Hockey is Canada’s sport. It has been for a long period and it will be for quite sometime. Maybe forever.

When Rogers Sportsnet announced its massive TV deal with the National Hockey League over a year and a half ago it left hockey fans in shock. TSN had been the home for 12-years and even times before then. But this change may have been for the better… at least for the basketball fans in Canada.

On Thursday afternoon TSN announced it was expanding its basketball coverage into the summer, following team Canada on its quest for the Olympics, and more.

In a country like Canada it is only right to see hockey on your screens year round. Be it the NHL season from September to early-June, OHL/minor league hockey, the World Junior Hockey tournament or any other tournament that comes and goes.

We even get a fair share of baseball. There’s guaranteed 162-games of Toronto Blue Jays on Sportsnet, and someday there might be October baseball, maybe. TSN has been showing Sunday night and Monday night baseball through ESPN. There are also other games between that. Don’t forget the Little League World Series. Yup. A tournament that includes kids twice, maybe three times or four times your age.

Sports like soccer, tennis, boxing and others get their time on Canadian television as well.

But the one sport that seems to have received the short-end of the stick from Canadian media is basketball. One of the world’s most popular sports. It could be due to the fact that Canada has not produced the best talent. But that has been changing and the change is rapid.

Through TSN and Sportsnet we receive our 82 Toronto Raptor games, and playoffs. TSN has the NBA playoff coverage, but usually coming through ESPN and TNT (the States). College basketballs regular season and March Madness is also broadcasted on TSN through the American channels.

However, with a lot of young Canadian talent moving up in the ranks of basketball, TSN adding coverage of Team Canada to their list will certainly put a smile on every Canadian basketball fans face.

Recently, I wrote about how Canada Basketball Has Arrived and it very much has. The 2014 and 2015 NBA first overall picks were Canadian. The number of athletes playing NCAA Division I basketball from Canada has jumped drastically. When Canada’s U-16, U-19 and National teams are heading off tournaments, it has become about winning. Times have changed.

TSN’s summer coverage of Canada basketball will include the 2015 FIBA U-19 World Championship, beginning later in June. Then they will follow both the Women’s and Men’s National teams in their quest for a spot at the Rio de Janeiro 2016 Olympic Games. This coverage includes the 2015 FIBA Americas Women’s Championship beginning August 9 (in Edmonton), the 2015 FIBA Americas Men’s Championship beginning August 31 and the 2016 FIBA Olympic Qualifying Tournament for both Women and Men.

TSN’s basketball coverage is a full sked with: Raptors, NBA Playoffs, NBA Finals, March Madness, BioSteel All-Canadian Game and Canada Basketball.

When I said in my previous article that Canada basketball has arrived – this shows, again, that it truly has.

And TSN is bringing it to your television screen.

Click here for the full Press Release

Follow Satbir Singh on Twitter @SatbirSingh_ & don’t forget to follow @HoopsHypeCA