Sportsnet and APTN have announced a new partnership to broadcast more NHL games in Plains Cree over the course of the next three seasons, beginning in January.
The three-year agreement will see at least six NHL games broadcast on APTN in Plains Cree in each of the next three NHL seasons, with Sportsnet delivering the broadcast production and APTN commentators providing exclusive Cree-language in-game analysis for viewers across the country.
“Last year we partnered with APTN to deliver the first ever NHL game in Plains Cree and saw first-hand the positive impact it had uniting hockey fans across the country,” said Rob Corte, vice president of Sportsnet & NHL Productions. “We know that Canada’s Indigenous communities have a great passion for hockey and we are excited grow our partnership with APTN to deliver more games over the next three years.”
In March, Sportsnet and APTN partnered to produce a special edition of Rogers Hometown Hockey with a landmark simulcast for a game between the Montreal Canadiens and Carolina Hurricanes.
To watch the faces around us in Enoch Cree Nation as people listened to the game in Plains Cree last year was one of the most beautiful things I’ve ever seen. I am SO glad and grateful this is happening again! https://t.co/JvP5WSTzpl
— Tara Slone (@TaraSlone) December 13, 2019
As part of this season’s six-game Cree-language broadcast schedule, Rogers Hometown Hockey will also be stopping in Peguis First Nation, Man., for a live broadcast on March. 1.
Here’s the full 2019-20 Cree-Language NHL broadcast schedule from Sportsnet on APTN:
Sunday, January 19: Winnipeg Jets vs. Chicago Blackhawks (6:30 p.m. ET)
Sunday, February 9: Winnipeg Jets vs. Chicago Blackhawks (6:30 p.m. ET)
Sunday, February 23: Calgary Flames vs. Detroit Red Wings (6:30 p.m. ET)
Sunday, March 1: Vancouver Canucks vs. Columbus Blue Jackets (6:30 p.m. ET)
Sunday, March 15: Winnipeg Jets vs. Vancouver Canucks (7:30 p.m. ET)
Sunday, March 29: Anaheim Ducks vs. Edmonton Oilers (7:30 p.m. ET)
[relatedlinks]