The following is a list of the television networks (American, Canadian and French Canadian) and announcers that have broadcast Stanley Cup Finals games over the years.

[edit] American television

[edit] National television

[edit] 2000s

[edit] Notes

• 2009 -The first two games were played at Joe Louis Arena in Detroit on consecutive weekend nights — May 30 and 31 — the first time that Finals games have been played on consecutive days since 1955. NBC is believed to have requested this schedule due to the debut of The Tonight Show with Conan O'Brien on June 1, and to ensure that the program is not delayed during its first week. The scheduling change also prevented a layoff of over a week for both teams.^[1]

• As part NBC's coverage, Pierre McGuire, while positioned as a rinkside reporter, offers frequent analysis from his vantage point.

• 2005 - Had the season not been canceled, ESPN would've televised Games 1 and 2 and NBC Games 3–7.

[edit] 1990s

[edit] 1980s

[edit] Notes

• In 1981, the USA Network used CBC's coverage.

• 1980 - Games 1-5 on the Hughes Television Network, used CBC's feed. For CBS' coverage (which was aired under the CBS Sports Spectacular umbrella) of Game 6, Dan Kelly did Play-by-play for the first and third periods as well as overtime. Meanwhile, Tim Ryan only did play-by-play for the second period. It proved to be the last NHL game on American network television for almost ten years.

[edit] 1970s

[edit] Notes

• ABC was contracted to televise Game 7 of Stanley Cup Finals. Since the Finals ended in five games, the contract was void. Had there been a seventh game, then Al Michaels (play-by-play), Jim McKay (anchor, under the Wide World of Sports umbrella), Bobby Clarke (color commentator) and Frank Gifford (reporter) would've called it.

• Starting in the 1978 playoffs, the NHL Network began simulcasting many games with Hockey Night in Canada. In these games, Dan Kelly, who was the NHL Network's primary play-by-play broadcaster, was assigned to do play-by-play along with HNIC color commentators. This happened in Game 7 of the quarter-final series between the Toronto Maple Leafs and New York Islanders. The entire 1979 Stanley Cup Finals between the Montreal Canadiens and New York Rangers was simulcast as well.

• The 1976 Stanley Cup Finals on the NHL Network marked the first time that the NHL's championship series to was be nationally televised in its entirety in the United States.
  • Stan Mikita, Garry Unger, Chico Resch, and Curt Bennett each did one game as analyst. All were active players at the time.

• 1975 - NBC was under pressure to broadcast Game 6 of the Finals in Buffalo on a Thursday night, but they refused. NBC presumed that the series would go to a seventh game on the following Sunday (during this era, NBC only broadcast weekend Finals games). It turned out that Game 5 of the 1975 Stanley Cup Finals marked the end of the NHL being on American network television on a regular basis until the 1990s.

• 1971 - CBS was not scheduled to broadcast Game 7, but showed the prime time (the first time that an NHL game would be nationally televised on American network television) contest almost as a public service. The game was blacked out in Chicago in deference to theater TV.

[edit] 1960s

[edit] Notes

• NBC's coverage of the 1966 Stanley Cup Finals marked the first time that hockey games were televised in color. CBC wouldn't follow suit until the following year. NBC's Stanley Cup coverage preempted a sports anthology series called NBC Sports in Action hosted by Jim Simpson and Bill Cullen, who were between-periods co-hosts for NBC's Stanley Cup broadcasts.

[edit] Local television

[edit] 1990s

[edit] 1980s

[edit] 1970s

[edit] 1960s

[edit] American local/national coverage policy for Stanley Cup Finals

• 1995 – present: National coverage (network and cable) exclusive.
• 1981 – 1994: Local coverage permitted for all games. National coverage (cable) not exclusive.
• 1976 – 1979: National coverage on syndicated networks exclusive.
• 1968 – 1975: Local coverage permitted for non-network games. National network telecasts exclusive.

[edit] Canadian television

[edit] National television

[edit] 2000s

[edit] 1990s

[edit] Notes

• In 1997, Ron MacLean did not host Games 3 and 4 as he was attending the funeral of Don Cherry's wife, Rose.

[edit] 1980s

[edit] Notes

• Game 4 (May 24) of the 1988 Stanley Cup Finals is well-known for fog that interfered with the game and a power outage that caused its cancellation before a faceoff. The game ended with the Edmonton Oilers and Boston Bruins tied at 3–3. CBC televised the first Game 4 as well as the "official" fourth game (on May 26), for which the Oilers won 6–3.

