Thursday, January 12, 2012
TV Options Rise in Canada
More and more college games can be seen north of the border.
It hasn’t always been easy for Canadian fans to gain an appreciation for the talent and intensity of U.S. college hockey. Typically it has required a trip across the border to campus.
Now, more than ever, college hockey games are coming to Canadians’ living rooms.
A new 10-game broadcast package on The Score highlights a broad range of games that will be televised in Canada this season. Leafs TV, CBS College Sports and the Big Ten Network will also broadcast games in Canada.
“Getting our game in front of Canadian families helps them see, first-hand, what a great game we have in college hockey,” said Paul Kelly, Executive Director of College Hockey, Inc. “It’s good exposure for prospective players, and it’s great for fans of the roughly 500 Canadian players we have in Division I today.”
The Score’s package features 10 games between WCHA teams that the network can carry thanks to a partnership with Fox Sports. The Score will televise most of the games at 5 p.m. ET on Saturday nights, rebroadcasting contests from the night before. The championship game at the WCHA Final Five will be shown live.
The Score is available nationwide in Canada, and that 5 p.m. ET time slot offers a good lead-in to the NHL’s Hockey Night in Canada coverage.
Premium Cable Options
Elsewhere on the dial, Leafs TV showcases the Fox Sports Detroit CCHA package of games to its audience in Ontario (and elsewhere on premium cable packages). Many of Leafs TV’s games are shown live, including two this weekend.
Two U.S.-based broadcasters – CBS Sports Network and the Big Ten Network – are also available on some of those premium cable packages in Canada. Those networks carry games each weekend the rest of the season featuring some of the best matchups in the sport.
While the current Canadian schedule does not include any NCAA Tournament games, there’s hope that could change. ESPN holds the international rights to those broadcasts and could come to an agreement with a Canadian broadcaster to carry them; last year Leafs TV carried the Frozen Four.
Canadian TV Schedule (Live unless noted)
| Day | Date | Game | Network | Time (ET) |
| Fri | 13-Jan | Michigan at Ohio State | Big Ten Network | 7:30pm |
| Fri | 13-Jan | Western Michigan at Notre Dame | CBS Sports Network | 7:30pm |
| Sat | 14-Jan | Minnesota at North Dakota | The Score (tape delay) | 5:00pm |
| Sat | 14-Jan | Northern Michigan at Michigan State | Leafs TV | 7:30pm |
| Sun | 15-Jan | Michigan at Ohio State | Leafs TV | 5:00pm |
| Fri | 20-Jan | Air Force at Army | CBS Sports Network | 7:30pm |
| Fri | 20-Jan | Lake Superior State at Michigan State | Leafs TV | 7:30pm |
| Sat | 21-Jan | Colorado College at Minnesota | The Score (tape delay) | 5:00pm |
| Sat | 21-Jan | Michigan at Notre Dame | CBS Sports Network | 7:30pm |
| Fri | 27-Jan | Colgate at Cornell | CBS Sports Network | 7:30pm |
| Fri | 27-Jan | St. Cloud State at Minnesota | Big Ten Network | 8:00pm |
| Sat | 28-Jan | Maine at Boston University | CBS Sports Network | 7:30pm |
| Sat | 28-Jan | Wisconsin at North Dakota | The Score (tape delay) | 5:00pm |
| Fri | 3-Feb | St. Cloud State at Wisconsin | Big Ten Network | 8:00pm |
| Fri | 3-Feb | Miami at Michigan | Leafs TV | 7:00pm |
| Fri | 3-Feb | Providence at New Hampshire | CBS Sports Network | 7:30pm |
| Fri | 3-Feb | RIT at Air Force | CBS Sports Network | 10:00pm |
| Sat | 4-Feb | Miami at Michigan | CBS Sports Network | 7:30pm |
| Fri | 10-Feb | North Dakota at Minnesota Duluth | CBS Sports Network | 8:00pm |
| Fri | 10-Feb | Michigan at Michigan State | Big Ten Network | 7:30pm |
| Sat | 11-Feb | Minnesota at Denver | The Score (tape delay) | 5:00pm |
| Fri | 17-Feb | Notre Dame at Miami | CBS Sports Network | 7:30pm |
| Fri | 17-Feb | Nebraska-Omaha at Colorado College | CBS Sports Network | 9:30pm |
| Sat | 18-Feb | Denver at Wisconsin | The Score (tape delay) | 5:00pm |
| Sat | 18-Feb | Northern Michigan at Michigan | Leafs TV | 5:00pm |
| Sat | 18-Feb | Alaska Fairbanks at Michigan State | Leafs TV | 8:00pm |
| Fri | 24-Feb | Ferris State at Western Michigan | Leafs TV | 7:00pm |
| Fri | 24-Feb | Ohio State at Miami | CBS Sports Network | 6:00pm |
| Fri | 24-Feb | Michigan State at Notre Dame | CBS Sports Network | 8:30pm |
| Sat | 25-Feb | Minnesota at Nebraska Omaha | The Score (tape delay) | 5:00pm |
| Fri | 2-Mar | Vermont at Boston College | CBS Sports Network | 7:30pm |
| Sat | 3-Mar | Vermont at Boston College | CBS Sports Network | 7:00pm |
| Sat | 3-Mar | Wisconsin at Minnesota | The Score (tape delay) | 5:00pm |
| Sat | 3-Mar | CCHA First Round | Leafs TV | TBD |
| Sat | 10-Mar | WCHA Playoffs 1st Round | The Score (tape delay) | 5:00pm |
| Fri | 16-Mar | CCHA Semifinal #1 | Leafs TV | 4:30pm |
| Fri | 16-Mar | CCHA Semifinal #2 | Leafs TV | 8:00pm |
| Sat | 17-Mar | WCHA Semifinal | The Score (tape delay) | 5:00pm |
| Sat | 17-Mar | CCHA Mason Cup Championship | Leafs TV | 7:30pm |
| Sat | 17-Mar | WCHA Championship | The Score (live) | 8:00pm |
| Sun | 8-April | NCAA Championship Game (tape delay) | TSN2 | 1:00pm |