Scott Layden is an assistant coach who is currently in his second season with the Utah Jazz. He is one of four assistants. Layden's objective as an assistant coach is to help Jazz players improve their basketball skills, prepare them for opponents with the use of scouting reports, and to coordinate the use of advance scouts.^[1] He is the son of former coach and general manager of the Jazz, Frank Layden, and a graduate of Saint Francis University in Loretto, Pennsylvania where he studied Business, Sports Management and Women's Studies.^[2]

Early career[link]

He also held various coaching jobs for the Jazz during the 1980s and '90s when his father was the head coach for the team. in 1981-82 he worked as a talent scout/assistant coach; he was promoted to assistant coach prior to the 1982 season, a position he held until 1988. It was during this time that he is generally considered responsible for the selection of a relatively unknown collegiate point guard out of Gonzaga University with the 16th pick in the 1984 NBA Draft: John Stockton. The following year, he directed the draft again and selected Karl Malone with the 13th pick. Stockton and Malone helped the Jazz make the playoffs 18 consecutive seasons, including two Western Conference Titles in 1997 and 1998. From 1988-90 he was the team's director of player personnel & assistant coach, a position he held shortly before he gave up his seat as assistant coach to focus solely on being the director of player personnel. In 1992 he was given the position of director of basketball operations, where he stayed until his 1996 promotion to vice president of basketball operations.^[3] He left the organization in 1999 to replace interim general manager of the New York Knicks Ed Tapscott.

General Manager of the New York Knicks[link]

Layden was the New York Knicks executive vice president and general manager from 1999–2001, and the president and general manager of the organization from 2001-2003.^[3] The Knicks under Layden's watch (and of his successor Isiah Thomas) were called the "Worst Franchise in Sports" by ESPN.com.^[4]

The 1999-00 NBA Season - Team Record: 50-32[link]

Layden took over as general manager of the Knicks after the strike-shortened, Cinderella-story season of 1998-99 that saw the team make history by becoming the first #8 seed in a conference to reach the NBA Finals.^[5] He replaced interim GM Ed Tapscott, who had already used the team's selection in the 1999 NBA Draft to take injured Frenchman Frédéric Weis with the team's first round pick over Ron Artest.

The new GM of the Knicks made his first notable transaction when he signed controversial shooting guard Latrell Sprewell to a five-year, $61.9 million dollar contract extension that would keep him in a Knick uniform through the 2003-04 season, although he would later be traded.^[6] Sprewell was a highly touted basketball talent, but he ran into off court issues with his former organization the Golden State Warriors when he was accused of strangling then head coach P. J. Carlesimo during a practice. Soon after becoming a member of the Knicks, Sprewell was involved in a motor vehicle accident that saw him, "drive his Mercedes-Benz on a freeway from an exit lane".^[7]

The 2000-01 NBA Season - Team Record: 48-34[link]

August 1, 2000 saw Layden make his second big move when he re-signed free agent power forward Kurt Thomas to a 3-year, $13M contract extension with a 1-year team option.

On September 20, the Knicks GM traded veteran, all-star, and team captain center Patrick Ewing to the Seattle SuperSonics in a four-team deal that saw back-up center Chris Dudley and the Knicks 2001 first-round draft pick go to the Phoenix Suns, in return for forwards Glen Rice & Lazaro Borrell, guard Vernon Maxwell, centers Luc Longley, Travis Knight, Vladimir Stepania, a 2001 first-round draft pick from the Los Angeles Lakers, a 2002 first-round draft pick from the Seattle SuperSonics, and two 2001 second-round draft picks. Rice played in 75 games, averaging 12 points-per-game for New York before being traded to Houston. Knight appeared in 126 games over three seasons, averaging less than 9 minutes per-game. Longley played in 25 games for the Knicks averaging 2 points and 2.6 rebounds, while Borrell, Maxwell, & Stepania never saw action for the team. Ewing's production had decreased due to age and chronic injury over the past few seasons, and team brass felt that a deal was in the best interest of the future of the organization.

On January 30, 2001, guard Erick Strickland and a first and second-round draft pick from the Ewing trade was sent to the Vancouver Grizzlies for back-up forward/center Othella Harrington. Harrington would go to play in 237 games for New York while only starting in 77.^[8] Vancouver would take Jamaal Tinsley with the 27th-pick in the draft acquired from New York.

February 22 saw guard Chris Childs and the other first-round draft pick sent to the Toronto Raptors in exchange for aging guards Mark Jackson and Muggsy Bogues. Bogues would never appear in a game for the Knicks, while Jackson would play less than two full seasons for the team that originally made him the 18th pick in the 1987 draft.

The 2001-02 NBA Season - Team Record: 30-52[link]

With the Knicks no longer having a first round draft pick in the 2001 NBA Draft, Layden used the team's two second round picks on Michael Wright of Arizona (39th overall) and center Eric Chenowith of Kansas (43rd overall). Neither player ever saw action in the NBA.^[9]

On July 23, Knicks shooting guard Allan Houston re-signed as a free agent to a 6-year, $100M guaranteed contract that would keep him in New York until the 2006-07 season, when he would be 35. The signing made Houston, who had never averaged 20-points-per-game in a season at that time, the highest-paid player in franchise history.^[10] This transaction put the team "well over $80 million in payroll this season [2001]." ^[11] Houston retired after the 2004-05 season with chronic knee complications; there was roughly $40,000,000 left on his contract.^[12]

Less than a month later, on August 10, Glen Rice was traded to the Houston Rockets and guard Muggsy Bogues to the Dallas Mavericks as part of a three-team deal in exchange for guard Howard Eisley from the Mavericks and forward Shandon Anderson from the Rockets. On paper this trade looks merely like a swap of average NBA players, but this was not the case. Eisley would end up playing in 154 games for Knicks, providing adequate numbers at the point guard position, but he was currently in the second year of a 7-year, $41 Million contract that he signed by Layden's former organization, the Utah Jazz. At the same time, Anderson, another former member of the Jazz was in the first year of a 6-year, $42 Million contract that he signed with the Rockets, which extended through the 2006-07 season. Anderson played in 245 games for the knicks over four seasons before being waived due to poor performance; he averaged less than 3 rebounds and 8 points-per-game during his stay. In comparison to the contracts New York gave up, Bogues was in the second year of a 4-year $8 Million contract with the fourth year being a team option, and Rice was under contract for three more years and $27 Million.^[13] The trade proved to be a bad financial decision as the team was well over the salary cap limit.

