VANCOUVER -- The head coach and captain of the Vancouver Canucks each shared thoughts Wednesday on the sudden end of the city's longest-running all sports radio station.
TSN parent company Bell Media, which is also the parent company of CTV News, abruptly took TSN 1040 off the air Tuesday morning after nearly two decades of sports programming, first as Team 1040 and later as TSN Radio.
The station stopped broadcasting Canucks games a few years ago, but hockey remained a significant focus of its programming.
On Wednesday, Canucks captain Bo Horvat lamented the loss of a major source of information and discussion about the team, as well as the jobs lost in the closure.
"It's shocking," he said. "It's tough because they supported us for so many years and it’s obviously upsetting to see them shutting it down … We have such a passionate fan base here and a lot of people want to know what the Vancouver Canucks are up to. So, you know, it’s going to be tough for a lot of fans and for the people working there not to share what's going on around the rink."
Head coach Travis Green echoed Horvat's comments.
"You never like to see things like that happen in the business that you’re in," he said. "Obviously, it’s a difficult day for a lot of people over at TSN that cover our team, and you feel bad for them."
TSN 1040 wasn't the only all sports station that met its demise Tuesday. TSN Radio stations in Winnipeg and Hamilton were also taken off the air.
In Vancouver, Bell Media says CKST 1040 will be re-launched as a comedy station on Friday.
Green said the change is a loss for local sports fans, but expressed confidence in their resilience.
"I know Vancouver and the city and how passionate our fans are, how they love talking hockey on all the stations," Green said. "I think, are there people that are going to miss listening to TSN? Yeah, for sure, but the passion is still going to be there in the city. It’s Canada. It's Vancouver. People love the team. They love hockey. And that’s not going to change."
