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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.
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.
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]
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—a traveling pre-game show for ESPN's college football broadcasts, 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]
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]
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.
In season 1, the tour kicked off in London, Ontario, home of the London Knights. Live tour musical performances included appearances by:
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]
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]
In season 4, the tour started in Niagara Falls, Ontario, home of Derek Sanderson. Live tour musical performances include appearances by:[42]
In season 5, the tour started in Kitchener, Ontario, home of Hockey Hall of Famer Scott Stevens. Live tour musical performances include appearances by:
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:
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]
In season 8, the tour resumed, starting in Ayr, Ontario in North Dumfries, home of NHLers Jay Wells and Kyle Clifford.[72][73]
Season | Episodes | Originally aired | ||
---|---|---|---|---|
First aired | Last aired | |||
1 | 25[74] | October 12, 2014 (Canada) | April 5, 2015 (Canada) | |
2 | 24[75] | October 11, 2015 (Canada) | April 3, 2016 (Canada) | |
3 | 24[76] | October 16, 2016 (Canada) | April 9, 2017 (Canada) | |
4 | 24[77] | October 8, 2017 (Canada) | April 1, 2018 (Canada) | |
5 | 25[78] | October 7, 2018 (Canada) | March 31, 2019 (Canada) | |
6 | 25[79] (planned), 22 (actual) | October 6, 2019 (Canada) | March 8, 2020 (Canada) | |
7 | 0 | January 16, 2021 (Canada)[71] | May 15, 2021 (Canada) 1 | |
8 | 20 (14 stops + 6 studio-only shows) | October 18, 2021 (Canada)[80] | April 25, 2022 (Canada) |
Season | Stop | Stop location[74][81][82][83] | Date | Matchup[74][75][84][85] | ||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
City | Province | Away team | Home team | |||
1 | 1 | London | Ontario | October 12, 2014 | Toronto | New York Rangers |
2 | Selkirk | Manitoba | October 19, 2014 | Calgary | Winnipeg | |
3 | Saskatoon | Saskatchewan | October 26, 2014 | Ottawa | Chicago | |
4 | Red Deer | Alberta | November 2, 2014 | Calgary | Montreal | |
5 | Burnaby | British Columbia | November 9, 2014 | Vancouver | Anaheim | |
6 | Kelowna | November 16, 2014 | Montreal | Detroit | ||
7 | Fort McMurray | Alberta | November 23, 2014 | New York Rangers | ||
8 | Brandon | Manitoba | November 30, 2014 | Vancouver | Detroit | |
9 | Sudbury | Ontario | December 7, 2014 | Ottawa | ||
10 | St. Catharines | December 14, 2014 | Calgary | Chicago | ||
11 | Kingston | December 21, 2014 | Toronto | |||
12 | Peterborough | December 28, 2014 | Vancouver | Anaheim | ||
13 | Owen Sound | January 4, 2015 | Tampa Bay | Ottawa | ||
14 | Moncton | New Brunswick | January 11, 2015 | Florida | Edmonton | |
15 | Charlottetown | Prince Edward Island | January 18, 2015 | Arizona | Winnipeg | |
16 | Dollard-des-Ormeaux | Quebec | February 1, 2015 | Montreal | ||
17 | St. John's | Newfoundland & Labrador | February 8, 2015 | Montreal | Boston | |
18 | Cole Harbour | Nova Scotia | February 15, 2015 | Philadelphia | Buffalo | |
19 | Boischatel | Quebec | February 22, 2015 | Vancouver | New York Islanders | |
20 | Sault Ste. Marie | Ontario | March 1, 2015 | Toronto | Washington | |
