The American Hockey League and Rogers Sportsnet announced today a 22-game broadcast schedule for the 2004-05 season, which will showcase the AHL nationally in Canada.
The package is part of a multi-year agreement reached between the AHL and Sportsnet, and features the league’s four Canadian franchises: the Hamilton Bulldogs (top development team of the Montreal Canadiens), the Manitoba Moose (Vancouver Canucks), the St. John’s Maple Leafs (Toronto Maple Leafs) and the Edmonton Road Runners (Edmonton Oilers). The schedule will showcase the Bulldogs 12 times, the Moose and Road Runners 11 times each and the Maple Leafs 10 times.
Sportsnet’s coverage begins on Sun., Oct. 31, with Hamilton hosting Manitoba at Copps Coliseum. Also included in the 2004-05 broadcast schedule will be the first game at the brand-new MTS Centre in Winnipeg, which opens when Manitoba entertains St. John’s on Nov. 17, and national coverage of the 2005 Dodge AHL All-Star Classic from Manchester, N.H., including the All-Star Skills Competition on Feb. 13 and the All-Star Game on Feb. 14.
“We are proud to once again be joining with Rogers Sportsnet to provide hockey fans across Canada with the opportunity to follow the brightest young stars in professional hockey,” said David Andrews, AHL President and CEO. “Our teams boast highly motivated and highly skilled athletes, promising a top-caliber product each night.”
Sportsnet’s cable customers and digital/satellite customers will see 21 of the 24 broadcasts (22 regular-season games plus the two-night All-Star Classic) live in most of the network’s four regions. The games on Nov. 5 and 6 will air on a one-hour delay nationally, while the Feb. 11 contest will air later that night.
Broadcast teams for Sportsnet’s AHL coverage will include play-by-play announcers Peter Loubardias, Jim Hughson and Kevin Quinn. Analysts will include Sam Cosentino and former AHL players John Garrett and Ray Ferraro.
Rogers Sportsnet provides sports fans across Canada with distinct and entertaining sports programming in four regions: Sportsnet East (Quebec and the Maritime provinces), Sportsnet Ontario, Sportsnet West (Manitoba, Saskatchewan, Alberta, Nunavut and the Northwest Territories) and Sportsnet Pacific (British Columbia and Yukon).
The American Hockey League continues its tradition of excellence when its 69th season begins on Oct. 13, once again serving as the top development league for all 30 National Hockey League clubs. More than 100 alumni recently competed in the 2004 World Cup of Hockey tournament, and over 80 percent of all players to compete in the NHL in 2003-04 were AHL graduates, with more than 400 players taking the ice in both leagues last year alone.
| 2004-05 AHL BROADCAST SCHEDULE – ROGERS SPORTSNET | ||
|---|---|---|
| Sun., Oct. 31 | Manitoba at Hamilton | 2:00 ET |
| Fri., Nov. 5 | Edmonton at St. John’s | 6:00 ET * |
| Sat., Nov. 6 | Edmonton at St. John’s | 6:00 ET * | Wed., Nov. 17 | St. John’s at Manitoba | 8:30 ET * | Fri., Nov. 19 | St. John’s at Manitoba | 8:30 ET * | Fri., Nov. 26 | St. John’s at Hamilton | 7:30 ET | Sat., Nov. 27 | St. John’s at Hamilton | 7:00 ET | Fri., Dec. 17 | Hamilton at Manitoba | 8:30 ET * | Sat., Dec. 18 | Hamilton at Manitoba | 8:30 ET | Mon., Dec. 20 | Hamilton at Edmonton | 9:00 ET * | Wed., Dec. 22 | Hamilton at Edmonton | 9:00 ET * | Sat., Jan. 8 | Edmonton at Manitoba | 8:30 ET | Sun., Jan. 9 | Edmonton at Manitoba | 3:00 ET | Mon., Jan. 10 | St. John’s at Edmonton | 9:00 ET | Wed., Jan. 12 | St. John’s at Edmonton | 9:00 ET * | Fri., Jan. 21 | Manitoba at Edmonton | 9:00 ET * | Sun., Jan. 23 | Manitoba at Edmonton | 4:00 ET * | Fri., Feb. 11 | Edmonton at Hamilton | 7:30 ET * | Sun., Feb. 13 | All-Star Skills Competition at Manchester, N.H. | 7:00 ET | Mon., Feb. 14 | All-Star Game at Manchester, N.H. | 7:00 ET | Wed., Feb. 23 | St. John’s at Hamilton | 7:30 ET | Sat., Feb. 26 | Manitoba at Hamilton | 7:00 ET | Wed., Mar. 30 | Manitoba at Hamilton | 7:00 ET | Fri., Apr. 1 | St. John’s at Hamilton | 7:30 ET * |
*Tape delay information:
Nov. 5 — One-hour delay (7:00 ET) in all regions
Nov. 6 — One-hour delay (7:00 ET) in all regions
Nov. 17 — Ontario, 1:00 a.m. ET
Nov. 19 — Ontario, 11:30 p.m. ET
Dec. 17 — Ontario, 11:30 p.m. ET
Dec. 20 — Ontario, 12:00 a.m. ET
Dec. 22 — Ontario, 11:30 p.m. ET
Jan. 12 — Ontario, 11:30 p.m. ET… Pacific, 11:00 p.m. PT
Jan. 21 — Ontario, 11:30 p.m. ET
Jan. 23 — West, 8:00 p.m. MT
Feb. 11 — East/Ontario, 11:30 p.m. ET… West, 8:00 p.m. MT… Pacific, 7:00 p.m. PT
Feb. 13 — Ontario, 8:30 p.m. ET
Apr. 1 — Ontario, 11:30 p.m. ET
