It appears that Sportsnet (the Rogers-owned Canadian TV channel, not any of the American channels with similar names) is set to make a big change in their hockey coverage. Jim Hughson has been calling hockey play-by-play for CBC/Sportsnet since 2005, but as per @yyzsportsmedia, he won’t be doing that this year:
Sources telling me that one change at @hockeynight this season will be that long time pbp announcer Jim Hughson will not be calling games this season. Not sure who will be doing the west coast games but sounds like it will not be Jim.
— jonah (@yyzsportsmedia) September 17, 2021
Here’s more on that:
I know you are going to ask, so I will answer here first, I do not know if the decision was Jim's, Rogers or a combination of the two. I'll look to both parties for "announcement" etc. Nor do I have ANY reason to believe this is COVID/vaccine related at all.
— jonah (@yyzsportsmedia) September 17, 2021
It’s unclear who Sportsnet will tab to replace Hughson, and it’s also unclear if Hughson will wind up elsewhere. He has a long history with NHL coverage, from Vancouver Canucks and Toronto Maple Leafs broadcasts in the 1980s through work for TSN, CTV, CTV Sportsnet (the predecessor to the current Sportsnet), and Sportsnet Pacific, plus his most recent stints with CBC and Sportsnet. At any rate, him moving on from CBC and Sportsnet (which produces CBC’s NHL coverage under the current deal) is certainly notable, and it’s certainly a significant change in the Canadian NHL broadcasting landscape.
[@yyzsportsmedia on Twitter]
