How was CBC's coverage in the 80s?

danderson400

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Back in 2001, however, CBC management talked publicly about reducing playoff content that may interfere with news programming. So TSN comes in, and gets more games.
 

JianYang

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TSN basically forced CBC's hand terms of doubleheaders. But the TSN deal in 2002 was more or less a concession by CBC to Mansbridge and CBC News, they argued that if you're going to play havoc with the schedule, you should at least make sure that The National is aired as soon as possible. So TSN carried more games. But it also meant that CBC lost games to TSN. I remember the furor over TSN airing *2* US based playoff games- Dallas-Anaheim in the West and New Jersey-Tampa in the East, that would have never happened these days. But it was a concession by CBC to Mansbridge and CBC News, otherwise CBC would have had one of the games.

Interesting. It never felt to me that cbc reduced their playoff load. I thought their load the same as usual.

I thought there was a void because cbc could never air all the games, and in the 90s, I think tsn was only able to show non Canadian first round action.

Over the years, TSN just seemed like it was able to fill the void more and more. What was interesting to me was when tsn started getting Canadian team assignments in the first round. I think that started happening a decade ago, and it actually took some time to get used to, as cbc plus Canadian playoff hockey was joined at the hip since I can remember.
 

danderson400

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Would tend to agree. But i still think that TSN airing Canadian teams in the 1st/2nd rounds was more or less a concession to Peter Mansbridge and CBC News, they argued that if you're going to play havoc with the schedule, you should at least make sure that The National is aired as soon as possible. So, in order to accommodate Peter Mansbridge and CBC News, TSN got some of the games that CBC used to have, CBC News got a commitment that the post-game show would be scrapped(and was shifted to online) and that the network would go to the news as soon as possible. CBC today still does doubleheaders, but they try to have the news start as soon as possible after the late game.
 
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majormajor

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During those pre-internet days during the playoffs, you'd have to watch the entire show to hear the out-of-town scores. Then after the game you'd sit by the radio, waiting for the scores to be mentioned. And you liked it!

When I was about 7 I would watch the sports scores in the morning and copy all of them down on a piece of paper which I'd bring to school. All the other kids really wanted to know who won what. Of course it was probably also in the newspaper but that didn't occur to any of us.
 
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Uncle Rotter

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When I was about 7 I would watch the sports scores in the morning and copy all of them down on a piece of paper which I'd bring to school. All the other kids really wanted to know who won what. Of course it was probably also in the newspaper but that didn't occur to any of us.
I remember when the local paper started printing game summaries. Luxury!
 

greyraven8

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Being in the Northwest region of Ontario ( a lot closer to Winnipeg than Toronto in more ways than just distance) most of CBC's hockey coverage for us in the 80's was a choice of Toronto, Toronto, or Toronto.

Even while being disposed to being an underdog supporter, after some games of the Leafs getting a somewhat uncommon lead in the 3rd period and not uncommonly blowing it my allegiances at some point finally changed.
 

danderson400

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Interesting. It never felt to me that cbc reduced their playoff load. I thought their load the same as usual.

I thought there was a void because cbc could never air all the games, and in the 90s, I think tsn was only able to show non Canadian first round action.

Over the years, TSN just seemed like it was able to fill the void more and more. What was interesting to me was when tsn started getting Canadian team assignments in the first round. I think that started happening a decade ago, and it actually took some time to get used to, as cbc plus Canadian playoff hockey was joined at the hip since I can remember.

Your'e right about that, the biggest issue that CBC had was showing the news instead of the other available game(not always). Wouldn't have hurt to show the US feed of the other game if it wasn't a Canadian team playing.
 

danderson400

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May 21, 2015
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Interesting. It never felt to me that cbc reduced their playoff load. I thought their load the same as usual.

I thought there was a void because cbc could never air all the games, and in the 90s, I think tsn was only able to show non Canadian first round action.

Over the years, TSN just seemed like it was able to fill the void more and more. What was interesting to me was when tsn started getting Canadian team assignments in the first round. I think that started happening a decade ago, and it actually took some time to get used to, as cbc plus Canadian playoff hockey was joined at the hip since I can remember.

TSN used Fox's feed for the Ducks-Coyotes game 6 with Jiggs McDonald and Peter McNab rather then send a second crew to Phoenix, but had their own intermission coverage. They did that with ABC and NBC too, used their feed and did their own studio stuff.
 

The Panther

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What happened in 1985 that the Cup Finals was broadcast in Canada by CTV (called by the late Dan Kelly)?

It seems odd because, as far as I know, Hockey Night in Canada covered every other Cup Final for years prior and every year after.
 

Tarantula

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What happened in 1985 that the Cup Finals was broadcast in Canada by CTV (called by the late Dan Kelly)?

It seems odd because, as far as I know, Hockey Night in Canada covered every other Cup Final for years prior and every year after.


