Hockey Night in Canada host Ron MacLean called out by Toronto reporter Steve Simmons

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Cooper Godin
September 24, 2024 (6:59)

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Hockey Night in Canada host Ron MacLean has been called out by Toronto reporter Steve Simmons.

Toronto Sun reporter Steve Simmons isn't afraid to speak his mind, as we've seen over the years. Some find him to be tiresome, while others believe his articles are a breath of fresh air on certain topics around hockey and the sports community in Canada's biggest city.

In one of his more recent articles in the Toronto Sun, Simmons wrote about Rogers purchasing a major stake purchasing a major stake in Maple Leafs Sports & Entertainment for $4.7 billion CAD.

Simmons ripped into the deal, saying that it will be good for the players because they'll be paid well and given a comfortable life if the play for the Maple Leafs or any other team under the MLSE and Rogers umbrella including the Toronto Raptors and Toronto Blue Jays. However, Simmons says that this deal isn't good overall for the because Edward Rogers knows more about spending than winning.

"What does Rogers, the man, think of that? Who knows. He has never said. He never has done an interview that hasn't been staged. He doesn't turn down requests to talk because he doesn't even acknowledge them.

His games are on Rogers television. Broadcast by Rogers stations. Covered by Rogers reporters. The all-sports radio station, owned by Rogers, is almost all baseball, all the time. Everything operates as though it is in house." Simmons said.

In a separate article, Simmons went on to call out Ron MacLean, host of Hockey Night in Canada. MacLean hosted an interview with Ed Rogers and Tony Staffieri after the deal was announced, to which Simmons called it a 'dog-an-pony show'.

"Ron MacLean should have said no. But clearly, his own self-respect has disappeared over time. He didn't have to participate in that dog-and-pony show interview with Ed Rogers and Tony Staffieri after the huge sale at MLSE. MacLean has been around long enough to have walked away from that embarrassing infomercial." Simmons said.

With Rogers purchasing that 37.5% stake, which was previously owned by its telecommunications rival, Bell, it could lead to a shift in who broadcasts hockey here in Canada. By selling their stake, Bell could be positioning themselves to make a bid for the NHL's broadcasting rights in Canada once the current contract with Rogers runs out at the end of the 2025-26 season. If Bell happens to bid and it becomes successful, national telecasts could return to TSN for the first time in over a decade.