News

Brett Hull's career in broadcasting with NBC has ended after one year with the network's hockey telecasts.

Hull will take an operations job with the Dallas Stars, a source confirmed, a position that would put him in a conflict of interest as an analyst on network TV.

The future member of the Hockey Hall of Fame worked for the Stars last season as a community relations ambassador, and even that limited role raised questions about his objectivity as a studio analyst on NBC.

Although widely viewed as a free spirit who shoots from the lip, Hull seems keen to pursue a career in hockey management.

"He loves the game and loves being in the game," a source close to NBC said.

"And he's a pretty smart guy. If he can judge talent, he will be an asset to the Stars."

Hull rocked the boat at NBC when he complained about not getting enough air time.

And his pro-fighting stand didn't jibe with U.S. media groupthink, but he delivered in terms of colour and opinion.

His front-office job with the Stars could be announced this week.

NBC confirmed he will not be returning to the network.

McManus on TSN

Retired Canadian Football League quarterback Danny McManus will make his TSN debut June 28 on the second game of the network's season-opening doubleheader — Winnipeg Blue Bombers at Edmonton Eskimos.

McManus will work as a game analyst with announcer Rod Black on 16 telecasts.

For 12 more he will set up on the sidelines as a third analyst, with Chris Cuthbert and Glen Suitor in the booth.

TSN will televise 50 CFL games this season, the network's largest schedule ever. All of the games will be streamed online and a minimum of 35 of the games will be shot in high-definition.

TSN also has redesigned its score clock.

The new "bug" will run horizontally across the bottom of the screen.

Aces for networks

It was as good as it gets for golf on TV: a major tournament, Tiger Woods contending, and a result that wasn't decided until the 18th hole.

Canadian viewers might have felt Stephen Ames was given short shrift by NBC, but the U.S. network had a story to tell and it didn't involve Ames, although he was the subject of early analysis by Johnny Miller.

During the few minutes that Ames topped the leaderboard, Miller described him as "a little quirky."

"Who knows what's going on in there?" Miller asked.

For Sunday's telecast, NBC earned an overnight rating (percentage of U.S. households tuned in) of 7.0, an increase of 37 per cent over last year's 5.1. And Saturday's third-round telecast had a 4.6 overnight, up 44 per cent from last year's tournament.

Among the regional U.S. markets, Pittsburgh (14.2) had the highest rating (the tournament was played at Oakmont Country Club, outside Pittsburgh), followed by Fort Myers, Fla. (13.0), and West Palm Beach, Fla. (11.7).

TSN's final-round audience of 555,000 was up 27 per cent from last year.

The Saturday telecast drew 295,000 for an increase of 29 per cent.

Hockey sales up

Online National Hockey League merchandise sales for the week following the end of the Stanley Cup final jumped 48 per cent from last year, according to the league.

The Ottawa Senators showed a 459-per-cent increase while the rest of this year's semi-finalists also had increases. The Detroit Red Wings were up 135 per cent; Anaheim Ducks, up 119 per cent; Buffalo Sabres, 115 per cent to the good.

Five of the top 10 selling player jerseys from May 1 to 30 belonged to Sabres players. Ryan Miller, Chris Drury, Daniel Brière, Maxim Afinogenov and Thomas Vanek.

They ranked second, third, fourth, fifth and eighth, respectively.

Sidney Crosby of the Pittsburgh Penguins was first; Peter Forsberg, Nashville Predators, placed sixth; Scott Niedermayer, Ducks, ninth; and Henrik Lundqvist, New York Rangers, 10th.

• Announcer Nigel Reed missed CBC's telecast of the Toronto FC-FC Dallas game on Sunday. He was out of the country, a trip that had been scheduled before he took the TFC job.