SPRINGFIELD, Mass. … The American Hockey League, in conjunction with CBC, the Toronto Marlies and the Abbotsford Heat, announced today that the March 21 game between the Marlies and the Heat at Ricoh Coliseum in Toronto will be broadcast live to an international audience on CBC in Canada and on NHL Network in the United States.
This is the first American Hockey League telecast ever produced by CBC. Game time is 1:00 p.m. ET.
CBC Hockey Night in Canada commentator Don Cherry , a four-time Calder Cup champion as an AHL defenseman and a former AHL coach of the year, will be on hand to participate in the ceremonial pre-game puck drop.
Jeff Marek, Bob McGill, Elliotte Friedman, Kelly Hrudey and Glenn Healy will make up CBC’s on-air team for the broadcast.
In operation since 1936, the AHL continues to serve as the top development league for all 30 National Hockey League teams. More than 85 percent of today’s NHL players are American Hockey League graduates, and more than 6.5 million fans per season have attended AHL games across North America since 2001.
