Inside CBC Sports

Michael in Toronto. Just a point of clarification - Ottawa did score more goals than Montreal. The NHL does not count overtime or shootout goals in the official total. So, in fact, Mr. Cherry was correct.

The point that has bothered me the most is that when it comes to the late games, there's always a pretty good distribution of games among Edmonton, Calgary and Vancouver, but it's always been all Toronto, all the time for the early games. If Montreal and Ottawa were battling for the division or a playoff spot, and the Leafs were playing the Kings with nothing on the line, you can bet dollars to donuts that the game would originate from the ACC that night. When they announced last fall that there would be more Canadiens games on Saturday night, there was a large cry of, "It's about damn time," from Habs fans across the country (and yes, there are Habs fans across the country, just as there are Sens fans, who get even less respect than the Habs nationally). The solution to make everyone happy is to do at for the Eastern teams what you've been doing for the Western teams; cover them all with some balance.

As a 100% english speaking Canadian and I can not speak French, often I find myself watching games on RDS instead of Hockey Night in Canada. I am now 30 years old and I remember growing up that I would see the Habs normally about every other week. I realize the business of sport and that there are alot of Leaf fans in Atlantic Canada, but the only Habs games in English now are vs the Leafs or maybe the Pens because of Crosby. I think HNIC(CANADA) either needs to again balnace their schedule or give in all together and rename themselves HNIT (TORONTO).

Scott

Thanks for addressing the 'myths'. From my perspective, your right about the first one and wrong on the other two - and there is a mountain of evidence to refute your position.

I gave up on HNIC a couple of years ago because of the bias towards the Leafs and I won't be back any time soon.

One last thing. If RDS did not exist, I wonder if your current interest in the Habs would.

Is it just me, or are Habs fan's the whiniest in all of Canada. The CBC took up the Senators cause last year, and Edmonton the year before. They always seem to bring up the leafs. Such is life!
-Jamie
Leafs Nation.

CBC does carry most Maple Leafs Games but
people have to realize that Leafs fans
are from coast to coast and they outnumber
other fans by a huge majority.

Thank you
BMW

Dear Mr. Moore,
I agree, Don Cherry is not anti-Montreal, but he knows so little about this Montreal Canadiens team that he brings no insight to his segments. Last night, Mr. Cherry continued to "tell it like it is" by praising a Bruins forward while dismissing a Canadiens defenceman with a playful yeah-he’s-good-too comment. His intent was not malevolent but it betrayed his unfamiliarity, he clearly knows more about the Bruins roster than the Canadiens one. More evidence of this was heard even before the playoffs began when Mr. Cherry was quoted as saying, "One thing Ottawa's got going for them that nobody mentions: they’ve scored more goals than anyone." Nobody mentions it Mr. Cherry because the Montreal Canadiens scored the most goals than any other team this season. That’s not telling it like it is - that’s telling it like you see it. Do a better job, Mr. Cherry. If your knowledge of the current Habs team remains weak and your commentaries continue to be lopsided, at least regale us with stories of former Hab glories, something you know more about. Thank you.

Kevin,
While I may be a bit biased as a Senators fan I think that CBC showed more Sens games because they were a favourite to win the Stanley Cup at the start of the season, I'll be the first to admit that they weren't a favourite in the second half. I don't know if anybody could have predicted how good of a season Montreal would have, i thought that Price would need another year or two at least. I assume that there will be more Habs than Sens games on CBC next season.

BTW CBC is required to carry about 27 Leafs games and TSN is required to carry about 12. This was the first year that TSN carried all of theirs nationally and CBC didn't. Also I believe that CBC will probably have about 25 Leafs games next year along with about 20 Sens games and 22-23 Habs games.

Thanks for taking the time to address this issue Mr. Moore.

The best thing living in Montreal is its hockey. Like Koivu said: "La ville est Hockey!". No doubt that the whole country knows that Hockey is a religion in Montreal. It has always been a tradition that every time when the Canadiens play, most people will be watching, especially during the play-offs. For this reason, I sincerely hope that HNIC wiill keep the tradition going to broadcast all the Habs game next year. Despite, HNIC has lost some viewers because the lack of showing the Habs games, however it's never too late to salvage those viewers back. Ron, Kelly, Jim, Greg, and the rest of the gang have been doing a fambulous job over the years. People should not take Don Cherry too seriously.

HNIC is one of the most popular programs and one of the best on CBC (so are the National and the Mercer report), therefore, I hope to see all the Habs games on CBC in the coming years.

Thank you.

For Montreal fans of hockey that do not root for the Canadiens (like myself, and numerous others I can assure you) RDS is absolutely unbearable. Whether it's supposedly objective commentators talking about how "we" need to play better, or the way the announcers describe every Habs' act as "phenomenal" or "fantastic", it is impossible to watch without feeling like you've stumbled onto some sort of Quebecois/Habs propaganda.

And yet, this sort of homerism, which is derided in the CBC, is celebrated on RDS. I really don't get it. Maybe I'm wrong, but I think this could only be acceptable, and embraced, in a place as insecure as Quebec.

Either way, I suggest we keep the Anglo-Montrealer inferiority complex (in regards to Toronto) out of Hockey, and just enjoy the playoffs (Go Bruins).

Scott, I listened to you on Bob McCown's show (via podcast) yesterday, and I have to take issue with at least one of your points.

For me, the issue isn't that HNIC doesn't show Hab games to Quebec (because as you point out, it does), it's that the Leafs are generally seen as the *default* national game, unless they're more or less out of contention. It was only at the end of the season this year that talk started bubbling up about potentially showing teams other than the Leafs across the country.

The counter argument to that, of course, is that the Leafs have a larger fanbase across the country, which would be fair if not for the fact that that's probably so due to the fact that they've had national TV exposure for decades.

The CBC is a public broadcaster for all Canadians, and yet Leaf fans are the *only* ones that can count on seeing their team every, single week on HNIC, and nationally at that in the majority of those cases. As a Sens fan, I know quite well that there are weeks when my team has played on a Saturday night, and the Ceeb has opted not to air the game - not in Ottawa, not anywhere.

The last time there was a Leaf game on a Saturday that the CBC didn't pick up though - can you tell me when that was?

As an English Montrealer, I opt for the RDS broadcast every game over the CBC. I understand HNIC is an important part of our national identity, but until certain things are changed I will stay away as a Montreal fan.

Last night was a perfect example on Coach's Corner of why so many anglophones opt to watch the game in another language. Mr. Cherry took a break in his Montreal-slagging only to briefly mention that Komisarek was tough, and by his admission only to "keep people happy." he then compared him to Ulf Samuelsson, one of the dirtiest players in NHL history. This was after saying "you know, I think we can win this series" a few nights ago alluding to Boston's chance at beating Montreal. He did the same thing in the last game against Toronto last season. Extremely unprofessional.

The broadcast team also had a great time ripping Carey Price apart during the third period. Aside from Bob Cole, who I do actually enjoy, HNIC has become completely meaningless to me, as I'm sure it has to many other Montrealers. Don't try to force-feed us this nonsense about your broadcast being pro-Habs when one of your hosts is actively cheering against them.

It is not a myth. Ottawa fans felt the same bias against them last spring with the CBC coverage of their cup run. Why would it be acceptable for Cole & co. to be "homers" when the Leafs are playing, but then switch to neutral when another Canadian team is facing the same (American) opponent? The fact is this: CBC decided to abandon its HNIC presence in Montreal years ago. You cannot promote something without investing in it.

Dear Alex in Oakville (and Scott),
I read your comments with interest and am glad that finally, after dozens of articulate responses, someone has finally agreed with the CBC. It's great to see a true 'blue and red bleeding' fan explain to us how it is. It's great that not everyone believes that the CBC's coverage excludes Hab fans. And Alex, it is remarkable how closely your letter mirrors the CBC's message of late.I just have one question before I am fully convinced by your arguments: How is your internship with the CBC's communications department going?
Please Scott, stop this insulting charade. Everyone is quite aware that you are in damage control mode. Your desperation is disquieting and rather pathetic. As a CBC supporter, I think that it is important that you show some humility here. We know that you are in a bind, especially if Calgary goes out. You would be faced with covering a team whose followers are unconvinced of your sincerity. Rather than sob into the void that 'it's just not true that we hate the Habs' and insist that Don Cherry really is wearing a Koivu T-shirt underneath his goofy suit, maybe you should just accept reality and start making amends.HNIC's Toronto strategy, while unpleasant, is a debatable issue. What is not debatable is your recent apathy towards Montreal. I'm sure that Jose Thibadeau didn't mind his new name, Boom Boom Geoffrion's family, despite their grief, didn't mind being shunted aside for a love-in honouring some thug and maybe even Korvolov would agree that he did dive in 1989. Who knows? What is clear is that you have a credibility issue. Perhaps the best course of action is not to plant supportive messages on a comment board. Maybe you should bring in some consultants who actually have a clue how to mend this rift. Here's a thought: Ask Dick Irvin what he thinks. You might be shocked at how forgiving people are if you deal with them honestly. And Alex (from Oakville not Korvolov), best of luck on that internship.

I never thought CBC was anti-Montréal, but I know there is a persistent feeling among Canadians living outside of Toronto that CBC has a pro-Leafs agenda, so I'm glad Mr. Moore took the time to address the issue.