21 | Thompson | Manitoba | March 8, 2015 | Calgary | Ottawa | |
22 | Regina | Saskatchewan | March 15, 2015 | Philadelphia | ||
23 | Prince George | British Columbia | March 22, 2015 | Vancouver | Arizona | |
24 | Lethbridge | Alberta | March 29, 2015 | Chicago | Winnipeg | |
25 | Kanata | Ontario | April 5, 2015 | Ottawa | Toronto | |
2 | 26 | Kitchener | Ontario | October 11, 2015 | Montreal | Ottawa |
27 | North Bay | October 18, 2015 | Edmonton | Vancouver | ||
28 | Gatineau | Quebec | October 25, 2015 | Calgary | New York Rangers | |
29 | Sherbrooke | November 1, 2015 | Winnipeg | Montreal | ||
30 | Fredericton | New Brunswick | November 8, 2015 | Edmonton | Chicago | |
31 | Sydney | Nova Scotia | November 15, 2015 | Toronto | New York Rangers | |
32 | Corner Brook | Newfoundland & Labrador | November 22, 2015 | New York Islanders | Montreal | |
33 | Wolfville | Nova Scotia | November 29, 2015 | Florida | Detroit | |
34 | Brantford | Ontario | December 6, 2015 | Buffalo | Edmonton | |
35 | Summerside | Prince Edward Island | December 13, 2015 | Vancouver | Chicago | |
36 | Sarnia | Ontario | December 20, 2015 | Calgary | Detroit | |
37 | Oshawa | December 27, 2015 | Toronto | New York Islanders | ||
38 | Thunder Bay | January 3, 2016 | Ottawa | Chicago | ||
39 | Swift Current | Saskatchewan | January 10, 2016 | Washington | ||
40 | Grande Prairie | Alberta | January 17, 2016 | Montreal | Chicago | |
41 | Whitehorse | Yukon | January 24, 2016 | Calgary | Carolina | |
42 | New Westminster | British Columbia | February 14, 2016 | Philadelphia | New York Rangers | |
43 | Abbotsford | British Columbia | February 21, 2016 | Calgary | Anaheim | |
44 | Victoria | February 28, 2016 | San Jose | Vancouver | ||
45 | St. Albert | Alberta | March 6, 2016 | Edmonton | Winnipeg | |
46 | Penticton | British Columbia | March 13, 2016 | Toronto | Detroit | |
47 | Calgary | Alberta | March 20, 2016 | Calgary | Montreal | |
48 | Prince Albert | Saskatchewan | March 27, 2016 | Chicago | Vancouver | |
49 | Winnipeg | Manitoba | April 3, 2016 | Minnesota | Winnipeg | |
3 | 50 | Newmarket | Ontario | October 16, 2016 | Buffalo | Edmonton |
51 | Saint John | New Brunswick | October 23, 2016 | Vancouver | Anaheim | |
52 | Grand Falls-Windsor | Newfoundland & Labrador | October 30, 2016 | Toronto | New York Islanders | |
53 | Halifax | Nova Scotia | November 6, 2016 | Winnipeg | New York Rangers | |
54 | Montreal | Quebec | November 13, 2016 | Montreal | Chicago | |
55 | Windsor | Ontario | November 20, 2016 | Calgary | Detroit | |
56 | Timmins | November 27, 2016 | Arizona | Edmonton | ||
57 | Barrie | December 4, 2016 | Winnipeg | Chicago | ||
58 | Stratford | December 11, 2016 | Colorado | Toronto | ||
59 | Milton | December 18, 2016 | Ottawa | New York Islanders | ||
60 | Petawawa | January 1, 2017 | Washington | |||
61 | Moose Jaw | Saskatchewan | January 8, 2017 | Edmonton | Ottawa | |
62 | Vancouver | British Columbia | January 15, 2017 | New Jersey | Vancouver | |
63 | Vernon | January 22, 2017 | Vancouver | Chicago | ||
64 | Edmonton | Alberta | February 5, 2017 | Edmonton | Montreal | |
65 | Cochrane | February 12, 2017 | Montreal | Boston | ||
66 | Cranbrook | British Columbia | February 19, 2017 | Toronto | Carolina | |
67 | Nanaimo | February 26, 2017 | Ottawa | Florida | ||
68 | Medicine Hat | Alberta | March 5, 2017 | Vancouver | Anaheim | |
69 | Lloydminster | Saskatchewan | March 12, 2017 | Montreal | Edmonton | |
70 | Ottawa | Ontario | March 19, 2017 | Ottawa | Montreal | |
