Frédérique Guay's departure from TVA Sports and LCN was a decision that left many sports fans perplexed and dissatisfied.
The specialist channel relied heavily on Élizabeth Rancourt to boost its ratings, but unfortunately the results fell short of expectations.
In fact, TVA Sports' market share has actually declined compared to when Louis Jean ran Soirée du Hockey.
Was it Elizabeth Rancourt's hurtful comments about PK Subban that hurt her popularity?
Unease: Elizabeth Rancourt's comments hurt PK Subban pic.twitter.com/nebdb4Xhz9
— hockey30.com (@HOCKEY30_com) July 1, 2023
Or his merciless comments towards Marc Denis?
There you have it 😅 She still says he's doing a good job, but his reasoning isn't great pic.twitter.com/5S5T57HHfn
— Alex Jodoin (@colegoalfield) June 29, 2023
Or his comments about Carey Price?
TVA Sports' biggest strategic mistake was not doing everything it could to retain Frédérique Guay and not putting her in charge of Hockey Evening.
Frédérique Guay is an exceptional journalist who everyone in Quebec knows and loves. His charisma, professionalism and expertise make him one of the most popular figures in Quebec's media landscape.
Some suspect that Frédérique Guay's departure was linked to a year-long sabbatical to join her lover Marc-Édouard Vlasic.
However, it's obvious that if TVA Sports had offered her the opportunity to host Hockey Night on Saturday night, she probably would have chosen to stay. Frédérique Guay could have been the key to bringing TVA Sports back to life and attracting a wider audience.
The failure of the Elizabeth Rancourt-based strategy underscores the importance of recognizing and valuing exceptional talent when given the opportunity.
Frédérique Guay could have been the ideal solution to counteract TVA Sports' loss of popularity, but unfortunately this opportunity seems to have been missed.
Ultimately, the signing of Frédérique Guay could have been the breath of fresh air that TVA Sports desperately needed.
Perhaps it is time for the channel to rethink its strategy and recognize the undeniable value that Frédérique Guay would have attached to Hockey Night and all sports programming.