I wholeheartedly agree with Alex in Oakville and the many others who have voiced their support for HNIC, which continues to set the bar for quality in hockey broadcasting. One only needs to flip the channel to one of the other networks to gain an appreciation for CBC's coverage. To me, watching games on most other networks is invariably a disappointment, even when the game itself is good.

Some people read way too much into CBC's coverage in terms of favoritism, and once you start to believe that the coverage is biased, you end up hearing everything on CBC through your own personal filter. Sooner or later you start to pick out certain comments, take them out of context, and add them to a mounting pile of 'evidence' that confirms your suspicions. Once you start to think that it's "not what they said, but how they said it," you can be sure you're thinking too much about it.

Here's the thing: Everyone at HNIC loves hockey (and unlike other networks, most of them have actually played and/or coached the game). Like everyone else who loves the sport, they all have their favorite team(s) and player(s). I think this is a good thing in itself, but I also think everyone at CBC is very professional, and to me it seems clear that their love is for the sport itself, and the players who rise to the top, regardless of which team they play for.

Honestly, as a Canadian, HNIC is something I am truly proud of. I think it really exemplifies Canada's love for the sport itself, and helps explain why so many of the world's best hockey players come from here.

HNIC has a blindspot & that is for a deplorable Leaf team. When the Leafs were afire and turning to toast, the Habs were floating to the top of the Eastern Conference. HNIC has done a disservice to the Toronto fanbase by supporting incompetent Leaf managements through 41 years of also rans. In Ontario we have 2 NHL teams....Ottawa & Toronto. In the case of Ottawa the situation is serious but not hopless, while the situation in Toronto is hopeless but Leaf management does not see as serious. Golf Leafs Golf.

The basis for the outrage towards CBC can be traced back to the day CBC stopped producing English language local coverage of the Montreal Canadiens. Turn on CBC in Montreal on a Saturday night these days and you'll see a Leafs game being broadcast in Montreal's local market!

As for the 19 Hab games with broadcasters parachuted in with little knowledge of the team because they don't follow them, 8 of those games were because Toronto was the opposition. If fact, Toronto played at home on a Saturday night more than any team in the NHL this past season and therefore was pumped into every home, including Montreal that had NO local CBC coverage.

The CBC pumps the Leafs for the Ad revenue even though they are supported by Canadian tax payers and therefore has a mandate to provide coverage to ALL Canadian teams, not just when they happen to play the Leafs.

As for the Playoffs this season the total lack of understanding of the Habs by the Leafs regaular broadcast crew is painfully obvious. I miss the days of Dick Irvin who actually followed the team and knew what was going on.

As a result, CBC is getting hammered in the rating by RDS who have attracted English viewers, like me away from CBC. All because CBC no longer has weekly English language coverage of the Montreal Canadiens like they used to.

So, how can the CBC claim they really love Montreal when they don't bother to broadcast it every week, unless the Habs play the Leafs or the schesule maker has the Leafs on western road trip? Fans are taxpayers too and see the CBC or what it is and what it no longer provides and have begun to tune you out because for too long you've been ignoring us.

RE: Alex from Oakville's comments

The CBC has over the years become complacent in it's position as Canada's public broadcaster and as owner of Canada's marquee broadcasting property, hockey night in Canada.

The CBC is overly pleased with it's past accomplishments and obviously has developed a sense of entitlement.

the view that hockey fans can be rewarded for their loyalty to the network with an increased number of habs games reflects the attitudes of a broadcaster that is quickly becoming irrelevant on a national level.

The CBC is self-satisfied and unconcerned with winning an audience to the point where it cannot be bothered to compete with broadcasters that cater to the desires of the public and would rather use their place in history as leverage to play on the publics feelings of nostalgia rather than improve the delivery of their product.

The CBC should either improve the direction of HNIC to reflect all regions of Canada or relinquish their monopoly of Saturday night games to continue their broadcasts of Leafs hockey. Sell the rights for the broadcasts to other networks so Saturday's can truly become HOCKEY NIGHT IN CANADA.

Scott, you lost this Anglo years ago to RDS, put simply: RDS 82 CBC 19.

I echo the sentiments of most of the posters here. I am old enough to remember Gallivan and Irvin calling the games of the powerhouse Habs teams during the 1970s. How far the CBC has fallen! I gave up watching Hockey Night in Canada long ago after it shamelessly reduced itself to little more than the marketing arm of MLSE. My satellite provider carries about 11 CBC feeds, and on a typical Saturday each and every one of them has the same game...Toronto. The point the CBC has missed is that with NHL Centre Ice, RDS and the internet, fans have choices, and no longer have to settle for being force-fed Leaf propaganda. HNIC has lost its lustre as a showpiece broadcast and is just another sports broadcast, catering to those with a line of sight to the CN tower.

It's about time CBC finally addressed this issue. Unfortunately, instead of admitting there is a problem, you're trying to deflect it.

Dick Irvin is still employed by CBC? I've seen him on there maybe twice this year. I figured he was just a guy you interview every blue moon.

Yes, HNIC shows all Canadian teams in the playoffs. It's a shame that the playoffs aren't all season long. During the season, every early game comes to us live from the ACC. The Canadian public have the ads on the boards there memorized. I know exactly when each song will be played. Moving on up is usually played around the 10 minute mark of the first period.

Of those 19 Habs games shown this year how many were Nationally televised and did not feature the Leafs as the opponent? Most of those non-Leafs games were regional. How many Leafs game this year were regional? Not many. Here's a crazy idea: Show all the Canadian teams equally. Go ONE Saturday night without Toronto. Would it kill you? I've gone many Saturday nights in the past decade without the Habs.

Don Cherry may not be anti-Montreal but to see him on TV saying "We" when talking about Toronto or Boston is unprofessional, no? Announcers are supposed to be impartial. After the last game of the season, the Canadiens having just completed their best season in years, all Don could talk about was why the Leafs didn't call up some no name guy from the Marlies. Also, you might want to make sure the announcers know the players names. According to Bob Cole, there's a Andrei Kostopoulos playing for Montreal. Who knew.

The way Habs fans feel about the CBC is the networks fault. You have a long way to go if you want to win us back. Your show is widely known as Hockey Night in Toronto and will continue to be referred to as that unless you start remembering Canada stretches beyond Toronto in the regular season.

Dear Mr. Moore:

Thank you for taking the time to address this important issue. I am a true Canadiens fan living in southern Ontario. That means I don't even get to see most of the regional games featuring the Habs that are shown to Quebec viewers. However, I still believe that Hockey Night in Canada provides the highest quality broadcast of any network.

I cannot think of any other hockey program that has the on-air talent, insight or tradition of HNIC. I watch all CBC games featuring Montreal that are accessible to me and with the dream of becoming a hockey announcer, I listen carefully to the play-by-play and analysis from the commentators. I have found little to no slander in any of the in-game commentary, especially from the legendary Bob Cole. Mr. Cole actually gives me the impression that he is very appreciative of the chance to call games from the Bell Centre, and loves the passion demonstrated by Canadiens fans.

I personally think that CBC provides unmatched professionalism and class in all of their telecasts, including those involving Montreal. However there are still many people who would appreciate more games on Hockey Night in Canada featuring the Habs. I hope the schedule will be expanded next season to give Montreal more airtime on Saturday nights.

RDS makes a quality broadcast, but I stick with HNIC whenever I can because it, to me is the highest standard in the country. I side with you, Mr. Moore, in thinking that it is sad that many Habs fans have jumped off the CBC bandwagon. Although it may seem like many Canadiens fans want nothing to do with the CBC anymore, there are some, including myself, who have faith in you and your colleagues to restore Canadiens pride to being an integral part of HNIC.

I trust that you will continue to recognize that there are Canadiens fans still watching Hockey Night in Canada, and hopefully these fans will be rewarded for their loyalty to the network with more Montreal Canadiens games on CBC.

cbc should take note and learn a lesson from RDS

1. canadiens fans are subscribing, french and english (some of us who do not understand french) and paying anywhere from 3 to 10 dollars a month for the privledge.

2. cbc has a specialty subscription channel, bold, that could use a boost to subscriptions

3. cbc has the national english language rights to games broadcast nationally on saturdays for the canadian teams

4. fans of all 6 candian teams would also likely pay the nominal subscription fee if ensured that their teams would be broadcast each saturday at either the early, 7:00pm, or late games

so why not broadcast on bold as well. coverage of canadian teams on a national basis. how about 3 on each network. your already paying for the privledge, why not maximize it. keep toronto, sens, and calgary on cbc and move montreal, vancouver, and edmonton to bold. or alternate.

i for one would pledge my support in the form of subscribe to bold

Dear Scott,
In my oppinion this not the fault of the CBC or any of the outstanding broadcast people (yes, even Mr. Cole) but more of a establishment issue. The powers that be in our political arenas are making sure that anglophones from the province of Quebec get the shaft and what better way to do this then at the heart of Joe public, his or her sports team. We used to have Habs games every Saturday, now we have to wait for a Leafs/Habs tilt or the demise of the Leafs to see them on CBC. RDS is great but I would rather have Jim Hughson doing a Habs game any day of the week. As a result of this shortage, one negative comment against the Habs by anyone at CBC is heavily scrutinized and causes the villagers to round up a lynch mob. Not to worry though, as the worst that may happen is that a Montrealer may refuse a two-cheek kiss.

