NHL on CBS
Encyclopedia
NHL on CBS is a former television program
that broadcast National Hockey League
games on CBS Sports
. CBS
was the first American television network to broadcast NHL games.
and Fred Cusick
handling the announcing duties, initially. Palmer served as the play-by-play man while Cusick did color commentary as well as interviews for the first three seasons. In , Cusick moved over to play-by-play while Brian McFarlane
came in to do the color commentary and interviews. The pregame and intermission interviews were done on the ice, with the interviewer on skates. No playoff games were televised during this period and all broadcasts took place in one of the four American arenas at the time.
As previously mentioned, CBS covered the 1956–57 season on Saturday afternoons, starting January 5. For the next three years, they continued airing games a Saturday afternoons starting on November 2, 1957, October 18, 1958 and January 9, 1960.
According to the 1991
book Net Worth: Exploding the Myths of Pro Hockey, during the 1956-57 season, CBS broadcast 10 games that were popular with viewers. The four American franchises at the time (the Boston Bruins
, Chicago Blackhawks
, Detroit Red Wings
, and New York Rangers
) each received $
100,000. However, the players themselves, received absolutely zero money from the TV deal. One CBS employee said, "We got a call from a girl in Cincinnati who wanted to start a women's hockey league. We referred her to NHL president Clarence Campbell
, who told her hockey was too rough for gals."
Furthermore, according to Sports Illustrated
, the NHL dropped CBS because the NHL owners didn't want the fledgling Players' Association to gain a financial cut of the TV deal. This was despite the fact that CBS was at least at one point, getting better ratings
than NBC's NBA package from around the same period, especially in cities that had NHL, minor-league, or major college hockey teams.
In , CBS offered to broadcast a NHL Game of the Week on Saturdays during the National Football League season
. By the winter, CBS would move the Game of the Week to Sundays in the same time slot. Ultimately, the NHL rejected the idea, saying it would cause too many schedule and travel problems. The league was especially worried about a game from Montreal
or Toronto
being played on a Saturday afternoon (and not on Saturday night to accommodate CBC Television
), and teams having to play an early afternoon game on Sunday after playing a game the previous night.
The Toronto Maple Leafs
didn't appear on the schedule because they played at home every Saturday night during the season.
100,000 a year for the first two years of the initial contract and $150,000 for the third. From 1968–69 through 1971–72, the intermission studio was called "CBS Control", just like with their NFL coverage
.
Due to prior programming commitments, CBS could not broadcast regular season games during the 1966-67 season, so that portion of the package was subleased to RKO General
, which syndicated eight regular-season games to some cities, including the four U.S. cities that then had NHL clubs and the six U.S. cities that would gain new teams in the 1967 expansion.
During the 1967 playoffs
, CBS was scheduled to broadcast the April 8 game between the New York Rangers and Montreal Canadiens. However, an AFTRA
strike
forced cancellation of the telecast. The strike itself would ultimately end two days later.
CBS started their weekly 1967–68 coverage with the opening game (the Philadelphia Flyers
vs. Los Angeles Kings
) at the Forum
in Inglewood, California
on December 30. Then after two more Saturday afternoons, CBS switched to Sunday afternoons beginning on January 28 for the next 10 weeks. Due to an AFTRA
strike
(which resulted in the cancellation of a New York Rangers
-Montreal
broadcast), CBS started their playoff coverage with a CBC
tape of the previous night's Boston
-Montreal game.
On April 13, CBS started their three week long weekend afternoon Stanley Cup coverage. The last game of the series was St. Louis
-Montreal on May 11. For the playoffs, Jim Gordon
worked play-by-play and Stu Nahan
worked color. During the regular season, Gordon and Nahan alternated roles each week. For instance, Gordon did the worked play-by-play on December 30 while Nahan worked play-by-play the next week.
In , CBS broadcast 13 regular season afternoon games and five Stanley Cup playoff games. Dan Kelly
did play-by-play while Bill Mazer
did color and intermission interviews.
The same pattern continued through the season. CBS did manage to televise the 1971 Stanley Cup Finals
clincher on a Tuesday night and the 1972 Stanley Cup Finals
clincher on a Thursday night. In 1971
, CBS was not scheduled to broadcast Game 7 of the Stanley Cup Finals, but showed the prime time
contest (the first ever occurrence of a NHL game being nationally televised in prime time in the United States) between the Montreal Canadiens
and Chicago Black Hawks
after fans reportedly swamped switchboards at network headquarters in New York asking that the seventh game be televised. Ironically, the game was not telecast by the Chicago CBS affiliate WBBM-TV
, nor on CBS affiliates in most of Illinois, and parts of Indiana, Wisconsin, and Iowa, due to Blackhawks' owner Arthur M. Wirtz policy of not telecasting home games.
While Dan Kelly once again handled all of the play-by-play work, Jim Gordon replaced Bill Mazer in . For the CBS' Stanley Cup Finals coverage during this period, a third voice was added to the booth (Phil Esposito
in 1971 and Harry Howell in 1972).
One trivial note however, on January 23, 1972, Jim Gordon was not in Boston
for the Buffalo
-Boston
game. Therefore, Dick Stockton
filled-in and did the game with Dan Kelly. Stockton, although doing some work for The NFL on CBS
, was also at the time sports anchor for WBZ-TV
in Boston, which ironically was at the time an NBC
affiliate. WBZ-TV would later switch from NBC to CBS, and has been a CBS owned-and-operated affiliate in Boston since 1995.
During the 1972 Stanley Cup Finals
between the Boston Bruins and New York Rangers, CBS took a rather calculated risk in not televising Game 5 of the Final on Tuesday night May 9 (CBS aired regular programs, including the original Hawaii Five-O
in that time period). This was despite the fact that Game 5 was a potential clincher with the Bruins up 3 games to 1 on the Rangers. CBS ultimately lucked out (since the Rangers won Game 5 3-2), and televised the clincher (Game 6) on Thursday night, May 11.
After CBS lost the American television rights to NBC following the 1971-72 season
, they covered the World Hockey Association
's inagural season.
franchises were to be joined by the league's first expansion
class of .
Although, the San Francisco Bay Area
was not considered a particularly good hockey market, the terms of a new television agreement with a U.S. network (ultimately CBS) called for two of the expansion teams to be located in California
. Hence, the California Seals and Los Angeles Kings
joined the National Hockey League in an attempt to get a better TV deal, given that two large West Coast television markets would have NHL clubs. (The Seals were renamed the Oakland Seals
during their first season and then were rechristened the California Golden Seals
when purchased by Charlie O. Finley in .)
CBS was hoping that they would grow with the NHL by persuading them to go coast-to-coast (Montreal to Los Angeles) in a similar fashion for which they had grown with the National Football League
(beginning in 1956
).
of (May 10), when Bobby Orr
's winning goal in overtime of Game 4 of the Stanley Cup Finals
gave his Boston Bruins
their first Stanley Cup Championship since , as they swept the St. Louis Blues
at the old Boston Garden
. Immediately upon scoring, Orr caught his skate in the defenceman's stick and was sent flying onto the ice. The "flight" was captured by a news photographer and is one of the iconic images in the history of sports.
The most commonly seen video clip of Bobby Orr's "flight" is the American version broadcast on CBS as called by Dan Kelly
. This archival clip can be considered a rarity, since about 98% of the time, any surviving kinescope
s or videotapes of the actual telecasts of hockey games from this era usually emanate from CBC
's coverage. According to Dick Irvin, Jr.
's book My 26 Stanley Cups (Irvin was in the CBC booth with Danny Gallivan
during the 1970 Stanley Cup Finals), he was always curious why even the CBC typically uses the CBS replay of the Bobby Orr goal (with Dan Kelly's commentary) instead of Gallivan's call. The explanation that Irvin received was that the CBC's master tape
of the game (along with others) was thrown away in order clear shelf space at the network.
The clip exists because WSBK-TV
in Boston, an independent station, was the television flagship of the Boston Bruins
. WSBK had a weekly program during the season showing highlights of the previous week's games. WSBK got permission from CBS to simulcast the game and to tape the network's telecast and use highlights from that it for the next week's show. WSBK decided to show the entire (however brief) overtime session in the final 1969-70 edition (airdate May 17, 1970) of Bruins Highlights, as well as in Boston Bruins: World Champions, an hour-long documentary featuring highlights of the team's 1969-70 season and Stanley Cup win. Coincidentally, WSBK is now owned by CBS, run as a sister station to WBZ-TV
(formerly owned by Westinghouse Broadcasting
as an NBC
affiliate).
