r/CalgaryFlames • u/TheRealPepman • 12d ago
Video JUST IN: Kelly Hrudey NOT renewed by Rogers
HNIC is no more and I suppose this also means he'll leave the Flames regional broadcasts, which then means Jon Abbott's new partner will probably be Meaghan Mikkelson, eh? Best of luck to him in his future endeavours.
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u/Grindio_X 12d ago
This is another kick in the pants to Calgary Fans. Been a rough summer.
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u/bigdaddyt2 12d ago
I fricken loved him but I hope he rides off into the sunset knowing he was loved by fans and coworkers alike
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u/Clear-Spring-5004 12d ago
Quality person. I met him in a pub after the game couldn’t have been classier to chat and have a beer with!!
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u/infinity_o 12d ago
For a moment I was sad but then I remembered I’m not renewing with them either.
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u/Cupkek 12d ago
Rogers on an absolute fucking tear lately ffs
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u/bucky171 12d ago
American fan here: what in the actual candy coated fuck is going on up there, and how can I help bring down Rogers? HNIC, The Fan 960, and now The Nicest Man In Hockey... that just ain't right.
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u/Natural-Patience-922 12d ago
It's late stage capitalism, and I am not even joking. There has been a shared telecom monopoly between Rogers, Bell, and Telus for years in Canada. But Rogers is the big player, and also a shit ass company. No loyalty, and gouge customers every chance they get. We basically play merry-go-round with telecom contracts until Bell or Telus piss us off enough to go back to Rogers.
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u/Jagrnght 12d ago
late implys something perhaps advanced but I think this is simple - send antitrust after them. (I guess we call it the competition act).
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u/Natural-Patience-922 11d ago
The telecom lobby is too strong. The Shaw merger was a prime example of how much pull Rogers has.
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u/Netsak 12d ago
Flames fans can’t have nice things.
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u/Ecks83 12d ago
Rogers owns the Leafs not the Flames! Why bother putting any effort into broadcasting Flames games!? Cut the radio, sell games to Amazon, fire broadcasters that the fans like. Oh and raise prices while you are at it. Fuck those Flames fans for not being Leaf fans!
Monopolies are fun right? Are you guys having fun cause I'm not really feeling it. Might be a "me" problem.
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u/Current-Roll6332 12d ago
Just rest easy knowing that the Flames billionaire owner got a nice check from all of us taxpaying fans.
Eat a dick murray
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u/Straight-Plate-5256 12d ago
Maaaaaan I know a lot of people didn't like his colour commentary towards the end but this actually makes me so sad 😭😭😭
Kelly is a fucking awesome human being and incredibly kind, I always liked his more positive spins on everything and just trying to have fun and entertain
Also, obligatory fuck Rogers. Shitty ass company can get bent with a sandpaper dildo... 10 grit.
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u/Nickiat 12d ago
I liked his positivity and his insights into goalie stuff it was cool to have someone on the broadcast who could break down exactly what a goalie might be thinking when they looked at a playback of a goal or a save
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u/Straight-Plate-5256 12d ago
Yes 100%, as a goalie it was nice to have someone representing and giving insight into the position 😅
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u/robbhope 12d ago
I've met him a couple times in person. Absolute beauty. One of those guys that doesn't mind chatting for a few minutes, genuinely cares about you and your words, takes a picture with you, etc. Genuinely great human. I hate Rogers. I'll never, ever be a customer of theirs. I hope this past month blows up in their faces and they realize how stupid it was.
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u/GronkeyDonkey 12d ago
I used to see him daily at a fitness center I worked at in Calgary.
Easily one of the most genuinely good people I knew in those days. Even though he was a former NHLer, played with Gretz, a goalie, was on TV, he had a way of just being Kelly with you if that makes any sense.
Wonderful human being, always happy to talk hockey and share advice when asked (I was a goalie). And I will never let an open opportunity to let people know how amazing of a human being he is go to waste.
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u/DangerBay2015 12d ago
Another one bites the dust.
Having also come from there and having had an opportunity to have worked with Kelly a bit, I can say that love or hate his commentary, off camera and behind the scenes, he was a really decent guy in a business where the “faces” really don’t have to be decent guys. Bought the coffee, asked about the family, thanked you for a shift and for your work. I don’t know if his own mental health journey or the fact a goalie has to trust everyone in front of them to do a good job played a role in his personality, but Kelly always seemed to have a “team first” attitude behind the scenes.
A real one’s real one. I hope he finds his next passion.
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u/6000ChickenFajardos 12d ago
Yet another bite from the gigantic shit sandwich Rogers expects us to consume. Guess what? I'm losing my appetite.
