadcasting. Then there was this classic 2000 Air Farce sketch that featured Williams (you need Real Player to watch it). Congratulations to Mr. Williams from me; I have many great Olympic memories with him at the helm.
2012 Winter Classic… NBC’s ratings for the 2012 Winter Classic were slightly down based on previous years; however, the number of people watching was up from the last Winter Classic played in the afternoon in 2010. CBC hasn’t made their Winter Classic ratings public yet.
2013 Winter Classic… For years Canadians have complained about not hosting a Winter Classic. Canada won’t get to host next year’s either, Detroit is the front-runner. However, the Maple Leafs are a possible choice as the Red Wings opponents. This would give CBC a major ratings boost, plus it would keep Canadian fans happy. Other possible opponents next year include Colorado, San Jose, Los Angeles and St. Louis. It seems that Washington is the favourite for the 2014 Classic, while New York’s Yankee Stadium is the favourite for the 2015 edition. Remember with the Winter Classic, it is driven by US TV.
Did he really say that?… I don’t know what was better about Monday night’s Fiesta Bowl, the actual game (an OT thriller between Stanford and Oklahoma State) or ESPN analyst Matt Millen. His analysis on NFL #1 draft pick-in waiting Andrew Luck: “He bores you with completions, he bores you with efficiency.” Millen also took John Madden’s “a hat on a hat” into a new era with “a guy on a guy” and offered this gem that would leave you wondering if you are watching football or a gay porno: “When he gets inside of a guy and bends his hips, he’s pretty good”. For more quotes, check out Awful Announcing.
Paul Romanuk… He is known to many Canadians as the voice of the World Juniors in the 90s. Now he lives in Europe and commentates on the Spengler Cup instead of the Juniors for TSN. With next year’s Juniors in Russia, TSN should use Romanuk in some capacity.
World Juniors Continue to Rate Well on TSN
An average of 2.3 million people watched the World Junior Hockey Championship opener between Canada and Finland on Boxing Day. This is down from 2.94 for Canada vs. Russia, which was also an afternoon game, last year. The second and third games this year, against the Czech Republic and Denmark, registered 2.55 and 2.2 million viewers respectively. This compares to 2.2 million and 1.8 million last season, for games against the Czech Republic and Norway.
Here is TSN’s press release, followed by this week’s sports ratings report after the break.
Canadians continue to embrace TSN’s coverage of the 2012 IIHF WORLD JUNIOR CHAMPIONSHIP. According to the latest audience data from BBM Canada, TSN’s coverage of Team Canada’s first three preliminary games have attracted an average audience of 2.3 million viewers.
• Dec 26: Canada vs. Finland – 2.3 million viewers
• Dec: 28: Canada vs. Czech Republic – 2.55 million viewers
• Dec: 29: Canada vs. Denmark – 2.0 million viewersAll three games ranked as the most-watched program of the day on Canadian television in all key demographics.
TSN’s coverage of the 2012 IIHF WORLD JUNIOR CHAMPIONSHIP continues on New Year’s Eve at 7:30 p.m. ET as Team Canada looks to go 4-0 in the round-robin when they take on Team USA.