Layden's next major move came after the unexpected resignation of head coach Jeff Van Gundy on December 8. Don Chaney was selected as an interim coach for the remainder of the 2001-02 season. After the team went 20-43 .317% under his command, he was given a contract extension for the following season.

The 2002-03 NBA Season - Team Record: 37-45[link]

The biggest move that Layden made during the 2002-03 season was completed on draft night. After selecting Nenê with the 7th pick in the 2002 NBA draft, he was immediately traded along with Marcus Camby and Mark Jackson to the Denver Nuggets in return for power forward Antonio McDyess, the draft rights to guard Frank Williams and a 2003 second-round draft pick.^[14] McDyess, a former #2 draft pick, was already limited to role-player status due to chronic injury; He played only 18 games for the Knicks. Williams was a disappointment from the beginning, his Knick career lasted 65 games with only three starts. On the other end of this transaction, Denver received a solid NBA player in power forward/center Marcus Camby. Camby had averaged a double-double (at least 10 rebounds and 10 points per-game) over his last two seasons as a Knick and nearly 2 blocked shots, along with being an integral part of New York's eastern conference title in 1999.

The 2003-04 NBA Season - Team Record: 10-18[link]

Layden's last season as the GM for the Knicks started off with the selections of Mike Sweetney from Georgetown with the 9th-pick in the draft, Maciej Lampe of Poland with the 30th-pick, and Slavko Vraneš of Serbia and Montenegro with the 39th-pick. Sweetney was later traded by Layden's successor Isiah Thomas as part of the deal with the Chicago Bulls that saw the Knicks acquire center Eddy Curry. Lampe never played in a game for New York as he was later traded to the Phoenix Suns, also by Thomas as part of the deal that saw Stephon Marbury come to the Knicks. Vraneš also never saw NBA action with New York, he was waived by the team after being tendered a 1-year minimum contract; currently his career spans one game with the Portland Trail Blazers.

On July 23, 2003 Layden traded guard Latrell Sprewell with two years remaining on his contract to the Minnesota Timberwolves as part of a four-team trade that also included interactions with the 76ers and Hawks. In return, the Knicks acquired veteran forward Keith Van Horn. Van Horn, an integral part of the New Jersey Nets 2002 eastern conference title, played in only 47 games for New York in just one season, averaging 16.4 points and 7.3 rebounds-per-game.^[15]

The last notable transaction that Layden made as general manager came on October 9, when he signed Dikembe Mutombo to a 2-year contract.

Scott Layden was fired on December 22, 2003 by New York Knicks owner James Dolan.

References[link]

External links[link]

• NBA.com Page for Scott Layden on nba.com

The Sports Network, commonly abbreviated as TSN, is a Canadian English language Category C specialty channel and is Canada's leading English language sports TV channel. TSN premiered in 1984, in the first group of Canadian specialty cable channels.^[1] TSN is owned by CTV Specialty Television, a joint venture of Bell Media (80%) and ESPN (20%).

Bell Media also operates additional TSN-branded properties, including TSN2, TSN Radio 1050, TSN Radio 990, TSN Radio 1290 and two part-time regional feeds, Canadiens on TSN and Jets on TSN.

History[link]

Licensed by the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC) on April 2, 1984 as Action Canada Sports Network,^[2] the channel was launched by the Labatt Brewing Company on September 1st of the same year as "The Sports Network", or "TSN". TSN was formed partly to promote Labatt's flagship products, but also to act as a vehicle for the Toronto Blue Jays baseball team (which was also owned by Labatt at the time). In 1989, TSN also launched a sister French language service, Réseau des sports (RDS).

Due to CRTC regulations on the foreign ownership of broadcasters, Labatt was forced to sell TSN and RDS upon its acquisition by Interbrew in 1995. Labatt's broadcasting assets were sold to a privately held consortium named NetStar Communications, the investors of which included a number of Canadian firms as well as ESPN, which held about 30%.

Acquisition by CTV, expansion[link]

In 2000, after ESPN blocked two attempts by the Canadian partners to sell NetStar to Canwest, CTV Inc. acquired the Canadian partners' shares thanks in part to ESPN's disapproval of Canwest. CTV Inc. was acquired by Bell Canada and The Woodbridge Company (owners of The Globe and Mail newspaper) as part of the joint venture Bell Globemedia in 2001. As a result of its purchase of TSN, CTV would be forced to sell its regional sports network CTV Sportsnet, eventually selling it to part-owner Rogers Media. Incidentally, while TSN would move its operations to CTV's Agincourt complex after the acquisition, Rogers Sportsnet would not immediately move from Agincourt, effectively having the two competing networks sharing the same headquarters. This oddity would become an inside joke between personalities on both networks, would be referenced on-air by personalities on both networks, with many referring to moving between TSN and Sportsnet as "crossing the parking lot." Rogers Sportsnet would move from Agincourt to a new studio at the Rogers Building in Downtown Toronto in 2008.^[3]

Plans were made to re-launch TSN as ESPN Canada in 2001. However, due to the name recognition and value of the brand, the TSN name was maintained. However, TSN would begin incorporating elements of ESPN's branding into their own throughout the year, including a new logo using a similar design to ESPN's, and the renaming of its sports news program SportsDesk to SportsCentre (a variation of ESPN's SportsCenter, rendered using Canadian English).

In 2001, TSN would also launch a number of sister digital specialty channels; including a local version of ESPN Classic, and the NHL Network — a network devoted to ice hockey and the National Hockey League. TSN only holds minority interest in NHL Network however, it is also owned in part by Insight Sports and a consortium of the NHL and several of its Canadian franchises.