71 | Portage La Prairie | Manitoba | March 26, 2017 | Vancouver | Winnipeg | |
72 | Guelph | Ontario | April 2, 2017 | San Jose | Vancouver | |
73 | Hamilton | April 9, 2017 | Columbus | Toronto | ||
4 | 74 | Niagara Falls | Ontario | October 8, 2017[86] | Montreal | New York Rangers |
75 | Haliburton | October 15, 2017[86] | Boston | Vegas | ||
76 | Charlottetown | Prince Edward Island | October 22, 2017[87] | Vancouver | Detroit | |
77 | Truro | Nova Scotia | October 29, 2017[88] | Pittsburgh | Winnipeg | |
78 | Orillia | Ontario | November 5, 2017[89] | Montreal | Chicago | |
79 | CFB Kingston | November 12, 2017 | Edmonton | Washington | ||
80 | St Thomas | November 19, 2017 | Ottawa | New York Rangers | ||
81 | Oakville | November 26, 2017[90] | Vancouver | |||
82 | Winnipeg | Manitoba | December 3, 2017 | Ottawa | Winnipeg | |
83 | Surrey | British Columbia | December 10, 2017 | Edmonton | Toronto | |
84 | Airdrie | Alberta | December 17, 2017 | Calgary | Vancouver | |
85 | Spruce Grove | Alberta | December 31, 2017 | Toronto | Vegas | |
86 | Williams Lake | British Columbia | January 7, 2018 | Vancouver | Montreal | |
87 | Kamloops | January 14, 2018 | Minnesota | |||
88 | Cowichan Valley | January 21, 2018 | Winnipeg | |||
89 | Lacombe | Alberta | February 4, 2018 | Ottawa | New York Rangers | |
90 | Canmore | February 11, 2018 | Calgary | New York Islanders | ||
91 | Regina | Saskatchewan | February 18, 2018 | Toronto | Detroit | |
92 | Belleville | Ontario | February 25, 2018[91] | Edmonton | Anaheim | |
93 | Markham | March 4, 2018 | Winnipeg | Carolina | ||
94 | Brampton | March 11, 2018[92] | New York Islanders | Calgary | ||
95 | Cornwall | March 18, 2018 | Dallas | Winnipeg | ||
96 | Bathurst | New Brunswick | March 25, 2018 | Nashville | ||
97 | Montreal | Quebec | April 1, 2018 | New Jersey | Montreal | |
5 | 98 | Kitchener | Ontario | October 7, 2018 | Toronto | Chicago |
99 | Parry Sound | October 14, 2018 | Carolina | Winnipeg | ||
100 | London | October 21, 2018 | Calgary | New York Rangers | ||
101 | Burlington | October 28, 2018 | Ottawa | Vegas | ||
102 | Nepean | November 4, 2018 | Tampa Bay | Ottawa | ||
103 | Glace Bay | Nova Scotia | November 11, 2018 | New Jersey | Winnipeg | |
104 | Mount Pearl | Newfoundland & Labrador | November 18, 2018 | Vegas | Edmonton | |
105 | Dieppe | New Brunswick | November 25, 2018 | Calgary | Arizona | |
106 | Boisbriand | Quebec | December 2, 2018 | San Jose | Montreal | |
107 | Aurora | Ontario | December 9, 2018 | Calgary | Edmonton | |
108 | Chatham-Kent | December 16, 2018 | Tampa Bay | Winnipeg | ||
109 | Mississauga | December 23, 2018 | Detroit | Toronto | ||
110 | Collingwood | December 30, 2018 | Vegas | Arizona | ||
111 | Strathcona County | Alberta | January 6, 2019 | Edmonton | Anaheim | |
112 | Langley | British Columbia | January 13, 2019 | Florida | Vancouver | |
113 | West Kelowna | January 20, 2019 | Arizona | Toronto | ||
114 | Leduc | Alberta | February 3, 2019 | Edmonton | Montreal | |
115 | Whistler | British Columbia | February 10, 2019 | Toronto | New York Rangers | |
116 | CFB Esquimalt | February 17, 2019 | Montreal | Florida | ||
117 | Okotoks | Alberta | February 24, 2019 | Calgary | Ottawa | |
118 | Winkler | Manitoba | March 3, 2019 | Winnipeg | Columbus | |
119 | Steinbach | March 10, 2019 | Washington | |||
120 | Lethbridge | Alberta | March 17, 2019 | Vancouver | Dallas | |
121 | Enoch | March 24, 2019 | Montreal | Carolina | ||
122 | Saskatoon | Saskatchewan | March 31, 2019 | Calgary | San Jose | |