On May 24, 1980, in Game 6 of the Stanley Cup Finals
between the New York Islanders and Philadelphia Flyers, Bobby Nystrom scored the game winner at 7:11 of overtime on national television throughout the United States to secure the first Stanley Cup in Islanders' history. Nystrom was part of the first NHL team (1979-80 New York Islanders) to win a Stanley Cup with Europeans on its roster.
Stanley Cup Finals games in NHL on CBS history are the following:
replaced the All-Star Game
. It was a best of three series between the NHL All-Stars against the Soviet Union national squad
. In the United States, Game 2, which was on a Saturday afternoon, was shown on CBS as part of CBS Sports Spectacular
. The network, the show, and their sponsors had a problem with the rink board advertising that the NHL sold at Madison Square Garden
, and refused to allow them to be shown on TV. As a result, CBS viewers were unable to see the far boards above the yellow kickplate, and could only see players' skates when the play moved to that side of the ice. In addition, only the third period was shown (along with brief taped highlights of the first two periods that were shown before airing the third period live). Games 1 and 3 were shown on the NHL Network, where the advertising was no problem.
between the Philadelphia Flyers
and the New York Islanders
. It was the first full American network telecast of an NHL game since Game 5 of the 1975 Stanley Cup Finals
aired on NBC. As previously mentioned, when CBS broadcast Game 2 of the 1979 Challenge Cup, it was only seen on CBS for the third period.
Game 6 was won in overtime by the host Islanders, who captured their first of their four consecutive Stanley Cup
s. By this time, Dan Kelly was joined by former NHL on NBC commentator, Tim Ryan
. Dan Kelly did play-by-play for the first and third periods as well as overtime
. Meanwhile, Tim Ryan did play-by-play only for the second period. Minnesota North Stars
GM Lou Nanne
was the color commentator throughout the game.
Game 6 pulled a 4.4 rating
on CBS. After the game ended, except for the New York
and Philadelphia
affiliates, CBS dropped the telecast and went to a previously-scheduled golf telecast
. New York and Philadelphia viewers got a postgame show before they joined the very end of the golf broadcast. Given that the game went into overtime, CBS cut away from hockey during the intermission between the end of regulation and the start of overtime to present ten minutes of live golf coverage, with the golf announcers repeatedly mentioning that the network would return to hockey in time for the start of sudden-death.
As previously mentioned, Game 6 of the 1980 Stanley Cup Finals turned out to be the last NHL game (to this date) to be televised on CBS. It was also the last NHL game on American network television until NBC televised the 1990 All-Star Game
.
and Major League Baseball in 1994, CBS was in the running to gain the National Hockey League rights beginning in the 1994–95 season, only to be outbid by Fox.
Incidentally, during the 1990s, CBS
had the American broadcasting rights to the Winter Olympics (1992
, 1994
and 1998
). CBS used Mike Emrick
(1992
and 1994
) and Sean McDonough
(1998
) on play-by-play for the ice hockey coverage, John Davidson (all three Olympics) and Mike Eruzione (1992 and 1998) on color commentary, and Darren Pang as the ice-level reporter (1998).
In 2010, CBS Sports president Sean McManus said regarding the prospects of the NHL returning to CBS in the foreseeable future "It’s a great property, but with our commitment to golf
and college basketball
, there just isn’t room on our schedule." As a result, CBS did not place a bid for the broadcast rights when they were expired in 2011, being the only major network not to place a bid. The Comcast
-owned networks (NBC and Versus
) renewed their existing deals through 2021.
Television program
A television program , also called television show, is a segment of content which is intended to be broadcast on television. It may be a one-time production or part of a periodically recurring series...
that broadcast National Hockey League
National Hockey League
The National Hockey League is an unincorporated not-for-profit association which operates a major professional ice hockey league of 30 franchised member clubs, of which 7 are currently located in Canada and 23 in the United States...
games on CBS Sports
CBS Sports
CBS Sports is a division of CBS Broadcasting which airs sporting events on the American television network. Its headquarters are in the CBS Building on West 52nd Street in midtown Manhattan, New York City, with programs produced out of Studio 43 at the CBS Broadcast Center on West 57th Street.CBS...
. CBS
CBS
CBS Broadcasting Inc. is a major US commercial broadcasting television network, which started as a radio network. The name is derived from the initials of the network's former name, Columbia Broadcasting System. The network is sometimes referred to as the "Eye Network" in reference to the shape of...
was the first American television network to broadcast NHL games.
1956–1960 version
CBS first broadcast National Hockey League games for four seasons from –. CBS aired games on Saturday afternoons with Bud PalmerBud Palmer
John S. "Bud" Palmer is a former pro basketball player. He was a member of the original New York Knickerbockers, and was their leading scorer in their inaugural season 1946/47...
and Fred Cusick
Fred Cusick
Frederick Michael Cusick was an American ice hockey broadcaster who served as the Boston Bruins play-by-play announcer from 1971 until 1997 on WSBK-TV in Boston, and from 1984 until 1995 on NESN...
handling the announcing duties, initially. Palmer served as the play-by-play man while Cusick did color commentary as well as interviews for the first three seasons. In , Cusick moved over to play-by-play while Brian McFarlane
Brian McFarlane
Brian McFarlane is a Canadian television sportscaster and author. He is also the Honorary President of the Society for International Hockey Research. He is the son of the prolific writer Leslie McFarlane who wrote many of the early Hardy Boys books.-Early life and career:Brian McFarlane attended St...
came in to do the color commentary and interviews. The pregame and intermission interviews were done on the ice, with the interviewer on skates. No playoff games were televised during this period and all broadcasts took place in one of the four American arenas at the time.
As previously mentioned, CBS covered the 1956–57 season on Saturday afternoons, starting January 5. For the next three years, they continued airing games a Saturday afternoons starting on November 2, 1957, October 18, 1958 and January 9, 1960.
According to the 1991
1991 in literature
The year 1991 in literature involved some significant events and new books.-Events:*Douglas Coupland publishes the novel Generation X: Tales for an Accelerated Culture, popularizing the term Generation X as the name of the generation....
book Net Worth: Exploding the Myths of Pro Hockey, during the 1956-57 season, CBS broadcast 10 games that were popular with viewers. The four American franchises at the time (the Boston Bruins
Boston Bruins
The Boston Bruins are a professional ice hockey team based in Boston, Massachusetts, USA. They are members of the Northeast Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League . The team has been in existence since 1924, and is the league's third-oldest team and its oldest in the...
, Chicago Blackhawks
Chicago Blackhawks
The Chicago Blackhawks are a professional ice hockey team based in Chicago, Illinois. They are members of the Central Division of the Western Conference of the National Hockey League . They have won four Stanley Cup championships since their founding in 1926, most recently coming in 2009-10...
, Detroit Red Wings
Detroit Red Wings
The Detroit Red Wings are a professional ice hockey team based in Detroit, Michigan. They are members of the Central Division of the Western Conference of the National Hockey League , and are one of the Original Six teams of the NHL, along with the Toronto Maple Leafs, Montreal Canadiens, New York...
, and New York Rangers
New York Rangers
The New York Rangers are a professional ice hockey team based in the borough of Manhattan in New York, New York, USA. They are members of the Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League . Playing their home games at Madison Square Garden, the Rangers are one of the...
) each received $
United States dollar
The United States dollar , also referred to as the American dollar, is the official currency of the United States of America. It is divided into 100 smaller units called cents or pennies....
100,000. However, the players themselves, received absolutely zero money from the TV deal. One CBS employee said, "We got a call from a girl in Cincinnati who wanted to start a women's hockey league. We referred her to NHL president Clarence Campbell
Clarence Campbell
Clarence Sutherland Campbell OBE, QC was the third president of the National Hockey League from 1946 to 1977.-Early life and career:...
, who told her hockey was too rough for gals."
Furthermore, according to Sports Illustrated
Sports Illustrated
Sports Illustrated is an American sports media company owned by media conglomerate Time Warner. Its self titled magazine has over 3.5 million subscribers and is read by 23 million adults each week, including over 18 million men. It was the first magazine with circulation over one million to win the...
, the NHL dropped CBS because the NHL owners didn't want the fledgling Players' Association to gain a financial cut of the TV deal. This was despite the fact that CBS was at least at one point, getting better ratings
Nielsen Ratings
Nielsen ratings are the audience measurement systems developed by Nielsen Media Research, in an effort to determine the audience size and composition of television programming in the United States...
than NBC's NBA package from around the same period, especially in cities that had NHL, minor-league, or major college hockey teams.
