Hometown Hockey

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Rogers Hometown Hockey is a former package of National Hockey League (NHL) telecasts aired by Sportsnet as part of its national broadcast rights to the league. Debuting on October 12, 2014 as part of Sportsnet's inaugural season of coverage, the games featured a pre-game show and studio segments hosted on-location by Ron MacLean and Tara Slone from various Canadian cities, profiling local players and communities (including at the "grassroots" level). Each tour stop featured a weekend festival with community activities, culminating with the live broadcast. Hometown Hockey was spun off from prior NHL initiatives promoting hockey at the local level, and served as one of Sportsnet's three exclusive national windows (alongside the flagship Scotiabank Wednesday Night Hockey and Hockey Night in Canada ), and one of two with a "game of the week" format.

Contents

The games were first aired on Sunday nights on Citytv, after which they moved to Sportsnet beginning in the 2015–16 season. The tour was suspended in March 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic, and Hometown Hockey was suspended as a whole during the shortened 2020–21 NHL season (with Hometown Hockey segments instead airing during Hockey Night). Hometown Hockey returned with a new Monday-night scheduling for the 2021–22 NHL season, after which it was replaced with Rogers Monday Night Hockey the following season.

Format

The games were co-hosted on-location by Ron MacLean and Tara Slone from various Canadian cities as part of a nationwide tour. The pre-game show and studio segments for the games featured segments profiling local players and teams from each city. [1] [2]

At least one Canadian-based franchise was featured during each game, although it sometimes also aired a game between two American-based teams if necessary. [3] Most Hometown Hockey games were aired in primetime, although it occasionally aired in the afternoon (such as the second half of the Montreal Canadiens' traditional matinee games on the weekend of the Super Bowl; typically no other games were scheduled that evening). [4] [5]

History

Sportsnet Mobile Studio truck at the Rogers Hometown Hockey Tour in Regina, Saskatchewan. Sportsnet Mobile Studio in Regina.jpg
Sportsnet Mobile Studio truck at the Rogers Hometown Hockey Tour in Regina, Saskatchewan.

The games and tour contributed to an effort by Rogers to improve its public image, particularly under CEO Guy Laurence, by associating itself with the sport of hockey at a local level. MacLean characterized Hometown Hockey as an extension of Hockey Day in Canada and the Kraft Hockeyville competition—highlighting grassroots hockey throughout the country on a weekly basis. He also felt that the original Sunday night timeslot was "a good hockey night", believing that it could be "[a] family-forward way of doing the show to get the kids involved. Families can have it on while they get ready for school or work Sunday night. For me, after 27 years, honestly, what’s wrong with doing something different?" The games also sought to emulate the success of ESPN's College GameDay , and NBC's Sunday Night Football —which originally aired Sundays against Hometown Hockey during the National Football League season. [1] [2] [6] [7]

The games were carried by Citytv during its inaugural season (with London, Ontario as its inaugural city), [8] although infrequently moved to Sportsnet in the event of scheduling conflicts. [9] [10] Beginning in the 2015–16 season, Hometown Hockey moved exclusively to Sportsnet; Moore explained that introducing Hometown Hockey on Citytv was intended to incubate the brand, but that airing it on Sportsnet had made sense from an economic standpoint due to its status as a pay channel, and enabled Citytv to return to entertainment programming on Sundays. [11] [12]

On March 8, 2020, in recognition of International Women's Day, the Hometown Hockey game that night featured the first all-female broadcast team in NHL history—with play-by-play commentator Leah Hextall, analyst Cassie Campbell-Pascall, and sideline reporter Christine Simpson. Women also served as the executive producer, game producer and director for the telecast. [13]

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Hometown Hockey games and tour were suspended for the 2020–21 NHL season. Two Sunday night Ottawa Senators games (one against the Montreal Canadiens and one against the Toronto Maple Leafs) were produced nationally under the NHL on Sportsnet banner in lieu of regional rightsholder TSN. [14] A branded segment and virtual audience was featured during Hockey Night in Canada. [15]

Beginning with the 2021–22 season, Hometown Hockey broadcasts were moved to Monday nights. [16] Due to the reinstatement of COVID-19 restrictions nationwide due to Omicron variant, the tour was suspended from December 2021 until March 2022. [17]

