Best play by play teams?

[John Mandalorian]

I don’t care about the Avs broadcasting crew.

They could do it naked for all I care.

Personally, I don’t like catering to the home team at the expense of the overall game experience. And that applies to Ottawa too.

There was a period of time where, on the Jumbotron at Sens games, they wouldn’t show any positive plays by the other team during the recap of the previous period.

Maybe they were trying to cater to the audience, or spare the goalie the reminders, but it ended up seeming rather pathetic when the other team would score 4 or 5 unanswered goals and we would see replays of a few hits and shots by the Sens and that’s it.

I want to see those goals by the other team. I’ve seen some incredible performances by legendary players against my team and the idea that they should be de-emphasized or glossed over because they play for the other team just smacks of insecurity.

Thankfully, that ended and now we see all the highlights of the game.

“Know your audience” seems to be a pretty poor defence of homer announcing when plenty of beloved broadcast teams are revered by their fans without resorting to that approach.

“Trying to please people who don’t matter” is somehow a better defense?

 

[NyQuil]

“Trying to please people who don’t matter” is somehow a better defense?

You missed the entire point of my post.

Well done.

The massive assumption here is that homer announcers are more beloved by their fans. This is proven how?

I don’t like catering to the home fans in Ottawa, and I matter because I’m a season ticket holder.

 

[John Mandalorian]

You missed the entire point of my post.

Well done.

There was no point. That’s been the case this entire time. I said as much initiallly. Now here we are. You still think you’ve accomplished something.

 

[NyQuil]

There was no point. That’s been the case this entire time. I said as much initiallly. Now here we are. You still s think you’ve accomplished something.

You’re essentially complaining about people complaining.

How novel is that?

 

[John Mandalorian]

You’re essentially complaining about people complaining.

How novel is that?

It’s not trying to be novel. There’s no pretense there. Complaining about people complaining kind of comes down to what the others are complaining about, doesnt it? And complaining like there’s something you’re owed when it’s not true, doesn’t really rise to the level of substantive complaint.

 

[NyQuil]

It’s not trying to be novel. There’s no pretense there. Complaining about people complaining kind of comes down to what the others are complaining about, doesnt it? And complaining like there’s something you’re owed when it’s not true, doesn’t really rise to the level of substantive complaint.

This is a hockey message board...

What here should rise to the level of substantive complaint?

"Something you're owed"?

It's about preference, not entitlement.

The point about my anecdote regarding the Senators is that they do owe me, as a season ticket holder, and I shared my opinion in the end of season survey regarding the dumb period recaps because that level of homerism is embarrassing.

I don't know if Avs fans feel that way about their team. Your assumption is that homer announcers are intended to "cater to the fanbase", when I in fact dislike it as a fan even when it's my own team.

If I want to hear what a superfan has to say about the game, I don't need the play-by-play and color guys for that.

 

[John Mandalorian]

This is a hockey message board...

What here should rise to the level of substantive complaint?

"Something you're owed"?

It's about preference, not entitlement.

The point about my anecdote regarding the Senators is that they do owe me, as a season ticket holder, and I shared my opinion in the end of season survey regarding the dumb period recaps because that level of homerism is embarrassing.

I don't know if Avs fans feel that way about their team. Your assumption is that homer announcers are intended to "cater to the fanbase", when I in fact dislike it as a fan even when it's my own team.

If I want to hear what a superfan has to say about the game, I don't need the play-by-play and color guys for that.

Have a nice evening.

 

[TLEH]

Rick Ball and Darren Pang have been excellent. Ball is awesome. I know all the pairings in the league pretty well because I always listened to the road streams. Vosters was the worst.

Seattle is great when it’s Forslund and Eddie. I think Dallas has a good crew. Detroit is great. Shorthouse in Van I like. Dan Robertson I really like in Winnipeg.

I actually enjoy Mike Johnson doing color in Toronto even though a lot don’t like him.

 

[FinnLightning26]

I just hopped on the Tampa feed, and to my surprise it's Paul Randorf and Brian Engblom. Enjoyed Paul when he was up here with TSN, how's he and Brian doing Tampa fans?