In , CBS offered to broadcast a NHL Game of the Week on Saturdays during the National Football League season
1963 NFL season
The 1963 NFL season was the 44th regular season of the National Football League. On April 17, NFL commissioner Pete Rozelle indefinitely suspended Green Bay Packers running back Paul Hornung and Detroit Lions defensive tackle Alex Karras for gambling on their own teams, as well as other NFL games;...
. By the winter, CBS would move the Game of the Week to Sundays in the same time slot. Ultimately, the NHL rejected the idea, saying it would cause too many schedule and travel problems. The league was especially worried about a game from Montreal
Montreal Forum
The Montreal Forum was an indoor arena located in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. Called "the most storied building in hockey history" by Sporting News, it was home of the National Hockey League's Montreal Maroons from 1924 to 1938 and the Montreal Canadiens from 1926 to 1996...
or Toronto
Maple Leaf Gardens
Maple Leaf Gardens is an indoor arena that was converted into a Loblawssupermarket and Ryerson University athletic centre in Toronto, on the northwest corner of Carlton Street and Church Street in Toronto's Garden District.One of the temples of hockey, it was home to the Toronto Maple Leafs of the...
being played on a Saturday afternoon (and not on Saturday night to accommodate CBC Television
Hockey Night in Canada
Hockey Night in Canada is the branding used for CBC Sports' presentations of the National Hockey League...
), and teams having to play an early afternoon game on Sunday after playing a game the previous night.
1958–59
| Date | Teams |
| 10/18/58 | Detroit @ Chicago Blackhawks – Red Wings rivalry The rivalry between the Chicago Blackhawks and the Detroit Red Wings of the National Hockey League is the most intense rivalry in the Central Division. It has existed since and continued ever since through the Original Six days into the present... |
| 10/25/58 | Chicago @ New York 1958–59 New York Rangers season The 1958–59 New York Rangers season was the 33rd season for the team in the National Hockey League . The Rangers finished with a 26–32–12 record in the regular season, and did not advance to the NHL playoffs.-Schedule and Results:... |
| 11/1/58 | Detroit @ Boston 1958–59 Boston Bruins season -Offseason:Claimed Jen-Guy Gendron and Gord Redahl from the New York Rangers, Earl Reibel from Chicago.Traded Allan Stanley to Toronto for Jim Morrison.-Game log:-Playoffs:... |
| 11/8/58 | Chicago @ Detroit |
| 11/15/58 | Montreal 1958–59 Montreal Canadiens season The 1958–59 Montreal Canadiens season was the club's 50th season of play. The Canadiens won the Stanley Cup for the fourth consecutive season, and the 11th time in club history.-Game log:-Stanley Cup finals:... @ Chicago |
| 11/22/58 | Detroit @ Boston |
| 11/29/58 | Boston @ New York |
| 12/6/58 | Detroit @ Chicago |
| 1/3/59 | Boston @ Detroit |
| 1/10/59 | Detroit @ New York |
| 1/17/59 | New York @ Chicago |
| 1/24/59 | Chicago @ Detroit |
| 1/31/59 | Detroit @ Boston |
| 2/7/59 | Chicago @ New York |
| 2/14/59 | Montreal @ Boston |
| 2/21/59 | Chicago @ Detroit |
| 2/28/59 | Boston @ Chicago |
| 3/7/59 | New York @ Chicago |
| 3/14/59 | Detroit @ Boston |
| 3/21/59 | New York @ Detroit |
The Toronto Maple Leafs
Toronto Maple Leafs
The Toronto Maple Leafs are a professional ice hockey team based in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. They are members of the Northeast Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League...
didn't appear on the schedule because they played at home every Saturday night during the season.
Coverage
For six seasons, from through , CBS aired a game each week between mid-January until early-mid May in each of those seasons, mainly on a Sunday afternoon, including playoffs. Each American based franchise was paid $United States dollar
The United States dollar , also referred to as the American dollar, is the official currency of the United States of America. It is divided into 100 smaller units called cents or pennies....
100,000 a year for the first two years of the initial contract and $150,000 for the third. From 1968–69 through 1971–72, the intermission studio was called "CBS Control", just like with their NFL coverage
NFL on CBS
The NFL on CBS is the brand name of the CBS television network's coverage of the National Football League's American Football Conference games, produced by CBS Sports.-Market coverage and television policies:...
.
Due to prior programming commitments, CBS could not broadcast regular season games during the 1966-67 season, so that portion of the package was subleased to RKO General
RKO General
RKO General was the main holding company through 1991 for the noncore businesses of the General Tire and Rubber Company and, after General Tire's reorganization in the 1980s, GenCorp. The business was based around the consolidation of its parent company's broadcasting interests, dating to 1943, and...
, which syndicated eight regular-season games to some cities, including the four U.S. cities that then had NHL clubs and the six U.S. cities that would gain new teams in the 1967 expansion.
During the 1967 playoffs
1966-67 NHL season
-NHL awards:-All-Star teams:-Scoring leaders:Note: GP = Games played; G = Goals; A = Assists; Pts = Points-Leading goaltenders:Note: GP = Games played; Min - Minutes Played; GA = Goals Against; GAA = Goals Against Average; W = Wins; L = Losses; T = Ties; SO = Shutouts-Debuts:The following is a list...
, CBS was scheduled to broadcast the April 8 game between the New York Rangers and Montreal Canadiens. However, an AFTRA
American Federation of Television and Radio Artists
The American Federation of Television and Radio Artists is a performers' union that represents a wide variety of talent, including actors in radio and television, as well as radio and television announcers and newspersons, singers and recording artists , promo and voice-over announcers and other...
strike
Strike action
Strike action, also called labour strike, on strike, greve , or simply strike, is a work stoppage caused by the mass refusal of employees to work. A strike usually takes place in response to employee grievances. Strikes became important during the industrial revolution, when mass labour became...
forced cancellation of the telecast. The strike itself would ultimately end two days later.
CBS started their weekly 1967–68 coverage with the opening game (the Philadelphia Flyers
1967–68 Philadelphia Flyers season
The 1967–68 Philadelphia Flyers season was the Philadelphia Flyers' inaugural season and the first National Hockey League season in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania since the Philadelphia Quakers' 1930–31 season....
vs. Los Angeles Kings
1967–68 Los Angeles Kings season
The 1967–68 Los Angeles Kings season was the first season for the Kings in the National Hockey League.-Offseason:The Kings were one of six expansion teams, which doubled the size of the league from six to twelve...
) at the Forum
The Forum (Inglewood, California)
The Forum is an indoor arena, in Inglewood, California, a suburb of Los Angeles. From 2000 to 2010, it was owned by the Faithful Central Bible Church, which occasionally used it for church services, while also leasing the building for sporting events, concerts and other events.Along with Madison...
in Inglewood, California
Inglewood, California
Inglewood is a city in southwestern Los Angeles County, California, southwest of downtown Los Angeles. It was incorporated on February 14, 1908. Its population stood at 109,673 as of the 2010 Census...
on December 30. Then after two more Saturday afternoons, CBS switched to Sunday afternoons beginning on January 28 for the next 10 weeks. Due to an AFTRA
American Federation of Television and Radio Artists
The American Federation of Television and Radio Artists is a performers' union that represents a wide variety of talent, including actors in radio and television, as well as radio and television announcers and newspersons, singers and recording artists , promo and voice-over announcers and other...
strike
Strike action
Strike action, also called labour strike, on strike, greve , or simply strike, is a work stoppage caused by the mass refusal of employees to work. A strike usually takes place in response to employee grievances. Strikes became important during the industrial revolution, when mass labour became...
(which resulted in the cancellation of a New York Rangers
1967–68 New York Rangers season
The 1967–68 New York Rangers season was the 42nd season for the team.-Schedule and Results:The 1967–68 New York Rangers season was the 42nd season for the team.-Schedule and Results:...
-Montreal
1967–68 Montreal Canadiens season
The 1967–68 Montreal Canadiens season was the club's 59th season of play. The Canadiens won their 15th Stanley Cup in club history.-Expansion draft:...
broadcast), CBS started their playoff coverage with a CBC
Hockey Night in Canada
Hockey Night in Canada is the branding used for CBC Sports' presentations of the National Hockey League...
tape of the previous night's Boston
1967–68 Boston Bruins season
The 1967–68 Boston Bruins season was the Bruins' 43rd season in the NHL.-Offseason:In 1967, the Black Hawks made a trade with the Boston Bruins that turned out to be one of the most one-sided in the history of the sport...