Hello Scott,

I am a Montrealer born and bred. I want to thank you for the time to address this issue. I too am frustrated like all other fans of Canadian teams not named the Toronto Maple Leafs. I used to watch HNIC all the time until the CBC decided it was going to be TML all the time. From that period forward you gave me no option but to watch games on RDS.

When you did televise Canadiens games, they were unbelievably biased against the Canadiens and continue to be. I remember watching TV38 broadcasts of Bruins games back in the early 90's that were this biased against the Habs, and I was proud that the CBC did not descend to this level. Boy was I wrong. I can tell you that I cannot stand to watch anything on the CBC now except for the Rick Mercer Report (man he's funny) or the National.

You have lost me as a fan of HNIC. Merci au gang de RDS pour nous donner l'opportunité de voir les Canadiens sur des ondes impartial et nous traitons commes des humains. BRAVO RDS!!!

It hurts me to say this, but HNIC is damaged beyond repair. Your show was once as important to Canadians as the game itself. Saturday nights spent watching HNIC were a part of the Canadian framework, and the show became a Canadian institution.
Be it proximity (CBC headquarters being in Toronto), market research, or whatever led you astray, your broadcasts became a nauseating Toronto-centric Maple Leaf love-in. The recent years of Toronto’s limited successes, after so many years of utter futility, has seen HNIC acquire a team of broadcasters that Canadian viewers will always associate with as part of Leaf Nation. HNIC itself, during this period, abandoned all the other Canadian teams and jumped aboard the Leaf bandwagon. Franchises moved out of Winnipeg and Quebec City, but HNIC just fed us more Leafs coverage and a trend seemed to develop at HNIC that with our small markets and weak dollar all Canadian teams, other than the Leafs, were doomed to the same fate. Not to worry, HNIC decided to promote the Leafs as Canada’s team. The Leafs were not Canada’s team then any more then they are now, and the insulted viewers in the rest of the country will not forget how HNIC abandoned our franchises and us.
Now you want to win us back as viewers but, so far, your feeble attempts only insult our intelligence. Given the choice, as is now the case with RDS, viewers will continue to leave and another Canadian institution will bite the dust.

Scott,

Count me among those dissatisfied with HNIC. As a life-long HNIC and Habs fan (who grew up in Vancouver), it is troubling to watch the marked decline in the quality of the CBC’s coverage in recent years.

After reading your blog and listening to you defend Don Cherry during your interview on the local morning show, I’m less convinced than ever that HNIC intends to correct its shoddy treatment of the Habs. While you make a good case for the idea that passions and allegiances should not be controlled or concealed, if Mr. Cherry were simply demonstrating his preferences most rational fans would have no cause for complaint. However, Mr. Cherry goes well beyond this. His comments continually demean other ethnic and linguistic groups, and the issues he raises are usually petty and prejudicial.

But perhaps most galling was your attempt to characterize Don Cherry as some kind of noble straight-talker who knows a good player when he sees one. As an example, you pointed to Cherry’s support for Saku Koivu when he was criticized for his linguistic shortcomings. If you intended to cast Don Cherry in a good light, you couldn’t have picked a worse example. The language issue in Quebec is complex (as you probably know), with misunderstandings and reductionism on both sides. Don Cherry’s entry into the debate under the guise of supporting Saku Koivu was a convenient outlet for Mr. Cherry’s own prejudices and merely served to reinforce the kind of narrow thinking that has long characterizes the language debate.

Finally, whether Mr. Cherry supports the Habs is not the issue. Fans of the Montreal Canadiens do not require his backing; the Habs have garnered support from across Canada based on the quality of their organization and their play. However, we do ask that the present management of CBC Sports continue HNIC’s long tradition of excellence and, in particular, the tradition of providing broadcasters, like Dick Irvin, who were as storied as the teams they covered.

Did anyone else notice that Ottawa had 20 games on CBC, putting them ahead of Montreal?

The CBC jumped the shark years ago with regard to its hockey coverage. I mean, you can only hear so much about the NHLPA and the 'cap' between periods. All the other networks have much better picture quality, announcing, and intermission discussion panels.

As for Cherry, he has always been pro Leaf/Bruin, constantly referring to the teams as 'we'.

I switched to RDS years ago, and I won't go back, mainly because I suspect once the Leafs are 'rebuilt' CBC will go back to pouring blue kool-aid down our throats once more.

The only reason the CBC is catering to Habs fans now, is that they don't exactly have any other options.

I mean really, last night during the Ottawa broadcast you showed Toronto Marlies highlights.

Seek help.

wow,
looks like we all feel the same way here.
RDS has definatly made an impact. i don't have it at home but we all watch the habs games on rds at work... i since i don't speak french i would prefer cbc, but even in another language it is nice to hear the commentators supporting the team, something we honestly don't feel too often on cbc. personally it dosn't upset me. i have accepted that cbc will always have an Ontario slant... but maybe the next 5 years of the habs being one of the dominate teams in the nhl will change that?

i also like to watch the games on the live web stream when i am at home. if you could improve the resolution of that feed it would help. there is a bright future for the web streams! give everyone the choice!

I have several points to make:

1. I don't think any Habs fan, anglophone or francophone, expects CBC, a NATIONAL public broadcaster, to embrace the Canadiens as 'their' team. We have RDS for that perspective.

2. You really didn't have to go out of your way to tell us that CBC "really loves Montreal". It sounds quite forced, in fact. Especially when you put it in the title of your article.

3. My main concern with CBC's broadcasts is the crossover from critique into criticism... Critique usually involves a fair, balanced analysis of BOTH teams' weaknesses and strengths. With Don Cherry, all I seem to hear is criticism. So the guy love the Habs. Why do his comments indicate otherwise? Why does his ATTIRE indicate otherwise? And why do you, Scott, have to defend his actions and words on his behalf?

4. Until CBC actually revamps its programming, there won't be many Habs fans around for you to try to convince, especially through a brief online article like this. Meanwhile, we'll be busy watching RDS and learning French.

What can I say, you are a great CBC employee.

Most of the montreal coverage you are speaking of is from is only for regional coverage and not national coverage which Toronto recieves regularly. If you do want to watch these regional feeds I believe you must have a satelite provider.

I honestly used to enjoy watching CBC on a regular basis and found it was tradition. Over the last 7 years I have not been impressed with CBC what so ever. RDS and TSN have been my sports provider for the last 3 years. I find Montreal fans can compete with Toronto fans for ratings but never get appreciated on the network. Maybe it is because there is no respect for the french speaking part of the nation. I am Habs fan I watch all the games even if it is french or English. Also to me the only reason there is montreal coverage on CBC is because there is Toronto games always telecasted nationally.

To be honest with you, this is a huge problem where you could lose 1.3 million people on average who tune into hab fans. Headline sports have discussed about getting coverage of the Montreal games that would provide a english telecast.

As a fan I have been paitent enough and I don't care anymore. Bottom line is I want to watch Montreal games and RDS provides this service. Your fan base has been lost and thats unfourtanate but you have neglected this target market for too long.

My only real problem with the CBC telecasts so far have been the clear bias of Don Cherry towards the Bruins. First he appeared last Friday night during the Ottawa-Pittsburgh game all decked out in Bruins' black and gold colours to support the team. He might as well have had some pom-poms on as well.

And then the whining about some supposedly iffy calls by the refs after Montreal won the second game in OT. He didn't bother to mention that Boston was also the beneficiary of some questionable officiating which led to the Kovalev penalty where the Bruins ended up equalizing the game. Or how about going out of his way to show a Kovalev dive 13 years ago while ignoring his buddy Marc Savard's clear dive in game 4 of this series?

After that I was so ticked off and ended up watching games 3 and 4 on RDS which produced those games in high definition, whereas the CBC did not. Tonight I will probably flip back and forth between the two telecasts, since CBC games in Montreal are being done in HD, and end up sticking to which ever broadcast I think is doing the superior job.

This seems a little to late to be responding to the Montreal Canadiens fan's discontent towards the CBC. It smells too much of damage control, and a desire to stop the hemorrhaging of viewers to alternative sources. This hemorrhaging will only stop when a more professionl ethic is instilled within the CBC' HNIC.

As a result of the CBC's poor coverage and very biased broadcasts, I have found myself more inclined to watch the Habs on RDS even though my French language skills are not excellent. For example, the evident dislike for the Habs by certain CBC personalities is at times galling: showing "Koverlev's" conduct when he was fifteen and nineteen years old, the constant segments on the Bruins' Savard, and a general desire to see the Bruins beat the Habs. Moreover, I distinctly recall last season (06-07) the CBC was about to show a Toronto game instead of a Habs-Pittsburgh game that was one of the better one's during the season. In essnece, it is the overt, and indirect, biases that general cause Habfans to leave the CBC in droves.

I have a simple solution to this problem. Since most cable services are going digital, have an alternative feed for the games on Saturday so a fan can choose which Saturday night game to watch.

First, I would like to commend the Canadian TV stations for always showing the national anthems being sung. I get goose bumps listening to the singer in Montreal and Ottawa. Unfortunately, the American stations prefer to bombard us with commercials instead.

Second, I most certainly do agree with the comments regarding the biased reporting of the Habs games, no matter who they play the commentators will praise the opponents, and point out any mistakes or some poor play by the Habs. I used to watch CBC whenever I could because I so enjoyed the competent reporting and the superior knowledge of the commentators. Sadly, that is no longer true, if Habs games are on CBC and an American station, I will watch the anthems and go to the opposite teams coverage, because,believe it or not, they are kinder to the Habs, and will interview Hab players as well as their team players during intermission.