• Even though CTV decided to pull the plug on their two year old (lasting from 1984–85 through 1985–86) NHL broadcasting venture with the Carling O'Keefe brewing company (citing low ratings and an inability to clear other programming for both regular season and playoff telecasts), Carling O'Keefe retained their rights. This soon lead to them syndicating 1987 and 1988 playoff telecasts on a chain of channels that would one day become the Global Television Network. The Global Television Network broadcasts were aired under the names Stanley Cup '87 and Stanley Cup '88, before a merger between Carling O'Keefe and Molson (the presenters of Hockey Night in Canada on CBC) put an end to the competition.
  • Contrary to the broadcasts from the previous CTV deal (in which they split the Stanley Cup Finals coverage with CBC), the CanWest-Global telecasts were network exclusive, except for Game 7 of the 1987 Finals. Therefore, both CBC and CanWest-Global televised the seventh game while using separate production facilities and separate on-air talent.
  • In 1988, Global had the rights to the sixth and seventh games of the Finals, which utlimately, were not necessary.

• For the 1984–85 and 1985–86 seasons, CTV aired regular season games on Friday nights (and some Sunday afternoons) as well as partial coverage of the playoffs and Stanley Cup Finals. While Molson continued to present Hockey Night in Canada on Saturday nights on CBC, rival brewery Carling O'Keefe began airing Friday Night Hockey on CTV. This marked the first time since beginning broadcasting in 1952 that CBC was not the lone over-the-air network broadcaster of the National Hockey League in Canada.

• In 1986, CBC only televised Games 1 and 2 in Montreal and Calgary. CBC would go on to televise Games 3, 4 and 5 nationally. When CTV televised Games 1 and 2, both games were blacked out in Montreal and Calgary. Had the series gone to a a seventh game, then both CBC and CTV would have televised it while using their own production facilities and crews.

• In 1985, CBC televised Games 1 and 2 nationally while Games 3, 4 and 5 were televised in Edmonton only. CTV televised Games 3, 4, and 5 nationally while games were blacked out in Edmonton.

• In 1980, Bob Cole, Dan Kelly and Jim Robson shared play-by-play duties for CBC's coverage. Cole did play-by-play for the first half of Games 1, 2 and 5. Meanwhile, Kelly did play-by-play for the second half Games 1-5 (Kelly also did called the overtime period of Game 1). Finally, Robson did play-by-play for first half of Games 3 and 4 and Game 6 entirely. In essence this would mean that Cole or Robson would do play-by-play for the first period and the first half of the second period. Therefore, at the closest stoppage of play near the 10 minute mark of the second period, Cole or Robson would hand off the call to Kelly for the duration of the game.

[edit] 1970s

[edit] Notes

• In 1972, Hockey Night in Canada moved all playoff coverage from CBC to CTV to avoid conflict with the lengthy NABET strike against the CBC.

[edit] 1960s

[edit] Notes

• The 1961 Stanley Cup Finals were almost not televised in Canada at all. At that time, the CBC only had rights to the Montreal Canadiens and Toronto Maple Leafs' games; home games only during the season and all games in the playoffs. However, with both the Canadiens and Maple Leafs eliminated in the semi-finals, the CBC's worst nightmare became reality. The CBC had to conceive a way to carry the Finals between the Chicago Black Hawks and Detroit Red Wings or face public revolt. According to lore, the CBC found a way to link their Windsor viewers as having a vested interest in the Finals with the across the river Red Wings. Thus, CBC was able to carry the series after inking special contracts with the Red Wings and Black Hawks as a service to the Windsor market. From Windsor, CBC linked the signal to Toronto and they relayed the coverage Dominion-wide. From there, Canadians were able to see the Finals with nary a glitch in the coverage.

• 1966 - To accomodate the American TV coverage on NBC (1966 marked the first time that a Stanley Cup Finals game was to be nationally broadcast on American network television), Game 1 of the Finals was shifted to a Sunday afternoon. This in return, was the first time ever that a National Hockey League game was played on a Sunday afternoon in Montreal. While Games 1 and 4 of the NBC broadcasts were televised in color, CBC carried these games and all other games in black and white.

[edit] 1950s

[edit] Notes

• 1954 - CBC's coverage of Games 3, 4 and 5 were joined in progress at 9:30 p.m. (approximately one hour after start time). Meanwhile, CBC joined Game 6 in at 10:00 p.m. (again, one hour after start time). Game 7 was carried Dominion wide (nationwide) from opening the face off at 9:00 p.m. Since Game 7 was played on Good Friday night, there were no commercials (Imperial Oil was the sponsor).

[edit] Local television

[edit] 1980s

[edit] French Canadian television

[edit] 2000s

[edit] 1990s

[edit] 1980s

[edit] 1970s

[edit] 1960s

[edit] 1950s

[edit] See also

• NHL FRENCH BROADCASTERS

[edit] References

[edit] Sources