Beginning in 2006, the CRTC officially allowed TSN to operate national secondary digital feeds with limited amounts of alternative programming.^[4] Following this development, TSN began to use such a feed to broadcast additional programming that could not be aired on TSN due to scheduling conflicts or other events. On August 29, 2008, the feed evolved into a new 24-hour channel, similar to ESPN2, known as TSN2.^[5]

In October 2010, TSN announced the launch of a part-time feed to carry regional broadcasts of Montreal Canadiens games, in the eastern Canadian territory shared by Montreal and the Ottawa Senators.^[6] This feed (referred to on the Canadiens' website as "TSN Habs"^[7])

Acquisition by Bell, TSN Radio[link]

On September 10, 2010, Bell Canada announced plans to re-acquire 100% of CTVglobemedia's broadcasting arm, including its majority control of TSN. Under the deal, Woodbridge Company Limited, Torstar, and Ontario Teachers' Pension Plan will together receive $1.3 billion in either cash or equity in BCE, while BCE will also assume $1.7 billion in debt (BCE's existing equity interest is $200 million, for a total transaction value of $3.2 billion). Woodbridge has since simultaneously regained majority control of The Globe and Mail, with Bell retaining a 15% interest in December 2010. The deal closed on April 1, 2011, after the CRTC approved the sale on March 7, 2011.^[8]

After a longstanding speculation about TSN's interest in launching its own TSN-branded radio network, TSN entered radio broadcasting with the launch of the first TSN Radio station, a re-launch of AM station CHUM in Toronto on April 13, 2011.^[9] Bell Media's Bell Media Radio division already operates several sports radio stations elsewhere in Canada most of which currently branded under The Team moniker (which was introduced by previous owner CHUM Limited in its own failed attempt at establishing a national sports radio network), and it is expected that (if the launch of TSN Radio 1050 was a success) they will eventually adopt the TSN Radio branding as well, forming a sports radio network.^[10]

Also in 2011, TSN acquired broadcast rights to the returning Winnipeg Jets, through another regional TSN feed for the Jets' home market, and radio coverage on Bell-owned CFRW^[11] (which, along with Montreal station CKGM, also migrated to the TSN Radio brand on October 5, 2011)^[12] Additionally, Bell would also launch TSN Mobile TV, streaming versions of TSN and TSN2 offered through Bell Mobility's Mobile TV services.

On December 9, 2011, the Ontario Teachers' Pension Plan announced that it would sell its majority stake in Maple Leaf Sports & Entertainment to two major telecommunications companies; Bell Canada (TSN's main parent company) and Rogers Communications (owners of the competing Sportsnet chain of sports channels) with a 37.5% share each (Larry Tanenbaum will increase his ownership to a quarter of the company as well), in a deal expected to be valued at around $1.32 billion in total.^[13] The deal is expected to be completed in summer 2012, pending the approval of Canada's Competition Bureau, the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (with regards to MLSE's TV channels), as well as the leagues for each of MLSE's main sports franchises. The deal is expected to have a major impact on future broadcast rights for MLSE's teams, including the Toronto Maple Leafs and Toronto Raptors, as their ownership of the teams will offer enhanced coverage for the team through new platforms such as mobile television.^[14]

Following the announcement however, concerns were again raised by critics, speculating that Bell Media may attempt to acquire full rights to the NHL once CBC's current contract with the league expires in the 2013-14 season — using their potential ownership of the Toronto Maple Leafs, the NHL's highest valued franchise, as a impetus for such a coup. Concerns were also raised that such an arrangement could prevent wireless service providers other than Bell and Rogers from accessing its content. However, the CRTC ruled in favor of Telus in a decision requiring Bell and other media companies to allow other competing wireless providers access to its content, and not exclusively tie it to their own service.^[14]

Programming[link]

TSN's flagship news program is SportsCentre, a sports news program airing several times throughout the day. Formally known as Sportsdesk, it was re-vamped to closer resemble ESPN's own SportsCenter (including the use of its theme music, logo, and opening) in the Fall of 2001 as part of a corporate restructuring, closer aligning itself with new minority owner ESPN. In 2006, a new studio was built in order to prepare the show for its transition to high definition television — becoming the first daily news program in Canada to be produced in HD beginning on September 25, 2006. Other original programs on TSN include the talk show Off The Record, the automotive newsmagazine Motoring, and TSN The Reporters.

Through its minority ownership of TSN, the network also airs some of ESPN's original programming as well, including Pardon the Interruption, Sunday NFL Countdown The Sports Reporters, and other ESPN programs and documentaries.

Significant domestic broadcast rights[link]

As of the 2008 season, TSN is the exclusive broadcaster of the Canadian Football League, airing all of the league's games, including the season-ending Grey Cup.^[15] The network also airs the Vanier Cup, the country's championship university football game.^[16]

In February 2011, TSN announced that it had began a new broadcasting relationship with Major League Soccer, airing 24 matches during the 2011 season that involved the league's Canadian clubs, Toronto FC and Vancouver Whitecaps FC. 30 games will be shown by TSN in 2012 due to the addition of the Montreal Impact to the MLS. In addition the network, along with TSN2 will broadcast a package of other regular season games, the MLS All-Star Game, MLS Cup Playoffs and the MLS Cup.^[17]

On October 27, 2011, Bell Media and TSN announced that they had secured broadcast rights for FIFA soccer from 2015 to 2022. The rights include the 2018 FIFA World Cup, 2022 FIFA World Cup and 2015 FIFA Women's World Cup.^[18]

TSN has hosted much of Canada's supplementary Olympic coverage, being the first pay-TV station in the world to ever broadcast the Olympics with the 1988 Olympic Winter Games in Calgary, and having been part of the CBC's coverage from 1998 to 2008. In 2010, TSN began to participate in CTV and Rogers' current broadcasting rights to the Olympic Games for 2010 and 2012.

TSN has also broadcast major curling events; it began its current television contract with the Canadian Curling Association beginning in the 2008-09 season,^[19] and also runs the Casino Rama TSN Skins Game, an annual skins curling tournament. For major national and international events, including the Tim Hortons Brier, the Scotties Tournament of Hearts and the Ford World Championships, it has historically had a curling broadcast deal where the round-robin and page-playoff quarter-finals have aired on the network, while the semi-final and final rounds air on CBC — however, TSN's current contracts for the events give it exclusive coverage.

