Don't make me watch the Leafs! Please!

October 14, 2006 11:23 AM

Habs' broadcast question from deep, dark and dismal Toronto Maple Leafs Country

I'm a big Montreal Canadiens fan who moved to Toronto over a year ago.

Radio-Canada was simulcasting RDS' french-language coverage of Saturday Habs games in markets outside Quebec last year.

I am trying to find out if this simulcast situation will continue this year and in particular for tonight's home-opener.

Googling for this information is harder than one would normally think... for some weird reason last year TV Times and other programming guides always showed that SRC would be broadcasting La Fureur and a movie (i.e. what they show in QC) when in reality, they would be simulcasting the RDS coverage. So depending on programming guides is not an option...

Thanks for the help!

posted by elkerette to sports, hobbies, & recreation (8 comments total)

I don't know about simulcasting RDS, but CBC has first rights on all Saturday night hockey games (involving Canadian teams?), and I'm pretty damn sure the game will be on Radio-Canada.

Now finding English language coverage in Toronto.. That isn't going to be so easy.
posted by Chuckles at 12:14 PM on October 14, 2006

I have my doubts.

The Ottawa Habs game IS broadcasting on CBC in Quebec though, so if you know someone or a bar with satalite or digital cable you'll still be able to watch the game.
posted by furtive at 12:14 PM on October 14, 2006

Or just watch it on RDS.
posted by furtive at 12:16 PM on October 14, 2006

From wikipedia's Hockey night in Canada article:

Radio-Canada soon reached an agreement to produce the Saturday night games, to remain branded La Soirée du Hockey, to be simulcast on both SRC and RDS. However, for reasons that are unclear, that agreement was terminated after the 2004 playoffs. [2] Nonetheless, the RDS-produced replacement, Le Hockey du samedi soir, is simulcast on Radio-Canada outside Quebec, where RDS has limited distribution.

So it is a little more complicated than I thought..
posted by Chuckles at 12:20 PM on October 14, 2006

NHL.com doesn't acknowledge Radio-Canada as a distinct entity from the CBC (see Oct 2005 schedule for proof), so the fact that they say the Ottawa-Montreal game will be on CBC tonight is ambiguous..
posted by Chuckles at 12:45 PM on October 14, 2006

I give up..
posted by Chuckles at 12:51 PM on October 14, 2006

Thank you Chuckles (and everyone else!) for trying...

This is ridiculously complicated...
posted by elkerette at 1:22 PM on October 14, 2006

You can at least listen on CJAD.
posted by zadcat at 6:22 PM on October 14, 2006