The weekly show, dubbed “Inside the GMHL,” debuts Sept. 9 on Rogers TV but, because Rogers Cable is not available north of Orillia, local hockey fans will not be able to tune in. The same goes for other northern division teams such as the Elliot Lake Bobcats, Nipissing Alouettes and the Minden Riverkings. Rogers Cable is also not available in those viewing areas.

According to a press release issued by the Greater Metro Jr. A Hockey League (GMHL), the show “is great news for all players, parents and fans wishing to follow the GMHL, but living outside our area and unable to attend games on any regular basis, particularly with the contingent of European and American imports in the league, not to mention Canadians playing with teams outside of their own area.”

The league also believes the show will be an invaluable tool for scouts and recruiters to keep tabs on the goings-on of the league.

League president Bob Russell acknowledged in a telephone interview the number of teams that aren’t located in the Rogers TV network area. “Just because every team can’t be involved, it doesn’t mean that it’s not good for the league,” Russell said. “We’ll take as much as we can get.”

Gord Carey, general manager of the Shield, isn’t buying into the program – literally. The league has asked him for four installments of $250 as a share in producing the show. Carey expects that each of the other teams in the GMHL were also approached for funding.

Additionally, he was asked to appear as a guest on the program but turned down the offer because he wasn’t interested at this time. “We already do that kind of thing up here ourselves with TVCogeco,” Carey said. “I get that deal much cheaper and we get all kinds of exposure from them.”

TVCogeco airs 15-minute segments with Carey and some of the players under the moniker “The Shield Inside View.” This year, Carey said, Cogeco may also tape live games.

The one-hour “Inside the GMHL” show will be shot on location at the Gandy Dancer Restaurant in Cookstown, conveniently adjacent to the league office. There will be a live taping each Monday night and the public is encouraged to attend.

According to the league’s website, “Inside the GMHL” will feature weekly reviews of stats and standings, game highlights, video profiles of players and interviews with coaches, owners and officials. The show will feature a panel of league president Bob Russell, GMHL player recruiter Dan Garneau, and host Marshall Uretsky, owner Toronto Canada Moose. Special guests are planned for each show, as well as a weekly question and answer segment with members of a live audience.

With a five-week hiatus from December through early January, “Inside the GMHL” will air Tuesday evenings at 7 p.m.

It will be repeated several times throughout the week, and each episode will be available online for seven days at Rogers.ca.

Alternatively, seven days after the show is aired, viewers can logo onto the GMHL website at www.gmhl.net and click on the Rogers link to watch the show online.