April 1/17 1:21 am - Clara Hughes Joins Hockey Broadcast Team - UPDATED

Posted by Editor on 04/1/17
 

APRIL FOOLS !! Clara Hughes has NOT Joined Hockey Broadcast Team (although a number of people think she would make a great addition)

Canadian cycling and speedskating Olympic medalist Clara Hughes will be expanding her television role with CBC, joining Hockey Night in Canada host Ron MacLean for NHL coverage.

Hughes, with six Olympic medals, including two bronze medals in cycling from the 1996, has made a transition to television and public speaking since her retirement after the 2010 Vancouver Olympics, as well as her work in mental health (Bell's Let's Talk campaign) and sports advocacy (Right To Play).

At the Rio Games last year, Hughes worked closely with MacLean during the CBC coverage, providing daily commentary on different aspects of the Games [see a sample Here].

When CBC analyzed their coverage from Rio, they discovered that one of the most popular segments was the reports Hughes filed.

"Clara is immensely passionate about sports and Canadian sports in particular, and it shows in her appearances on CBC," said a spokesperson. "The chemistry between Clara and Ron was amazing, so we started looking at opportunities to expand on this, and hockey was a natural, given Clara's background in skating."

At this point, it appears that Hughes will perform the same role as in Rio; looking for interesting stories in and around hockey and then discussing them with MacLean during a segment of the HNIC broadcast.

"I am so excited about working again with Clara," said MacLean. "She brings passion and compassion to her stories, and she is way easier to work with than Don Cherry."

While CBC has not announced when Hughes will start appearing on HNIC, current expectations are during the playoffs this season.