During its five years on television, Hockey Day in Canada quickly became a tradition, a February celebration of the game that many felt should have inspired a national holiday.
But the CBC, which created Hockey Day in 2000, has called off the event this year because of the National Hockey League lockout. Nancy Lee, head of CBC Sports, said Hockey Day was inextricably tied to the broadcast of three NHL games involving Canadian teams. She also said she had neither the staff nor the money to produce the show.
But the decision has angered some CBC staff.
"If Hockey Day existed only because of the NHL, then the network should have changed the name to NHL Day in Canada," a CBC source said. "I always thought the opportunity to take Ron MacLean and Don Cherry to small-town Canada had great value for the network and would have been the right thing to do under these circumstances."
CBC employees say the decision was ill-advised and self-defeating.
"I was floored when I heard it," a staffer said. "I don't understand it. It was even more important to produce the show this year, because of the lockout.
"It was a tremendous opportunity for the CBC to show the brand and tell viewers we're still here."
Hockey Day was a 13-hour extravaganza built around an NHL triple-header involving the six Canadian teams. The telecast included hours of features and clips of hockey at the grassroots level and was based in a small community. Last year, the site was Shaunavon, Sask. A location for 2005 had not been decided.
A CBC source said the cancellation underlines the deep financial problems at the network caused by the absence of its leading moneymaker, Hockey Night in Canada.
"It's one of the most graphic examples of how cash-strapped they are," the source said.
"In the next few weeks, there could be pay cuts or even 90-day terminations."
Those who could be affected in the sports department include on-air staffers such as Elliotte Friedman, Scott Oake and Chris Cuthbert.
Ms. Lee said a decision on staff will be made if the NHL cancels the season.
Still, insiders say, with or without part of an NHL season, a smaller version of Hockey Day could have been produced inexpensively.
"They could have done it on the cheap by using regional resources," a staffer said.
"Even if there weren't high-end pieces, you could call in all the regional contributions and do it at one of the CBC's local headquarters."
To replace NHL games on the show, the CBC might have organized a women's national team game or a major junior all-star event, which, after Canada's triumph at the world junior tournament, would have appeal.
But what bothers many is the CBC's decision to ignore hockey generally during the lockout and shelve the Hockey Night brand.
"They've shut it down," a source said. "That's what shocks me. Why would they just let the brand disappear?"
Said another, "I just think it's open season on the CBC because of this decision."