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Leith Dunick, tbnewswatch.com
Lakehead University athletic director Tom Warden (left) and Tbaytel CEO Don Campbell introduce a new digital TV service that will allow Thunderwolves fans to watch the hockey team's home games on a delayed basis on local television.
The Thunderwolves are hitting the small screen in Thunder Bay.
Starting with Friday’s home-opener against a much improved York Lions squad, Lakehead hockey fans will be able to watch recorded broadcasts of all of the team’s home games this season through an interactive application available exclusively on Tbaytel’s digital TV service.
Tom Warden, the school’s athletic director, called the service an awesome tool to expose the team to the entire community.
“It’s awesome,” Warden said. “It just highlights all the things that are important about Thunderwolves hockey and shows what quality television Tbaytel is putting forward.
“We’re really, really happy about being involved with this and really happy with this announcement here today.”
Warden added there’s plenty to like about the service, and not just the video replays of their games, which will be available on the following Mondays.
“Everybody has some time to kill and wants to watch a little television. As well, you can update yourself on what’s going on with the team. There are news stories on there and you can update yourself on the roster and Twitter and some of the other happenings,” Warden said.
The service is free to all Tbaytel digital TV subscribers.
Don Campbell, the municipally owned utility’s outgoing president and CEO, said he’s carefully watched the service developed and there’s a good reason why the Wolves were chosen.
“Lakehead University and the Thunderwolves are very important to us. And as part of our launch of TV we’ve been very interested in providing local things, like the way I look at it, no one else will but us,” Campbell said.
“Things like the bus routes and the airport times. Thunderwolves hockey was just a logical extension. We have a lot of people in town that love the Thunderwolves and they can’t go because they’re infirm or sick or whatever. This just opens up a whole can of worms in terms of the people who can get exposed.”
Campbell’s hoping the NHL lockout will make the service an instant success.
“We’re a little lean on hockey these days and this is a great opportunity for them to build their brand as a provider of entertainment here in Thunder Bay.”
The team already streams all of its games live on the Internet on the SSN network.