I like them. I was pretty scared when Rick Peckham retired but Dave has filled his boots nicely. Engblom is pretty solid too.

 

[Derailed75]

As a Canes fan in Va I get to see the Caps team a bunch. Here's my personal thoughts.

Very fair and unbiased yet still root for the Caps.

Very knowledgeable

Always share some fun stories.

Now the bad. I just can't stand their voices.

 

[Gaylord Q Tinkledink]

Not NHL, but Belleville's play-by-play team is pretty good

 

[Svechhammer]

- Carolina (solid team, tho Tripp Tracy sounds like he wants to fellate the Canes players)

- Carolina (I like Mike Maniscalco's energy. Can do without Tripp, but Mike makes up for it

Tripp is like hockey's John Kruk. You really don't know where the stories are going to go sometimes, and more often than not it leaves you shaking your head but you're going to get so many quotable moments every game and season that it makes it worth the watch even if the team sucks.

The big difference is that Tripp still has a passion for the broadcast and hasn't jumped fully into the DGAF mode that Kruk has the past few years, but either way, both are still very good at what they do.

 

[chris kontos]

colorado broadcasts top to bottom are metastasizing cancer with a large side of nuclear waste.
dallas with daryl ray are great but ya cant watch em anymore
red wings with mickey are top notch
sam rosen probably the best
brendan burke good color guy needs to retire. especially the between periods chick is dynamite
lightning guys are good.
pitt, minny, boston homers stage 1 cancer

 

[Else Ermine]

As an Avs fan, it’s somewhat indulgent and satisfying that the Avs announcers are reviled so much.

I can appreciate that. For the actual game experience do you prefer having the overt bias, and are there any elements of it that you'd prefer were called more objectively?

 

[John Mandalorian]

I can appreciate that. For the actual game experience do you prefer having the overt bias, and are there any elements of it that you'd prefer were called more objectively?

I actually watch the opposing teams broadcasts most of the time. I kind of like the enthusiasm of the Avs broadcast team. But I also feel like that enthusiasm comes across as trying to sell the sport as exciting to grow viewership. It makes it feel the audience is somewhat being handled. They also say some really goofy things sometimes.

 

[Else Ermine]

I actually watch the opposing teams broadcasts most of the time. I kind of like the enthusiasm of the Avs broadcast team. But I also feel like that enthusiasm comes across as trying to sell the sport as exciting to grow viewership. It makes it feel the audience is somewhat being handled. They also say some really goofy things sometimes.

I'm similar in frequently watching the other team's broadcast. I genuinely think in Moser the Avs have a very talented announcer but for my personal taste, and this applies to a lesser extent for my preferred team too, it's (way) too much bias.
Personally I want insight into the other team because I've only got so much capacity for such a quick game and most of it's spent on my team when I'm watching them... but also I've got eyes and I don't want to be lied to by the announcers. Obviously there's a balance to be struck and where that lands is different for everyone but Colorado broadcasts are certainly one of the most homeristic in the league and it's curious if they're achieving their goals in being that way. As said earlier in the thread I'm sure it's a choice by the network to be that way, and if I were a potential Avs fan they were trying to entice it would fall very flat on me, so it's really interesting to hear your perspective and that of other Avs fans on the matter.
Also the same for Panthers fans. Goldy can call a great game but the way he actually does it...

 

[Random schmoe]

Regarding the comments on the Caps crew:

Joe Benninati, the play by play guy, is pretty good. He's been doing NHL hockey a long time and does a lot of other sports too, and you'd think he spends 100% of his time on each.

Craig Laughlin is the color guy. He can definitely be an acquired taste. Many love him, many hate him. No question he has, like most color announcers, some 'homer' tendencies. I know other Caps fans who can't stand his voice. But he knows the game extremely well, really puts in his time studying and getting to the know the opponent's players as well as the Caps', and is generally pretty good at doing his job. Laughlin used to hang out after games at the sports bar connected to the arena and was usually open for chatting. He's a pretty "regular joe".

I'll confess to not watching enough games from other markets these days to not have enough information on other crews to weigh in on them.