Third, I do like Ron McLean, but I wish he would quit being the buffoon for Don Cherry's rantings. Sometimes, I am truly embarrassed by the segment. I do love the satellite hot stove, and feel that the commentators are articulate, and keep up with the NHL current information.

Being a Canadiens fan for 65 years,I always say, "GO HABS GO"

Perhaps the CBC hasn't noticed that Habs fans attend games (loudly) in every arena in the NHL...

Sat Nov 24 2007 - the Habs were playing Pittsburgh... I suffered through Leafs/Phoenix waiting for highlights. 'nuff said

And, yes, please bring on Jim Hughson!

Dear Mr. Moore:

I am doubtful that this will reach you, but I will post it anyway.

You've done an excellent job framing your argument. On the surface your responses to the charge of bias seem reasonable. So let us turn away from issues of bias for a moment (although as a habs fan in particular and a hockey fan in general I think there can be an arugment made that Toronto does receive too much coverage to the detriment of the other Canadian teams.)

Perhaps instead of bias we should frame the discussion in terms of "professionalism."

It is unprofessional if the announcers do not know the players on each team (particularly in the playoffs).

It is unprofessional if there is any sense or seeming that representatives of your broadcast are less than objective in their analysis of the game.

While it is undoubtedly unprofessional for one of your hot stove announcers to blatantly state that the analysis/information presented by another of your presenters is analagous to a darkened empty t.v. studio, it is even more unprofessional to mimic "Karate Chops" in retaliation.

It is unprofessional to have your announcers stand around with one hand in their pocket while taking a swig from a water bottle.

Finally, it is the height of unprofessionality to subject your viewers to what can only be described as the "disembodied hand show" in the name of "analysis".

Issues of bias aside, a more professional approach to your broadcast might go some way in luring dismayed fans back. The tone has sunk sir, and frankly I expect more from those who would call themselves professional.

Thank you for your time.

PART2 OF WHAT I JUST SAID:

I think it's great that guys like Cherry promote guys like Price, cause Price deserves the praise he's been getting, and I respect the fact that you guys generally do try to keep the level of bias to a minimum in your between periods programming. But I do find at times the commentary could be better. Again this is coming from a completely Anglo habs fan, I don't even understand the guys on RDS most of the time, and I'd rather watch it on RDS for many reasons. The intensity and knowledge of the commentators, the fact that they don't sound like they're rooting for an american team over a canadian one on a show called "Hockey night in canada" could be part of the reason ;)

Again, I'm not saying you guys are anti-hab, but you've gotta understand, your allegances don't lye with canadian hockey, they lye with the leafs, or else you'd be playing all the calgary/habs games all season long. Make it really hockey night and canada, and actually make it a different canadian team on any given night, and I'll praise CBC. I'm not trying to say only play habs games, I'm just trying to say try broadcasting something other then just leafs games night after night.

Whether or not YOU are anti-hab isn't relevant, your network seems to be overly pro-leaf. Your saying there is not any sense of bias when they praise a team like the leafs over the #1 team like the habs or the flames who are also doing great?

Bottom line is, make more general games played, make your commentators not sound so dull/against the habs with their commentary, and then work from there at getting contracts from other NHL teams to actually make Hockey night in Canada no longer be Hockey Night in Toronto.

Hopefully you'll read this and understand part of why the media is saying what they say. Also keep in mind, the media in montreal blows everything out of proportion. I don't truly believe the commentators are anti-hab so much as I believe they could be more pro-hab.

Thanks.

I have been an avid Montreal Canadiens fan for years. Thank-you for making my decision to watch RDS easy. I have put up with listening to bias comments against the Habs ever since I started watching them play on CBC. Thank God for RDS. Even though I am not fluently bilingual, I understand enough of what they are saying. At least they have pride in their team, whereas the CBC, no matter how well the Habs play, your announcers always find fault with them. I used to be a fan of Don Cherry's until he said the Habs had the ref's in their pockets. How absurd. I know he used to be the coach of the Bruins, but give me a break.

So, this is one person who will not be watching the hockey on the CBC anymore. I will stick to RDS even though I am not fluently bilingual. At least they are not biased.

This is great lip service we are getting from CBC. Their broadcast is so anti-Habs it's not wonder English people everywhere are watching the games on RDS. Your whole staff that covers the games from Bob Cole to Don Cherry are so un-supportive of a Canadian team with 12 Canadian born players in the regular lineup that it's ridiculous. The only person worth listening to on your broadcast is Ron MacLean. I would much prefer it if Jim Hughson called our games, then maybe I would consider tuning in.

I won't even mention everything else that people have said because it is all true. Seeing Toronto on CBC every Saturday night unless they were on a western trip or not playing that evening has just become the norm and thanks to you guys, I've gotten into the habit of watching RDS. I'm an english speaking guy from NS originally and I'm not that good at understanding Pierre and Yvon, but at least they seem excited and know the player's names.

Lastly, what was CBC trying to pull during the games in Boston? I flipped it over momentarily from RDS and was greeted with a lovely upconverted piece of garbage picture on my HDTV. So much for giving CBC another chance, I quickly returned to full HD quality on RDS and relaxed on my couch, catching a few words here and there. So long CBC.

I think it's more the fact that of the games played by CBC, the only ones I caught during the regular season were MTL vs TO.

Other then that, you guys broadcast practically only the leafs. I even saw some nights during the week where games could have been played but weren't. What's with that? Hockey > Some boring news shows/other CBC programming. No offense to you guys at CBC, but your programming other then hockey games is at best mediocre. So what excuse does that give you to play all these garbage programs instead of hockey games? I know you have to keep some regular programming but come on. On any given night there's a good Canadian team playing and I sometimes see garbage programming on CBC instead of those games. Maybe it's the CBC I get on my TV??? Maybe there's another CBC channel feeding out these games? All I know is, in Canada hockey > all, and your network should treat it this way by broadcasting all Canadian hockey games you can get your hands on. I'm certain ratings on your network would improve if you do so.

I am an English habs fan who watchs on RDS typically, I think Ron Mclean is a real class act, I think you guys have something great with him, and though Cherry can be a bit crazy with his antics at times, I can respect him both as a coach/hockey news guy. But you have to understand, it sounds at times like the commentators are anti-hab. They just seem to really get down on the habs a lot and when it's the leafs playing it seems like no matter how bad the leafs are, your always talking them up like they're the gods of the NHL.

It would seem like the CBC has given up on the regional and national Habs fans, (or under-estimates the number of Habs fans outside of Qc / in the ROC?) and caters to the anti-Habs fans in their broadcasts, erring on the side of supporting the other team....to be kind one could surmize that CBC is trying to be balanced or non-biased, but if that is the case they surely are bending over backwards in trying to not be "homers", giving Habs Fans the distinct impression that they are significantly anti Habs....sure feels that way to me.

The best is how the Habs "cheat". CBC should apologize to the Canadiens. Accusing them of cheating, Tomas "cheats" on faceoffs. Ya. CBC needs to be accountable. Oh ya, Smolinski and Markov cheat too. Give me a break. This is beyond stupid.

The problem is not whether you cover the Habs or not, the problem is when you do cover them it is anti Montreal. Scott. If you are sincere go watch Games 1-4, and tell me (you have my email address...I will give you my phone number). Tell me who CBC is cheering for? They are openly cheering for Boston. It is pathetic. I do not even care about Cherry, he is there to be opinionated. OH well. But the rest of the broadcast is absolutely brutal.

What happens when we play a team that actually has some stars (not some made up one like Lucic). Pens vs Habs in the East Final...that will be even worse. At least CBC could keep the yellow and black pom poms. There are many people in my town that wish the CBC lost the NHL.

I will leave on a positive note. Great job on the Flames and Sharks series, how about you throw us those announcers next series.

The 12th place Maple Leafs get a National game over the 3rd place Canadiens.

That tells me how laughable HNIC is.

I must say that in some ways CBC's coverage of the Habs has improved. Thanks to the streaming of all televised games online I was able to watch all 19 games. Even if Habs fans had to beg for the last few games.

However, I have some problems in particular with the between period segments. All the segments for the Eastern conference games come from TO and have a strong TO bias.

Cherry will go on endlessly about the leafs. The satellite hot stove would rather discuss who is line for the GM job in TO than discuss the surprising performance of the Habs or the spiral of the senators.

The western coverage is by far more balanced and there is an seems to be equal coverage for the three western Canadian teams.

I grew up in the Ottawa Valley watching the Montreal Canadiens on CBC. I have a deep appreciation for what the CBC has done to allow hockey to become a Canadian obsession and a source of great pride for this country. That being said, I have been very disappointed in the past several years that we must continually have the Toronto Maple Leafs televised in the early game virtually every Saturday evening when the schedule will very often have some far more intriguing and meaningful match-ups featuring one or both of the other NHL teams in the Eastern Conference. In fact I became so fed up with not being able to watch my team that I left my previous cable supplier in order to be able to get access to RDS to watch the team that I have followed all my life, Les Habitants. This article seems very hollow for many of us Canadiens fans.

I agree with the poster who recognized that this is a cross Canada problem. We have 5 teams here that are not the Maple Leafs and they all have a fan base.The point of being a publicly funded entity is that you are expected to provide certain services even if you can make more money catering to the masochists in TO.And one has to wonder even about that frankly.

