Multiple firings expected at Sportsnet and it’s not just Ron MacLean!
Reports hint at more than just Ron getting fired from HNIC:
HockeyFeed
Host Ron MacLean has been trending for the past days on social media, and we know how it’s usually for the wrong reasons, most times because he said something ridiculous on the air of Hockey Night in Canada. However, the recent chatter is bad new for MacLean himself as many outlets report that he could be fired by Sportsnet ahead of the 2023-24 season.
However, MacLean is not expected to be the only victim…
Former longtime Rogers/Sportsnet employee Howard Berger has reported that many changes will come to Sportsnet’s Hockey Night in Canada broadcast next season, likely to be without MacLean, Kelly Hrudey, Kevin Bieksa and Jennifer Botterill on the panel. Berger adds: We may not recognize the /Hockey Night In Canada panel next season. “Based on what I’m told, only Elliotte Friedman is safe from the changes and cost–cutting measures on the horizon.”
Fans have reacted positively to the pending departure of MacLean, who’s been on the air for 37 years. The panel needs a new leader, and I personally find that David Amber has been amazing as the host when replacing MacLean. He should be given the job, in my book.
As for the rest of the staff, I quite like Hrudey and Botterill. Losing them from the panel would be a tough break for Canadian hockey fans. And when it comes to Bieksa, most fans are praying this is a bad joke. Bieksa has proven himself to be one of, if not THE, sharpest mind in hockey broadcasting. He’s smart, he’s quick and he has real life experience of what it like to live the life of an NHL player. Sportsnet should be doing everything in its power to lock him up to a long-term contract.
It could all depend on what real changes come to the panel. This will be an interesting story to follow this offseason.
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