Campbell makes history on Hockey Night in Canada
LANGLEY, B.C. (CUP) -- It was six hours till game time on Oct. 14, and Hockey Night in Canada executive producer Joel Darling needed to make a decision.
The Toronto Maple Leafs were about to play the Calgary Flames. Veteran colour analyst Harry Neale was stuck in Buffalo, snowed in by the 30 inches they'd received overnight. He wasn't going to make it to the game and Darling needed a replacement.
He called Cassie Campbell, initially hired by CBC to do rink-side reporting, and informed her that she was going to be the first woman in Hockey Night in Canada's rich history to do colour analyst work during a broadcast.
Cassie Campell is used to pressure. After all, she was captain of the Canadian women's Olympic hockey team, leading them to gold medals in 2002 and 2006. She is the only player in Canadian history, male or female, to captain a national team to two gold medal victories in the Olympics.
But this wasn't the usual type of pressure. Hockey Night in Canada is a Canadian tradition. Hockey fans across Canada have grown accustomed to hearing Bob Cole and Harry Neale, or Jim Hughson and Greg Millen during a broadcast. How would they react to hearing the game's deeper intricacies explained through the eyes of a woman?
Trinity Western University student Gareth Jones has been a Maple Leafs fan all his life. He grew up in a home where Saturday nights were dedicated to watching Hockey Night in Canada, while Bob Cole and Harry Neale called the action. Jones was watching on this Saturday night too, and hearing Campbell's voice caught him off-guard.
“At first I didn't realize she was doing the whole game,” says Jones. “I was shocked.” His surprise turned into interest as the game unfolded. “I definitely was more attentive to what she was saying, just as a general interest.”
This is the challenge that Campbell faces as a woman in what is largely a man's world. There had never been a female in the broadcast booth prior to Campbell, and in the world of professional sports, women face a constant uphill battle to prove themselves. Campbell's on-ice credentials won't automatically translate to in-the-booth credibility.
“I understand why they wanted [Campbell] to do it,” says Jones, “but just because she played the game doesn't necessarily mean she'll be a good announcer.”
There are certainly some pre-conceived notions that accompany the idea of a female being in the broadcast booth. At the first miscue a women would be perceived as unknowledgeable, whereas a male broadcaster would more often be given the benefit of the doubt. But Jones doesn't see it as a gender issue.
“People, in the long run, won't base it on her gender, but they'll base it on [her] talent,” he says.
TWU student Barb Gartly can relate to the challenges Campbell faces. She knows how it feels to be the only female in a world dominated by men. For years she was the only girl on an all-boys minor hockey team, an experience that she says was one of the most challenging of her life.
“Legitimizing herself will be one of the toughest things she's done,” Gartly says of Campbell. “Guys aren't just going to let her in.”
Perhaps this pioneering broadcast will develop a generation of aspiring female broadcasters. Campbell's generation of female hockey players has increased the game's popularity among young girls, but having girls look up to you doesn't help your stock amongst the boys.
“The fact that girls are backing her will only help her in the eyes of the girls,” says Gartly. “She'll still have to prove herself to the guys.”
It is unlikely Campbell will be in the booth again any time soon, simply because Harry Neale won't be snowed in home every week. But that does not change the fact that she has made history in professional sports, whether the general public embraces it or not. She will carry on as a rink-side reporter, and she will still face obstacles as a woman in the NHL's limelight. At the very least, she has begun to lay the groundwork for changes in the world of sports broadcasting.
The Toronto Maple Leafs were about to play the Calgary Flames. Veteran colour analyst Harry Neale was stuck in Buffalo, snowed in by the 30 inches they'd received overnight. He wasn't going to make it to the game and Darling needed a replacement.
He called Cassie Campbell, initially hired by CBC to do rink-side reporting, and informed her that she was going to be the first woman in Hockey Night in Canada's rich history to do colour analyst work during a broadcast.
Cassie Campell is used to pressure. After all, she was captain of the Canadian women's Olympic hockey team, leading them to gold medals in 2002 and 2006. She is the only player in Canadian history, male or female, to captain a national team to two gold medal victories in the Olympics.
But this wasn't the usual type of pressure. Hockey Night in Canada is a Canadian tradition. Hockey fans across Canada have grown accustomed to hearing Bob Cole and Harry Neale, or Jim Hughson and Greg Millen during a broadcast. How would they react to hearing the game's deeper intricacies explained through the eyes of a woman?
Trinity Western University student Gareth Jones has been a Maple Leafs fan all his life. He grew up in a home where Saturday nights were dedicated to watching Hockey Night in Canada, while Bob Cole and Harry Neale called the action. Jones was watching on this Saturday night too, and hearing Campbell's voice caught him off-guard.
“At first I didn't realize she was doing the whole game,” says Jones. “I was shocked.” His surprise turned into interest as the game unfolded. “I definitely was more attentive to what she was saying, just as a general interest.”
This is the challenge that Campbell faces as a woman in what is largely a man's world. There had never been a female in the broadcast booth prior to Campbell, and in the world of professional sports, women face a constant uphill battle to prove themselves. Campbell's on-ice credentials won't automatically translate to in-the-booth credibility.
“I understand why they wanted [Campbell] to do it,” says Jones, “but just because she played the game doesn't necessarily mean she'll be a good announcer.”
There are certainly some pre-conceived notions that accompany the idea of a female being in the broadcast booth. At the first miscue a women would be perceived as unknowledgeable, whereas a male broadcaster would more often be given the benefit of the doubt. But Jones doesn't see it as a gender issue.
“People, in the long run, won't base it on her gender, but they'll base it on [her] talent,” he says.
TWU student Barb Gartly can relate to the challenges Campbell faces. She knows how it feels to be the only female in a world dominated by men. For years she was the only girl on an all-boys minor hockey team, an experience that she says was one of the most challenging of her life.
“Legitimizing herself will be one of the toughest things she's done,” Gartly says of Campbell. “Guys aren't just going to let her in.”
Perhaps this pioneering broadcast will develop a generation of aspiring female broadcasters. Campbell's generation of female hockey players has increased the game's popularity among young girls, but having girls look up to you doesn't help your stock amongst the boys.
“The fact that girls are backing her will only help her in the eyes of the girls,” says Gartly. “She'll still have to prove herself to the guys.”
It is unlikely Campbell will be in the booth again any time soon, simply because Harry Neale won't be snowed in home every week. But that does not change the fact that she has made history in professional sports, whether the general public embraces it or not. She will carry on as a rink-side reporter, and she will still face obstacles as a woman in the NHL's limelight. At the very least, she has begun to lay the groundwork for changes in the world of sports broadcasting.
