LNH à RDS (English: NHL on RDS) is a French Canadian television program that broadcasts National Hockey League games on the cable speciality channel Réseau des sports (RDS).

[edit] Background

In 2003, the Montreal Canadiens announced a deal to licence its French-language broadcast rights for all of its preseason, season, and playoff games to RDS. This was controversial as it threatened the longest-running television show in Quebec, Radio-Canada's La Soirée du hockey. Days later, an agreement was reached whereby RDS and Radio-Canada would simultaneously broadcast Canadiens games on Saturday nights, saving the show. Within the province of Quebec, this arrangement stopped after the 2003–04 NHL season, and French-language Canadiens broadcasts now air only on RDS. Simulcasted coverage continued in regions that do not receive RDS on analog TV (all of Canada south/west of the Ottawa Region) on Radio-Canada until the 2006–07 NHL season. RDS also has French-language rights to the Stanley Cup Finals, regardless of what teams participate and the NHL Winter Classic.

The Montreal Canadiens hockey game broadcasts vary in name depending of the day of the week. Saturday games are known as Le hockey du samedi soir (English: Saturday Night Hockey). Tuesday games are known as Les méchants mardis Molson-Ex (English: Molson-Ex Mad Tuesdays) as all of the other day or night games are known as Le hockey Subway des Canadiens (English: Canadiens Subway Hockey). Games that do not involve the Canadiens are simply branded LNH à RDS. The sponsor affiliations change from time to time.

[edit] Contract details

At the end of July 2007, RDS and the Montreal Canadiens extended their exclusive broadcasting rights contract through 2013. The deal includes all of the Canadiens' 82 regular season games and all of their playoff games, if need be (none of this precludes CBC Sports from televising games in English as part of Hockey Night in Canada). Also, RDS has exclusive rights to French television broadcasting rights for the NHL All-Star Game and Skills Contest, as well as one NHL game per week that does not involve the Canadiens and a minimum of 40 playoff games for either RDS or RIS. The Canadiens also granted RDS exclusive rights to 'new media' coverage for the team (i.e., cell-phone TV, pod-cast and others). ^[1]

Most other broadcast contracts are acquired through TSN and ESPN.

[edit] Theme music

In June 2008, RDS's parent, CTV Inc., acquired the rights to "The Hockey Theme" after the CBC decided not to renew its rights to the theme song. A re-orchestrated version of the tune, which has been the theme song of La Soirée du hockey and Hockey Night in Canada since 1968, will be used for hockey broadcasts on RDS and TSN beginning in the fall of 2008.^[2]

[edit] Commentators

^[3]

• David Arsenault - Montreal Canadiens reports and interviews/Ottawa Senators host
• Michel Bergeron - Montreal Canadiens analyst
• Joel Bouchard - Montreal Canadiens analyst
• Yanick Bouchard - Other team games on RDS host
• Benoît Brunet - Montreal Canadiens colour commentator
• Alain Crête - Montreal Canadiens host/Ottawa Senators play-by-play
• Jacques Demers - Montreal Canadiens analyst
• Norman Flynn - Other team games on RDS colour commentator
• Bob Hartley - Ottawa Senators colour commentator/Other team games on RDS analyst
• Pierre Houde - Montreal Canadiens play-by-play
• Luc Gélinas - Montreal Canadiens interviewer
• Michel Y. Lacroix - Other team games on RDS play-by-play
• Renaud Lavoie - Montreal Canadiens interviewer
• Dave Morissette - Ottawa Senators analyst
• Félix Séguin - Other team games on RDS play-by-play
• Chantal Machabée - Montreal Canadiens ice level reporter
• Sylvain Pedneault - Montreal Canadiens player profiler

[edit] References

[edit] External links

• RDS - Hockey (French)
  • RDS - Hockey (English)