Longtime Hockey Night in Canada play-by-play man Jim Hughson will NOT call the action for Sportsnet or CBC in the first round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs, according to the specifics of Sportsnet's broadcast schedule announcement.
Sportsnet announced that Chris Cuthbert and Craig Simpson will call the action for the Toronto Maple Leafs vs. Montreal Canadiens series, while Harnarayan Singh and Louie DeBrusk will call the action for the Edmonton Oilers vs. Winnipeg Jets series in a comprehensive announcement on their website.
Toronto Maple Leafs vs. Montreal Canadiens – Play-by-play announcer Chris Cuthbert and game analyst Craig Simpson team up to deliver the call from Montreal and Toronto, with reporter Kyle Bukauskas serving up the latest news from the first-round series.
Edmonton Oilers vs. Winnipeg Jets – Harnarayan Singh delivers the play-by-play call alongside game analyst Louie DeBrusk throughout the Round 1 showdown. Gene Principe and Scott Oake report from Edmonton and Winnipeg, respectively.
This will definitely come as a massive relief to Leafs fans who believe Hughson doesn't always call the games the way they would like. Hughson is accused by many Leafs fans of deliberately cheering against the team when calling games. Personally, I don't think that's a reasonable assessment, but I believe Hughson raises his game when calling games for western Canadian teams. Hughson, in particular, seems to be at ease when calling Vancouver Canucks games. And, wouldn't you believe it, Hughson is a resident of British Columbia, living in White Rock, just south of Vancouver.
