HNIC’s Chris Cuthbert on ‘Phenomenal’ Work of NHL et al During 2020 Stanley Cup Playoffs

(Photo credit: Canucks TV/YouTube)

When the NHL launched its plan for its 24-team playoff format earlier this summer, it was met with skepticism to say the least.

There were many unanswered questions at play, such as why 24 teams deserved a shot at Lord Stanley’s Mug as opposed to the traditional 16, how playoff hockey would work with no fans on hand and, of course, how the coaches, players and everyone else involved would stay healthy under the cloud of COVID-19. If anyone, however, was critical of — or even laughing at — the NHL when these plans were first announced, you’d be hard-pressed to find them now.

Another season has come and gone but under the unusual circumstances, the success of these playoffs are much more of an accomplishment this time around. While it may have taken some getting used to for those involved and for the fans at home, the 2020 Stanley Cup playoffs were, in the risk of being hyperbolic, a colossal success.

One of those on hand to witness said success was veteran broadcaster Chris Cuthbert who, in June, joined Sportsnet after 15 years at TSN. Cuthbert’s switch to Sportsnet also meant his return to the iconic ‘Hockey Night in Canada’ for the first time since 2004 when the broadcaster worked for the CBC.

I recently had the privilege of speaking with Mr. Cuthbert about his experiences in these playoffs and even being one of the few filling in for Bob Miller on the Los Angeles Kings broadcasts during the 2016-17 season. First, though, was the job that the NHL and company did not only to put this unusual postseason together but to do so without a single positive test for COVID-19.

“Phenomenal,” an emphatic Cuthbert said. “Number one, to execute the plan without having one positive test is beyond anyone’s expectations and with the league, the Players’ Association and the organizers in Edmonton and Toronto, everybody has to take a bow. That goes against all of the odds based on the health issues we have right now. So, that was phenomenal.”

This past postseason, Cuthbert, along with HNIC colour analyst Louie DeBrusk, had been in Edmonton covering the Western Conference matchups from the Stanley Cup qualifying round to the conclusion of the Western Final. However, while Cuthbert was at Edmonton’s Rogers Place with the teams, he was not in the same bubble as the teams. With that being said, though, the longtime hockey broadcaster and his team were, like the teams, tested regularly.

“I wasn’t part of the bubble per se,” Cuthbert noted. “I was not inside the bubble. I was outside the bubble but had to adhere to certain protocol as well.

“So, when we arrived at the rink, we were tested daily. At least our temperatures were taken every day and we had to go through a series of questions and we were only allowed in a certain part of the arena away from any players and staff. So, my world in Edmonton was on the fifth level where our broadcast location was. We were also allowed on the seventh level, which was where they had the coffee machine and some treats. So, I spent some time on the seventh level, as well.”

When the Stanley Cup qualifiers first began, it was a transition to say the least. While the teams certainly had to get used to it, fans watching from home were no exception to the oddity of watching playoff hockey in empty, quiet arenas — in the middle summer, no less. Any concerns of a dud of a postseason as a result, though, were quickly quelled by many, including Cuthbert.

“You know, I thought that was going to be a major stumbling block for me because I kind of feed off the energy in the rink,” the 63-year-old admitted. “I was quite concerned about that going in, but we had that EA Sports-type of crowd noise pumped into our headsets and it didn’t take long to A) feel comfortable with that type of environment but B) actually, at times, forget that there weren’t crowds in the building, at least from your own audio sets. There was never a time when you had that hair standing up on the back of your neck because the atmosphere in the rink was so phenomenal when the teams came out for the warm-up or for a big goal — you didn’t have that — but they did replicate, on some level of crowd [feeling] that gave you the impression that you were in a regular environment and I think that was very useful.”

The broadcaster even shared a story, proving just how great of a job those in Edmonton did to make a fanless arena feel like nothing, or very little, was amiss.

“I even caught myself once in a while when something happened behind the play — maybe a big collision that I hadn’t seen,” began Cuthbert. “But there would be a crowd reaction from the audio guys handling that EA Sports audio and I would look back [at what happened behind the play] as if I would if a real crowd were reacting, so the simulation was pretty impressive.”

As mentioned, when Hall-of-Famer Bob Miller was away from the team’s broadcast booth for medical reasons, the Los Angeles Kings chose a few very respected and established broadcasters to fill in during the 2016-17 season. Chris Cuthbert was one of these broadcasters, who had always a great respect for both Mr. Miller and the Kings organization and, as a result, offered his services during this time.

Despite calling nationally televised games on NBC, though, Cuthbert may not have been as familiar with the Kings fanbase. For this writer, having grown up in Ottawa and watching ‘Hockey Night in Canada’ religiously, Chris Cuthbert, along with Bob Cole, Jim Hughson and the late Don Wittman, had been synonymous with NHL hockey. Needless to say, this writer was excited for Cuthbert’s addition, albeit temporary. Yet, while his voice may have been more obscure to its fanbase, Cuthbert was very familiar with the Kings, calling games on HNIC dating back to the Wayne Gretzky era.

“I had done a lot of L.A. games outside of that market both on Hockey Night in Canada and on NBC, and you get to know people and make friends in the [Kings] organization,” the veteran broadcaster explained. “When I found out about Bob, I just volunteered my services, ‘If you need me for anything, I’d be happy to do it,’ and they did reach out for some games in the New York area on an Easter trip.

“I think it started by [the Kings] going in and using some different voices, to replace Bob while he got well, and I think there was a point where they started to look at a possible replacement and I did a few games but I think, at that point, they made a bit of a transition and started using a variety of different people to kind of audition for that job. I had some interest in that job. I had talked to them a little bit and they were actually more interested in my input about younger guys who might have a future in the business, and I thought they should look at broadcasters working in the American Hockey League as I didn’t have a really good background into who those ideal candidates might be. I think that was the route they went and it turned out to be a great call for them.”

Overall, though, Cuthbert reflected fondly of his time contributing to the Kings broadcasts.

“In the meantime, it was fun to do some games for the L.A. market and some of the feedback was nice,” Cuthbert said. “So, I think that anyone you find who does play-by-play likes the challenge of doing as many games as they can get their hands on and for me, that was a lot of fun getting inside the Kings organization for a short period of time.”

Along with Hockey Night in Canada, Chris Cuthbert’s broadcasting resume includes the Canadian Football League and the Grey Cup as well as the Olympics.

From CBC to TSN to Sportsnet, Chris Cuthbert has long established himself as a world-class broadcaster — and the 2020 Stanley Cup playoffs were no exception, capping off an impressive debut with the aforementioned Sportsnet.

He is known for, among other highlights, calling Sidney Crosby’s ‘Golden Goal’ at the 2010 Olympics in Vancouver that won the gold medal for Canada against Team USA as well as David Volek’s Game 7 overtime goal that propelled the underdog New York Islanders past the two-time defending Stanley Cup champion Pittsburgh Penguins. There are so many more highlights and so many stories and so many more will follow, especially when the NHL gets back to normal.

With the Tampa Bay Lightning defeating the Dallas Stars in the Final, the 2020 Stanley Cup playoffs are now in the books.

It may have been scoffed at and laughed at but the plan for the NHL playoffs have left the skeptics in awe. Not only did the NHL, the NHLPA and the hub-city organizers put on a great show these past couple of months, but they did so while creating the safest and healthiest environment possible, during a time when even that has been a challenge globally.

As for those who participated in these playoffs, they deserve full marks — and that includes all of the broadcasting teams, including, quintessentially, Chris Cuthbert, one of the best in the business.

 

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