Trevor Pilling is the new executive producer of CBC’s flagship Hockey Night in Canada program, taking over from Sherali Najak who has chosen to return to senior producing duties in the HNIC mobile broadcast truck. The appointment is effective immediately.

Pilling recently led the pubcaster’s coverage of the FIFA World Cup in South Africa as exec producer. He has been with CBC Sports since 1997 when he joined as an associate director of CFL on CBC. Pilling has also worked on six consecutive Olympics, most recently winning a Gemini Award for best live sporting event for the Beijing Olympics.

The FIFA World Cup was a big success for the pubcaster, which averaged nearly one million viewers (2+) per game for the Group Match stage, with over two million viewers for semi-final matches, while the final game attracted a record 5.8 million viewers. (Based on PPM data.)

The new season of HNIC kicks off Oct. 7 with the Battle of Alberta as Edmonton faces Calgary, while Toronto takes on its ‘original six’ rival Montreal. HNIC’s game one averaged 1.8 million viewers last season, while 3.1 million tuned in for the Stanley Cup final.