-Montreal game.
On April 13, CBS started their three week long weekend afternoon Stanley Cup coverage. The last game of the series was St. Louis
1967–68 St. Louis Blues season
The 1967–68 season was the inaugural season for the St. Louis Blues. The Blues were one of the six new teams added to the NHL in the 1967 expansion. The other franchises were the Minnesota North Stars, Los Angeles Kings, Philadelphia Flyers, Pittsburgh Penguins, and California Seals. The league...
-Montreal on May 11. For the playoffs, Jim Gordon
Jim Gordon (sportscaster)
Jim Gordon was an American television and radio newscaster and play-by-play sportscaster in the New York City area for nearly 40 years....
worked play-by-play and Stu Nahan
Stu Nahan
Stu Nahan was an American sportscaster best known for his television broadcasting career in Los Angeles from the 1950s through the 1990s. He is also remembered for his role as a boxing commentator in most of the Rocky films. He received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame at 6549 Hollywood Blvd...
worked color. During the regular season, Gordon and Nahan alternated roles each week. For instance, Gordon did the worked play-by-play on December 30 while Nahan worked play-by-play the next week.
In , CBS broadcast 13 regular season afternoon games and five Stanley Cup playoff games. Dan Kelly
Dan Kelly (sportscaster)
Patrick Daniel "Dan" Kelly was a Canadian-born sportscaster best known for his radio play-by-play coverage of the St...
did play-by-play while Bill Mazer
Bill Mazer
Bill Mazer is an Jewish American television and radio personality.Winning numerous awards and citations, including three Sportscaster of the Year awards for New York from 1964–66....
did color and intermission interviews.
The same pattern continued through the season. CBS did manage to televise the 1971 Stanley Cup Finals
1971 Stanley Cup Finals
-References:...
clincher on a Tuesday night and the 1972 Stanley Cup Finals
1972 Stanley Cup Finals
-Boston Bruins 1972 Stanley Cup champions:-See also:* List of Stanley Cup champions* 1971–72 Boston Bruins season* 1971–72 NHL season* 1971–72 New York Rangers season-References:...
clincher on a Thursday night. In 1971
1971 in television
The year 1971 in television involved some significant events.Below is a list of television-related events in 1971.For the American TV schedule, see: 1971-72 American network television schedule.-Events:...
, CBS was not scheduled to broadcast Game 7 of the Stanley Cup Finals, but showed the prime time
Prime time
Prime time or primetime is the block of broadcast programming during the middle of the evening for television programing.The term prime time is often defined in terms of a fixed time period—for example, from 19:00 to 22:00 or 20:00 to 23:00 Prime time or primetime is the block of broadcast...
contest (the first ever occurrence of a NHL game being nationally televised in prime time in the United States) between the Montreal Canadiens
1970–71 Montreal Canadiens season
The 1970–71 Montreal Canadiens season was the club's 62nd season. After missing the playoffs in the previous season, the team rebounded to place third in the East Division, qualifying for the playoffs...
and Chicago Black Hawks
1970–71 Chicago Black Hawks season
The 1970–71 Chicago Black Hawks season was the Hawks' forty-fifth season in the NHL, and the club was coming off a first place finish in the East Division in 1968-69, as they had a team record 45 victories and 99 points...
after fans reportedly swamped switchboards at network headquarters in New York asking that the seventh game be televised. Ironically, the game was not telecast by the Chicago CBS affiliate WBBM-TV
WBBM-TV
WBBM-TV, virtual channel 2 , is the CBS owned-and-operated television station in Chicago, Illinois. WBBM-TV's main studios and offices are located in The Loop section of Chicago, as part of the development at Block 37, and its transmitter is atop the Willis Tower.-History:WBBM-TV traces its history...
, nor on CBS affiliates in most of Illinois, and parts of Indiana, Wisconsin, and Iowa, due to Blackhawks' owner Arthur M. Wirtz policy of not telecasting home games.
While Dan Kelly once again handled all of the play-by-play work, Jim Gordon replaced Bill Mazer in . For the CBS' Stanley Cup Finals coverage during this period, a third voice was added to the booth (Phil Esposito
Phil Esposito
Philip Anthony Esposito, OC is a former Canadian professional ice hockey centre who played 18 seasons in the National Hockey League for the Chicago Black Hawks, Boston Bruins and New York Rangers. He is an Honoured Member of the Hockey Hall of Fame and is considered to be one of the best to have...
in 1971 and Harry Howell in 1972).
One trivial note however, on January 23, 1972, Jim Gordon was not in Boston
Boston Garden
The Boston Garden was an arena in Boston, Massachusetts, USA. Designed by boxing promoter Tex Rickard, who also built the third iteration of New York's Madison Square Garden, it opened on November 17, 1928 as "Boston Madison Square Garden" and outlived its original namesake by some 30 years...
for the Buffalo
1971–72 Buffalo Sabres season
The 1971–72 Buffalo Sabres season was the Buffalo Sabres' second season of operation in the National Hockey League .-Game log:-Regular season:ScoringGoaltending-References:...
-Boston
1971–72 Boston Bruins season
The 1971–72 Boston Bruins season was the Bruins' 48th season in the NHL. For the second time in three years, the Bruins won the Stanley Cup.-NHL Draft:-Game log:-Playoffs:...
game. Therefore, Dick Stockton
Dick Stockton
Dick Stockton is an American sportscaster. He is currently employed by Fox Sports and Turner Sports as a football, baseball, and basketball play-by-play announcer.-Early life and career:...
filled-in and did the game with Dan Kelly. Stockton, although doing some work for The NFL on CBS
NFL on CBS
The NFL on CBS is the brand name of the CBS television network's coverage of the National Football League's American Football Conference games, produced by CBS Sports.-Market coverage and television policies:...
, was also at the time sports anchor for WBZ-TV
WBZ-TV
WBZ-TV, virtual channel 4, is a CBS owned-and-operated television station, located in Boston, Massachusetts, USA. WBZ-TV's studios and office facilities, shared with sister station WSBK-TV , are located in the Allston-Brighton section of Boston, and its transmitter is located in Needham,...
in Boston, which ironically was at the time an NBC
NBC
The National Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network and former radio network headquartered in the GE Building in New York City's Rockefeller Center with additional major offices near Los Angeles and in Chicago...
affiliate. WBZ-TV would later switch from NBC to CBS, and has been a CBS owned-and-operated affiliate in Boston since 1995.
During the 1972 Stanley Cup Finals
1972 Stanley Cup Finals
-Boston Bruins 1972 Stanley Cup champions:-See also:* List of Stanley Cup champions* 1971–72 Boston Bruins season* 1971–72 NHL season* 1971–72 New York Rangers season-References:...
between the Boston Bruins and New York Rangers, CBS took a rather calculated risk in not televising Game 5 of the Final on Tuesday night May 9 (CBS aired regular programs, including the original Hawaii Five-O
Hawaii Five-O
Hawaii Five-O is an American police procedural drama series produced by CBS Productions and Leonard Freeman. Set in Hawaii, the show originally aired for twelve seasons from 1968 to 1980, and continues in reruns. The show featured a fictional state police unit run by Detective Steve McGarrett,...
in that time period). This was despite the fact that Game 5 was a potential clincher with the Bruins up 3 games to 1 on the Rangers. CBS ultimately lucked out (since the Rangers won Game 5 3-2), and televised the clincher (Game 6) on Thursday night, May 11.
After CBS lost the American television rights to NBC following the 1971-72 season
1971-72 NHL season
-Final:New York Rangers vs. Boston BruinsBoston Bruins win the best-of-seven series 4 games to 2 for the Stanley Cup-NHL awards:-All-Star teams:-Scoring leaders:-Leading goaltenders:...
, they covered the World Hockey Association
World Hockey Association
The World Hockey Association was a professional ice hockey league that operated in North America from 1972 to 1979. It was the first major competition for the National Hockey League since the collapse of the Western Hockey League in 1926...
's inagural season.