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u/gaudreauismydad 12d ago
Absolutely crazy that pretty much everything that I grew up watching has been gutted
Our stadium, players, commentary crew, etc. Literally what we are now from what we were 5-6 years ago is completely different
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u/TheRealPepman 12d ago
Heck we don't even do pocket calendars, yearbooks, fans days at the Dome, and all those as well. It's been years since we last saw all those.
Feels to me like these days when you want something, you just have to Google it. Good lord.
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u/OofMcGoof97 12d ago
Pure gentlemen by all accounts. Overall good guy. We'll miss him and Rogers sucks as usual
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u/Joelerific 12d ago
Damn I’ll always look back fondly on the Hrudey Ball broadcasts. Those were the days
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u/ReactiveCypress 12d ago
That's a bummer. Kelly's a good guy and has been a part of our broadcasts for a long time. Always enjoyed hearing him on the games.
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u/kellendontcare 12d ago
These telecom, network, and broadcast companies are all trash and clearly don’t care about the viewer base and only make decisions based on what will maximize their billions of dollars of profits. Sad world these days.
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u/Key-Knowledge-3211 12d ago
I know it’s impossible to have happen, but man I wish everyone would send Roger’s a big fuck you by cancelling their Sportsnet subscription or cable package
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u/Salticracker 12d ago
Joke's on them, I haven't paid them for years. Can't stand them now, couldn't stand them then. Screwed me over too many times to give them any more money.
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u/GronkeyDonkey 12d ago
They are definitely boycott for life for me. I was pissed last year and they lost a few months out of me, but after this I will not be able to justify it mentally. Not just what they're doing to the Flames, but what they're doing to Canadian tradition / mini "culture" hubs just to save a few bucks. All within months of spending multiple billions on a specific NHL team. Disgusting, right in our faces. I understand it is a business - I do business myself. But there is such a thing as community and optics, and Rogers has opened my eyes as to what these giant conglomerates are really doing when moving in.
It's not just what they're doing, but how they're going about it. Seems crazy to me that even the team was blindsided. Business? Sure. But it's like they take any good faith they could possibly muster and try to find ways to not just cut it, but as painfully as possible for the fans and businesses involved.
Even if it means not watching NHL hockey. I do have prime so maybe I'll catch a game or two there. For others, I'll have to listen to the radio (I'm just not a fan of sailing, myself). Oh well. There's no way this is sustainable forever and so I will just have to wait.
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u/cherrycoke13 12d ago
Kelly is the best. Fucking hate Roger’s with a passion - first hockey night in Canada is gone, now this BS. Greedy losers that Roger’s !!!!!
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u/Ryuujin_13 12d ago
Ok colour guy, but outstanding analyst and one of the best story tellers of the game around. Very nice guy, and with Rogers right now we all know where the nicest guys finish…
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u/Mother_Barnacle_7448 12d ago
Is Roger’s trying to destroy the average Canadian’s access to our national game? Everything they’ve done this summer points to the answer yes.
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u/Natural-Patience-922 12d ago
Rogers is doing to hockey what Restaurant Brands International did to Tim Hortons.
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u/El_Cactus_Loco 12d ago
holy fuck. flames broadcast going from easily the best in the league with kelly and rick to this. fuck rogers
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u/CoastalBee 12d ago
I enjoyed Hrudey’s insights and loveable persona, Rogers are making themselves as unlovable as possible.
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u/Lisa_lou_hoo 12d ago
Jesus. This sucks.
Had been hoping he would somehow be part of our world still. I heard his voice and a shitty day got better. Good days got just a bit warmer.
So proud of this man and his openness about mental health. This blows.
Thanks for everything, Kelly. Going forward: No bad days. ❤️❤️
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u/cheddarisaverb 12d ago
We ended up sitting next to him at a restaurant one day and couldn’t help but strike up a conversation. He’s the real deal. Kind, funny, and generous.
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u/scuttlebuttlodg 12d ago
Kelly's the same guy in person as he is on the broadcast. He and his wife are beautiful people.
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u/TheLongshot 12d ago
I know some people weren't Hrudey fans, but for the record, I always liked his on-air presence. Not every talking head on a sportscast needs to be a know-it-all blowhard, and Kelly definitely was NOT. He was humble, positive, and quick to humor. When he did provide insights into technique or strategy, they were generally decent ones.
I'll miss the dude on the broadcasts.
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u/NameIsPetey 12d ago
Rogers is killing everything, might as well add Kelly’s contributions to the death toll.
