Rogers Gets The Next 12 Years Of The NHL Up North...

((HT: Sportsnet))

And this is huge in a few ways...

1) The dollar figure- C$5.2-billion over 12 years... the largest deal in league history...

2) Sportsnet gets the "Hockey Night in Canada" brand, but can sub-lease it back to the CBC for four years...

3) It completely boxes out TSN nationally- the top-ranked cable network in the country and puts CBC under the thumb of Sportsnet- as it barely hangs on to any kind of sports branding...

Any kind...

Which means that the future of Don Cherry is in flux right now... and he can't even tell you what his future is...

4) CBC, run through public funding, can't flip the profits they make from hockey and turn them into other shows...

So, Sportsnet outspent everyone and CBC continues to fall behind in sports programming, but one of the first things the commissioner had to do was survive "Prime Time Sports" with Bob McCown....

Here's The Bettman with Bobcat...

Ovechkin's Slapper Needs Some Work

((HT: TSN/Instagram))

Unless, of course, his aim was intentional during this TSN promo shoot...


Hey, hockey season can't some soon enough...

The New NHL on TSN Release: Puck Over Glass

((HT: NHL on TSN))

It's the latest hit from the NHL on TSN guys...
The HQ is looking for the CD/DVD release party when the Stanley Cup Finals are over...

This time, the guys tackle and/or lament the peskiest two-minute penalty out there...

Enjoy...


Told ya, you would...

TSN Does an Amazing Hangover Parody on LA Kings Title Hangover

This is utterly fantastic, albeit a bit long.

TSN (Canada) and their Panel of Hockey analysts put together a little video to set up the beginning of this years Stanley Cup Playoffs, and it's absolutely epic.

They do a complete and total takeoff of the Hangover movies--complete with doubles that look like some of the characters. The cast includes Anze Kopitar, Dustin Penner, Jarrett Stoll and Colin Fraser of the Kings and anaylsts Darren Dreger, James Duthie and Rick the Producer who looks like the guy that played Alan in the movie.

The point of the story; are the Los Angeles Kings, winners of last years Stanley Cup, suffering from a title hangover or are they ready to defend it?

This is well worth the 6 minutes of time it takes to watch it. If you are a hockey...or sports fan, it will be one of the highlights of your day.

DEVELOPING: NHL Free Agent Frenzy 2011

((HT: NHL on TSN))

We have had a busier day here this year than last, and the biggest fish on the board is still there- and Brad Richards could be there all weekend long if he chooses.

Newport Sports in suburban Toronto has been the center of the hockey universe with Richards holding court...

Gord Miller and Darren Dreger discuss who could be holding the trump card...


The tally at the close of business hours is 51 players and US$225-million has changed hands so far...

The highlights:

Buffalo signs Christian Ehrhoff and Ville Leino (6 years for US$27M)
Montreal gets Erik Cole away from Carolina (4 for 18)
Edmonton gets angrier picking up Andy Sutton in a trade from Anaheim and signing Ben Eager and Darcy Hordichuk
Colorado trades for Simeon Varlamov (2 for 5.5M)
Washington gets Cam Ward (4 for 12), Roman Hamrlik (2 for 7), and Jeff Halpern
Phoenix signs Raffi Torres (2 for 3.5) and goalie Mike Smith
Philadelphia signs max Talbot and Jaromir Jagr (1 for 3.3)
Dallas picked up Michael Ryder for 2 years...

Florida spent all this money and was still under the basement for the salary cap:
Tomas Fleischmann (4 for 18), Eddie Jovanovski (4 for 16.5), Scottie Upshall (4 for 14), Jose Theodore (2 for 1.5), and traded for Kris Versteeg for draft picks...

More when we know more...