Stanley Cup playoffs
| Year | Round | Series | Games covered | Play-by-play | Color commentator Color commentator A color commentator is a sports commentator who assists the play-by-play announcer, often by filling in any time when play is not in progress. The color analyst and main commentator will often exchange comments freely throughout the broadcast, when the play-by-play announcer is not describing the... (s) |
| 1968 1968 Stanley Cup playoffs The 1968 Stanley Cup playoffs, to decide the 1968 championship of the National Hockey League was the first after the expansion from six to twelve teams. The defending champion Toronto Maple Leafs did not qualify and a new champion would be crowned. The Montreal Canadiens would defeat the St... |
Quarterfinals | Boston 1967–68 Boston Bruins season The 1967–68 Boston Bruins season was the Bruins' 43rd season in the NHL.-Offseason:In 1967, the Black Hawks made a trade with the Boston Bruins that turned out to be one of the most one-sided in the history of the sport... -Montreal 1967–68 Montreal Canadiens season The 1967–68 Montreal Canadiens season was the club's 59th season of play. The Canadiens won their 15th Stanley Cup in club history.-Expansion draft:... |
Game 2 (joined-in-progress; CBC Hockey Night in Canada Hockey Night in Canada is the branding used for CBC Sports' presentations of the National Hockey League... tape) |
Danny Gallivan Danny Gallivan Danny Gallivan was a Canadian radio and television broadcaster and sportscaster.-Early life and career:Born in Sydney, Nova Scotia, Gallivan began his broadcast career at a local radio station in Antigonish, Nova Scotia while attending St. Francis Xavier University... |
Dick Irvin Dick Irvin, Jr. James Dickinson Irvin, Jr. is a retired Canadian sports broadcaster and author. He was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1988 under the broadcasters category1... |
| New York Rangers 1967–68 New York Rangers season The 1967–68 New York Rangers season was the 42nd season for the team.-Schedule and Results:The 1967–68 New York Rangers season was the 42nd season for the team.-Schedule and Results:... -Chicago 1967–68 Chicago Black Hawks season The 1967–68 Chicago Black Hawks season was the Hawks' forty-second season in the NHL. The team was coming off their best regular season in team history. In 1966-67, Chicago finished in first place for the first time in club history with a franchise record 94 points. The Black Hawks were then upset... |
Game 4 | Jim Gordon Jim Gordon (sportscaster) Jim Gordon was an American television and radio newscaster and play-by-play sportscaster in the New York City area for nearly 40 years.... |
Stu Nahan Stu Nahan Stu Nahan was an American sportscaster best known for his television broadcasting career in Los Angeles from the 1950s through the 1990s. He is also remembered for his role as a boxing commentator in most of the Rocky films. He received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame at 6549 Hollywood Blvd... |
||
| Semifinals | Minnesota 1967–68 Minnesota North Stars season The 1967–68 Minnesota North Stars season was the team's inaugural season in the National Hockey League . They finished fourth in the West Division with a record of 27 wins, 32 losses, and 15 ties for 69 points. In the playoffs, they defeated the Los Angeles Kings in seven games in the... -St. Louis 1967–68 St. Louis Blues season The 1967–68 season was the inaugural season for the St. Louis Blues. The Blues were one of the six new teams added to the NHL in the 1967 expansion. The other franchises were the Minnesota North Stars, Los Angeles Kings, Philadelphia Flyers, Pittsburgh Penguins, and California Seals. The league... |
Game 2 | Jim Gordon Jim Gordon (sportscaster) Jim Gordon was an American television and radio newscaster and play-by-play sportscaster in the New York City area for nearly 40 years.... |
Stu Nahan Stu Nahan Stu Nahan was an American sportscaster best known for his television broadcasting career in Los Angeles from the 1950s through the 1990s. He is also remembered for his role as a boxing commentator in most of the Rocky films. He received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame at 6549 Hollywood Blvd... |
|
| Chicago 1967–68 Chicago Black Hawks season The 1967–68 Chicago Black Hawks season was the Hawks' forty-second season in the NHL. The team was coming off their best regular season in team history. In 1966-67, Chicago finished in first place for the first time in club history with a franchise record 94 points. The Black Hawks were then upset... -Montreal 1967–68 Montreal Canadiens season The 1967–68 Montreal Canadiens season was the club's 59th season of play. The Canadiens won their 15th Stanley Cup in club history.-Expansion draft:... |
Game 5 | Jim Gordon Jim Gordon (sportscaster) Jim Gordon was an American television and radio newscaster and play-by-play sportscaster in the New York City area for nearly 40 years.... |
Stu Nahan Stu Nahan Stu Nahan was an American sportscaster best known for his television broadcasting career in Los Angeles from the 1950s through the 1990s. He is also remembered for his role as a boxing commentator in most of the Rocky films. He received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame at 6549 Hollywood Blvd... |
||
| 1969 | Quarterfinals | St. Louis 1968–69 St. Louis Blues season The 1968–69 St. Louis Blues season was the second in the history of the franchise. The Blues won the NHL's West Division title for the first time in their history... -Philadelphia 1968–69 Philadelphia Flyers season The 1968–69 Philadelphia Flyers season was the Philadelphia Flyers' second season in the National Hockey League .Lou Angotti, who was the first captain of the club, left the team and was replaced by defenseman Ed Van Impe in that role. Led by Van Impe and the team-leading 24 goals of Andre Lacroix,... |
Game 4 | Dan Kelly Dan Kelly (sportscaster) Patrick Daniel "Dan" Kelly was a Canadian-born sportscaster best known for his radio play-by-play coverage of the St... |
Bill Mazer Bill Mazer Bill Mazer is an Jewish American television and radio personality.Winning numerous awards and citations, including three Sportscaster of the Year awards for New York from 1964–66.... |
| Semifinals | Boston-Montreal Bruins–Canadiens rivalry The rivalry between the Boston Bruins and Montreal Canadiens of the National Hockey League is considered "one of the greatest rivalries in sports," along with the Yankees – Red Sox and Bears–Packers rivalries... |
Games 2, 4 | Dan Kelly Dan Kelly (sportscaster) Patrick Daniel "Dan" Kelly was a Canadian-born sportscaster best known for his radio play-by-play coverage of the St... |
Bill Mazer Bill Mazer Bill Mazer is an Jewish American television and radio personality.Winning numerous awards and citations, including three Sportscaster of the Year awards for New York from 1964–66.... |
|
| 1970 | Quarterfinals | St. Louis 1969–70 St. Louis Blues season The 1969–70 St. Louis Blues season involved finishing in first place in the West Division for the second consecutive season. The Blues were the only team in the West Division with a winning record as they finished 22 points ahead of the second place Pittsburgh Penguins... -Minnesota 1969–70 Minnesota North Stars season -Game log:-External links:... |
Game 4 | Dan Kelly Dan Kelly (sportscaster) Patrick Daniel "Dan" Kelly was a Canadian-born sportscaster best known for his radio play-by-play coverage of the St... |
Bill Mazer Bill Mazer Bill Mazer is an Jewish American television and radio personality.Winning numerous awards and citations, including three Sportscaster of the Year awards for New York from 1964–66.... |
| Semifinals | Boston 1969–70 Boston Bruins season The 1969–70 Boston Bruins season was the Bruins' 46th season in the NHL.The Bruins were coming off of a successful season in 1968–69, as they finished with a franchise record 100 points, sitting in 2nd place in the Eastern Division, however, they would lose to the Montreal Canadiens in the Eastern... -Chicago 1969–70 Chicago Black Hawks season The 1969–70 Chicago Black Hawks season was the Hawks' forty-fourth season in the NHL, and the club was coming off a sixth place finish in the East Division in 1968–69, failing to qualify for the playoffs for the first time since the 1957–58 season... |
Games 1, 4 | Dan Kelly Dan Kelly (sportscaster) Patrick Daniel "Dan" Kelly was a Canadian-born sportscaster best known for his radio play-by-play coverage of the St... |
Bill Mazer Bill Mazer Bill Mazer is an Jewish American television and radio personality.Winning numerous awards and citations, including three Sportscaster of the Year awards for New York from 1964–66.... |
|
| 1971 | Quarterfinals | Chicago 1970–71 Chicago Black Hawks season The 1970–71 Chicago Black Hawks season was the Hawks' forty-fifth season in the NHL, and the club was coming off a first place finish in the East Division in 1968-69, as they had a team record 45 victories and 99 points... -Philadelphia 1970–71 Philadelphia Flyers season The 1970–71 Philadelphia Flyers season was the Philadelphia Flyers' fourth season in the National Hockey League .Bobby Clarke suffered no sophomore slump as he led the team in goals , assists , and points in 1970–71. He was, however, held scoreless in the playoffs as the Flyers were swept in four... |
