A new contender for worst broadcaster of all time (Leah Hextall)

[goonybird]

is there a fancy social media term for a visible minority who gets a job solely because they are a visible minority, and not because they deserve it?

Technically Hextalls make up a (very) small proportion of the population, but I wouldn't call it a visible minority.

 

[voyageur]

She is very bad. Does not know how to call a game with any sense of urgency. Sounds like she's describing paint drying.

Takes a look. Chip and chase. Collects. Up top.

There should be a Leah Hextall drinking game, that inevitably leads you to pass out before the end.

 

[Dessloch]

What game is she calling next?

 

[jkrdevil]

What game is she calling next?

Knights-Yotes on Friday. She usually calls one of the Friday night games on ESPN+

 

[UK Yote]

Knights-Yotes on Friday. She usually calls one of the Friday night games on ESPN+

She did indeed "call" this game. The woman is utterly hopeless using basic A passed to B or A moves the puck up the ice.....Then at the point of a player taking a shot her voice raises to the point of screaming. Honestly a five year old kid couldn't be worse. Even having Ferraro as colour couldn't help this utter disaster. I have seen her on ESPN and Sportsnet how she has managed to pull that off is amazing. Utter utter rubbish.

 

[ElGuapo]

I've noticed she mixes up players all the time. Sad that Gary Thorne is sitting at home.

On a side not Bob Wischusen has quietly been becoming one of my favourite hockey broadcasters.

Unpopular opinion, but Gary Thorne was pretty shitty too and screwed up a lot of names. He just had the voice and calls that people like.

 

[jkrdevil]

Unpopular opinion, but Gary Thorne was pretty shitty too and screwed up a lot of names. He just had the voice and calls that people like.

For example this game 7 series winner where the puck sits in the net, but he is confused because the goal light didn’t come on.

 

[Rubi]

I've never liked Gene Principe... and no its not because I'm a Flames fan.
He's just so smarmy and greasy... kind of like a skid row used car salesman.

To be fair, I'm also not a big fan of Kelly Hrudy and absolutely abhor Eric Francis.

 

[JPeeper]

Cassie was coming out strong last night to take her crown back as worst broadcaster going. I find Hextall just boring and dry, Cassie is just terrible. Everything she says is either factually wrong or her opinions are so laughable that it is actually anger inducing. She was horrendous last night for the Flames v Ducks.

Gary Galley is worst for me, I mute games when he is on colour.

 

[PettersonHughes]

Anyone have clips of Leah's work? No time on my end to go through 30 pages to see if anyone posted it.

 

[DearDiary]

I'm most amazed in this thread at the number of people who aren't immediately setting posts-per-page to 50 (many folks other than just you).

It should be default, otherwise you get things like

"Why didn't you read the whole conversation before jumping into this 30 post argument and quoting me out of context?"
"TLDR you expect me to read 3 pages back?"

 

[Bear of Bad News]

It should be default, otherwise you get things like

"Why didn't you read the whole conversation before jumping into this 30 post argument and quoting me out of context?"
"TLDR you expect me to read 3 pages back?"

I most often encounter it when someone reports a post with "there's about 20 rule violations on page 15" and I have to guess how many posts/page their account is set to (I can't check).

Anyhow, tuned in to see Leah Hextall last night and ended up turning it off after about five minutes. But only because the Kraken game was about to start.

 

[noo]

is there a fancy social media term for a visible minority who gets a job solely because they are a visible minority, and not because they deserve it?

Not just social media, but it's called Affirmative Action.. hiring based on gender/race/sexuality/etc..

nepotism?

That's more for hiring friends/family, not so much minority ^^

 

[ottomaddox]

I'm all for women empowerment but it has to be off merit and not because she is a woman, which is clearly not what ESPN did with Leah Haxtall because she is a disaster. I can't believe there's no thread on just her yet, that Kings-Stars OT was legit great and she ruined it. Would rather listen to Jack Edwards mispronounce Kulikov's name on a loop clockwork orange style than listen to that. How can you introduce a casual when that's the broadcast they'll be listening to? Also the audio was comically off (this is not her fault). Total peewee production.

Between this and the girl in NHL 22 in the drop in menu who you just cannot shut off, they're losing consumers here lol...

I've given you several opportunities to explain to us why you're "all for women empowerment". You're not. You posted this because you cannot stand female broadcasters in sports.

 

[bsu]

If she is announcing a game now I mute it no matter what. I am sorry that she is a woman and that has nothing to do with it, she's horrid.

 

[VivaLasVegas]

Leah Hextall is not a contender for worst, but instead the undisputed W.O.A.T. in hockey broadcasting.

 

[HarrySPlinkett]

Hockey is a game that needs to be sung.

Bob Cole sang.

John Bartlett sings.

Your voice has to move up and down with the motion of the play, and your excitement comes from the perspective of the person who made the play.

It takes a lifetime of dedication to learn that, and it’s entirely unfair to give Leah Hextall, who is an excellent in-studio host, a national play by play job when she’s never done it and expect her to learn on the fly calling NHL-speed hockey.

As any coach will tell you, the NHL is not a developmental league.

 

[RandR]

Cassie was coming out strong last night to take her crown back as worst broadcaster going. I find Hextall just boring and dry, Cassie is just terrible. Everything she says is either factually wrong or her opinions are so laughable that it is actually anger inducing. She was horrendous last night for the Flames v Ducks.

Gary Galley is worst for me, I mute games when he is on colour.

I mute Gary Galley too. I think he does have some insight into the details of the game, but once he really gets into the game he is just too loud for me.

I agree that Hextall is absolutely terrible doing play-by-play.

I think Cassie Campbell does fine in her role though.

 

[JPeeper]

Anyone have clips of Leah's work? No time on my end to go through 30 pages to see if anyone posted it.

Here, have the worst of both worlds.



It annoys me that Cassie and Leah are lumped into the "terrible" category because they are women trying/have broken into an industry dominated by men and I want to root for them to succeed, but gender me damned, they're horrible. Cassie at least doesn't sound as wooden anymore, her takes are just insane when she is doing colour commentary live, ie. Zadorov is good (in every sense of the word, wrong), Flames 4th line is effective (statistically one of the worst performances of the year the game prior) and I could go on.

At the end of the day though, I find most colour people we get for Sportsnet whether it's a regional broadcast or national, they're all shills; it's why Ferraro is so great. Guy calls it like it is, if you suck he'll tell you and he'll tell you for minutes. I respect that.

 

[johan f]

For example this game 7 series winner where the puck sits in the net, but he is confused because the goal light didn’t come on.

So you found one example.

 

[Chessarmy]

I’ll just come right out and say for play by play, I’d much rather hear a man’s voice. The pitch blends in with the action better. Female announcers do fine in between periods or on color.

 

[Halakitlikethat]

I feel bad … she’s just not good . I don’t want to hear high pitched shrieking while I watch a game . Gary galley is still the worst though . The guy is absolutely nauseating and still gets players names completely wrong ( called tofolli Michael Ryder for an entire game last season) even though he’s been doing this for a long time

 

[brentashton]

is there a fancy social media term for a visible minority who gets a job solely because they are a visible minority, and not because they deserve it?

Affirmative action?

 

[brentashton]

She is very bad. Does not know how to call a game with any sense of urgency. Sounds like she's describing paint drying.

Fak, she sounds like she’s killing paint

 

[shaner8989]

But but equality. I’m all for it but not at the expense where someone sucks.