TSN has also historically been a broadcaster for Major League Baseball in Canada, as its former parent company, Labatt, was also the owner of the Toronto Blue Jays. However, TSN's coverage of the Blue Jays has decreased in recent years, as Sportsnet, which is owned by the Blue Jays' current parent company, Rogers Communications, has acquired the team's broadcast rights. Rogers continued to sub-license a yearly package of games to TSN for several seasons afterward until 2010, when TSN traded its remaining Blue Jays games back to Sportsnet (to allow it exclusive coverage of the team) in exchange for rights to ESPN Sunday Night Baseball. ESPN Sunday Night Baseball now airs on TSN2, although Sportsnet may re-claim broadcasts in the event of scheduling conflicts.

TSN also broadcasts Toronto Raptors games produced by Maple Leaf Sports & Entertainment, which included 47 games across TSN and TSN2 in the 2010-11 season.^[20]

Hockey[link]

TSN is a major broadcaster of ice hockey in Canada. It holds the national cable rights to broadcast the NHL in Canada, including regular season games on weeknights, and exclusivity on Wednesday nights. Beginning on the 2009 contract, TSN has the third, fifth, and seventh choices of series during first round of the Stanley Cup playoffs (previously, the CBC automatically had rights to any series involving a Canadian team)^[21] CTV also acquired the rights to The Hockey Theme after the CBC decided not to renew its rights to the theme song in June 2008 amid a legal dispute with its composer, Dolores Claman. A re-orchestrated version of the tune, which has been the theme song of Hockey Night in Canada for 40 years, has been used for hockey broadcasts on TSN and RDS since fall 2008.^[22] TSN also frequently carries games broadcast by NBC and NBC Sports Network, though more so on TSN2.

Additionally, TSN holds English-language rights to the Montreal Canadiens and the Winnipeg Jets. Their games are aired exclusively on part-time feeds carried within the home markets of the two teams respectively.

In 2006, CTVglobemedia attempted to acquire full rights to the NHL on television in Canada in a $1.4 billion dollar bid, which would have included coverage on TSN, CTV, and its French network RDS.^[23] However in March 2007, it was revealed that the NHL instead decided to maintain its relationship with CBC (which would allow it to maintain Hockey Night in Canada), but still expanded TSN's coverage to include more coverage of Canadian teams.

TSN also has a broadcasting contract with Hockey Canada, giving it the rights to broadcast the IIHF World Junior Championships, Men's and Women's World Hockey Championship, Men's Under-18 World Championships, Allan Cup, Royal Bank Cup, Spengler Cup, Telus Cup and Esso Cup.

Significant international broadcast rights[link]

Along with its coverage of Canadian events, TSN also airs coverage of international sporting events (primarily American), often simulcast from other broadcasters. TSN also currently airs Formula One, NASCAR, and IndyCar racing events. As of the 2011 season, TSN2 carries a weekly early NFL game (to compliment sister terrestrial network CTV's other regional games), NBC Sunday Night Football, and Monday Night Football. TSN also carries some of ESPN's NFL analysis and highlight programs, including NFL Live, Sunday NFL Countdown, and Monday Night Countdown TSN also serves as the main Canadian outlet for TNT's NBA coverage, along with exclusive Canadian rights to the NBA Finals.

TSN is the exclusive rights holder in Canada for all 4 Tennis Grand Slams. As of 2012, they have signed multi-year extensions for the Australian Open,^[24] French Open^[25] & Wimbledon.^[26]

On February 1, 2011, TSN announced that they had acquired the rights to the Tour de France in a multi-year deal.^[27]

Much of TSN's coverage, especially for the NFL, NBA games not involving the Raptors, UEFA Champions League, American college football, the Grand Slams, and NASCAR events are simulcast from ESPN.

Wrestling[link]

TSN featured live professional wrestling in the form of World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE)'s flagship show, RAW for over a decade. However, the WWE Raw program, which aired live, occasionally had been censored live for extremely violent scenes, or when female wrestlers or characters were assaulted by male wrestlers. These actions are supposed to be in order to meet Canadian broadcast standards, with repeat broadcasts often more heavily edited.

This disappointed many wrestling fans over the years, and is unusual since the violence of wrestling scenes are not significantly different from other television programs aired on regular Canadian networks. It was expected that in fall 2006, when TSN started airing the ESPN iteration of Monday Night Football (as well as the NBC Sunday Night Football games), that WWE RAW was expected to air on tape delay during the NFL season. However, the WWE decided to move the program to rival sports network The Score rather than air on tape delay, although RAW continues to air on tape delay on The Score by 15 minutes, for editing purposes in addition to limits on the amount of live programming the Score can air in a week.

In 2004, both TSN and Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (TNA) Wrestling, (known then as NWA-TNA), erroneously announced that Impact! would air on the network, although that deal was never completed and the article on the TSN Wrestling page was taken down shortly after. However, TSN's French-language sister network RDS airs the program.

In past years, TSN also aired shows from the American Wrestling Association (AWA), Stampede Wrestling and World Championship Wrestling (WCW) Monday Night Nitro, as well as producing a one-hour show called Pro Wrestling Plus, which featured highlights from various promotions and was hosted by Stampede announcer Ed Whalen; that program was the Canadian equivalent of the syndicated American program Pro Wrestling This Week.

The final episode of WWE RAW, aired July 31, 2006, although it did not end the relationship between TSN and WWE as the 2007 WWE Hall of Fame induction ceremony was aired on the network. As well, Off The Record with Michael Landsberg continues to occasionally feature professional wrestlers in unscripted interviews, which it has throughout its run.

Other sports[link]

From August 2009, TSN and TSN2 have commenced screening live and delayed coverage of Australian Rules Football. Selected games from the Australian Football League (or AFL as the competition is also known) Premiership Season and Finals Series including the AFL Grand Final are broadcast live or on delay every weekend.

In May 2011, Bell Media and Skate Canada announced a 10-year rights agreement making CTV, TSN and RDS the official broadcasters of Skate Canada. As part of the agreement, CTV, TSN and RDS acquire exclusive multimedia rights to all of Skate Canada’s premiere domestic events including Skate Canada International and the Canadian Figure Skating Championships.

In 2011, TSN carried the Rugby World Cup, also with live and tape delayed coverage.