Game 4 | Dan Kelly Dan Kelly (sportscaster) Patrick Daniel "Dan" Kelly was a Canadian-born sportscaster best known for his radio play-by-play coverage of the St... |
Jim Gordon Jim Gordon (sportscaster) Jim Gordon was an American television and radio newscaster and play-by-play sportscaster in the New York City area for nearly 40 years.... |
| Montreal 1970–71 Montreal Canadiens season The 1970–71 Montreal Canadiens season was the club's 62nd season. After missing the playoffs in the previous season, the team rebounded to place third in the East Division, qualifying for the playoffs... -Boston 1970–71 Boston Bruins season The 1970–71 Boston Bruins season was the Bruins' 47th season in the NHL.-Offseason:*Bobby Orr signed the NHL’s first one million dollar contract .-NHL Draft:-Regular season:... |
Game 7 | Dan Kelly Dan Kelly (sportscaster) Patrick Daniel "Dan" Kelly was a Canadian-born sportscaster best known for his radio play-by-play coverage of the St... |
Jim Gordon Jim Gordon (sportscaster) Jim Gordon was an American television and radio newscaster and play-by-play sportscaster in the New York City area for nearly 40 years.... |
||
| Semifinals | Chicago 1970–71 Chicago Black Hawks season The 1970–71 Chicago Black Hawks season was the Hawks' forty-fifth season in the NHL, and the club was coming off a first place finish in the East Division in 1968-69, as they had a team record 45 victories and 99 points... -New York Rangers 1970–71 New York Rangers season The 1970–71 New York Rangers season was the 45th season for the team.-Schedule and Results:The 1970–71 New York Rangers season was the 45th season for the team.-Schedule and Results:... |
Games 4, 7 | Dan Kelly Dan Kelly (sportscaster) Patrick Daniel "Dan" Kelly was a Canadian-born sportscaster best known for his radio play-by-play coverage of the St... |
Jim Gordon Jim Gordon (sportscaster) Jim Gordon was an American television and radio newscaster and play-by-play sportscaster in the New York City area for nearly 40 years.... |
|
| 1972 | Quarterfinals | Minnesota 1971–72 Minnesota North Stars season The 1971–72 Minnesota North Stars season was the Stars' fifth season of operation in the National Hockey League . The Stars finished in second place in the West Division and qualified for the playoffs. The Stars lost in the first round to the St. Louis Blues.-Game log:-Quarter-final:Versus St.... -St. Louis 1971–72 St. Louis Blues season The 1971–72 St. Louis Blues season was the fifth for the franchise in St. Louis, Missouri. The Blues finished the season in third place in the Western Division, with a record of 28 wins, 39 losses and 11 ties, good for 67 points, placing them in the playoffs, where they defeated the Minnesota... |
Games 4, 7 | Dan Kelly Dan Kelly (sportscaster) Patrick Daniel "Dan" Kelly was a Canadian-born sportscaster best known for his radio play-by-play coverage of the St... |
Jim Gordon Jim Gordon (sportscaster) Jim Gordon was an American television and radio newscaster and play-by-play sportscaster in the New York City area for nearly 40 years.... |
| Semifinals | Boston 1971–72 Boston Bruins season The 1971–72 Boston Bruins season was the Bruins' 48th season in the NHL. For the second time in three years, the Bruins won the Stanley Cup.-NHL Draft:-Game log:-Playoffs:... -St. Louis 1971–72 St. Louis Blues season The 1971–72 St. Louis Blues season was the fifth for the franchise in St. Louis, Missouri. The Blues finished the season in third place in the Western Division, with a record of 28 wins, 39 losses and 11 ties, good for 67 points, placing them in the playoffs, where they defeated the Minnesota... |
Game 3 | Dan Kelly Dan Kelly (sportscaster) Patrick Daniel "Dan" Kelly was a Canadian-born sportscaster best known for his radio play-by-play coverage of the St... |
Jim Gordon Jim Gordon (sportscaster) Jim Gordon was an American television and radio newscaster and play-by-play sportscaster in the New York City area for nearly 40 years.... |
In relation to the 1967 NHL expansion
CBS' second go around with the NHL came at just about the time when the NHL's Original SixOriginal Six
The Original Six is a term for the group of six teams that composed the National Hockey League for the 25 seasons between the 1942–43 season and the 1967 NHL Expansion. These six teams are the Boston Bruins, Chicago Black Hawks, Detroit Red Wings, Montreal Canadiens, New York Rangers, and the...
franchises were to be joined by the league's first expansion
1967 NHL expansion
The National Hockey League undertook a major expansion for the 1967–68 season, adding six new franchises to double the size of the league. This marked the first change in the composition of the league since 1942, when the Brooklyn Americans folded. Thus, the expansion ended the era of the Original...
class of .
Although, the San Francisco Bay Area
San Francisco Bay Area
The San Francisco Bay Area, commonly known as the Bay Area, is a populated region that surrounds the San Francisco and San Pablo estuaries in Northern California. The region encompasses metropolitan areas of San Francisco, Oakland, and San Jose, along with smaller urban and rural areas...
was not considered a particularly good hockey market, the terms of a new television agreement with a U.S. network (ultimately CBS) called for two of the expansion teams to be located in California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
. Hence, the California Seals and Los Angeles Kings
Los Angeles Kings
The Los Angeles Kings are a professional ice hockey team based in Los Angeles, California. They are members of the Pacific Division of the Western Conference of the National Hockey League...
joined the National Hockey League in an attempt to get a better TV deal, given that two large West Coast television markets would have NHL clubs. (The Seals were renamed the Oakland Seals
1967–68 Oakland Seals season
The 1967–68 Oakland Seals season was their first season in the NHL. It began auspiciously, with the firing General Manager Rudy Pilous before the expansion draft. The Seals started their inaugural season with Hall of Famer Bert Olmstead as both coach and general manager, assisted by Gordie Fashoway...
during their first season and then were rechristened the California Golden Seals
1970–71 California Golden Seals season
The 1970–71 California Golden Seals season was the Seals' fourth in the NHL, but their first as the Golden Seals. Oakland Athletics owner Charlie O. Finley bought the team in the offseason for approximately $4,500,000...
when purchased by Charlie O. Finley in .)
CBS was hoping that they would grow with the NHL by persuading them to go coast-to-coast (Montreal to Los Angeles) in a similar fashion for which they had grown with the National Football League
NFL on CBS
The NFL on CBS is the brand name of the CBS television network's coverage of the National Football League's American Football Conference games, produced by CBS Sports.-Market coverage and television policies:...
(beginning in 1956
1956 NFL season
The 1956 NFL season was the 37th regular season of the National Football League. CBS became the first network to televise some regular season games across the nation...
).
Memorable moments
Perhaps, the most memorable moment came on Mother's DayMother's Day
Mother's Day is a celebration honoring mothers and celebrating motherhood, maternal bonds, and the influence of mothers in society. It is celebrated on various days in many parts of the world, yet most commonly in March, April, or May...
of (May 10), when Bobby Orr
Bobby Orr
Robert Gordon "Bobby" Orr, OC is a Canadian former professional ice hockey player. Orr played in the National Hockey League for his entire career, the first ten seasons with the Boston Bruins, joining the Chicago Black Hawks for two more. Orr is widely acknowledged to be one of the greatest...
's winning goal in overtime of Game 4 of the Stanley Cup Finals
1970 Stanley Cup Finals
The 1970 Stanley Cup Final NHL championship series was contested by the Boston Bruins and the St. Louis Blues, appearing in their third straight finals. The Bruins were making their first appearance in the Final since . The Bruins would win the series 4–0, their first Stanley Cup victory in 29 years...
gave his Boston Bruins
1969–70 Boston Bruins season
The 1969–70 Boston Bruins season was the Bruins' 46th season in the NHL.The Bruins were coming off of a successful season in 1968–69, as they finished with a franchise record 100 points, sitting in 2nd place in the Eastern Division, however, they would lose to the Montreal Canadiens in the Eastern...
their first Stanley Cup Championship since , as they swept the St. Louis Blues
1969–70 St. Louis Blues season
The 1969–70 St. Louis Blues season involved finishing in first place in the West Division for the second consecutive season. The Blues were the only team in the West Division with a winning record as they finished 22 points ahead of the second place Pittsburgh Penguins...
at the old Boston Garden
Boston Garden
The Boston Garden was an arena in Boston, Massachusetts, USA. Designed by boxing promoter Tex Rickard, who also built the third iteration of New York's Madison Square Garden, it opened on November 17, 1928 as "Boston Madison Square Garden" and outlived its original namesake by some 30 years...
. Immediately upon scoring, Orr caught his skate in the defenceman's stick and was sent flying onto the ice. The "flight" was captured by a news photographer and is one of the iconic images in the history of sports.