Wow! I had no idea so many other Habs fans were as annoyed as I am by the state of affairs. OF COURSE Don Cherry is anti-Habs! OF COURSE I pay for RDS! There's really no other choice--which is the point of a lot of these comments. (One quibble I have with the majority of posters, here: Bob Cole is a treasure! With Chris Cuthbert gone to TSN, Cole can call ANY and EVERY CBC hockey broadcast, as far as I'm concerned.)

CBC Sports had better decide: Either write off a huge, national viewership base--or improve!

You make a couple of valid comments but spare me the rhetoric about Cherry. Muller's a Kingston boy. Do you really think Don would diss him? He stuck up for Koivu because Koivu was being attacked by the FRENCH press. The Price statements came after his all out attack on the team two nights earlier and Don gets to give the goalie all the credit. None of those 'diving Russians' had anything to do with it. Don't insult our intelligence by pretending Don likes anything about Montreal.

This year I subscribed to RDS for $2.95/month.
I'm an anglo as well but really enjoy the RDS broadcasts.
Here's a question: Would it not be possible to broadcast both Leafs and Habs games on Saturday night and somehow give the viewer the option of which to watch?
Leave Bob Cole with the Leafs and promote Hughson to the Habs broadcasts.S
urely with todays technology this wouldn't be impossible. At least for anybody with cable. the local cable provider receives both signals and the viewer selects which signal to receive.
Or is this just sci-fi stuff????

Oh yeah, and Cherry actually said in game 2 or 3 "I think we (Boston) can win this one...oh I'm not supposed to say that!"

I think the comments above says it all. Actually, as a representative of the CBC, you must apologize for the lack of coverage of Habs games from the late nineties until a few years ago when they were struggling. After a while, Shiela Copps who was heritage minister a while back tried to keep HNIC at Radio Canada. People would just tune in the French station and play the English broadcast on the radio. But as this is now, and I am encouraged by the coverage by RDS. The announcers are exciting to hear. They know more about the Habs face down in comparison to CBC announcers. But what was intriguing was that TSN had a better highlights finding out better key points than that of the CBC highlights. And as for your hotstove, you can count yourselves lucky to get P.J. Stock who announces here. But unfortunately, they would not invite a French journalist amongst the commentators.

I do not have television. I view your games online on CBC. But after viewing the last game the commentary by Ron and Kelly just astounded me! The coverage was never balanced. It was like they were rooting for the underdog Bruins instead.

Look, if you want to satisfy the happy bunch, broadcast the Habs games in Quebec just like when I grew up watching them in the 70's and 80's, and for the rest of the country, on an alternate feed like you did for curling on Country Canada. This way, you'll get happier viewers.

DJ

I cannot agree more with the people who have posted in this blog. I am born and raised in Montreal and have followed the Habs on CBC through my youth (when you showed Habs games). I am an anglo with limited French and I cannot watch the play by play coverage that CBC has offered... Last game when I forgot to switch back after the intermission and my sixteen year hockey playing son said "Dad, switch to RDS, I can't stand the way the announcers favour Boston". I guess this shows how bad it has gotten! PLEASE switch Jim Huson over to cover our future games and maybe you can get us to come back fulltime.

"it really bugs me to hear the press say that CBC Sports is anti-Habs. Nothing could be further from the truth. Especially recently."

Change the word 'especially' to 'only' and you'd have made an argument that makes sense. It's only recently that the CBC shown any positive 'support' of the Canadiens organization. You think we don't see the connection between this letter and Cherry's sudden, surprising praise of Price? Two things happen in immediate succession, completely out of the blue, and suddenly we're supposed to believe the CBC has been reaching out to Habs fans all along? No. You're desperately reaching out to us now because your ratings are in the tank and you're paying for the YEARS of Toronto-to-the-exclusion-of-all-others mentality the CBC has become infamous for. We all know that if Price played for the Leafs, Cherry would've been singing his praises all year. But Carey, thankfully, is a Hab, and it's only now after Canadiens fans and media have become vocal about the problems with the CBC that someone prodded that windbag to say something nice. Wow, thanks for throwing us a bone.

Too little, too late. Thank goodness for RDS.

First of all, I think the lack of Montreal coverage has more to do with RDS holding rights and the Canadiens choosing RDS over CBC. It's a contractual thing. Is this true?

Second, God in merciful heaven, give us Hughson! I like Cole's play-by-play, but I can't stand his bias and constant emphasis on Montreal's opponent.

As a lifelong Montreal Canadiens, fan it is EMBARASSING to read the negative comments posted in response to Mr. Moore's blog.

It has always been my belief that Montreal fans are unlike any other in the league. We're supposed to be classier. We have witnessed unparalleled success and have marvelled at the number of legends this organization has produced and celebrated. We should act like we've won before and carry ourselves with more decorum and class than this.

To complain that six of HNIC's Montreal games involved Toronto is beyond absurd. Why wouldn't they show an historic rivalry? Does it cheapen the experience of having a game broadcast?

To complain that Bob Cole and Greg Millen have pointed out that Boston has played well in this series is myopic. How can you ask them to turn a blind eye to the fact Boston has played well enough to perhaps even be tied in the series? Bob Cole is without peer when it comes to reflecting the atmosphere of a building. He is a legend and if there's a bias against Montreal, I have never heard it in all the years I've been watching.

And finally, why wouldn't Don Cherry find it hard to cheer for Montreal after what they did to him year after year? Seriously - who forgets that kind of disappointment?

There is nothing worse than petty small mindedness. I believe this line was used in regards to celebrating a touchdown, but it still resonates here...

"Act like you've been there before."

Thank you Scott for giving us the opportunity to adress you directly, instead of muttering to ourselves, or on fan sites.

Once upon a time, a long time ago, the CBC was my first choice for watching hockey. Nothing could get me into the game more than hearing those first few notes of the HNIC theme song. Then, I got a French speaking boyfriend, and we agreed that in the interest of fairness, we would split the games between CBC and RDS. Of course, this was at a time when you could actually catch the Habs on CBC. Slowly I started to notice the thinly veiled dislike of the Habs on CBC, and the far superior quality of the on air team of RDS. Now, I don't even consider the CBC as an option for hockey...not even during the playoffs, when I try to watch every game I can, both East and West. My second choice is now TSN, but without question, my number 1 is RDS, the new home of the Habs. I've even gotten my mother to switch off CBC.

Your blatant attempt to sway viewers back in order to placate your advertisers, who must be fuming over the loss of viewers, is rather pathetic.

The only things that came to mind when I read this were "too little too late" and "spin doctoring".

The only way that you will drag me away from RDS, is if you somehow manage to get Pierre & Yvon to call the games...so pretty much, never going to happen.

Heaven help you if a cable station starts catering to other teams in Canada, because then you'll lose every one else too: you know who I mean, the fans of the other Canadian teams that aren't the leafs. Those poor people don't even have a choice, you must be thrilled about that.

I moved to southern Ontario in 1987 as your typical ex-Montrealer Hab loving hockey fanatic. Thanks to the CBC and HNIC I have to grown to absolutely HATE anything Toronto Maple Leafs! I understand showing the Leafs in Ontario but when the Habs do make it onto the telecasts, they get treated like they are merely some visiting team instead of the elite franchise of the NHL (24 Stanley Cups and a rich tradition and history the Leafs can only envy!)
I have no problem with Grapes, he is what he is, an old Bruins coach still bitter at the Hab beatings his team got 30-odd years ago BUT Maclean has become so self-righteous I could puke. Kelly Hrudey needs to lighten up on the analysis of every little play before he turns into Howie Meeker. Dean Brown and Garry Galley are too pro-Ottawa to be on national games. How about bringing Murray Wilson?

So RDS it is!

I don't think people would question there are Hab fans at the CBC (including you). But it is obvious that the CBC is biased towards the Leafs. But the CBC is a business and I realize that the Leaf games draw a larger audience most nights. I won't get into the fact that fans pick their "favorite team" when they are about 10 years old, and when they see nothing but Leaf games on HNIC they will jump on that bandwagon...so in turn you end up having more Leaf fans in the future. I'm not saying that is bad, but if you would tap into each (all 3 eastern teams) evenly you could grow the amount of fans for a HNIC game.

The problem with CBC showing Hab games is the fact they are shown on the alternate feed. Well most people in Canada don't have access to the alternate feed.

RDS was a step ahead of the CBC when they struck a deal to show Hab games. The CBC missed a huge opportunity to generate ratings from the incredibly enthusiastic Hab fans...I won't get into how you could hear crickets at a Leaf game. Yes, the CBC is showing more Habs games, but is it too late? I fear it is. It's sad but true that I will watch RDS rather than the "hand me down" CBC feed.

As far as Cherry goes...it's too obvious where his intentions are. Cherry speaks his mind, and that is what makes Cherry, Cherry and why so many people tune in to see Coaches Corner. I understand him, but I just don't understand why he feels it necessary to comment negatively on the Habs at least once in every Coaches Corner since the start of the playoffs. I'm most certain that he "nudged" into talking about Price. And as far as taking Koivu's side about not speaking french...I'm not going to touch that with a 10ft pole!

When are we going to see a Montreal Player Bio??? They have been all Boston players so far. Or is it because Boston will soon be out of the playoffs.....But according to what I heard on HNIC the Habs should be losing 3-1.

