Canucks-Rogers go for the long haul deal

Article posted by Coliseum, November 14^th, 2022

Image: Rogers Centre, Binche, CC BY-SA 3.0

The National Hockey League (NHL) team Vancouver Canucks (Canada), the Canadian telecommunications company Rogers Communications and the Canadian English-language sports specialty channel Sportsnet will be together for the long haul if a decision taken on October 31^st is any indication.

‘VANCOUVER SUN’ stated that the Canucks announced a 10-year contract extension for naming rights and regional broadcasting with Rogers and its Sportsnet broadcast subsidiaries at a presser held on October 31^st that means that the National Hockey League club will continue to play at the Rogers Arena and have its games broadcast on Sportsnet TV and Sportsnet 650 AM radio through the 2032-2033 seasons.

The Vancouver Canucks are a professional ice hockey team based in Vancouver, Canada. They compete in the National Hockey League as a member of the Pacific Division of the Western Conference, and play their home games at the Rogers Arena.

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The 18,910-capacity Rogers Arena is a multipurpose arena located at 800 Griffiths Way in the downtown area of Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. It serves as the home of the Vancouver Canucks.

The Rogers Communications Inc. is a Canadian communications and media company operating primarily in the fields of wireless communications, cable television, telephony, and Internet, with significant additional telecommunications and mass media assets. Rogers has its headquarters in Toronto, Ontario, Canada.

Toronto (Ontario, Canada)-based the Sportsnet is a Canadian English-language sports specialty channel owned by Rogers Sports & Media. It was established in 1998 as CTV Sportsnet, a joint venture between CTV, Liberty Media and Rogers Media.

‘VANCOUVER SUN’ quoted Canucks Chairman and Governor Francesco Aquilini as stating, “We are extremely proud and excited that the Rogers Arena will remain the home of the Vancouver Canucks and that Sportsnet will continue to be the broadcast home of the Canucks. We are committed to keeping our fans connected to the team with quality content and in-depth coverage. Sharing our story both within the province and on the national stage is extremely important to the organization. This new deal is a foundational piece in our quest to continue to be the number one sports brand in British Columbia.”

Rogers first got naming rights to the Canucks’ downtown arena in 2010. The naming rights and TV deals were both up next Summer. The radio deal, which was paramount in the birth of Sportsnet 650 in 2017, had been up since the end of the last season. There was assorted speculation that the Canucks were going to take their broadcasts in-house and livestream them off their own website, but Sportsnet 650 has been calling their games all season, with Brendan Batchelor on play-by-play and Randip Janda on analysis, despite the lack of an extension announcement.

The three deals are now all in synch, which should benefit both Rogers/Sportsnet and the Canucks.

Brendan Batchelor is Vancouver Canucks Play-By-Play Broadcaster on Sportsnet 650 Radio.

Randip Janda has been hired as the first South Asian full-time radio color commentator in the NHL, replacing Corey Hirsch on the Canucks 650 broadcast this season.

The Sportsnet TV portion continues to have John Shorthouse on play-by-play, John Garrett on analysis and Dan Murphy as the game host. Sportsnet TV has had the Canucks’ regional rights since its launch in 1998.

Sportsnet President Bart Yabsley noted, “For more than 24 years, Sportsnet has had the privilege of bringing Canucks fans across British Columbia and beyond closer to their team by producing the best and most in-depth game broadcasts and team content across all our platforms. We look forward to continuing this legacy with our partners at Canucks Sports & Entertainment for the next decade. It was also announced that Rogers will work with the Canucks to support youth hockey in the community through various initiatives with Canucks for Kids Fund although it didn’t get into specifics.”

Added Tony Staffieri, head honcho of Rogers Communications, “We are pleased to extend our partnership with Canucks Sports & Entertainment for another decade to bring hockey fans all the on-ice action, and to support the Canucks’ incredible work in the community.”

The Canucks Sports & Entertainment, previously known as Orca Bay Sports & Entertainment, is a Canadian sports and entertainment company based in Vancouver, British Columbia that owns and operates the Vancouver Canucks of the National Hockey League and their home arena, the Rogers Arena.

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