The most commonly seen video clip of Bobby Orr's "flight" is the American version broadcast on CBS as called by Dan Kelly
Dan Kelly (sportscaster)
Patrick Daniel "Dan" Kelly was a Canadian-born sportscaster best known for his radio play-by-play coverage of the St...
. This archival clip can be considered a rarity, since about 98% of the time, any surviving kinescope
Kinescope
Kinescope , shortened to kine , also known as telerecording in Britain, is a recording of a television program made by filming the picture from a video monitor...
s or videotapes of the actual telecasts of hockey games from this era usually emanate from CBC
Hockey Night in Canada
Hockey Night in Canada is the branding used for CBC Sports' presentations of the National Hockey League...
's coverage. According to Dick Irvin, Jr.
Dick Irvin, Jr.
James Dickinson Irvin, Jr. is a retired Canadian sports broadcaster and author. He was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1988 under the broadcasters category1...
's book My 26 Stanley Cups (Irvin was in the CBC booth with Danny Gallivan
Danny Gallivan
Danny Gallivan was a Canadian radio and television broadcaster and sportscaster.-Early life and career:Born in Sydney, Nova Scotia, Gallivan began his broadcast career at a local radio station in Antigonish, Nova Scotia while attending St. Francis Xavier University...
during the 1970 Stanley Cup Finals), he was always curious why even the CBC typically uses the CBS replay of the Bobby Orr goal (with Dan Kelly's commentary) instead of Gallivan's call. The explanation that Irvin received was that the CBC's master tape
Master recording
A multitrack recording master tape, disk or computer files on which productions are developed for later mixing, is known as the multi-track master, while the tape, disk or computer files holding a mix is called a mixed master.It is standard practice to make a copy of a master recording, known as...
of the game (along with others) was thrown away in order clear shelf space at the network.
The clip exists because WSBK-TV
WSBK-TV
WSBK-TV is a MyNetworkTV television station for eastern Massachusetts and southern New Hampshire that is licensed to Boston. It broadcasts a high definition digital signal on UHF channel 39 from a transmitter along the Needham and Wellesley town line southwest of the MA 9 and I-95 / MA 128...
in Boston, an independent station, was the television flagship of the Boston Bruins
Boston Bruins
The Boston Bruins are a professional ice hockey team based in Boston, Massachusetts, USA. They are members of the Northeast Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League . The team has been in existence since 1924, and is the league's third-oldest team and its oldest in the...
. WSBK had a weekly program during the season showing highlights of the previous week's games. WSBK got permission from CBS to simulcast the game and to tape the network's telecast and use highlights from that it for the next week's show. WSBK decided to show the entire (however brief) overtime session in the final 1969-70 edition (airdate May 17, 1970) of Bruins Highlights, as well as in Boston Bruins: World Champions, an hour-long documentary featuring highlights of the team's 1969-70 season and Stanley Cup win. Coincidentally, WSBK is now owned by CBS, run as a sister station to WBZ-TV
WBZ-TV
WBZ-TV, virtual channel 4, is a CBS owned-and-operated television station, located in Boston, Massachusetts, USA. WBZ-TV's studios and office facilities, shared with sister station WSBK-TV , are located in the Allston-Brighton section of Boston, and its transmitter is located in Needham,...
(formerly owned by Westinghouse Broadcasting
Westinghouse Broadcasting
The Westinghouse Broadcasting Company, also known as Group W, was the broadcasting division of Westinghouse Electric Corporation. It owned several radio and television stations across the United States and distributed television shows for syndication....
as an NBC
NBC
The National Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network and former radio network headquartered in the GE Building in New York City's Rockefeller Center with additional major offices near Los Angeles and in Chicago...
affiliate).
On May 24, 1980, in Game 6 of the Stanley Cup Finals
1980 Stanley Cup Finals
-See also:* List of Stanley Cup champions* 1979–80 NHL season* 1980 NBA Finals* 1980 World Series* Super Bowl XV-Notes:...
between the New York Islanders and Philadelphia Flyers, Bobby Nystrom scored the game winner at 7:11 of overtime on national television throughout the United States to secure the first Stanley Cup in Islanders' history. Nystrom was part of the first NHL team (1979-80 New York Islanders) to win a Stanley Cup with Europeans on its roster.
Ratings
The highest ratedNielsen Ratings
Nielsen ratings are the audience measurement systems developed by Nielsen Media Research, in an effort to determine the audience size and composition of television programming in the United States...
Stanley Cup Finals games in NHL on CBS history are the following:
| Rank | Date | Teams | Game | Viewership |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | May 18, 1971 1971 Stanley Cup Finals -References:... |
Montreal-Chicago | Game 7 | 12.41 million |
| 2. | May 11, 1972 1972 Stanley Cup Finals -Boston Bruins 1972 Stanley Cup champions:-See also:* List of Stanley Cup champions* 1971–72 Boston Bruins season* 1971–72 NHL season* 1971–72 New York Rangers season-References:... |
Boston-New York Rangers | Game 6 | 10.93 million |
| 3. | April 30, 1972 1972 Stanley Cup Finals -Boston Bruins 1972 Stanley Cup champions:-See also:* List of Stanley Cup champions* 1971–72 Boston Bruins season* 1971–72 NHL season* 1971–72 New York Rangers season-References:... |
New York Rangers-Boston | Game 1 | 8.51 million |
| 4. | May 7, 1972 1972 Stanley Cup Finals -Boston Bruins 1972 Stanley Cup champions:-See also:* List of Stanley Cup champions* 1971–72 Boston Bruins season* 1971–72 NHL season* 1971–72 New York Rangers season-References:... |
Boston-New York Rangers | Game 4 | 8.26 million |
1979 Challenge Cup
's Challenge Cup1979 Challenge Cup
The 1979 Challenge Cup was an international ice hockey series of games between the Soviet national ice hockey team and a team of all-stars from the National Hockey League, held in New York City. It replaced the NHL's all-star festivities for the 1978–79 NHL season.The Challenge Cup, unlike its...
replaced the All-Star Game
National Hockey League All-Star Game
The National Hockey League All-Star Game is an exhibition ice hockey game that is traditionally held at the midway point of the regular season of the National Hockey League , with many of the league's star players playing against each other...
. It was a best of three series between the NHL All-Stars against the Soviet Union national squad
Soviet national ice hockey team
The Soviet national ice hockey team , was the national hockey team of the Soviet Union. The Soviets were the most dominant team of all time in international play. The team won nearly every world championship and Olympic tournament between 1954 and 1991 held by the International Ice Hockey Federation...
. In the United States, Game 2, which was on a Saturday afternoon, was shown on CBS as part of CBS Sports Spectacular
CBS Sports Spectacular
CBS Sports Spectacular is a sports anthology program produced by CBS Sports. The series began on January 3, 1960 as The CBS Sports Spectacular, and has been known under many different names, including CBS Sports Saturday, CBS Sports Sunday, Eye on Sports and The CBS Sports Show.The program...
. The network, the show, and their sponsors had a problem with the rink board advertising that the NHL sold at Madison Square Garden
Madison Square Garden
Madison Square Garden, often abbreviated as MSG and known colloquially as The Garden, is a multi-purpose indoor arena in the New York City borough of Manhattan and located at 8th Avenue, between 31st and 33rd Streets, situated on top of Pennsylvania Station.Opened on February 11, 1968, it is the...
, and refused to allow them to be shown on TV. As a result, CBS viewers were unable to see the far boards above the yellow kickplate, and could only see players' skates when the play moved to that side of the ice. In addition, only the third period was shown (along with brief taped highlights of the first two periods that were shown before airing the third period live). Games 1 and 3 were shown on the NHL Network, where the advertising was no problem.
1980 Stanley Cup Finals
CBS would only air one other NHL game following Game 2 of the 1979 Challenge Cup. That would take place on Saturday, May 24, 1980, with Game 6 of the Stanley Cup Finals1980 Stanley Cup Finals
-See also:* List of Stanley Cup champions* 1979–80 NHL season* 1980 NBA Finals* 1980 World Series* Super Bowl XV-Notes:...
between the Philadelphia Flyers
1979–80 Philadelphia Flyers season
The 1979–80 Philadelphia Flyers season was the Philadelphia Flyers' 13th season in the National Hockey League .The Flyers began the 1979–80 season with a somewhat controversial move by naming Clarke a playing assistant coach and giving the captaincy to Mel Bridgman. While Clarke was against this...
and the New York Islanders
1979–80 New York Islanders season
The 1979-80 New York Islanders season was the eighth in the franchise's history. It involved winning the Stanley Cup. During the season, the Islanders dropped below the 100-point mark for the first time in five years, earning only 91 points....
