The Hockey and the The Border

NOW IT CAN be told.
If you tuned in Saturday night, November 1, to Hockey Night in Canada for the Leafs-Rangers game, you might have been surprised to see a rather unconventional opening that served as probably the first ever Hockey Night in Canada-The Border crossover episode.

A producer at HNIC approached The Border team with an idea and a basic script involving Slade and some wayward NY Rangers.

After a couple of passes by Greg Nelson and our story department, our half of the bit was shot late on a Friday night after the day's wrap.

Since we were filming Ep.12 at the time -- my episode -- I stuck around as Director Brett Sullivan guided Jonas Chernick, Graham Abbey, and James McGowan through the bit.

I don't think it's spoiling anything to say that I read the offstage Don Cherry lines. (The Man himself was shot separately.) It's extremely freeing being Don Cherry, especially late at night. I suddenly got the pink suits, and the high collars, and oh so many things. We did a couple of takes, and sure, it was sloppy at first but these were good Canadian kids shooting the bit, not those dodgy Europeans, and it all worked out fine in the end, though Producer David Barlow was last seen mumbling about going five-hole on somebody over the overtime.

I think my Cherry got better by the end, but let's face it. There really is no substitute for the real thing.

Oh, and James McGowan practically had to be restrained to not throw in something about the Habs. A good Montreal boy shilling willingly for the Leafs?

Not gonna happen. Even if National Security is on the line.

Anyway, whatever Slade did, it worked, since the Leafs beat the Rangers 5-2.

If you'd like to watch the HNIC "Border" opening, click here.

And from here, I'll let La Chernick explain it:

Under "Choose a Category", click on "Hockey Night in Canada".

Then double click on "Full Events".

You're looking for HNIC Nov. 1 - NY Ranger 2 at Toronto 5. As of this afternoon, it's the fourth window down. That may change. Click on that window and...

The video should start playing. Our segment is right at the beginning, but keep watching to the 4 minute mark to hear the somewhat stunned commentators' reaction to the piece, which is VERY unconventional for Hockey Night in Canada.

There you go.

Tune in tomorrow on Cross-Platform Promo Theatre, when Rick Mercer visits the set of The Border, learns how to get shot, gets roughed up by Nick Campbell, and hopefully doesn't make too much of an ass out of me and Brett Sullivan.

The Promo:



Mercer airs tomorrow night, 8pm on CBC Television. Don't forget, a new episode of The Border airs tonight at 9pm. And next week, Grace Park (Battlestar Galactica) joins the cast!