6 | 123 | Halton Hills | Ontario | October 6, 2019[93] | Winnipeg | New York Islanders |
124 | Halifax | Nova Scotia | October 13, 2019 | Pittsburgh | Winnipeg | |
125 | St. John's | Newfoundland & Labrador | October 20, 2019 | Edmonton | ||
126 | Fredericton | New Brunswick | October 27, 2019 | San Jose | Ottawa | |
127 | Strathroy-Caradoc | Ontario | November 3, 2019 | Calgary | Washington | |
128 | Welland | November 10, 2019 | Toronto | Chicago | ||
129 | Dauphin | Manitoba | November 17, 2019 | Calgary | Vegas | |
130 | Regional Municipality of Wood Buffalo | Alberta | November 24, 2019 | Edmonton | Arizona | |
131 | Red Deer | December 1, 2019 | Montreal | Boston | ||
132 | Prince Rupert | British Columbia | December 8, 2019 | Buffalo | Edmonton | |
133 | Abbotsford | December 15, 2019 | Vancouver | Vegas | ||
134 | Strathmore | Alberta | December 22, 2019 | Calgary | Dallas | |
135 | Whitby | Ontario | December 29, 2019 | Montreal | Florida | |
136 | Cobourg | January 5, 2020 | Calgary | Minnesota | ||
137 | Vaughan | January 12, 2020 | Toronto | Florida | ||
138 | Ancaster | January 19, 2020 | Winnipeg | Chicago | ||
139 | Chateauguay | Quebec | February 2, 2020 | Columbus | Montreal | |
140 | Ottawa | Ontario | February 9, 2020 | Chicago | Winnipeg | |
141 | Quebec City | Quebec | February 16, 2020 | Toronto | Buffalo | |
142 | LaSalle | Ontario | February 23, 2020 | Calgary | Detroit | |
143 | Peguis First Nation | Manitoba | March 1, 2020 | Vancouver | Columbus | |
144 | Salmon Arm | British Columbia | March 8, 2020 | Vegas | Calgary | |
145 2 | North Vancouver | British Columbia | March 15, 2020 | Winnipeg | Vancouver | |
146 2 | Campbell River | March 22, 2020 | Dallas | |||
147 2 | Edmonton | Alberta | March 29, 2020 | Anaheim | Edmonton | |
8 | 145 | North Dumfries, Ontario[72] | Ontario | October 18, 2021[80] | New York Rangers | Toronto |
146 | Lindsay[73] | October 25, 2021 | Washington | Ottawa | ||
Toronto | Carolina | |||||
Calgary | New York Rangers | |||||
147 | Belleville[73] | November 1, 2021 | Ottawa | Chicago | ||
148 | Oro-Medonte[73] | November 8, 2021 | Los Angeles | Toronto | ||
149 3 | Greater Sudbury[73][94][95] | November 15, 2021 | NY Islanders | Tampa Bay | ||
149 | Tillsonburg[96][97] | November 22, 2021 | Pittsburgh | Winnipeg | ||
Ottawa | Colorado | |||||
150 | Grimsby[96][98] | November 29, 2021 | Vancouver | Montreal | ||
Arizona | Winnipeg | |||||
151 | Pembroke[96][99] | December 6, 2021 | Colorado | Philadelphia | ||
152 4 | Sydney[100][101] | Nova Scotia | December 13, 2021 | Game between Calgary and Chicago was postponed due to COVID-19 protocols. | ||
153 5 | Gander[102][103] | Newfoundland and Labrador | December 20, 2021 | Game between Montreal and NY Islanders was postponed due to the postponement of all cross-border games. | ||
154 5 | No event | December 27, 2021 | Games between Ottawa and Washington, Toronto and Columbus were postponed due to COVID-19 concerns. | |||
155 5 | Six Nations[104][105] | Ontario | January 3, 2022 | Edmonton | New York Rangers | |
153 | Lloydminster[106] | Saskatchewan | March 21, 2022 | Montreal | Boston | |
154 | Grande Prairie[107] | Alberta | March 28, 2022 | Vancouver | St. Louis | |
155 | Edmonton | Alberta | April 4, 2022 | Toronto | Tampa Bay | |
156 | Prince George | British Columbia | April 11, 2022 | Winnipeg | Montreal | |
157 | Campbell River[108] | British Columbia | April 18, 2022 | Calgary | Chicago | |
158 | North Vancouver[109] | British Columbia | April 25, 2022 | Philadelphia | Chicago |
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