Jennifer Botterill is no longer working for Sportsnet and will join the NHL on TNT booth, beginning with Friday’s Dallas Stars vs. Minnesota Wild preseason game.
She confirmed the move to Rachel Brady of The Globe and Mail this week. She will primarily perform from the booth this time, rather than the studio.
There was no announcement of her departure from Sportsnet. On September 9, it came to light when the panel for Saturday Night Hockey, which had been rebranded, was introduced by the network.
Colby Armstrong was assigned to her chair. When the show starts on October 3, he will sit next to Ron MacLean, Elliotte Friedman, and Kevin Bieksa.
Take into account who is no longer in the set. More than five years ago, Botterill, a three-time Olympic champion and Hockey Hall of Famer, was the only woman on the panel.
Simply put, letting her go is an error. She was the only person at the desk whose voice didn’t sound like everyone else’s.
It is similar to repainting the home and removing the family photographs along with the old wallpaper to reconstruct the performance without her.
Also gone from Hockey Night in Canada are Kelly Hrudey and Scott Oake.
Botterill is one among several well-known individuals who are absent. In a video posted on August 5, Kelly Hrudey stated that Sportsnet had informed him in June that his deal would expire.
He lost his regional seat in the Calgary Flames’ booth after twelve seasons and ended a 28-year run on the broadcast.
After many years, Scott Oake, the prominent face of After Hours, stepped down in April. Hockey Night in Canada Punjabi was terminated after eighteen years.
The largest change occurred in June. The public broadcaster announced that it will cease airing NHL games, bringing an end to a collaboration that started in 1952.
Then what becomes of the Saturday ritual? With a panel that hardly resembles the one fans remember, in new hands, under a new moniker.
Meanwhile, TNT is getting someone who already understands the position. She made a call to Armstrong in Philadelphia with Alex Faust during a second-round playoff game in May.
Along with AJ Mleczko and Kenny Albert, NBC named her its in-the-glass analyst for the women’s event at the Milano-Cortina Olympics in February.
She will be next to reporter Lauren Jbara, John Forslund, and Armstrong once again during Friday’s broadcast. The game begins at 8 p.m. ET on truTV, HBO Max, and TNT.
The game also has some teeth. The Wild, under John Hynes, lost 4-3 beyond regulation in Chicago on Monday, while Glen Gulutzan’s Stars have won both preseason games.
Later this week, TNT is anticipated to provide a comprehensive explanation of its broadcasting plans. No one knows which squad Botterill will join or how many games she will play until then.