Personalities[link]

Current[link]

• Russ Anber – In This Corner analyst
• Jack Armstrong - Basketball analyst
• Kate Beirness - SportsCentre anchor
• Rod Black – Toronto Blue Jays, Toronto Raptors, Figure Skating play-by-play announcer and CFL on TSN play-by-play announcer
• Shawn Churchill – Winnipeg reporter
• Jock Climie – CFL on TSN studio analyst
• Chris Cuthbert – CFL on TSN and NHL on TSN play-by-play announcer
• James Cybulski – Toronto reporter
• Darren Dreger – NHL on TSN Insider
• Darren Dutchyshen – SportsCentre anchor / In This Corner host
• Matt Dunigan – CFL on TSN studio and colour analyst
• James Duthie – NHL on TSN studio host
• Claude Feig - Toronto reporter
• Ray Ferraro - NHL on TSN colour analyst
• Duane Forde – CFL on TSN colour analyst
• Sheri Forde – Toronto reporter
• Jermain Franklin – Calgary reporter
• Jennifer Hedger – SportsCentre anchor
• Leah Hextall – SportsCentre host (substitute)
• Dave Hodge – The Reporters host
• Paul Hollingsworth – Halifax/Atlantic Canada reporter
• Holly Horton – SportsCentre anchor
• Russ Howard – Curling on TSN colour analyst
• Lee Jones – Regina reporter
• Steve Kouleas – That's Hockey 2Nite host
• Michael Landsberg – Off The Record host
• Farhan Lalji – Vancouver reporter
• Pierre LeBrun – NHL on TSN Insider
• John Lu – Montreal reporter
• Maggie the Macaque – NHL on TSN playoff prognosticator
• Bob McKenzie – NHL on TSN Insider, hockey analyst
• Gord Miller – play-by-play announcer for the NHL on TSN, World Junior Hockey Championships and occasionallyCFL on TSN
• Linda Moore- Curling on TSN colour analyst
• Bryan Mudryk – SportsCentre anchor
• Dave Naylor - Football analyst
• Sara Orlesky – Winnipeg reporter
• Jay Onrait – SportsCentre anchor
• Dan O'Toole – SportsCentre anchor
• Jesse Palmer – NFL on TSN analyst – Monday Morning Quarterback
• Darren Pang – NHL on TSN studio analyst
• Blake Price - Vancouver reporter
• Dave Randorf – CFL on TSN studio host, NHL on TSN reporter, play-by-play announcer for Canadian women's hockey..
• Vic Rauter – Formula One studio host / Curling on TSN play-by-play announcer
• Gino Reda – That's Hockey host
• Ryan Rishaug – Edmonton reporter
• Darcy Seaton – Edmonton reporter
• Dan Shulman – March Madness on TSN studio analyst. Also featured in Sportscentre segments. (Former Toronto Blue Jays, NHL on TSN and NBA on TSN play-by-play; now play-by-play for ESPN, although TSN may simulcast games he calls)
• Chris Schultz – CFL on TSN studio analyst
• Rod Smith – SportsCentre anchor
• Natasha Staniszewski – SportsCentre anchor
• Milt Stegall – CFL on TSN studio analyst (substitute)
• Glen Suitor – CFL on TSN colour analyst
• Pat Tabler – Toronto Blue Jays colour analyst
• Brent Wallace – Ottawa reporter
• Bob Weeks – [Score Golf Television] host and golf analyst
• Michael Whalen – Montreal reporter
• Luke Wileman - Toronto FC play-by-play
• Brian Williams – Olympic games host, Figure Skating host, and CFL on TSN on site host
• Cory Woron – SportsCentre anchor

Various reporters and analysts from ESPN (such as Chris Berman, Barry Melrose and Steve Phillips) may also be featured in certain segments.

Former[link]

• Thea Andrews (later a correspondent/Sub. Host/Weekend edition co-host for Entertainment Tonight from 2006 to 2009)
• David Amber (now works at the NHL Network)
• Dale Barnes (former soccer announcer)
• Lisa Bowes (former Winnipeg and Calgary reporter; now a reporter at CTV Calgary)
• Mark Bunting (former Winnipeg and Toronto reporter; now with BNN)
• Peter Burwash (former Tennis analyst)
• Ken Chilibeck (former Edmonton reporter)
• Brendan Connor (now a sports anchor at Al-Jazeera English)
• Gary Green (former NHL on TSN colour analyst; now an analyst at the NHL Network)
• Lisa Hillary (now an anchor and reporter at Comcast SportsNet Philadelphia)
• Jim Hughson (former NHL on TSN and Toronto Blue Jays play-by-play; now Hockey Night in Canada play-by-play on CBC)
• Teresa Kruze (former Sportsdesk anchor; now an anchor and reporter at CTVglobemedia's 24-hour news channel based in Toronto, CP24)
• Robyn Matsumoto (former TSN Maritimes reporter)
• Pierre McGuire – (former colour analyst / studio analyst for the NHL on TSN and World Junior Hockey Championships; now a hockey analyst for NBC Sports and NBC Sports Network)
• Wray Morrison (former Regina reporter; now at CKOM)
• Leif Pettersen (former CFL on TSN colour analyst; deceased)
• Ken Reid (former sportscentre anchor, now at Sportsnet)
• Paul Romanuk (former NHL on TSN play-by-play; now a freelance sportscaster in London, England)
• Chris Sedens (former Sportsdesk anchor, now with KNX (AM))
• Mike Toth (former Sportsdesk anchor and Baseball Tonight host)
• Ray Turnbull (Former Curling on TSN colour analyst)
• Jim Van Horne (former Sportsdesk anchor and NHL on TSN studio host; now an anchor at the NHL Network)
• Peter Watts
• Alex J. Walling (former TSN Halifax/Atlantic Canada reporter)
• John Wells (former CFL on TSN play-by-play, NHL on TSN studio host; now retired)

Original programmes[link]