Looked it up and found this on Wikipedia FWIW

Broadcasting

In Canada, this was the first of two consecutive years that the English-language rights of the Cup Finals was shared between CBC and CTV. CBC televised games one and two nationally while games 3–5 were televised in Edmonton only. CTV televised games 3–5 nationally while games were blacked out in Edmonton. Had the series gone to a Game 7, then BOTH CBC and CTV would have simultaneously televised it while using their own production facilities and crews. Dan Kelly and Ron Reusch called the games on CTV
 

danderson400

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I've wondered about Dick Irvin's role. was he always the 3rd man in the booth, or did he call play-by-play sometimes?
 

Staniowski

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I've wondered about Dick Irvin's role. was he always the 3rd man in the booth, or did he call play-by-play sometimes?
I think Dick did just about everything, over the years.

Both tv and radio.

He was colour commentator for many years, with Danny Gallivan doing play-by-play. I also remember Dick doing play-by-play some, although I don't remember the years....must've been during the '80s. He was the 3rd man. He was studio host for Montreal games on HNIC. And then he was kind of the grand old man of HNIC.
 
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danderson400

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I'm pretty sure he was doing some games on play-by-play like when Cuthbert and Wittman had CFL playoff duty. They had Ken Daniels too if needed.
 

JianYang

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I think Dick did just about everything, over the years.

Both tv and radio.

He was colour commentator for many years, with Danny Gallivan doing play-by-play. I also remember Dick doing play-by-play some, although I don't remember the years....must've been during the '80s. He was the 3rd man. He was studio host for Montreal games on HNIC. And then he was kind of the grand old man of HNIC.

Dick also did PBP on English radio in Montreal, I believe.
 
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JianYang

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Dick Irvin was my all time favorite colour guy. No one today even comes close.

I don't think there was much profound in what he was saying, but there's something about his voice, and delivery that seemed super professional and smooth.
 

danderson400

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May 21, 2015
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Irvin was a great color guy. I remember after the 89 final, he said "Well, I don't think there's any reason for tears in Montreal.."

The late Don Wittman was a good play-by-play guy, and i remember many of those Calgary or Vancouver games during with the playoffs because he did those.
 

JianYang

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Irvin was a great color guy. I remember after the 89 final, he said "Well, I don't think there's any reason for tears in Montreal.."

The late Don Wittman was a good play-by-play guy, and i remember many of those Calgary or Vancouver games during with the playoffs because he did those.

Wittman was one of my favourites, and he was multi talented. He called cfl games too, and he was real good at it. He has legendary calls especially in track for the Olympics as well.

He normally called the western games, but in 02, he got assigned the Boston/Montreal series along with John Davidson. That was a really good team, albeit a brief alliance.
 

The Panther

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Aside from Bob Cole, I think Don Wittman was the best ever play-by-play guy. All class, super-professional voice, and made things seem important. How I wish there were more like him nowadays...

Dick Irvin (Jr.) was clearly a very nice and affable gentleman, and also a real professional. He was a little too close to the Canadiens for his own good sometimes. He tried so hard to be non-biased that he would excessively criticize the Canadiens. I remember watching one game in about 1990 when he suddenly blurted: "It was GIVEAWAY TIME in the Montreal zone!!" He was nerdy, but in a really good way, overall.
 

Habsfan18

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Here are two books on the subject that I would highly recommend. The Young book is quite outdated - published in 1990 - but definitely fits the topic at hand.

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danderson400

Registered User
May 21, 2015
166
8
Aside from Bob Cole, I think Don Wittman was the best ever play-by-play guy. All class, super-professional voice, and made things seem important. How I wish there were more like him nowadays...

Dick Irvin (Jr.) was clearly a very nice and affable gentleman, and also a real professional. He was a little too close to the Canadiens for his own good sometimes. He tried so hard to be non-biased that he would excessively criticize the Canadiens. I remember watching one game in about 1990 when he suddenly blurted: "It was GIVEAWAY TIME in the Montreal zone!!" He was nerdy, but in a really good way, overall.

Your'e right. I remember a game when the Blackhawks were vising the Bell Centre(1996?) and Recchi tackled Chelios after the game, Irvin sounded disgusted and hoped the officials breaks it up right away. That just made me so mad, because, i mean he was supposed to be unbiased...
 
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danderson400

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May 21, 2015
166
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Wittman was one of my favourites, and he was multi talented. He called cfl games too, and he was real good at it. He has legendary calls especially in track for the Olympics as well.

He normally called the western games, but in 02, he got assigned the Boston/Montreal series along with John Davidson. That was a really good team, albeit a brief alliance.

He did the Stars-Oilers series in 99 with Pat Flatley. It was a sweep, but all 4 games were close, including the 3OT clincher.
 

canuck2010

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Dec 21, 2010
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This clip suggests to me that they've come a very long way indeed.


At the time Hodge was becoming quite militant about sports and NHL coverage on CBC. He continued his criticisms until he was fired. He was making a point with those remarks.
 

danderson400

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May 21, 2015
166
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I seem to remember, maybe up till the early 90s, it was CBC policy that as long as a Canadian team was at home, that they didn't televise from the US. But i seem to remember Dick Irvin calling a Habs game from St. Louis, in their old building in the early 90s. Since it started at 8:30, it would have delayed The National. but only in Quebec and maybe eastern Canada. Did they ever cover the Leafs from the US then too?
 

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