WHL on Shaw :)

[Beaner]

from, www.whl.ca




WHL and SHAW COMMUNICATIONS Inc. ANNOUNCES WHL HOCKEY ON SHAW
Created: Dec 20, 2005

CALGARY, AB – The Western Hockey League and Shaw Communications Inc. announced today that 26 WHL 2005-06 regular season games will be broadcast throughout Western Canada beginning in January, 2006. In addition to the 26 regular season games, one full series in each of the four rounds in the 2006 WHL playoffs will also be broadcast throughout Western Canada on SHAW TV.

The WHL games on SHAW will be broadcast primarily on a province-wide basis and will feature key rivals in the WHL’s Canadian based B.C., Central and East Divisions. Most B.C. Division games will be broadcast throughout the province of British Columbia. Central Division games will be aired in all Alberta markets while Saskatchewan and Manitoba will broadcast East Division WHL games.

The first WHL game on SHAW will feature the Saskatoon Blades hosting the defending WHL Eastern Conference Champions Brandon Wheat Kings on Tuesday, January 17, 2006 at 7:00 PM local time.

“We are delighted that though our partnership with SHAW Communications we will once again be in a position to provide our fans throughout Western Canada extensive, live television coverage of WHL games for the balance of the regular season and our entire WHL Playoffs,” commented Ron Robison, Commissioner, Western Hockey League.

"Over the past year we have received a tremendous amount of positive feedback from our customers and hockey fans across Western Canada about our Shaw TV coverage, especially during the playoffs,” said Peter Bissonnette, President of Shaw Communications. “ We congratulate the WHL on 40 years of exciting hockey and we look forward to continuing our successful partnership this year and providing excellent television coverage to our cable customers.”

Shaw Communications Inc. is a diversified Canadian communications company whose core business is providing broadband cable television, Internet and satellite direct-to-home ("DTH") services to approximately 2.9 million customers. Shaw is traded on the Toronto and New York stock exchanges (Symbol: TSX - SJR.B, NYSE - SJR).

The Western Hockey League, a leading supplier of talent to the National Hockey League and Canada’s National Team, currently have 20 member franchises operating throughout Western Canada and the U.S. Pacific Northwest.

The following is the 2005-06 WHL on SHAW broadcast schedule.

Day, Date: Visitor @ Home, Time - Broadcast Area
Tuesday , 17-Jan-06 : Brandon @ Saskatoon , 7:00 PM - SK/MB
Friday , 20-Jan-06 : Kamloops @ Vancouver , 7:30 PM - BC
Wednesday , 25-Jan-06 : Regina @ Saskatoon , 7:00 PM - SK/MB
Saturday , 28-Jan-06 : Portland @ Calgary , 7:00 PM - AB
Sunday , 29-Jan-06 : Saskatoon @ Prince Albert , 6:30 PM - SK/MB
Tuesday , 31-Jan-06 : Prince George @ Vancouver , 7:00 PM - BC
Friday , 3-Feb-06 : Swift Current @ Brandon , 7:30 PM - SK/MB
Tuesday , 7-Feb-06 : Kootenay @ Vancouver , 7:00 PM - BC
Friday , 10-Feb-06 : Moose Jaw @ Regina , 7:00 PM - SK/MB
Saturday , 11-Feb-06 : Vancouver @ Kelowna , 7:00 PM - BC
Tuesday , 14-Feb-06 : Kamloops @ Kelowna , 7:00 PM - BC
Wednesday , 15-Feb-06 : Red Deer @ Lethbridge , 7:00 PM - AB
Friday , 17-Feb-06 : Calgary @ Red Deer , 7:30 PM - AB
Saturday , 18-Feb-06 : Saskatoon @ Calgary , 7:00 PM - AB
Sunday , 19-Feb-06 : Regina @ Prince Albert , 6:30 PM - SK/MB
Friday , 24-Feb-06 : Kootenay @ Kelowna , 7:00 PM - BC
Tuesday , 28-Feb-06 : Prince George @ Kelowna , 7:00 PM - BC
Wednesday , 1-Mar-06 : Moose Jaw @ Saskatoon , 7:00 PM - SK/MB
Friday , 3-Mar-06 : Kelowna @ Vancouver , 7:30 PM - BC
Wednesday , 8-Mar-06 : Kelowna @ Kamloops , 7:00 PM - BC
Friday , 10-Mar-06 : Kamloops @ Vancouver , 7:30 PM - BC
Saturday , 11-Mar-06 : Saskatoon @ Brandon (Wpg) , 7:30 PM - SK/MB
Sunday , 12-Mar-06 : Medicine Hat @ Calgary , 2:00 PM - AB
Wednesday , 15-Mar-06 : Kootenay @ Kelowna , 7:00 PM - BC
Friday , 17-Mar-06 : Kelowna @ Vancouver , 7:30 PM - BC
Sunday , 19-Mar-06 : Red Deer @ Lethbridge , 2:00 PM - AB