On June 28, 2022, Rogers cancelled Hometown Hockey after eight seasons; the games were replaced with Rogers Monday Night Hockey the following season. MacLean remains with Sportsnet to host Hockey Night. [18] [19] [20]

Indigenous representation

On March 24, 2019, the Hometown Hockey was broadcast from First Nations territory for the first time, visiting the Enoch Cree Nation outside of Edmonton. Ahead of the game, Rogers announced a partnership with the Aboriginal Peoples Television Network (APTN) to simulcast that night's game with commentary in Plains Cree. It was the first-ever NHL broadcast in the language: Clarence Iron of Pinehouse, Saskatchewan's CFNK-FM (who is known locally for his radio broadcasts of indigenous teams in the language) served as the play-by-play announcer, while former NHL player John Chabot and Northern Cree member Earl Wood hosted the studio segments. [21] [22]

In December 2019, it was announced that Sportsnet and APTN would continue the broadcasts, with six Sunday-night games planned per-season over the next three years. The expanded package began with a Montreal Canadiens/Florida Panthers game in February 2020. [23] On March 1, 2020, the tour broadcast from the Peguis First Nation in Manitoba. [24]

Awards

In 2017 and 2018, Ron MacLean was nominated for Best Sports Host at the 5th Canadian Screen Awards and the 6th Canadian Screen Awards respectively.

In 2020, the Hometown Hockey broadcast from Enoch Cree Nation was nominated in the Best Sports Program or Segment category at the 8th Canadian Screen Awards.

Season 1 Overview

In season 1, the tour kicked off in London, Ontario, home of the London Knights. Live tour musical performances included appearances by:

Season 2 Overview

In season 2, the tour started in Kitchener, Ontario, home of the Kitchener Rangers. Live tour musical performances included appearances by: [27] [28] [29] [30] [31] [32] [33]

Season 3 Overview

In season 3, the tour began in Newmarket, Ontario, home of Connor McDavid. Live tour musical performances included appearances by: [35] [36] [37] [38] [39] [40] [41] [ non-primary source needed ]

Season 4 Overview

In season 4, the tour started in Niagara Falls, Ontario, home of Derek Sanderson. Live tour musical performances include appearances by: [42]

Season 5 Overview

In season 5, the tour started in Kitchener, Ontario, home of Hockey Hall of Famer Scott Stevens. Live tour musical performances include appearances by:

Season 6 Overview

In season 6, the tour kicked off in Halton Hills, Ontario, home of former NHL Director of Officiating Bryan Lewis. [68] Live broadcast musical performers included:

Season 7 Overview

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the tour was suspended, as were the Hometown Hockey-themed Sunday national games. During Hockey Night in Canada, a branded segment and virtual audience was featured for the duration of the 2020-21 NHL regular season. [71]

Season 8 Overview

In season 8, the tour resumed, starting in Ayr, Ontario in North Dumfries, home of NHLers Jay Wells and Kyle Clifford. [72] [73]

Series overview

SeasonEpisodesOriginally aired
First airedLast aired
125 [74] October 12, 2014 (2014-10-12) (Canada)April 5, 2015 (2015-04-05) (Canada)
224 [75] October 11, 2015 (2015-10-11) (Canada)April 3, 2016 (2016-04-03) (Canada)
324 [76] October 16, 2016 (2016-10-16) (Canada)April 9, 2017 (2017-04-09) (Canada)
424 [77] October 8, 2017 (2017-10-08) (Canada)April 1, 2018 (2018-04-01) (Canada)
525 [78] October 7, 2018 (2018-10-07) (Canada)March 31, 2019 (2019-03-31) (Canada)
625 [79] (planned), 22 (actual)October 6, 2019 (2019-10-06) (Canada)March 8, 2020 (2020-03-08) (Canada)
70January 16, 2021 (2021-01-16) (Canada) [71] May 15, 2021 (2021-05-15) (Canada) 1
820 (14 stops + 6 studio-only shows)October 18, 2021 (2021-10-18) (Canada) [80] April 25, 2022 (2022-04-25) (Canada)

