1.56 MILLION CANADIANS WATCHED THE NHL ON ROGERS SPORTSNET FRIDAY

Canucks broadcast had 561 000 viewers, the most for the season

TORONTO (January 10, 2011) – HomeTeam Hockey proved to be a hit Friday, January 7th as 1.56 million Canadians (2+) watched NHL games on Rogers Sportsnet.

HomeTeam Hockey is defined as four NHL regional broadcasts spread across the Sportsnet East, Sportsnet Ontario, Sportsnet West and Sportsnet Pacific channels on the same night.

The first-place Vancouver Canucks had their biggest audience of the season on Sportsnet as 561,000 viewers watched them defeat the Edmonton Oilers 6-1 on Sportsnet Pacific. That audience number was up 9 % from their previous season high on November 24 when they beat the Colorado Avalanche 4-2.

Also contributing to Sportsnet’s Friday numbers was the Toronto Maple Leafs 9-3 victory over the Atlanta Thrashers on Sportsnet Ontario which garnered 667,000 viewers. The Calgary Flames 5-4 shootout loss to the Detroit Red Wings on Sportsnet West collected 198,000 viewers. The Ottawa Senators shootout loss to the Chicago Blackhawks on Sportsnet East had 135,000 viewers.

Sportsnet’s Home Team Hockey Friday attracted the highest audience number of all NHL broadcasts in Canada during the week of January 3 to January 9.

That is the power of "Home Team Hockey" in Canada.

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