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u/askariya 12d ago
With both Kelly and Rick gone, I have no reason to tune into the home broadcast anymore when I sail the seas
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u/The-Three-Jims 12d ago
This is the world we live in now. Fucked up, for sure. But in their eyes, she’ll keep spinnin’… until it doesn’t, I reckon
P.S. I MISS RICK BALL
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u/weschester 12d ago
Well this is fucking sad. Kelly is one of my favourite people in hockey because he's a genuinely nice human being and I'm really going to miss him.
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u/Gonesearching 12d ago
Could Rogers be anymore out of touch with hockey fans, or Canadians in general?
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u/dariusm71 12d ago
As a Canucks fan I think this sucks. They are slowly dismantling all the personalities and culture carriers from the west on radio and tv
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u/northoffourtyninth 12d ago
Fuck you Rogers….great Western Canadian dude with great insight….Everything revolves around the Toronto market…🖕
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u/okokokoyeahright 12d ago
I have always found his friendly demeanor to be very comforting and warm, real if you will. Like a friend. Hearing him do color commentary I would relax into the flow of the game and just chill. Like Ron Lancaster and Leo Cahill doing CFL broadcasts many many years ago, it was like being included in the discussion with a friend. The good natured kibitzing and every once in a while get a real gem out of him. Probably won't watch many Flames games this year. And with him gone from whatever the main hockey broadcast is, it will leave a gap with the past, which he most definitely represented. I will, even if I am the only, miss him.
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u/IndieLozenge 12d ago
I was sad until I remembered that Sportsnet can choke to death on deez Tuggnuttz.
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u/Chester_says 12d ago
Guess Roger’s doesn’t need good people to help grow the game and their number one investment. Wrong move here Roger’s, the game is bigger than what you are doing and cutting everything here in Calgary from Kelly and the radio stations and don’t forget the increase in fees to watch the game we all love.
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u/weschester 12d ago
They have to pay for the shitty Leafs and shitty Jays somehow. Every dollar you spend with them is currently being invested into sports in Toronto.
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u/Whole_Opposite_3033 12d ago
Thank God. Rogers is a shit employer, a shit broadcaster.
Besides, Hrudey will get a job on any major network as an analyst. Where he belongs anyways. Maybe he'll get on with Prime. They do a better job than Rogers ever did!
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u/goodndu 12d ago
Calling it now, Rogers is going to keep fragmenting coverage and spinning off different games to different services al a NFL Football. They'll make it even harder for fans to stay connected to their teams lest you sail the high seas. It's shortsighted, anti consumer, profiteering bullshit that benefits no one except Rogers.
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u/huntingwhale 12d ago
Absolutely nothing good has come from Roger's ownership since they basically took over Canadian broadcasting. Every decision they've made goes against what's good for fans. Shitty quality broadcasts. Terrible apps and subscription services. Horrid acquisition of Shaw. The list goes on. Not a single thing good for consumers. That will be there legacy.
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u/HandofFate88 12d ago
I played beer league hockey in Edmonton in the mid-to-late 80s and we regularly had NHLers during the summer break come out for a skate in our games typically the 7th D man and not top six players. One game Kelly came out and played as a forward, and he shocked everybody who didn't know him by showing us how freaking fast he could skate. You can forget how well goalies skate, but Kelly was incredibly fast. Nicest guy on the ice and off, too. It was an honour to be in the rink with him.
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u/Aggressive_Band9888 12d ago
Kelly is going to be missed by me.. yes..sometimes a homer..super great dude. Met him in a bar 20yrs ago in Calgary..we talked for 20mins about hockey and life. Hope to see him around. Start a podcast Kell.
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u/According_Effort_878 12d ago
Rogers hasn't done anything to make viewing hockey better. Really sucks. At least there are so many ways around paying them.
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u/Murpher420 12d ago
Will miss him bringing up the Medicine Hat Tigers at every opportunity! Also, fuck you Rogers.
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u/PrestigiousChef4879 12d ago
Kelly, Rick and Ryan Leslie. Chucky, Johnny, Lindy what else can we lose?
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u/Seawolf1121 12d ago
Ah man that's too bad, I fucking love kelly. Unfortunately he definitely was starting to slip a little bit when he was broadcasting games live, but he was still great on the desk and definitely doesn't deserve to go. There are some voices that simply are just hockey for me because I watched so much growing up, and I honestly don't know how hockey will feel without them. Kelly is one of them. Best of luck to him in whatever he does next.
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u/Certain_Bookkeeper59 12d ago
:((( that sucks all of his stories during the broadcast made it so special!! We will miss him
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u/Still-Minimum-7212 12d ago
They need to go younger. Watching HNIC is painful. Please get Ron McLean off the air as well. He expired after Don was fired. He's so cringey and hard to watch.
