According to The Toronto Star's Dave Feschuk, George Stroumboulopoulos won’t return as host of Hockey Night in Canada next season. His replacement will be the man he replaced, Ron MacLean.
Strombo is a tremendous broadcaster, and I was lucky enough to converse with him for almost two hours during episode 103 of my podcast. He's a natural interviewer, with several passions that make him one of this country's finest. Subjective, I know, but I thought he was just fine as host of Hockey Night in Canada. I just believe the position should never have been open in the first place.
As Ron MacLean told me during his recent visit to my home podcast studio for episode 165, he lost his Hockey Night in Canada hosting duties because he refused to give Gary Bettman a free pass. MacLean strikes me as someone who struggles with the ethics of journalism, and simply won't toe the line for any job, ever. During the last two seasons, he was grossly underutilized by Rogers Hockey, and I told him that.
I'm happy to see a wrong righted with MacLean, but sorry to see it come at the expense of Strombo. You won't find two nicer, more accommodating broadcasters in this country.