Hometown Hockey Tour Stops

SeasonStopStop location [74] [81] [82] [83] DateMatchup [74] [75] [84] [85]
CityProvinceAway teamHome team
11 London OntarioOctober 12, 2014TorontoNew York Rangers
2 Selkirk ManitobaOctober 19, 2014CalgaryWinnipeg
3 Saskatoon SaskatchewanOctober 26, 2014OttawaChicago
4 Red Deer AlbertaNovember 2, 2014CalgaryMontreal
5 Burnaby British ColumbiaNovember 9, 2014VancouverAnaheim
6 Kelowna November 16, 2014MontrealDetroit
7 Fort McMurray AlbertaNovember 23, 2014New York Rangers
8 Brandon ManitobaNovember 30, 2014VancouverDetroit
9 Sudbury OntarioDecember 7, 2014Ottawa
10 St. Catharines December 14, 2014CalgaryChicago
11 Kingston December 21, 2014Toronto
12 Peterborough December 28, 2014VancouverAnaheim
13 Owen Sound January 4, 2015Tampa BayOttawa
14 Moncton New BrunswickJanuary 11, 2015FloridaEdmonton
15 Charlottetown Prince Edward IslandJanuary 18, 2015ArizonaWinnipeg
16 Dollard-des-Ormeaux QuebecFebruary 1, 2015Montreal
17 St. John's Newfoundland & LabradorFebruary 8, 2015MontrealBoston
18 Cole Harbour Nova ScotiaFebruary 15, 2015PhiladelphiaBuffalo
19 Boischatel QuebecFebruary 22, 2015VancouverNew York Islanders
20 Sault Ste. Marie OntarioMarch 1, 2015TorontoWashington
21 Thompson ManitobaMarch 8, 2015CalgaryOttawa
22 Regina SaskatchewanMarch 15, 2015Philadelphia
23 Prince George British ColumbiaMarch 22, 2015VancouverArizona
24 Lethbridge AlbertaMarch 29, 2015ChicagoWinnipeg
25 Kanata OntarioApril 5, 2015OttawaToronto
226 Kitchener OntarioOctober 11, 2015MontrealOttawa
27 North Bay October 18, 2015EdmontonVancouver
28 Gatineau QuebecOctober 25, 2015CalgaryNew York Rangers
29 Sherbrooke November 1, 2015WinnipegMontreal
30 Fredericton New BrunswickNovember 8, 2015EdmontonChicago
31 Sydney Nova ScotiaNovember 15, 2015TorontoNew York Rangers
32 Corner Brook Newfoundland & LabradorNovember 22, 2015New York IslandersMontreal
33 Wolfville Nova ScotiaNovember 29, 2015FloridaDetroit
34 Brantford OntarioDecember 6, 2015BuffaloEdmonton
35 Summerside Prince Edward IslandDecember 13, 2015VancouverChicago
36 Sarnia OntarioDecember 20, 2015CalgaryDetroit
37 Oshawa December 27, 2015TorontoNew York Islanders
38 Thunder Bay January 3, 2016OttawaChicago
39 Swift Current SaskatchewanJanuary 10, 2016Washington
40 Grande Prairie AlbertaJanuary 17, 2016MontrealChicago
41 Whitehorse YukonJanuary 24, 2016CalgaryCarolina
42 New Westminster British ColumbiaFebruary 14, 2016PhiladelphiaNew York Rangers
43 Abbotsford British ColumbiaFebruary 21, 2016CalgaryAnaheim
44 Victoria February 28, 2016San JoseVancouver
45 St. Albert AlbertaMarch 6, 2016EdmontonWinnipeg
46 Penticton British ColumbiaMarch 13, 2016TorontoDetroit
47 Calgary AlbertaMarch 20, 2016CalgaryMontreal
48 Prince Albert SaskatchewanMarch 27, 2016ChicagoVancouver
49 Winnipeg ManitobaApril 3, 2016MinnesotaWinnipeg
350 Newmarket OntarioOctober 16, 2016BuffaloEdmonton
51 Saint John New BrunswickOctober 23, 2016VancouverAnaheim
52 Grand Falls-Windsor Newfoundland & LabradorOctober 30, 2016TorontoNew York Islanders
53 Halifax Nova ScotiaNovember 6, 2016WinnipegNew York Rangers
54 Montreal QuebecNovember 13, 2016MontrealChicago
55 Windsor OntarioNovember 20, 2016CalgaryDetroit
56 Timmins November 27, 2016ArizonaEdmonton