I'll believe it when I see it.

I live in Ottawa for school (born and raised in Montreal) and I refuse to watch the games anywhere but on RDS. I have no interest in the snide commentary made by the likes of Cole and company (don't get me started on Don Cherry's completely unprofessional and biased opinions.)
I am bilingual, though raised anglophone, and I don't even think the fact that RDS is in French makes a difference- it's all about the quality of the production.
RDS provides fair coverage of both teams and just has an obviously more objective view than CBC.
If I could somehow divert my taxes elsewhere, I would.

Scott, with all due respect, please don't insult us, we're really not stupid. Don Cherry's comments last night were a little too... well-timed. We all saw him cry over game 2, and then during Coaches Corner on Monday grumble that the series should have been 2-1 to Boston instead of the other way round. Montreal won that second game fairly.
I would like my tax dollars back. It bothers me that millions of Habs fans help fund a network that showcases Don Cherry's Hab-hatred. How much does it bother me? About as much as it bothers him that the Habs are doing so well right now, so you know I'm fuming, sputtering and losing sleep over it.
You're right about the first myth, all Canadian playoff games are getting covered by the CBC and kudos for working hard to get that done.
You're also technically right about the second myth. CBC has, in fact, aired Canadiens games on Saturday nights. But the eight games against Toronto don't count, because you would have covered those Leafs games anyway.
But that third thing is not a myth. Don Cherry hates the Habs. And the Habs fans hate him back. Which is why, even on nights we start out watching the game on CBC, we end up switching to RDS.

-A Canadiens fan who bleeds blue, WHITE and red.

Maybe RDS can be used as consultants by CBC. Seriously. No jacked up voices there -it's not a circus, guys: it's about the game, not some self-important announcer. Deep knowledge. Play by play is excellent. And when there's a mistake, they actually acknoledge it and even apologize for it. That's respecting your audience. The picture is also clearer. And another thing, it's doing wonders for my French!

I agree with just about every comment here. It's pretty unfair of you to pretend like your coverage has been fair towards our beloved Habs. We're not asking for your on-air personalities to come out and cheer for the Canadiens but it would be nice if they were a little less pro-anyone playing the Habs.

Oh, and sure you showed the Bob Gainey jersey retirement ceremony, but you fail to mention that it was on a half-hour tape delay. Nice one.

I guess when Don said, GO B's GO, it was just my imagination?? Face it, he dislikes the Habs with a passion, Cole can't pronounce or recognize half the Habs player's names. The proof is in the pudding. RDS is our only alternative, perhaps you should watch it and see what true professionalism is.

If HNIC didn't have a hate on for the Habs, then tell me why do they always have to talk about Boston and Savards love for his stick? Or what Boston has to do to beat Montreal. Come on, Montreal is a Canadian team!!

Scott,

There is a line between rooting for / against a team and providing balanced reporting. You mention Danny Gallivan. He and Dick could be very critical of the Canadiens, but were fair in their critique. You also never heard Danny outright cheering for the team.

CBC coverage of Canadiens games (nice try, you covered 19 but 6 were with Toronto) has announcers who do their best to hide their distaste. They do a better job of it than when they cover a Toronto / Ottawa game where homerism is very obvious.

Scott, out here in the regular season on HNIC we get a mix of games based on the impact of the matchup. While I won't deny the Tornto fans the chance to see their Leafs, why push them on the rest of Canada? If Ottawa or Montreal are playing someone interesting SHOW THEM. And for God's sakes find someone impartial to call the games.
Not asking for a homer, just someone who can stomach calling Canadiens or Ottawa games.

Mark Lee is doing a good job on the second telecasts.

This article seems to be too little too late. The expression "show me don't tell me" comes to mind as well. It isn't so much as they hate the Habs as much as it seems that all their announcers spend most of the games talking about the opposition. CBC rarely makes Habs fans feel like the Habs are the home team in their telecast or even that they are impartial. It is always what the habs opponent must do to beat the Habs etc.

For example, this current playoff series with the Bruins, all their player profiles have been about Bruin players.

Truthfully, RDS has a polished telecast and puts the CBC to shame. As an Anglo I would hope that CBC makes a concerted effort to remedy the problem (perhaps by not using Brown or Cole for Hab games)but I will not hold my breath for it. It is truly a shame how much it has changed from the days of Gallivan and Irvin.

My friends and I are part of an anglo community in MTL. We prefer listening to the game on RDS. It seems the broadcasters covering the habs games on CBC aren't informed enough about the team.

We sometimes lineup Canadian Club shots and all have a drink anytime the words "Toronto, leafs, Sundin, Tucker" are uttered while covering the Canadiens.

When I was younger I watched any hab game I could, english or french, being an anglophone I preferred english at the time, but I would listen to games in French on the radio.

I think it's the CBC's job to promote all of the Canadian hockey teams, but unfortunately you just can't change the tune of some hockey people out there. Don Cherry will never be a hab fan, and I don't expect him to be, but that means you shouldn't expect me to watch him either if you're going to "grace" us with is opinions on tv.

I started to watch the playoffs this year on CBC but I have since switched to RDS - mainly because of the little negative digs that seem to irritate me so much (Cole, Millen, Cherry, etc).

Anyway, I couldn't care less if CBC promotes the habs, RDS is doing a great job and this anglophone is proud to watch them.

Nice lip service Scott. Did the head honchos at the CBC write down the talking points for you so that you didn't get the script wrong? This 'initiative' on your part is no more than damage control as you are losing viewers left, right, and centre. RDS averaged an incredible 2.4 million viewers for game 2 (just for the Province of Quebec - as per this morning's La Presse article on ratings), and most of them are pissed off English viewers. You are losing eye balls and it's because of your own ineptitude to seize an opportunity to develop long term English speaking viewers (not just in Quebec but across the country) and undoing a generation of Habs fans who have grown up watching their team on RDS, and not the fabled HNIC broadcasts.

I really do not care for the Habs coverage on the CBC since I watch the games year round on RDS. But for once I had other non French speaking family members watching with me and so the English coverage was on the menu. After the first period of game 1, I had to switch to the NESN feed out of Boston on Center Ice in order to get a more balanced English broadcast that everyone could live with. Now that is sad ...

No one is asking for you guys to cheer for the Habs outright, but a little objectivity (instead of the token Muller love from Cherry) and quality (Hughson/Simpson as the announcers instead of the tired Bob Cole/Millen combo) in your broadcasts is not too much to ask for.

Who is the regular broadcast team for the Montreal Candiens on CBC? Oh, right, there isn't one. Hasn't been one in at least a decade.

At my cottage in the Laurentiens the local Montreal station has shown the Leafs game every Saturday night for years. Only when it became apparent that the Leafs were going to miss the playoffs for a 3rd straight season did they finally air some Habs games.

CBC has a lot of work to do to overcome the anger of the Montreal fan base. The national network has not served the interests of a big part of the nation. The HNIC I grew up with has been Leafs Night in Canada for far too long. Glad to see you're starting to correct the situation, but we habs fans remain insulted and unconvinced.

(ps Here's an idea for how to win Habs fans back- Maybe Don Cherry could show 15 year old footage of Alex Kovalev diving over and over and over again. Or maybe you could get our favorite local full-time habs basher PJ stock to represent Montreal on HNIC.)

Having moved from Montreal to Ontario 4 years ago, the first thing I tried to do was to get my Habs back on the television set.

Thanks to Rogers Digital Cable responding to the many complaints of not having RDS available in any sports or French language package, they answered the call. I get to watch EVERY GAME for a fee of under $10/month.

CBC lost me 2-3 years ago.

If the Leafs were even close to being a good team, the CBC would be completely unbearable. Senator fans had to go through this last year when they made their cup run. Having announcers not even know their names and commenting on BIG HITS by the opposition etc... get used to it hab fans.

Sorry CBC, since 3 years ago, we switch to watch RDS. We have been paying extra $10 per month and subscribed the French sport network from our satelite company. Just $10 extra and we can watch all of the Habs games and some Senators/Pittsburgh games in a month. Sorry to tell you that you lost yourself a lot of viewer to RDS.

Sorry...I gave up on CBC years ago and only watch RDS...and I don't speak French, although I'm learning...

Too little. Too late Mr. Moore. Thank you for trying to play us as buffoons. We all feel so much better now that you've come down from your ivory tower in Toronto and thrown a few crumbs our way. Hockey Night In Toronto is tired, tiresome and irrelevant. We have options too. It's called satellite and RDS.
You must have gotten quite a flood of irritated email. Oh yeah, that Don Cherry segment Wednesday night was about as natural as a scripted WWE plot line.
We aren't stupid. We aren't buying your line. Now go away and do your 45 minute tribute to Chad Kilger that you have planned.

Scott, while I appreciate your effort to reach out to Hab fans, you comments fall short of the mark. Don Cherry will never change - he is insulting and ignorant and should be taken off the air. His use of a 14 year old video of Alex Kovalev last week was petty and pointless. Listening to the HNIC crew in the Mtl-Bos series, one might think that CBC is an American broadcaster with their veiled support of the Bruins play. I would like to believe that you are sincere, but quite frankly this problem goes beyond your broadcast schedule and a few comments recently made in light of the backlash you have received.