. It was the first full American network telecast of an NHL game since Game 5 of the 1975 Stanley Cup Finals
1975 Stanley Cup Finals
The 1975 Stanley Cup Final championship series was played by the Buffalo Sabres, making their first Finals appearance and the defending champion Philadelphia Flyers. The Flyers would win the best-of-seven series four games to two. This was the first Final to have two non-"Original Six" teams since...
aired on NBC. As previously mentioned, when CBS broadcast Game 2 of the 1979 Challenge Cup, it was only seen on CBS for the third period.
Game 6 was won in overtime by the host Islanders, who captured their first of their four consecutive Stanley Cup
Stanley Cup
The Stanley Cup is an ice hockey club trophy, awarded annually to the National Hockey League playoffs champion after the conclusion of the Stanley Cup Finals. It has been referred to as The Cup, Lord Stanley's Cup, The Holy Grail, or facetiously as Lord Stanley's Mug...
s. By this time, Dan Kelly was joined by former NHL on NBC commentator, Tim Ryan
Tim Ryan (sportscaster)
Tim Ryan is an American sportscaster, currently a resident of Ketchum, Idaho.-Early life and career:Raised in Canada, Ryan graduated from the University of Notre Dame in 1960, and took a job the newly-formed CFTO as an assistant sports director...
. Dan Kelly did play-by-play for the first and third periods as well as overtime
Overtime (ice hockey)
Overtime is a method of determining the winner and loser of an ice hockey match when the scores are tied after regulation. The two main methods are the overtime period and the shootout.-Overtime periods:...
. Meanwhile, Tim Ryan did play-by-play only for the second period. Minnesota North Stars
1979–80 Minnesota North Stars season
The 1979–80 Minnesota North Stars season was the thirteenth season in North Stars history. The previous year's merger with the Cleveland Barons began to pay off as the North Stars finished with a winning record for the first time in seven years, and finished in third place in the Adams Division...
GM Lou Nanne
Lou Nanne
Louis Vincent Nanne is a retired ice hockey defenceman and general manager who has made significant contributions to hockey in the United States.- Early life :...
was the color commentator throughout the game.
Game 6 pulled a 4.4 rating
Nielsen Ratings
Nielsen ratings are the audience measurement systems developed by Nielsen Media Research, in an effort to determine the audience size and composition of television programming in the United States...
on CBS. After the game ended, except for the New York
WCBS-TV
WCBS-TV, channel 2, is the flagship station of the CBS television network, located in New York City. The station's studios are located within the CBS Broadcast Center and its transmitter is atop the Empire State Building, both in Midtown Manhattan....
and Philadelphia
WCAU
WCAU, channel 10, is an owned-and-operated television station of the NBC Television Network, located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. WCAU has its studios on the border between Philadelphia and Bala Cynwyd. It broadcasts a high definition digital signal on UHF channel 34 from a transmitter in the...
affiliates, CBS dropped the telecast and went to a previously-scheduled golf telecast
PGA Tour on CBS
PGA Tour on CBS is a television program produced by CBS Sports that broadcasts the main professional golf tours in the United States.-Coverage overview:In January 2006, the PGA Tour announced a new set of television deals covering 2007 to 2012...
. New York and Philadelphia viewers got a postgame show before they joined the very end of the golf broadcast. Given that the game went into overtime, CBS cut away from hockey during the intermission between the end of regulation and the start of overtime to present ten minutes of live golf coverage, with the golf announcers repeatedly mentioning that the network would return to hockey in time for the start of sudden-death.
As previously mentioned, Game 6 of the 1980 Stanley Cup Finals turned out to be the last NHL game (to this date) to be televised on CBS. It was also the last NHL game on American network television until NBC televised the 1990 All-Star Game
41st National Hockey League All-Star Game
The 41st National Hockey League All-Star Game was held in Civic Arena in Pittsburgh, home to the Pittsburgh Penguins, on January 21, 1990. The game saw the team of all-stars from the Wales conference defeat the Campbell conference all-stars 12–7...
.
Failed 1994-95 bid
After losing the National Football LeagueNFL on CBS
The NFL on CBS is the brand name of the CBS television network's coverage of the National Football League's American Football Conference games, produced by CBS Sports.-Market coverage and television policies:...
and Major League Baseball in 1994, CBS was in the running to gain the National Hockey League rights beginning in the 1994–95 season, only to be outbid by Fox.
Incidentally, during the 1990s, CBS
Olympics on CBS
The Olympics on CBS was a sports telecast that aired on CBS Sports. The last airing of the telecast was for the 1998 Winter Games in Nagano.-1960s coverage:...
had the American broadcasting rights to the Winter Olympics (1992
1992 Winter Olympics
The 1992 Winter Olympics, officially known as the XVI Olympic Winter Games, were a winter multi-sport event celebrated from 8 to 23 February 1992 in Albertville, France. They were the last Winter Olympics to be held the same year as the Summer Olympics, and the first where the Winter Paralympics...
, 1994
1994 Winter Olympics
The 1994 Winter Olympics, officially known as the XVII Olympic Winter Games, was a winter multi-sport event celebrated from 12 to 27 February 1994 in and around Lillehammer, Norway. Lillehammer failed to win the bid for the 1992 event. Lillehammer was awarded the games in 1988, after having beat...
and 1998
1998 Winter Olympics
The 1998 Winter Olympics, officially the XVIII Olympic Winter Games, was a winter multi-sport event celebrated from 7 to 22 February 1998 in Nagano, Japan. Seventy-two nations and 2,176 participans contested in seven sports and 72 events at 15 venues. The games saw the introduction of Women's ice...
). CBS used Mike Emrick
Mike Emrick
Michael "Doc" Emrick, is an American sports commentator noted mostly for his work in ice hockey. Emrick is currently the lead announcer for NHL national telecasts on both NBC and Versus...
(1992
Ice hockey at the 1992 Winter Olympics
Ice hockey at the 1992 Winter Olympics was held at the Méribel Ice Palace in Méribel, a ski resort about 45 km from host city Albertville. The competition, held from 8 to 23 February, was won by the Unified Team.-Final rankings:# # # # # # #...
and 1994
Ice hockey at the 1994 Winter Olympics
Ice hockey at the 1994 Winter Olympics was held at the Fjellhallen in Gjøvik and the Håkons Hall in Lillehammer, Norway. The competition, held from February 12 to February 27, was won by Sweden and Canada as runner-up.-Final rankings:Source:* Gold -...
) and Sean McDonough
Sean McDonough
Sean McDonough is an American sportscaster, currently employed by ESPN.-Early life and career:The son of Boston Globe sportswriter Will McDonough, Sean graduated from Syracuse University in 1984. It was in Syracuse where McDonough began his broadcasting career in 1982 as the play-by-play announcer...
(1998
Ice hockey at the 1998 Winter Olympics
Ice hockey at the 1998 Winter Olympics was played at The Big Hat and Aqua Wing Arena in Nagano, Japan.-Men's tournament:The 1998 Olympic men's ice hockey tournament was the first in which professional players from the National Hockey League were allowed to participate, allowing national teams to...
) on play-by-play for the ice hockey coverage, John Davidson (all three Olympics) and Mike Eruzione (1992 and 1998) on color commentary, and Darren Pang as the ice-level reporter (1998).
In 2010, CBS Sports president Sean McManus said regarding the prospects of the NHL returning to CBS in the foreseeable future "It’s a great property, but with our commitment to golf
PGA Tour on CBS
PGA Tour on CBS is a television program produced by CBS Sports that broadcasts the main professional golf tours in the United States.-Coverage overview:In January 2006, the PGA Tour announced a new set of television deals covering 2007 to 2012...
and college basketball
College Basketball on CBS
College Basketball on CBS presented by State Farm is a presentation of men's NCAA Division I basketball games on CBS...
, there just isn’t room on our schedule." As a result, CBS did not place a bid for the broadcast rights when they were expired in 2011, being the only major network not to place a bid. The Comcast
Comcast
Comcast Corporation is the largest cable operator, home Internet service provider, and fourth largest home telephone service provider in the United States, providing cable television, broadband Internet, and telephone service to both residential and commercial customers in 39 states and the...
-owned networks (NBC and Versus
NHL on Versus
The NHL on Versus was the former branding used for National Hockey League games broadcast on Versus. Versus became the NHL's cable partner in the United States beginning in the 2005-06 season from previous partner ESPN, providing coverage of regular season games, playoff games, and select games...
) renewed their existing deals through 2021.