CTV White Knights Beloved Hockey Theme

Published by Toronto Mike on June 9, 2008 @ 18:29 in Television

hockey The saga of our second national anthem, formerly known as the theme to Hockey Night in Canada, has come to a surprising end today. CTV has acquired the rights to the theme song that has played on CBC's Hockey Night in Canada for 40 years. "Beginning this fall, the song will now be heard in NHL broadcasts on TSN and RDS. CTV will also air the song as part of its hockey coverage during the 2010 Olympic winter games."

Until I heard this twist in the story, I just assumed the CBC would get a clue and strike a deal with Copyright Music & Visuals. As I expressed here yesterday, here in Canada we're heavily taxed, we endure long, cold, snowy winters and, here in Toronto at least, we spend the entire winter watching and rooting for a team that hasn't won in over 40 years. We just want our damn song.

This begs the question, was the song all about Saturday nights on CBC or was it about hockey. I think it was about watching your hockey team on the tube with friends and family. In that vein, our song has been saved. The CBC has made CTV look pretty darn good here. I'll take our song on TSN and I'll enjoy it prior to Team Canada games in Vancouver as an added bonus.

And CBC, you can take your contest and shove it. You've got three good options when it comes to opening your Hockey Night in Canada telecast next year.

  • 50 Mission Cap - The Tragically Hip
  • The Hockey Song - Stompin' Tom Connors
  • The Lonely End of the Rink - The Tragically Hip

Hell, here's your opening right here. Just update the imagery a little and you're good to go. It won't be the same, but we've still got our second national anthem. It'll just be a little higher up the dial.

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11 Responses to "CTV White Knights Beloved Hockey Theme"

james edgar
June 9, 2008 / 19:57

you know that was one Hip song that just didn't work for me. NOW it works! That was great Mike you should be running HNIC marketing. Of course now that I've seen that no matter what they do I'll be disappointed.

Toronto Mike
June 9, 2008 / 21:22

Seriously. I don't know who was calling the shots, if it was Scott Moore or whoever, but the CBC indeed just got pwned.

Review the chronology of events. Pissed at the lawsuit, the CBC says talks have broken down and they're running with this craptacular contest idea. That was late last week. The immediate reaction, from here and just about everywhere, is negative. It's an iconic theme and part of our Canadian culture and the CBC let it go.

Suddenly, today, the CBC announces it's worth one more shot at saving it. They'll go before a mediator and try and work it out. Clearly the CBC felt the backlash and realized they had to fix this.

Then, at about 4pm, BAM! The CTV announced they now own the song. Bluff called, the CBC is left with nothing but that stupid contest few will ever care about. Pwned, indeed.

Prior to this, it actually mattered to me that the CBC kept HNIC. Now, with that song playing on TSN, I don't think I'd blink if HNIC followed.

Mike (Buffalo Boy)
June 9, 2008 / 21:28

Im All in Favor of Lonely End of the Rink

Mississauga Mike
June 9, 2008 / 21:44

Bet they use that Nickelback song as the official theme.

Toronto Mike
June 9, 2008 / 21:46

That would be like throwing salt in the wounds.

felix
June 9, 2008 / 23:13

I must have been about 2/3 of the way through the story when it dawned on me that the tagline said CTV instead of CBC. Like you, Mike, I firmly believed that the CBC would remove their heads from their collective asses and realize what a colossal blunder they were making. Boy, was I wrong.

I'd have to say from that list of three, my favourite would have to be 50 Mission Cap. Not only is it a great song, but seeing as it's about the Leafs, it would drive everybody else in the country insane. The CBC gets blasted enough for its (alleged) Leafs bias anyway, let's give 'em something to be really upset about.

GO LEAFS GO

Kathleen
June 9, 2008 / 23:40

"All the big guns gonna shoot out the lights, the place'll be rockin' 'cause it's Saturday night"............. ;-)

elvis
June 10, 2008 / 11:52

Thank God they didn't retain the rights to the song - I don't want the public broadcaster spending MY money on a song. $2-3 million in tax payers money is better spent on, oh, I dunno, schools, roads, hospitals...

Jennifer Lawrence
June 11, 2008 / 09:39

RE: Elvis
I'd rather they spend the money (which they say they don't have) on retaining the HNIC theme instead of say shows like Wheel of Fortune. CBC is supposed to be a staple of Canadian culture, yet they'd prefer to spend money on American products rather than maintaining a piece of Canadiana?

Jennifer Lawrence
June 11, 2008 / 09:39

RE: Elvis
I'd rather they spend the money (which they say they don't have) on retaining the HNIC theme instead of say shows like Wheel of Fortune. CBC is supposed to be a staple of Canadian culture, yet they'd prefer to spend money on American products rather than maintaining a piece of Canadiana?

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