57 Barrie December 4, 2016WinnipegChicago
58 Stratford December 11, 2016ColoradoToronto
59 Milton December 18, 2016OttawaNew York Islanders
60 Petawawa January 1, 2017Washington
61 Moose Jaw SaskatchewanJanuary 8, 2017EdmontonOttawa
62 Vancouver British ColumbiaJanuary 15, 2017New JerseyVancouver
63 Vernon January 22, 2017VancouverChicago
64 Edmonton AlbertaFebruary 5, 2017EdmontonMontreal
65 Cochrane February 12, 2017MontrealBoston
66 Cranbrook British ColumbiaFebruary 19, 2017TorontoCarolina
67 Nanaimo February 26, 2017OttawaFlorida
68 Medicine Hat AlbertaMarch 5, 2017VancouverAnaheim
69 Lloydminster SaskatchewanMarch 12, 2017MontrealEdmonton
70 Ottawa OntarioMarch 19, 2017OttawaMontreal
71 Portage La Prairie ManitobaMarch 26, 2017VancouverWinnipeg
72 Guelph OntarioApril 2, 2017San JoseVancouver
73 Hamilton April 9, 2017ColumbusToronto
474 Niagara Falls OntarioOctober 8, 2017 [86] MontrealNew York Rangers
75 Haliburton October 15, 2017 [86] BostonVegas
76 Charlottetown Prince Edward IslandOctober 22, 2017 [87] VancouverDetroit
77 Truro Nova ScotiaOctober 29, 2017 [88] PittsburghWinnipeg
78 Orillia OntarioNovember 5, 2017 [89] MontrealChicago
79 CFB Kingston November 12, 2017EdmontonWashington
80 St Thomas November 19, 2017OttawaNew York Rangers
81 Oakville November 26, 2017 [90] Vancouver
82 Winnipeg ManitobaDecember 3, 2017OttawaWinnipeg
83 Surrey British ColumbiaDecember 10, 2017EdmontonToronto
84 Airdrie AlbertaDecember 17, 2017CalgaryVancouver
85 Spruce Grove AlbertaDecember 31, 2017TorontoVegas
86 Williams Lake British ColumbiaJanuary 7, 2018VancouverMontreal
87 Kamloops January 14, 2018Minnesota
88 Cowichan Valley January 21, 2018Winnipeg
89 Lacombe AlbertaFebruary 4, 2018OttawaNew York Rangers
90 Canmore February 11, 2018CalgaryNew York Islanders
91 Regina SaskatchewanFebruary 18, 2018TorontoDetroit
92 Belleville OntarioFebruary 25, 2018 [91] EdmontonAnaheim
93 Markham March 4, 2018WinnipegCarolina
94 Brampton March 11, 2018 [92] New York IslandersCalgary
95 Cornwall March 18, 2018DallasWinnipeg
96 Bathurst New BrunswickMarch 25, 2018Nashville
97 Montreal QuebecApril 1, 2018New JerseyMontreal
598 Kitchener OntarioOctober 7, 2018TorontoChicago
99 Parry Sound October 14, 2018CarolinaWinnipeg
100 London October 21, 2018CalgaryNew York Rangers
101 Burlington October 28, 2018OttawaVegas
102 Nepean November 4, 2018Tampa BayOttawa
103 Glace Bay Nova ScotiaNovember 11, 2018New JerseyWinnipeg
104 Mount Pearl Newfoundland & LabradorNovember 18, 2018VegasEdmonton
105 Dieppe New BrunswickNovember 25, 2018CalgaryArizona
106 Boisbriand QuebecDecember 2, 2018San JoseMontreal
107 Aurora OntarioDecember 9, 2018CalgaryEdmonton
108 Chatham-Kent December 16, 2018Tampa BayWinnipeg
109 Mississauga December 23, 2018DetroitToronto
110 Collingwood December 30, 2018VegasArizona
111 Strathcona County AlbertaJanuary 6, 2019EdmontonAnaheim
112 Langley British ColumbiaJanuary 13, 2019FloridaVancouver
113 West Kelowna January 20, 2019ArizonaToronto
114 Leduc AlbertaFebruary 3, 2019EdmontonMontreal
115 Whistler British ColumbiaFebruary 10, 2019TorontoNew York Rangers
116 CFB Esquimalt February 17, 2019MontrealFlorida
117 Okotoks AlbertaFebruary 24, 2019CalgaryOttawa