Nice, about time. :thumb:

[Chipper]

Nice to see games on Shaw again but its to bad they only like to show Kelowna and Vancouver. 8 games for Kelowna and 7 games for Vancouver and others only have one. Medicine hat 1 game and even Calgary only 4 games? Four games head to head for Van and Kelowna.

[Jimmypop316]

Hopefully Comcast down here gets an idea from what Portland did last year, and picks up the broadcasts for us. You can never have enough WHL hockey.

[Jovorock]

8 games for Kelowna and 7 games for Vancouver and others only have one. Medicine hat 1 game and even Calgary only 4 games? Four games head to head for Van and Kelowna.
I was hoping for more than 3 games Kelowna played on the road on TV. I guess it does look bad that the Rockets and Giants are on so much. But I guess that is the best rating for Shaw?

[langdak]

Nice to see games on Shaw again but its to bad they only like to show Kelowna and Vancouver. 8 games for Kelowna and 7 games for Vancouver and others only have one. Medicine hat 1 game and even Calgary only 4 games? Four games head to head for Van and Kelowna.

Would you rather there be nothing?

I was dissapointed last year with the number of non-giants games on shaw, so i know how you feel

but at least this is better then shaw showing nothing at all

[Beaner]

I was hoping for more than 3 games Kelowna played on the road on TV. I guess it does look bad that the Rockets and Giants are on so much. But I guess that is the best rating for Shaw?

I think its a combination of marketing and costs. Vancouver has the market and the close proximity to equipment. Kelowna, if I recall correctly, also already has all the equipment, plus they are probably Vancouver's biggest rival.

Dragging all the equipment out to PG, and Kootenay is probably cost prohibitive, let alone hte smaller TV Market. I would also think that showing games in PG, where the arena is half empty, would not look good on a marketing strategy for the WHL.

Its a shame really, 4 games of the Giants vs the Rockets is probably too many, IMO. I would have liked to see the Giants at Kootenay game, or even some of the other BC Division teams. PG or Koot @ Kamloops would have been nice to see.

I guess the good news is we still get the Internet feed.

[RunTheGoalie]

That is my presumption as well, that it is a matter of cost and equipment.

That said, it strikes me as odd that there are only four Hitmen games, three in Calgary. The Saddledome already has the video cameras set up and running for every game as it is. The costs to Shaw would be minimal.

[Chipper]

Would you rather there be nothing?

I was dissapointed last year with the number of non-giants games on shaw, so i know how you feel

but at least this is better then shaw showing nothing at all
No. I am glad that at least the Ice will have 3 games shown although they are all in Kelowna or Vancouver. I just wish that the would come to Cranbrook and do a game.

[Homer]

Hey Guys, I run a business and I understand costs all too well.

However, I think it's chicken sh^& that Shaw is running their BC broadcasts exclusively in Van, Kelowna, and Kamloops. They've got no problem dragging their $90 month out of my wallet, and as the exclusive cable provider in the area they make a lot of money here.

Having said that, if they broadcast a home game we may have no fans show up at all, and it's the road games I want to see.

If they are to be a true broadcast "partner" they need to get into all of the rinks.

[CHtoo]

I'm stuck with satelite so don't have any chance to see any games. :mad:

[Chipper]

I'm stuck with satelite so don't have any chance to see any games. :mad:
I think if you have Star Choice you still can get it on chanel 299

[CHtoo]

sorry Bell Expressvu. :spineyes:

[GF71]

I would love to see them broadcast more from the smaller markets in BC. There are too many games from Vancouver and Kelowna. I would like to see more games out of cranbrook and PG. If I want to see the Giants play in Kelowna, I can simply make a drive up there...Oh well. At least there is some games on TV now, instead of them only being on the internet which from what I have seen is mostly sub par.

[Aiham]

I wish there was some way for me to be able to watch the Shaw games over here. :(