Curtis Rush
STAFF REPORTER
Hockey Night in Canada’s signature theme song may have been heard for the final time on CBC last night, says the composer of the song dubbed “Canada’s second national anthem.”
The licence agreement to use the song expired with the final game of this year’s Stanley Cup playoffs, according to statements posted this week on the website hockeytheme.com
On the website, Copyright Music and Visuals president John Ciccone says CBC has advised his company, which controls use of the song, and composer Dolores Claman that it is not prepared to sign a new agreement.
Ciccone says CBC was offered a new deal on terms similar to those that existed for the past decade. The cost to the CBC, Ciccone said, amounts to about $500 per broadcast.
The Hockey Night in Canada song was composed by Claman in 1968 and has become one of the longest-running theme songs in broadcasting history.
"I am saddened by the decision of the CBC to drop the Hockey Night in Canada theme after our lengthy history together,” Claman said in a statement on the website.
“I nevertheless respect its right to move in a new direction."
Neither Claman nor Ciccone could be reached for comment this morning.
CBC spokesperson Jeff Keay said he could not immediately confirm details because the head of CBC sports, Scott Moore, was in transit from Pittsburgh, where the Detroit Red Wings beat the Penguins last night in Game 6 of the Stanley Cup final.
"I know we've been having discussions," Keay said this morning.
In 2004, a group that includes Claman filed a lawsuit seeking $2.5 million in damages, charging the CBC with breach of copyright and breach of contract. Claman, Vine Maple Music and Copyright Music and Visuals claimed that the public network used the hockey theme without authorization both inside and outside Canada, sold it for use as a cellphone ring tone and altered the arrangement without approval.
In the statement of claim, the plaintiffs say they signed a new deal that spelled out how the music could be used when CBC took over production of hockey broadcasts from Molson Breweries in 1998.
Ciccone said in the website statement that a resolution of the lawsuit is not a precondition of any new licence agreement.
Toronto-based Copyright Music and Visuals, a division of Absolute Productions Inc., bills itself as a service for music and copyright clearance with more than 20 years' experience.
That always announced the beginning of the Saturday Night activities..
