Budget cuts dug deeply into sports at the CBC this week, and the bleeding may not be over.
CBC Newsworld's respected weekly show The Sports Journal has been cancelled immediately.
As well, the documentary division of CBC Sports has been shut down.
"Sports has never had a budget cut where positions were lost -- never," a source at the network said.
"This is a first. And there may be more to come.
"What's happening is significant, and it gives you an idea of how tough things are around here."
CBC spokeswoman Ruth-Ellen Soles said the cuts were made to fit a shrinking budget.
"It's a combination of increased salary and pension costs, the implementation of a directive to reduce travel costs by 10 per cent and a $10-million reduction in the [federal]allocation."
Staff have received termination and redundancy notices.
A bumping system based on seniority will decide who stays. Journal reporter Lisa Bowes is valued, but she joined the show just last year.
Host Tom Harrington is a contract employee.
His brother, Paul Harrington, who heads the CBC Sports documentary division, is a 28-year veteran and will be reassigned.
Over its seven years, the Journal has been on the cutting edge of issues such as homosexuality in sport, drug use and new performance enhancers such as human growth hormones and altitude tents.
"They were working miracles with a staff of four," a source said.
Soles describes the cuts as a "reconfiguration" of resources. Sports documentaries and features still will be produced, but aired on a nightly Newsworld show now in development called Signature Program.
Fire Martin
Ottawa Senators fans called for the head of coach Jacques Martin about as quickly as it took to dial into a phone-in show after the team's seventh-game loss to Toronto Maple Leafs on Tuesday.
In Toronto, Leafs radio host Andy Frost predicted that Martin "is out of Ottawa" by the weekend. Why? Well, because he was outcoached by Toronto's Pat Quinn, Frost said. Furthermore, the Leafs' "strong physical play" helped defeat the Senators.
We're not sure what series Frost watched, but the Senators outhit the Leafs, dominated the Leafs and would have eliminated them in four games, but for the goaltending of Ed Belfour. Do you fire Martin because of Belfour's goaltending and Senators goaltender Patrick Lalime's choke in the seventh game?
Commentator Bill Watters didn't see Quinn outduelling Martin.
He knocked the Leafs coach before the seventh game 7 for refusing to shake up his lines.
Why was 41-year-old Ron Francis centring Toronto's two best wingers, Gary Roberts and Alexander Mogilny? And why was Joe Nieuwendyk, Toronto's best centre, burdened with Nik Antropov and Alexei Ponikarovsky?
Leafs voice Joe Bowen calls the group the Skyline, but Watters more accurately refers to it as the flatliners.
Don Cherry of Hockey Night in Canada raised the same questions about Quinn's line combinations.
Don't fire him
Hockey experts weigh in on Martin: "It's silly getting rid of him," Cherry said. "Get him a goalie."
"It's change for change's sake," Watters said.
"The argument is he hasn't been able to get them to the next level, and I don't buy that," TSN's Pierre McGuire said. "I don't think he's ever had an elite goaltender."
Nick Kypreos of Rogers Sportsnet: "If I'm Ottawa [ownership] I take a closer look at [Senators president]Roy Mlakar and [general manager]John Muckler. They had $10-million committed to improving the hockey club and they just spent on the wrong players.
Predictions
Greg Millen:
Leafs over Flyers. "The Leafs are resilient. Belfour, the way he's playing, will be the difference."
Montreal Canadiens over Tampa Bay Lightning. "Canadiens have something special going on."
Detroit Red Wings over Calgary Flames.
Colorado over San Jose. "Peter Forsberg and Rob Blake are really starting to play."
Pierre McGuire:
Flyers over Leafs. "Brian Leetch will be stapled to the backboards the whole series."
Lightning over Habs. "They can match the speed and goaltending of the Canadiens."
Wings over Flames. "Curtis Joseph looks very comfortable in goal."
Sharks over Avs. "In a very long, very hard series."
Nick Kypreos:
Flyers over Leafs. "A long series because of Belfour alone."
Lightning over Habs. "Because of Nikolai Khabibulin alone."
Wings over Flames. "Experience will pay off for them."
Sharks over Avs "[Avs goalie David]Aebischer has showed cracks."
Record audiences
The CBC's Hockey Night drew its highest ratings for the first round of the Stanley Cup playoffs since a new system of measuring audiences was started in 1989. The telecasts, featuring two all-Canadian match-ups and Montreal against Boston, averaged 1.987 million viewers a game, an increase of 17 per cent from last year. Game 7 of Ottawa-Toronto drew 3.679 million viewers.
Hockey Night has moved the broadcast team of Chris Cuthbert and Greg Millen to the Montreal-Tampa Bay series. Don Wittman and Glenn Healy will work Calgary-Detroit. Bob Cole and Harry Neale call Leafs-Flyers.
At the start of the Hockey Night telecast on Tuesday, Cherry, who prides himself on his predictions, was asked by Ron MacLean to pick the winner between Toronto and Ottawa. Cherry bailed out, muttering something about sudden death and sudden life.