• CFL on TSN – Live coverage of CFL games with Dave Randorf in studio and a panel joining him to analyze the games – Jock Climie, Matt Dunigan and Chris Schultz. Friday broadcasts are known as Friday Night Football
• Curling on TSN - Live coverage of the Canadian Curling Association, Continental Cup of Curling, the TSN Skins Game, the World Curling Championships, and Olympic Curling.
• In this Corner – The latest news and reports from world of Boxing with Darren Dutchyshen and Russ Anber
• NASCAR Canadian Tire Series - Live coverage of select NASCAR Canadian Tire Series races^[28]
• NHL on TSN – Live coverage of NHL games. Hosted by James Duthie. Analysts include Bob McKenzie, Darren Dreger, Pierre LeBrun, Aaron Ward, and Marc Crawford
• Off The Record - talk show featuring various personalities discussing the latest sports headlines with host Michael Landsberg
• SportsCentre – Flagship news show on the network
• TSN Profile – Biographical portrait of various sports personalities
• TSN The Reporters – Sunday roundtable debate that examines the issues making headlines with Dave Hodge and featuring top Canadian Sports journalists
• That's Hockey – All the latest news and reports from the National Hockey League with Gino Reda and analysts Mike Johnson and Jamie McLennan
• TSN Skins Game – Annual curling bonspiel
• Toronto Raptors Basketball – About 20 games a year. Produced by NBA TV Canada

Former programmes[link]

• Vancouver Grizzlies Basketball (1995–2001)
• Montreal Expos Baseball (1985–1999, 2001)
• Toronto Blue Jays Baseball (1984–2009)

TSN HD[link]

TSN HD is a high definition simulcast of TSN that launched on August 15, 2003. TSN HD airs widescreen and high-definition feeds of sporting events when available. On September 25, 2006, SportsCentre transitioned to HD, airing high definition highlights of sporting events when possible, adding even more high definition content to the channel.

TSN.ca[link]

The Sports Network launched their website TSN.ca on October 1, 1995.^[29]

International distribution[link]

• Jamaica – distributed on Flow Cable systems.^[30]
• Bahamas – distributed on Cable Bahamas systems.^[31]

References[link]

12.AFL and ESPN(TSN)in U.S./Canada TV Rights Deal.^[32]

13.TV coverage returns to TSN and ESPN. [1]

External links[link]

• TSN
• TSN HD

v t e   Sports television in Canada Broadcast networks Full sports divisions CBC Sports • Radio-Canada Sports Occasional or U.S. simulcasts only Citytv • CTV • Global • TVA • V • CHCH/CHEK/Metro 14† Mainstream specialty English Sportsnet • Sportsnet One • The Score • TSN • TSN2 French RDS • RDS2 • RDS Info • TVA Sports Niche specialty (English) Archival ESPN Classic Canada Sport specific ATN Cricket • ATN Cricket Plus • EuroWorld Sport • Fight Network • GolTV • HPItv • Leafs TV • NBA TV Canada • NHL Network • Sportsnet World Lifestyle and recreation radX • Wild TV • WFN Occasional broadcasts bold • CBN • EastLink TV • Rogers TV • Shaw TV • TVCogeco Defunct Breakaway PPV • CFN • Fox Sports World Canada • Sens TV • WTSN • X-Treme Sports Foreign Big Ten Network (USA) • CBS Sports Network (USA) • Golf Channel (USA) • NFL Network (USA) • Speed (USA) †These three stations are officially independent stations, but they jointly purchase Canadian broadcast rights to sports events and some other programming.

For people with the same or similar name, see Isiah Thomas (disambiguation)

Isiah Thomas

Isiah Thomas during his head coaching tenure with the Knicks.
No. 11
Point guard
Personal information
Born	(1961-04-30) April 30, 1961 (age 51) Chicago, Illinois
Nationality	American
High school	St. Joseph (Westchester, Illinois)
Listed height	6 ft 1 in (1.85 m)
Listed weight	180 lb (82 kg)
Career information
College	Indiana (1979–1981)
NBA Draft	1981 / Round: 1 / Pick: 2nd overall
Selected by the Detroit Pistons
Pro career	1981–1994
Career history
As player:
1981–1994	Detroit Pistons
As coach:
2000–2003	Indiana Pacers
2006–2008	New York Knicks
2009–2012	FIU (NCAA)
Career highlights and awards
2× NBA Champion (1989–1990) NBA Finals MVP (1990) 12× NBA All-Star (1982–1993) 2× NBA All-Star Game MVP (1984, 1986) 3× All-NBA First Team (1984–1986) 2× All-NBA Second Team (1983, 1987) NBA All-Rookie First Team (1982) NCAA Champion (1981) NCAA Final Four Most Outstanding Player (1981) Consensus NCAA All-American First Team (1981) J. Walter Kennedy Citizenship Award (1987) NBA's 50th Anniversary All-Time Team No. 11 Retired by the Detroit Pistons
Career NBA statistics
Points	18,822 (19.2 ppg)
Assists	9,061 (9.3 apg)
Steals	1,861 (1.9 spg)
Stats at Basketball-Reference.com
Basketball Hall of Fame as player
Medals Competitor for USA Men's basketball Pan American Games Gold 1979 San Juan Team competition

Isiah Lord Thomas III ( /aɪˈzeɪ.ə/; born April 30, 1961), nicknamed "Zeke",^[1] is a retired American basketball player who played collegiately for the Indiana University Hoosiers. He went on to play professionally as point guard for the Detroit Pistons of the National Basketball Association (NBA) from 1981 until 1994 and led the "Bad Boys" to the NBA Championship in the 1988–89 and 1989–90 seasons. He was a 12-time NBA All-Star and named one of the 50 Greatest Players in NBA History. After his playing career, he was an executive with the Toronto Raptors, a television commentator, an executive with the Continental Basketball Association, head coach of the Indiana Pacers, and an executive and head coach for the New York Knicks. He was later the men's basketball coach for the Florida International University (FIU) Golden Panthers for three seasons from 2009 to 2012.

