TSN will become a major producer of National Hockey League content next season -- 60 regular-season games, 30 playoff games and its regional Toronto Maple Leafs package.
And last night, at a reception in Toronto, the sports channel announced its on-air hockey talent for 2002-03.
Gord Miller will call the national games and analyst Pierre McGuire will work with him as the colour commentator. But the big surprise was TSN's decision to use a woman in one of the top jobs. Linda Freeman is an unknown in sports television, but she will be the host of the hockey telecasts.
Freeman, 33, worked for three years as the co-host of Vancouver Breakfast on VTV and for five years at The Weather Network as a forecaster, reporter and host of Good Morning Toronto. She has also filled in as the sports and weather co-host on Canada AM.
"Quite honestly, I was just blown away by her audition tape," said TSN president Keith Pelley, who described Freeman as a hockey enthusiast. "She combines all the qualities we were looking for in a host -- energy, passion style, flair. And for what we want to do -- we're not having the traditional pregame and postgame and intermissions with panels -- she was a perfect fit."
TSN is hoping to reinvent the concept of pregame, postgame and intermission programming. The plan is to produce a free-flowing, unstructured show in which music, even music videos, will be featured prominently. These ideas come from internal and external focus groups and are also the result of discussions with the NHL.
"We're talking a lot about music and we have some real fascinating concepts going," Pelley said. "But we're not going to divulge then until September."
Along more tradition lines, TSN plans to produce a debate segment and a second-intermission spot featuring Dave Hodge and Bob McKenzie.
The team of Miller and McGuire in the broadcast booth should work well. Miller, who has limited play-by-play experience, called the 2002 world junior hockey championship for TSN and was reasonably effective, although he tends to speak too quickly and sometimes fails to enunciate.
McGuire, who works as a studio analyst for TSN and the NHL Network, should shine as a colour commentator. His strength is in team, player and game analysis as opposed to league issues and news and club personnel matters, which are more up McKenzie's alley.
"What we found with Pierre is that in a short period of time he's become a key superstar for us," Pelley said. "We love his intensity, honesty and passion, and, most important, his ability to tell it like it is.
"I honestly believe within two years he could be the best colour commentator in the country, if not in North America. I think he has that kind of ability."
McGuire promised not to "sugar-coat anything."
In addition to Miller, the second hockey play caller announced by TSN was Dave Randorf, who has worked as an anchor and host but never as an NHL play-by-play man. Pelley says Randorf got the job by calling some junior games.
"He did some Canadian junior hockey games for us and the tape was pretty impressive," Pelley said.
With Miller involved in hockey announcing, TSN is moving Gino Reda into his spot as host of That's Hockey.
TSN's deal with the NHL is for five years. A key element of the agreement is the sports channel's ability to air games in the first three rounds of the playoffs rather than just the first round, which was the way previous deals were structured. TSN's coverage of the NHL will begin at the end of the playoffs on June 22, when it will air the NHL entry draft in Toronto.
In addition to its NHL package, TSN will carry 29 regional Leafs games next season.