Where it's true that "This year, we had 19 Habs games on Hockey Night in Canada. That’s up from 13 last year." I would like to point out that 8 of those games were against Toronto and the remaining games showed were mainly due to the fact that Montreal was making a play-off run and Toronto had already been eliminated and interst had wained. When CBC (a national broad caster) had lower rating then RDS (a regional broadcaster) CBC jumped ship to reimbrace the Habs in an attempt to get better ratings.

To insinuate the Cherry is pro Habs is the most ridiculous claim I have ever heard and lost this writier ANY credability he may have had. Cherry was wearing a black and gold suit during coaches corner to show his support for the Bruins. He even said himself that he once got yanked for showing so much support for the Bruins during that very same clip. Add to that the fact that whenever Montreal plays Toronto, Cherry, has a us vs. them mentality and openly roots for the Leafs.

As for Dick Irvin, I love that man, but lets face it, he is rarely ever on CBC anymore. If he was still announcing games, I would consider listening in.

What's most upsetting is that the CBC shows more Leafs games so they can sell more ad time at a higher price because the biggest market is Toronto. I think most people understan that that is business and necessary to make more money. The insulting part is that now that the Leafs are out and the Habs are in they have an ex pat Montrealer write an article claiming how much the CBC loves the Habs and have always supported them. To this statement I simply say, why have all the viewers left for RDS then?

For that reason I say salut, and merci pour RDS.

Frankly, I don't buy it. To me, it sounds like quick and easy answers in an effort to staunch the flow of viewers from the CBC to RDS. But to break it down point by point:

Answer the first: This is probably the truth. More games involving Canadian teams means more profit. But lets be honest here. If it came down to it, and the Leafs and the Habs were playing different teams on the same night, who would the CBC show? The same team they always show. The Leafs.

Answer the second: Of those 19 games how many were against the Leafs? Six or seven I believe. Throw those out. No one doubts the CBC shows Leafs-Habs. How many other games were shown nation-wide? Were there any?

Answer the third: Come on. Don doesn't hate the Habs? Please - do you really think that we're that stupid? Just because Don hates the team doesn't mean that Don hates all the players (Doug Gilmour once played for the Habs - you might not have noticed because you were covering the Leafs at the time - but I highly doubt he hated Dougie just because he donned a Habs jersey). Just the ones whose names he can't pronounce (Korvalev, for example - it's pronounced Kovalev, Donny-boy, there's no "R" in there).

In fact, I'd go so far as to say that your entire broadcast team has a bit of a love in for anyone but the Canadiens. I mean honestly - half of your guys can't get the players names right (Bob Cole is excused from this criticism - he never gets anyones name right anymore). And how many intermissions does Kelly Hrudey intend to spend focusing on how Savard holds his stick? Why, during a four game series, have you done player profiles on three Bruins and one Hab, if you love them so much?

RDS owns the rest! And I'm an Anglo Quebecer, if that ain't a statement to CBC then I don't know what is..

I understand that you don't show many Habs games, face it, you make your money off of Leafs fans while us Habs fans watch Pierre and Yvon on RDS. One thing you could do when you show Habs games would be to have broadcasters that actually know the team. Most of your guys don't even know how to pronounce the names of the guys on our team!! It's ridiculous!
As far as Cherry goes:
-He likes Price because the other candidates are non-Canadian small forwards
-He likes Muller because he likes anyone that comes from Kingston
-He supports Saku because the only thing he hates more than the Habs are the french

This anglo has switched to RDS and I'm picked up some useful French expressions. The CBC broadcast crew just isn't very good. Bob Cole seems like a sweet old guy (hey Bob, let's go for a beer!), but it's time to move on. The Ron and Don show has gotten pretty stale, same old stuff over and over. Instead, I watch the highlights on other channels. To be fair, Marc Lee and Craig Simpson are pretty good. Jim Hughson is great.

Scott,
Just wanted to add that Habs fans bleed "bleu, BLANC et rouge". That's blue, white and red.
Bleeding blue and red? Maybe that makes you a Capitals fan!

Of course you want to show Hab games. Not only are we the "best game in town" but the CBC can appeal to the larger non-Hab fan audience as well by broadcasting the show from their side of "us against the Habs". That way you can argue you are showing more Hab games while appealing to your larger audience who hate the Habs. So go ahead and buddy up to them. But don't insult the Hab fan by pretending your doing so because you want our business. We're not buying it. The policy of CBC Sports is clear to us and even more so to the Boom Boom Geoffrion Family.

It's not just a Montreal thing - it's a cross-Canada thing, and everyone outside of the 416 and 905 area codes is wondering why the CBC thinks we'd want to watch the Leafs get whipped nearly every Saturday night. A national broadcaster shouldn't have a hometown favourite, and certainly shouldn't be ramming its team loyalty down the throats of Canadians elsewhere. You may as well be broadcasting Atlanta vs. Nashville, as far as most of us are concerned.

Of the 19 Habs games the CBC covered this year, I suspect 8 were Leafs games as well, and were covered for that reason, complete with the biased sort of commentating that keeps Habs fans flipping back to RDS even now. If the CBC really wants to fulfill its mandate to provide airtime to matters of regional importance, it should carry all Saturday games in which Canadian teams are playing, and broadcast them regionally - and not just in the playoffs. Canucks fans ought to be able to watch Vancouver games, Flames fans should have access to Calgary games, etc...

Right of the top, my wife and I are dyed-in-the-wool HABS fans. She has gone so far as to have pictures of the great Guy Lafleur hanging in our living room as well as a shelf crammed with CANADIENS artifacts.
I agree with most of the comments posted, if it's not the Maple Laffs playing, then we don't see Montreal here in Southern Ontario.
As well, and I've commented before on this, where in God's name does CBC get there announcers. For fear of being sued by the person, I won't mention his name, but there must be someone out there who is more adequate, you know, someone like a mime.
And what's with Kelly Hrudy, is he still mad at Montreal for beating them for the CUP.
I like the "Ron & Don show", I know "ol Donnie gets a bit wound up some time but it adds to the excitment of the game and he says things that most of us are thinking, but won't say. Ron is probably the most knowledgeable hockey guy around and carries it all off with humility.
Anyway, I hope my Habs can do it this year, it will sure shut some people up around my workplace.

Talk is cheep Scott... show us you love the habs. It's hard for habs fans to believe you when Don Cherry refers to the Bruins as "we" and makes inelegant comments like "they gave us (Boston) 9000 penalties” - and said this more than once after he was visibly upset with the OT loss in game 2. In game 4, two full segments of Behind the Mask were dedicated to the genius of Mark Savard and how he puts his stick on the ice. Most of the game analysis is based on what the Bruins are doing or need to do to win the game. 19 habs games televised on HNIC... How many were national? Of the national games, how many were against teams other than the Leafs? How many games did the Leafs have national coverage? I also love that fact that my tax dollars are paying for this blatant bias against the habs. Seems to me you are doing some damage control. The ratings show that RDS is capturing a larger audience than CBC. I do not speak French, but when my habs are playing, my TV is on RDS. I’m just glad that “we” (habs fans) have a choice.

I watch RDS. During these playoffs, I have been switching to HNIC during intermissions as well as before and after games to see what you have going on in terms of commentary.
What irks me is something you haven't addressed in your article. Your broadcasters seem to refer to Montreal in a way that makes the viewer feel like they are the visiting team and the Bruins are in fact the home team that we should be rooting for.
Yes, Cherry does like Price and we all know he loves Kingston boys like Muller, but his criticism of all things Montreal far outweigh the posotove things he may have said. His cry-baby antics after game 2 were pathetic.
I'm sorry to say, but serious changes are needed if CBC is interested in regaining Quebec viewers. Most of us anglos are doing just fine with RDS!

Just wanted to say that I switched to RDS to watch the Habs not because the CBC might be too pro- Leafs , not because of Grapes ( I still change to CBC for Coache's Corner )
Nope ... I made the switch because plain and simple the broadcast of the game is far superior to Hockey Night in Canada , Pierre and Yvon actually call the game as it happens unlike Bob C & co. who seam to have problems following the play.
And how can you compete with
'' ET LE BUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUT ! ''
That's it for now
GO HABS GO !

Great Scott! CBC loves the Habs! Only problem is the station here only shows Leafs games. Not that it makes any difference, but who's decision is that? Then Cherry, regardless if he throws Price a bone, outright cheers for the Leafs. Cole gets orgasmic over them and your English sports rival is TSN, the Toronto Sports Network. In case you're wondering why I tune the game in on RDS, it's because they don't treat me like an idiot.

Myth #3 - Don Cherry is anti-montreal. when DC supported Koivu during his "linguistic shortcomings" he did so by bashing montreal, and the canadiens fans, organization & press.
his recent praise of carey price does nothing to erase the image in my head of the fuming bitter old man crying over the bruins loss to the habs last saturday.
you are not just another station, you are the publicly funded CBC.
i've switched to RDS

This English-speaker has also embraced RDS. The last straw was when CBC showed Tie Domi's 1,000th game ceremony rather than Boom Boom Geoffrion's sweater retirement.

Geoffrion married the daughter of Howie Morenz; changed the game with his slapshot, won a scoring title and numerous Stanley Cups. His son played NHL hockey and his grandson stars in the American system.

Three generations of hockey (two Hall of Fame) snubbed by the CBC for a Maple Leaf thug who had little impact on the game. That said it all for me.

Time to put Don Cherry out to pasture. My tax dollars pay for that?