118 Winkler ManitobaMarch 3, 2019WinnipegColumbus
119 Steinbach March 10, 2019Washington
120 Lethbridge AlbertaMarch 17, 2019VancouverDallas
121 Enoch March 24, 2019MontrealCarolina
122 Saskatoon SaskatchewanMarch 31, 2019CalgarySan Jose
6123 Halton Hills OntarioOctober 6, 2019 [93] WinnipegNew York Islanders
124 Halifax Nova ScotiaOctober 13, 2019PittsburghWinnipeg
125 St. John's Newfoundland & LabradorOctober 20, 2019Edmonton
126 Fredericton New BrunswickOctober 27, 2019San JoseOttawa
127 Strathroy-Caradoc OntarioNovember 3, 2019CalgaryWashington
128 Welland November 10, 2019TorontoChicago
129 Dauphin ManitobaNovember 17, 2019CalgaryVegas
130 Regional Municipality of Wood Buffalo AlbertaNovember 24, 2019EdmontonArizona
131 Red Deer December 1, 2019MontrealBoston
132 Prince Rupert British ColumbiaDecember 8, 2019BuffaloEdmonton
133 Abbotsford December 15, 2019VancouverVegas
134 Strathmore AlbertaDecember 22, 2019CalgaryDallas
135 Whitby OntarioDecember 29, 2019MontrealFlorida
136 Cobourg January 5, 2020CalgaryMinnesota
137 Vaughan January 12, 2020TorontoFlorida
138 Ancaster January 19, 2020WinnipegChicago
139 Chateauguay QuebecFebruary 2, 2020ColumbusMontreal
140 Ottawa OntarioFebruary 9, 2020ChicagoWinnipeg
141 Quebec City QuebecFebruary 16, 2020TorontoBuffalo
142 LaSalle OntarioFebruary 23, 2020CalgaryDetroit
143 Peguis First Nation ManitobaMarch 1, 2020VancouverColumbus
144 Salmon Arm British ColumbiaMarch 8, 2020VegasCalgary
145 2 North Vancouver British ColumbiaMarch 15, 2020WinnipegVancouver
146 2 Campbell River March 22, 2020Dallas
147 2 Edmonton AlbertaMarch 29, 2020AnaheimEdmonton
8145 North Dumfries, Ontario [72] OntarioOctober 18, 2021 [80] New York RangersToronto
146 Lindsay [73] October 25, 2021WashingtonOttawa
TorontoCarolina
CalgaryNew York Rangers
147 Belleville [73] November 1, 2021OttawaChicago
148 Oro-Medonte [73] November 8, 2021Los AngelesToronto
149 3 Greater Sudbury [73] [94] [95] November 15, 2021NY IslandersTampa Bay
149 Tillsonburg [96] [97] November 22, 2021PittsburghWinnipeg
OttawaColorado
150 Grimsby [96] [98] November 29, 2021VancouverMontreal
ArizonaWinnipeg
151 Pembroke [96] [99] December 6, 2021ColoradoPhiladelphia
152 4 Sydney [100] [101] Nova ScotiaDecember 13, 2021Game between Calgary and Chicago was postponed due to COVID-19 protocols.
153 5 Gander [102] [103] Newfoundland and LabradorDecember 20, 2021Game between Montreal and NY Islanders was postponed due to the postponement of all cross-border games.
154 5 No eventDecember 27, 2021Games between Ottawa and Washington, Toronto and Columbus were postponed due to COVID-19 concerns.
155 5 Six Nations [104] [105] Ontario January 3, 2022EdmontonNew York Rangers
153 Lloydminster [106] Saskatchewan March 21, 2022MontrealBoston
154 Grande Prairie [107] Alberta March 28, 2022VancouverSt. Louis
155 Edmonton Alberta April 4, 2022TorontoTampa Bay
156 Prince George British Columbia April 11, 2022WinnipegMontreal
157 Campbell River [108] British Columbia April 18, 2022CalgaryChicago
158 North Vancouver [109] British Columbia April 25, 2022PhiladelphiaChicago

Notes

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References

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