Sportsnet and CBC drop Jim Hughson from opening round playoff coverage

According to the details of Sportsnet's broadcast schedule announcement, longtime Hockey Night in Canada play by play man Jim Hughson will NOT call the action in the opening round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs for Sportsnet or CBC.

In a detailed announcement on their website, Sportsnet confirmed that the team of Chris Cuthbert and Craig Simpson will call the action for the Toronto Maple Leafs vs Montreal Canadiens series, while the team of Harnarayan Singh and Louie DeBrusk will call the action in the Edmonton Oilers vs Winnipeg Jets Series.

From Sportsnet:

Toronto Maple Leafs vs. Montreal Canadiens – Play-by-play announcer Chris Cuthbert and game analyst Craig Simpson team up to deliver the call from Montreal and Toronto, with reporter Kyle Bukauskas serving up the latest news from the first-round series.

Edmonton Oilers vs. Winnipeg Jets – Harnarayan Singh delivers the play-by-play call alongside game analyst Louie DeBrusk throughout the Round 1 showdown. Gene Principe and Scott Oake report from Edmonton and Winnipeg, respectively.

This will likely come as a huge relief to Leafs fans who feel that Hughson... well he doesn't exactly call the games the way Leafs fans would like. Many Leafs fans accuse Hughson of actively cheering against the Leafs while calling Leafs games. Personally, I'm not sure that's a fair assessment, but I do feel that Hughson ups his game when doing play by play for western Canadian teams. Specifically, Hughson seems to be really in his element when calling Vancouver Canucks games. And hey, wouldn't you know it... Hughson is a BC native who resides in White Rock, BC just south of Vancouver.

In any case, there's no denying that Cuthbert is worthy of taking Hughson's spotlight. Cuthbert is one of the most respected voices in hockey and has built a reputation as one of the most iconic play by play mans of his generation.