Hard to accept the bonafides of a guy who doesn't know Les Canadiens colours are blue, BLANC, et rouge.

To quote Rodney Dangerfield the Habs get "no respect" from the CBC.

Sorry not buying that! But nice try! Bob Cole and Don Cherry are both so very biased for Toronto and any other team than Montreal! Bob Cole stating that the fans are starting to sing too early in Montreal...he has no idea what they are singing and why..and what kind of comment is that...so very critical of the Habs it is not funny. And Don stating that Price should get Rookie of the Year is only because of the back lashing he is receiving lately! Koivu and Muller were mentioned but the negative comments or just no comments of what a great season the Habs have had is just not right! I have watched HNIC since I was a small child and our family watched religiously every Satuurday night and I am disgusted with these turn of events...they were always there but getting more so over the years... just sick and tired of the hate relationship for my Habs!!! GO HABS GO. And RDS is the future......

Your comments seem to indicate a "recent change" in the way CBC covers the canadiens. Conveniently changing your attitude, realising that you are going to be finacialy screwed if you don't.

1) I don't think number one is a myth, every hockey fan knows cbc covers all the canadien teams during the playoffs. But if ottawa and the canadiens had a game on at the same time this playoffs we all know who you would have shown.

2) Why the sudden increase this year in the number of Montreal games this year? (this only happened because the leafs were so pathetic).

3) Don's comments about Carey last night seem a little too well timed if you know what I mean. Haven't heard him mention him all season. Maybe a producer mentioned that he should say something positive about the canadiens?

I'm not saying that CBC hates the canadiens, it just that when I watch you cover other canadien teams there is a definite bias (which I enjoy sometimes as I am cheering for the flames to make it through in the west). That isn't there when covering the canadiens. I watch all the games on RDS by the way, I tried CBC last game but no mention of too many men on the ice at the end of game 4 by the bruins by the commentators was a bit too much for me.

canadiens anglo fan.

6 of those 19 games were Montreal Vs. Toronto

Scott, thanks but no thanks. You lost most of us showing the Maple Laughs every Saturday with a non-playoff teams instead of showing games with the Canadiens playing high ranking teams. Bob Gainey, what about Larry Robinson and Ken Dryden. Both no shows on the CBC.
I will stick to RDS until and then maybe, CBC gets rid of their relics as broadcasters and put in some fresh, OBJECTIVE announcers.

On one hand I am glad to read this blog and see that CBC is taking notice of the miscontent felt by hockey fans other than the Leafs' with CBC's coverage of NHL games. But on the other hand Scott please understand that the problem is real and deep rooted in CBC sports culture. I agree with all the other posters so far. Denying that the problem exists won't make it go away. And really you should have left out your third point about Don Cherry, who seems to still hold a grudge against the Montreal team since his mishap as a Bruins coach. Sure he likes a few individual players but nobody can claim that he likes the team! Pretending that Don Cherry likes the Habs discredits the rest of your post.

I live in Southern Ontario, so while you sing a good tune about the HNIC coverage, my experience is that Toronto is over represented and the other eastern teams (Ottawa & Montreal) are under represented. This is especially true since SRC no longer carries the Habs games in French.
To add insult to injury, you actually re-broadcast the Leafs game after the 2nd half of your double header! Talk about return trips to the dentist!!
As THE NATIONAL BROADCASTER, I feel you should be more impartial in choosing which games are featured for your NATIONAL broadcast. Any game involving two Canadian teams should always take precedent. A Montreal-Ottawa game should be featured over Toronto-Atlanta, with apologies to all you Thrasher fans....

While I watch just about every regular season Habs game on RDS, I have tried watching a few regular and playoff games on CBC HNIC. I tend to last no more than one period before switching back to the knowledgeable broadcasters on RDS. The big problem with CBC's coverage of Habs games is that the Bob Cole knows very little about the Canadiens. He regularly gets names wrong (he must have said Andrei Kostopoulos instead if Andrei Kostitsyn a dozen times already!) and he resorts to using generic names like "the forward" or "the goalie" because he can't recall the Canadiens' names fast enough (this doesn't happen when he is commenting on the Leafs' players)...not to mention his poor discription of what is actually going on during the game. All Cole has left is a good hockey voice and a love of Toronto. If CBC were to have the talented, professional and unbiased Jim Hughson covering the Montreal series, I would certainly give CBC broadcasts another chance.

I have to say that the broadcasts of Habs games on CBC are biased. If they weren't there certainly wouldn't be nearly as many people blogging about it, and the need for Scott Moore to address them. Ive watched the Boston series thus far and after three games have tired of watching Hockey Night in Boston.

RE-START your TV coverage of all HABS games (like in the day of Danny Galivan/Irvin); if not, sell your TV rights to a private company. Get an agreement with RDS to use their video feeds, and use/develope local sports commentators to recreate a Quebec service (to keep costs low). It is unacceptable the current status of your service!!! Your proposed changes to next years schedule for additional HAB's coverage will hurt your LEAF fan base (ratings could decline). Go back to the previous format and restart your Hab's service. Ideally, having both games available in both markets would be an even better scenerio (make everybody happy + improve ratings).

Scott, are you a liar? Are we talking about the same Don Cherry? Do we really need to collect the video to prove his dislike of Montreal? Please recall the last Habs/Leafs game where Cherry introduced Canadian soldiers back from overseas. At the very end of the segment, one French Canadian soldier chanted "go habs go"... and how did Don Cherry respond? "Go Leafs Go".

It's a shame to think that my tax money is paying this man to cheer for the leafs, and make me and the entire habs following, feel left-out. And you wonder why we stick to RDS...

Mr.Moore , with all do respect, please be honest to the people that employ you. With the exception of Jim Hughson and a few others, Canada knows that CBC is Leaftown. From Bob cole, to Ron and Don. It's Disgraceful. If you want to do your job right, stop pretending that everything is "cool", and start addressing the problem! Because it's just not right!

Go back to week about like it should have been all along. Who`s idea was it to show the Leafs all the time? That person needs to be fired.

Keep Cherry off of the Montreal broadcast and get a few people who actually can pronounce the players names. Getting kinda tired of hearing Korvalov, Kervolev. I mean the guys been in the league for what, 13 years now? Very disrespectful to the player as well as the fans.

When your showing a game on a Canadian channel that is in part funded with tax dollars then the coverage should be even, not slanted to one side over another. That is clearly not what I saw during one pregame show. The entire half hour was focused on what Boston had to do to defeat Montreal. Maybe you`d like to explain that?

I watch all the Habs games on RDS now.

I am afraid I have to agree with the first post. All the arguments presented on this page rather seem like they are grasping at straws.

As a strong Habs fan who has lived outside of Quebec for the past 8 years, I must say that CBC's coverage of Canadian hockey teams on the East coast not named Toronto Maple Leafs is appalling.

I can understand while I lived in Waterloo that the regional broadcast will always be about TML, but when I moved to Vancouver, I was disapointed to find out that CBC is pretty much blanketing Canada with TML games.

I find it to be rather biased. CBC should revise its national broadcast of Canadian NHL teams. I think a more even distribution of Saturday nights between TML, the Senators, and the Habs on a national level is called for. After all, don't we all pay taxes? There is some rule in the US that says media HAS to give same amount of coverage to both Democrats and Republicans. I think that's a great basis for CBC to start thinking about how to cover NHL games.

Another thing is, I was watching the Sat. and Sun. coverage of the Habs-Bruins series on CBC, and whoever was commentating those games certainly cannot be called unbiased. He sounded almost gleeful when the Habs lost, and not nearly as happy when the Habs won.

This is a remarkable contrast to RDS's coverage of the Tuesday game which I watched on their website. Of course, those people are clearly biased for the Habs. And you know what 'C'BC? They sure know how to make me feel proud to be a Canadian and a Canadiens fan, while with CBC, I wasn't even sure I was tuned into a Canadian channel.

the cbc has lost this anglo hockey fan to RDS! I'm tired of looking for games that are not the leafs only to find that the national game being broadcast is... you guessed right... the leafs. even when the canadiens happen to be broadcast it's usually against the leafs and if not it's got the gang of leaf homers blowing the leaf horns all game! sick!

Thank God for RDS - My French may be terrible for I'd rather catch the games on RDS instead of checking every CBC regional channel for the posibility of you guys showing the Habs on a Saturday.

Sorry Scott - CBC is clearly jumping on the bandwagon since your ratings leader, the Maple Leafs, are out of the play offs and its clear that Ottawa and Calgary will not go far this year.

Serious changes need to be made at CBC in terms of Habs coverage (not just showing games late in the year when the Leafs have no chance) before Habs fans like myself tune back to CBC.

This is all nice to hear, but I'm afraid it seems like a bit of mere lip service. I've had been watching HNIC since I was old enough to hold my head up - first as a Leafs fan (all through those agonizing Ballard years) and then later after re-locating to Montreal, a supporter of the Habs.

For me, watching HNIC ended a few years ago, as Saturday after Saturday I would tune in only to realize that my beloved Habs game was not televised on CBC (unless they were playing the Leafs, it would seem).

With Radio-Can bowing out of the French version of HNIC, I was left with no choice but to change channels away from HNIC. Now I watch nearly every game on RDS - and you know what? I like it. My initial disappointment with their commentary and strange expressions has gradually blossomed into genuine appreciation.
Sorry CBC, we've found a new home.