Early life[link]

Thomas was born on April 30, 1961, in Chicago, Illinois. The youngest of nine brothers and sisters, he commuted from the North Lawndale neighborhood on the West Side of Chicago to play high school basketball at St. Joseph High School in Westchester, Illinois for Gene Pingatore.^[2] He would wake up at 5 am and commute 90 minutes to attend the private school.^[2] During his junior year, he led St. Joseph to the State Finals and was considered one of the top college prospects in the country.^[3]

College career[link]

Thomas was recruited to play college basketball for Bob Knight and the Indiana University Hoosiers. Although he received mail saying Knight tied up his players and beat them, he didn't believe the rumors.^[3] When Knight visited the Thomas home, one of Isiah's brothers, who wanted him to attend DePaul, embarrassed him by insulting the Indiana coach and engaging him in a shouting match. Nevertheless, Thomas chose Knight and Indiana because he felt that getting away to Bloomington would be good for him, as would be Knight's discipline.^[3]

Thomas quickly had to adjust to Knight's disciplinarian style. At the 1979 Pan American Games in Puerto Rico Knight got so mad at Thomas he threatened to put him on a plane home. Knight recalled yelling at the freshman-to-be, "You ought to go to DePaul, Isiah, because you sure as hell aren't going to be an Indiana player playing like that."^[3] Prior to the start of his freshman year, the 1979-80 season, Knight became so upset with Thomas that he kicked him out of a practice. According to Thomas, Knight was making a point that no player, no "matter how talented, is bigger than Knight's philosophy."^[3]

However, Thomas quickly proved his skills as a player and became a favorite with both Knight and Indiana fans. Fans would display bed sheets with quotations from the Book of Isaiah ("And a little child shall lead them") and nicknamed him "Mr. Wonderful."^[3] Because of his relatively short stature (6'1" tall) Coach Knight would call Thomas "Pee Wee".^[3]

Thomas was so superior to any of the other Indiana players that Knight had to adjust his coaching style.^[3] He and Mike Woodson led the Hoosiers to the Big Ten championship and advanced to the 1980 Sweet Sixteen.

The following year, the 1980-81 season, Knight made Thomas the captain and told him to run the show on the floor.^[3] Thomas responded so positively that, as the season unfolded, Knight and Thomas grew as friends. When a Purdue player took a cheap shot at Isiah in a game at Bloomington, Knight called a press conference to defend his star. And 19 days later, when Thomas hit an Iowa player and was ejected from a game, Knight refused to criticize Thomas.^[3]

That year Thomas and the Hoosiers once again won a conference title and won the 1981 NCAA tournament, the school's fourth national title. He earned the tournament's Most Outstanding Player award. Following his sophomore season and the Hoosiers' national championship, Thomas made himself eligible for the NBA Draft.

NBA playing career[link]

In the 1981 NBA Draft, the Detroit Pistons chose Thomas with the No. 2 pick and signed him to a four-year $1.6 million contract. Thomas made the All-Rookie team and started for the Eastern Conference in the 1982 All-Star Game.

In the opening round of the 1984 NBA Playoffs, Thomas and the Pistons faced off against Bernard King and the New York Knicks. In the pivotal fifth game, Thomas was having a subpar performance, while Bernard King was having an excellent game. However, Thomas scored 16 points in the last 94 seconds to force the game into overtime. King and the Knicks, however, held on to win in overtime.

In the 1985 NBA Playoffs, Thomas and his team went to the conference semi-finals against the 15-time NBA champion Boston Celtics led by Larry Bird, Kevin McHale, Robert Parish, and Dennis Johnson. Detroit couldn't shake the Celtics in their six-game series, eventually losing.

In the 1987 NBA Playoffs, Thomas and the Pistons went to the Eastern Conference Finals and faced the Boston Celtics. It was the furthest the team had advanced since moving from Fort Wayne when they were the Zollner-Pistons. The Pistons were able to tie the Celtics at two games apiece. Detroit's hope of winning Game 5 was dashed at the Boston Garden with seconds remaining in a play by Larry Bird: Thomas attempted to quickly inbound the ball, Bird stole the inbound pass and passed it to Dennis Johnson for the game-winning layup.

In 1988, the Pistons' first trip to the Finals saw them face the Los Angeles Lakers, who were led by Magic Johnson, James Worthy, and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. Prior to the series, Thomas and Johnson would exchange a courtside kiss on the cheek prior to tip-off as a sign of their deep friendship.^[4][5] After taking a 3–2 series lead back to Los Angeles, Detroit appeared poised to win their first NBA title in Game 6.

One of Thomas' most inspiring and self-defining moments came in Game 6. Although he had severely sprained his ankle late in the game, Thomas continued to play. While hobbling and in obvious pain, Thomas scored 25 points in a single quarter of the game, an NBA Finals record. However, the Lakers won the game 103–102 on a pair of last-minute free throws by Kareem Abdul-Jabbar following a controversial foul called on Bill Laimbeer. With Thomas unable to compete at full strength the Lakers were able to take advantage and clinched their second consecutive title in Game 7, 108–105.

In the 1988–89 season, Thomas, along with fellow teammates Joe Dumars, Rick Mahorn, Vinnie Johnson, Dennis Rodman, James Edwards, John Salley, Bill Laimbeer, and Mark Aguirre, guided his team to a 63–19 win–loss record. Detroit played a brash and dominating brand of basketball through the playoffs that led to their nickname "Bad Boys". First they defeated Boston who had been suffering persistent injuries. The Pistons then defeated Michael Jordan and the up and coming Chicago Bulls in the Conference Finals to set up an NBA Finals rematch with the Lakers. Thomas and the Pistons then won their first of back-to-back championships when they defeated the Lakers in a 4-game sweep. The following year, Thomas was voted NBA Finals Most Valuable Player of the 1990 NBA Finals after averaging 27.6 points per game, 7.0 assists per game, and 5.2 rebounds per game in the series with Clyde Drexler's Portland Trail Blazers. The Pistons continued to play well between 1991 and 1993 but were not able to return to the NBA Finals as they were eclipsed by the growing Chicago Bulls dynasty. An aging and ailing Thomas decided to end his career at the end of the 1994 season, but he tore his Achilles' tendon in April 1994, forcing him to end his career as a player a month earlier.

Thomas was named to the All-NBA First team three times and is the Pistons' all-time leader in points, steals, games played and assists. He ranks fifth in NBA history in assists (9,061, 9.3 apg) and ranks ninth in NBA history in steals (1,861). Thomas was known for his dribbling ability as well as his ability to drive to the basket and score. His No. 11 was retired by the Detroit Pistons.

