Writer Says CBC's Reluctance To Cover Crosby A Disservice To Net

Writer Calls Out The CBC For Its Reluctance To Cover Crosby

The CBC's "Hockey Night in Canada" postgame coverage of Red Wings-Penguins Stanley Cup Finals Game Three Wednesday largely focused on Penguins LW Gary Roberts instead of C Sidney Crosby, who scored two goals, and the show's "grudge against Crosby has gone well beyond ridiculous," according to William Houston of the GLOBE & MAIL. Houston writes if the CBC's Don Cherry "mentioned Crosby in his postgame commentary, we missed it. Instead, he enthused about Roberts." Later, in his postgame spot for ESPN's "SportsCenter," Cherry "continued to ignore Crosby and wax lyrical about Roberts." ESPN analyst Barry Melrose asked Cherry, "What about the Crosby kid?" Cherry: "Oh. I forgot. Yeah, he played a great game." Houston writes Crosby's Game Three performance "ranked as one of the big NHL stories of the year and it deserved raves." Crosby was interviewed by the net after the game, but the "HNIC" response to Crosby's effort as a whole was "dismissive and small -- a disservice, not to Crosby, because he receives plenty of kudos and doesn't need them from 'Hockey Night.' It was a disservice to the telecast and the viewers" (GLOBE & MAIL, 5/30).

HOCKEYTOWN: In N.Y., Richard Sandomir reports NBC's broadcast of Red Wings-Penguins Game Three drew an 18.2 rating in Detroit, 14% above ESPN's coverage of Pistons-Celtics Eastern Conference Finals Game Five. Sandomir notes "hockey's win over basketball was partly because of its game being on NBC, a broadcast network, and the NBA game being seen on a cable network" (N.Y. TIMES, 5/30).