With Rogers new deal to broadcast NHL hockey for the next twelve years beginning next year and a heavy schedule including Saturday, Sunday and Wednesday national broadcasts to produce, a new team to be the voices of those games was needed. Earlier this year we learned of George Stromboloupoulous and the other hosts of the coverage, and today Rogers announced their play-by-play men.
There was little suprise that the two main voices of Hockey Night in Canada, Jim Hughson and Bob Cole were brought on board. However the network did have two surprises in bringing Paul Romanuk and Dave Randorf into the team as well.
The announcement was made today as part of the 2014 Rogers Upfront.
“All four of these announcers have the remarkable ability to bring the game to life, capture the ebbs, flows and emotions of the game, and elevate the viewing experience in a significant way,” said Gord Cutler, Senior Vice President of NHL Production, Rogers. “Jim Hughson is one of the top voices in the business today, and Dave Randorf and Paul Romanuk also bring an incredible amount of experience and expertise from the broadcast booth. With the legendary Bob Cole rounding out the team, we are thrilled to have talent of this caliber calling the games for Canadians next season.”
Jim Hughson was the lead voice at Hockey Night in Canada for the last four years. He has been working at CBC for over 10 years, and has over 20 years experience calling NHL games.
Bob Cole is a legendary voice and a hockey hall of famer for his work in the broadcast booth. He has been calling hockey for over 40 years, and his calls are iconic.
Randorf has been working for Rogers main rival, Bell-owned TSN. He has done play-by-play for the World Juniors and been on regional broadcasts for the Montreal Canadiens for the last four years.
Romanuk was known for his work on the World Juniors and NHL for TSN in the 1990s but has been living in Europe for quite some time. He returns to this side of the pond to work with Rogers. Romanuk on his new role: “I can’t say enough how thrilled I am to be coming back to Canada to call play-by-play for the greatest hockey league in the world, and to be part of Rogers’s exciting new venture as national rights holders, bringing so many games to hockey fans across the country. Rogers is building a great team, and I’m honoured to be a part of it.”
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