International career[link]

Thomas was selected to the 1980 Olympic team, but like all American athletes he was not able to play in Moscow due to the Olympics boycott. The boycotting countries instead participated in the gold medal series, a series of games against NBA teams, a French team and the 1976 Olympic gold medal team in various U.S. cities, recording a 5–1 record (losing to the Seattle SuperSonics). Thomas shot 22–55 from the field and 14–17 from the line. He led the U.S. in assists with 37 (the next highest total on the team was 17) and averaged 9.7 points per game.^[6]

Despite his talent, Thomas was left off the original Olympic Dream Team, possibly as a result of an alleged feud with Michael Jordan.^[7] In the book When the Game Was Ours, Magic Johnson relates that he, Jordan and other players conspired to keep Thomas off the Dream Team.^[4][8]

After Tim Hardaway left the team due to injury he was named to Dream Team II for the 1994 World Championship of Basketball, but did not play due to his Achilles tendon injury that caused his retirement.^[7] He was replaced by Kevin Johnson.

Post-NBA career[link]

Toronto Raptors[link]

After retiring, Thomas became part owner and Executive Vice President for the expansion Toronto Raptors in 1994. In 1998, he left the organization after a dispute with new management over the franchise's direction and his future responsibilities. During his four-year tenure with the team, the Raptors drafted Damon Stoudamire, Marcus Camby, and high schooler Tracy McGrady.

Broadcasting[link]

After leaving the Raptors, Thomas became a television commentator (first as the lead game analyst with play-by-play man Bob Costas and then as part of the studio team) for the NBA on NBC. Thomas also worked a three-man booth with Costas and Doug Collins.

CBA[link]

Thomas became the owner of the Continental Basketball Association (CBA) from 1998 to 2000. Thomas purchased the CBA for $10 million, and in 2001 the league was forced into bankruptcy and folded, shortly after NBA Commissioner David Stern decided to create his own development league, the NBDL, to replace the CBA.^[9] Many CBA managers blamed Thomas for the league's failure, citing mismanagement and out-of-control spending on his part. At the time of the league's collapse the managing of the CBA was in a blind trust, due to Thomas' position as head coach of the Indiana Pacers.

Indiana Pacers[link]

From 2000 to 2003, Thomas coached the Indiana Pacers, succeeding Larry Bird, who previously coached the Pacers to the Eastern Conference title. Thomas attempted to bring up young talents such as Jermaine O'Neal, Jamaal Tinsley, Al Harrington, and Jeff Foster. However, under Thomas the Pacers were not able to stay at the elite level as they went through the transition from a veteran-dominated, playoff-experienced team to a younger, more inexperienced team. In Thomas's first two seasons with the Pacers, the team was eliminated in the first round by the Philadelphia 76ers and the New Jersey Nets, both of whom eventually made the NBA Finals.

In his last year with the Pacers, Thomas guided the Pacers to a 48–34 record in the regular season and coached the Eastern Conference team at the 2003 NBA All-Star Game. As the third seed, the Pacers were eliminated in the first round of the playoffs by the sixth-seeded Boston Celtics. With blossoming talents such as Jermaine O'Neal, Brad Miller, Ron Artest, Al Harrington and Jamaal Tinsley, along with the veteran leadership of Reggie Miller, the perception existed that the Pacers' unfulfilled potential stemmed from Thomas' inexperience as a coach. In the offseason, Larry Bird returned to the Pacers as President of Basketball Operations, and his first act was to replace Thomas with Rick Carlisle.

Hall of Fame[link]

In 2000, Thomas was elected to the Basketball Hall of Fame in his first year of eligibility.^[10]

New York Knicks[link]

On December 22, 2003, the New York Knicks hired Thomas as President of Basketball Operations. Thomas was ultimately unsuccessful with the Knicks roster and fanbase. At the end of the 2005–06 season, the Knicks had the highest payroll in the league and the second-worst record. He traded away several future draft picks to Chicago in a deal for Eddy Curry including what turned out to be two lottery picks in talent-rich drafts.

On June 22, 2006, the Knicks fired coach Larry Brown, and owner James Dolan replaced him with Thomas under the condition that he show "evident progress" or be fired.

During the following season the Knicks became embroiled in a brawl with the Denver Nuggets, which Thomas allegedly instigated by ordering his players to commit a hard foul in the paint.^[11] However, he was not fined or suspended. NBA Commissioner David Stern said that he only relied on "definitive information" when handing out punishments.^[12] Later in the season, nine months after James Dolan demanded "evident progress", the Knicks re-signed Thomas to an undisclosed "multi-year" contract.^[13] After Thomas was granted the extension, the Knicks abruptly fell from playoff contention with a dismal finish to the season.

During the 2007 Draft, Thomas made another trade by acquiring Zach Randolph, Fred Jones, and Dan Dickau from the Portland Trail Blazers for Steve Francis and Channing Frye.

Thomas also compounded the Knicks' salary cap problems by signing fringe players such as Jerome James and Jared Jeffries to full mid-level exception contracts. Neither player saw any significant playing time and both were often injured and highly ineffective when able to play.

Despite the constant criticism that he received from Knicks fans, Thomas maintained that he had no intention of leaving until he turned the team around and he predicted that he would lead the Knicks to a championship, stating that his goal was to leave behind a "championship legacy" with the Knicks, just as he had done for the Detroit Pistons. This prediction was met with widespread skepticism.^[14]

On April 2, 2008, Donnie Walsh was introduced to replace Thomas as President of Basketball Operations for the Knicks. Walsh would not comment definitively on whether or not Thomas would be retained in any capacity at the time of his hiring.

One night after the Knicks tied a franchise record of 59 losses and ended their season, news broke that in talks with Walsh the week before, Thomas had been told he would not return as Knicks head coach the following season. He was officially "reassigned" on April 18 "after a season of listless and dreadful basketball, a tawdry lawsuit and unending chants from fans demanding his dismissal."^[15] Thomas posted an overall winning percentage of .341 as head coach of the Knicks, fifth lowest in team history. As part of the reassignment agreement, Thomas was to serve as a consultant to the team, reporting directly to Walsh. However, he was banned from having contact with any Knicks' players under the rationale that he could willingly or unwillingly undermine the new head coach.^[16]

FIU[link]

On April 14, 2009, Thomas accepted an offer to become the head basketball coach of FIU, replacing Sergio Rouco after 5 losing seasons.^[17] Thomas announced that he would donate his first year's salary back to the school.^[17] Thomas was quoted as saying, "I did not come here for the money."^[17]