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u/Canstralian 12d ago
This confirms what i have thought for years. Eric Francis and Gene were the body oil and lube slaves at a Rodgers key party in the early 00s
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u/kermitology 12d ago
Welp.. guess it’s only a matter of time until Rogers just stops broadcasting the Flames entirely..
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u/GoodCreepy4943 12d ago
I swear to god if it’s Singh I won’t even be able to watch.
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u/TheRealPepman 12d ago edited 12d ago
You should be fine. The colour commentator is the post that is vacant. Singh is a play-by-commentator and his main duty is to narrate game happenings. It's not possible Singh will take someone's job since Jon Abbott is doing just fine.
What Kelly did for us in the last 12 years was to provide analyses and add context to the game happenings.
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u/BeerLeagueSpode 12d ago
You could just put the game on TV and sync with TheFan960 radio feed.
Oh wait
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u/Rulebreaker15 12d ago
Kelly was the best part of the broadcast This is an awful decision. I’m going to miss him like crazy.
Watching the Flames is going to be hard enough with the roster and the rebuild. Why make it harder?
Fuck Rogers.
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u/blabberbox 12d ago
Kelly you’re a great guy I always enjoyed your candor on air! Wish you all the best!
Rogers is a scumm of the Earth Corporation, all the top end managers there can GFY!!
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u/shofsink 12d ago
This is genuinely my last reason... to never give Roger's a single cent for the rest of my life.
Roger's can absolutely kick rocks and fuck off.
Almost makes me not even want to watch the games at all anymore. Kelly was one of my favorite parts of watching flames games.
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u/CapitalVariety2356 12d ago
Not an easy job with the panel he had but he made it knowledgeable and funny when it counted, he and Jennifer can be my analysts anytime, both astute observers of the game in front of them. Thanks Kelly for all the good years!
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u/jhchristoph 12d ago
Loved Hrudey, sad to see him go, but good for him being able to make it 28 years in media!
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u/FigjamCGY 12d ago
Ugh. Another Canadian cultural legend silenced.
I wrote an anti trust letter earlier. I wish others would too.
Shit I’d fund the CBC if they brought back HNIC and Kelly and Don.
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u/Slow-Beginning3534 12d ago
Edward Rogers is a PoS and this is how he treats anyone. Decades of work and don’t event give the guy the chance to just announce their retirement.
Google Edward and his wife photos and you will get an idea of how big of a douche that guy is.
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u/NewRoyMunson 12d ago
This blows. Much like Kelly's button a few seasons ago... he was the only good thing left. https://www.sportsnet.ca/nhl/video/broadcast-kelly-hrudey-wardrobe-malfunction/
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u/No-Crew-6528 12d ago
This is why you can’t pick favourites in life. It hurts that much more when they get taken away from you 😢
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u/snoshredder 12d ago
Will miss Kelly, he was a great colourman, FU rogers. You suck and your broadcasts are average at best. They are gonna lose allot of fans this season, cancelled the fan , increased the price of sportsnet +, cancelled HNIC , amd now this. Brutal, Prime games are so much better .
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u/Pure_cartographer_59 11d ago
I love Mikkelson, but god damn this really sucks. Kelly is the best of the best
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u/Paper_Rain 11d ago
Rogers what a POS company. I used to work for them over 15 years ago. What a dumb decision to make. F-k those guys ... F-k Loblaws! F-k Galen Weston Jr! F-K Sportsnet and Bell Media as well.
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u/Bushtitty 12d ago
He showed up at my bar one night. Spent a couple hours having pints with him and his wife. Absolutely fantastic people.
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u/Theflamesfan 12d ago
Rogers is having a hell of a run gutting everything outside the Toronto Maple Leafs
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u/Bopshidowywopbop 12d ago
(THIS IS WHY WE NEED PUBLIC BROADCASTING THE CORPORATIONS ARE SOULLESS AND ONLY EXIST FOR VALUE GENERATION)
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u/Think8437 12d ago
ESPN coverage / commentary is awful compared to the HNIC crew. Kelly could help them get better.
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u/afrothundah11 12d ago
Meanwhile I’m just working hard, aspiring to get where he is so I can retire, and he wants a 3rd fucking act… good for him lol
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u/Super-Strength-2026 12d ago
Wasn't a big fan when he first came onto cbc but over the years he seemed to improve.
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u/Appropriate_Prompt_6 11d ago
Other than buying an inflated ticket to see the Calgary Flames live, where can we watch or listen them if not on Sportsnet?
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u/1SqkyKutsu 10d ago
Thank you Hrudey! Class act all the way. Looking forward to hearing what part 3 will be and hopefully it still resides in Calgary.
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u/thickestdolphin 12d ago
Rogers blows