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Canadian teams are apparently upset with CBC

Don Cherry

Don Cherry, announcer on CBC’s “Hockey Night in Canada,” is greeted by fans as he arrives for Game 2 of the NHL hockey Stanley Cup finals between the Pittsburgh Penguins and the Detroit Red Wings in Detroit, Sunday, May 31, 2009. (AP Photo/Carlos Osorio)

AP

Things aren’t all happy north of the border for executives of the Canadian teams when it comes to getting on CBC.

We’ve heard all about Brian Burke’s scuffling with Don Cherry, but according to Bruce Dowbiggin of The Globe And Mail, the Leafs aren’t the only one’s upset with Cherry and Hockey Night in Canada host Ron MacLean. Dowbiggin explains what happened after a CBC presentation to the Board of Governors during the All-Star Game.

Following CBC’s annual presentation to the NHL board in Ottawa, Burke delivered a blistering critique of the program’s treatment of him and then-coach Ron Wilson. Other Canadian teams, including the Vancouver Canucks and Ottawa Senators, blasted the network for the Toronto-centric nature of the program and complained about deteriorating journalistic standards.

It wasn’t just Don Cherry that had team executives upset, Senators owner Eugene Melnyk sounded off about how much coverage the Maple Leafs get on Hockey Night in Canada. Melnyk spoke... Creatively about who he was referring to.

“My issue dealt with the number of games shown on HNIC that are not Sens games and my concern about how skewed they are to another team that you can easily deduce. ... I wasn’t given any concrete response.”

The Leafs bring the ratings whether they’re good or bad. When they’re good, Leafs fans tune in in droves. When they’re bad, Leafs haters come out of the woodwork. Either way, people are tuning in but according to Dowbiggin’s story, fans are tuning out when it’s time for Cherry’s segment. Are the times changing north of the border?