News Article: Bill Spaulding to be named as new Devils play-by-play announcer

[Bleedred]

Could be a nice guy. Doesn't come across that way on the broadcasts.

Unless you've met him in real life and he wasn't a nice guy in real life, I can't see how you can say he doesn't come across that way on the broadcasts.

I don't get the sense one bit during broadcasts that he's coming across as anything less than a nice person.

 

[Hockey Sports Fan]

If anything, I think my issue with Steve was more that he was TOO nice. Or too deferential. He also does that Joe Beninati thing where he uses players' first names or nicknames more than their last names, which is one of the few things a broadcaster can do that really bugs me.

 

[Deleted member 28548]

I’d love to be able to confirm if the Devils organization have been actively advising the tv crew these past few seasons to put as positive of a spin on things as humanly possible no matter how awful things get or if Cangelosi and Daneyko did that without any encouragement.

 

[MadDevil]

I’d love to be able to confirm if the Devils organization have been actively advising the tv crew these past few seasons to put as positive of a spin on things as humanly possible no matter how awful things get or if Cangelosi and Daneyko did that without any encouragement.

Honestly, it seems like something they'd both do without encouragement. Dano is a pretty big homer (and for good reason considering he's been in or at least around the organization for 40 years) and I'm not sure I see him shitting on the players or team naturally. Steve I could see being a little more critical, but even then what would really be the point? To make a miserable situation even worse by dumping all over the team?

 

[Guttersniped]

If anything, I think my issue with Steve was more that he was TOO nice. Or too deferential. He also does that Joe Beninati thing where he uses players' first names or nicknames more than their last names, which is one of the few things a broadcaster can do that really bugs me.

Many guys do, if the first names are well known, just to mix it up. I don’t remember him using nicknames, or at least odd ones.

Nothing, and I mean nothing, can beat the unholiness of Sam & Joe calling Leo Komarov “Uncle Leo” on NYR broadcasts. That nickname sounds ridiculous when any announcers said it but he didn’t even play for their f***ing team.

 

[Deleted member 28548]

Steve I could see being a little more critical, but even then what would really be the point? To make a miserable situation even worse by dumping all over the team?

Not necessarily dump all over the team but perhaps earn respect from the fans for calling it the way it really is at times in hopes of being a bit more neutral.

 

[Guttersniped]

Honestly, it seems like something they'd both do without encouragement. Dano is a pretty big homer (and for good reason considering he's been in or at least around the organization for 40 years) and I'm not sure I see him shitting on the players or team naturally. Steve I could see being a little more critical, but even then what would really be the point? To make a miserable situation even worse by dumping all over the team?

The only time I ever had an actual problem with on air crew’s talking points was all the handwaving during the darkest moments of the Great Goalie Crisis of 2021-22.




Blackwood’s numbers were plummeting while Erika was going on about how the team’s plan was to ride his gimpy body into oblivion (“The scheduling is great for it this season, we only play every other day most of the time and breaks exist!”).

His SV% during his late 4-1-0 win streak was .890 and he looked awful but, hey, he was winning! So we got the endless “he just knows how to win/ how to make those big saves and his teammates trust him when he’s in the net blah blah blah”. And then he was shutdown two games after the win against Columbus.

Not having a healthy NHL goalie in the organization is a pretty uniquely shitty spot to be in, but I thought the team handled Blackwood poorly at the time, and I didn’t need the broadcast crew to be excited about it.

 

[MadDevil]

Not necessarily dump all over the team but perhaps earn respect from the fans for calling it the way it really is at times in hopes of being a bit more neutral.

It's not really their job to be neutral though. They're not doing national broadcasts. It might make a certain part of the fanbase happy to hear more criticism, but then you're likely annoying others who get plenty of "calling it like it is" all over the damn place between social media and places like here.

 

[Nubmer6]

Many guys do, if the first names are well known, just to mix it up. I don’t remember him using nicknames, or at least odd ones.

Nothing, and I mean nothing, can beat the unholiness of Sam & Joe calling Leo Komarov “Uncle Leo” on NYR broadcasts. That nickname sounds ridiculous when any announcers said it but he didn’t even play for their f***ing team.

Remember, Cangi was basically taught by Doc, who was always as professional and neutral as possible. I don't think he ever used first names unless it was a situation like the Sedins, and I'm not sure I ever heard him use a nickname. Cangi tried to follow that.

 

[MadDevil]

Remember, Cangi was basically taught by Doc, who was always as professional and neutral as possible. I don't think he ever used first names unless it was a situation like the Sedins, and I'm not sure I ever heard him use a nickname. Cangi tried to follow that.

"The big defenseman from Nova Scotia" is too long to be considered a nickname.

 

[Guttersniped]

Not necessarily dump all over the team but perhaps earn respect from the fans for calling it the way it really is at times in hopes of being a bit more neutral.

He’s the PBP and he did…that? It’s not a job for a lot of editorializing. When PBP do have observations that veer more into opinion they often couch it in the form of a question for the color commentator.

It’s not Erika’s job to express opinions either, she’s in the newscaster/interviewer role.

The two guys who are commenting on the team are Daneyko and Sal.

Daneyko’s take has been it’s a young team that needs to learn to win. I’m not a big fan of him as color commentator (except of the memes) but I don’t how more cutting he can be about the team’s lack of success. I don’t find him dishonest about it, he seemed genuinely bummed by the end of the season.

I really love Sal’s analysis. He’s also the least polished and is cartoonishly chipper. His stats tend to be good news/bad news and he shows mistakes in his breakdowns, so it’s a question of tone if you have a problem with what he does. Sal has a very coach-like view.

Steve was a bit dopey, but he was solid enough PBP guy. Every PBP guy has people who irrationally hate them, there was the annual “bitch about Doc” thread on the main boards once he became national broadcaster.

 

[Deleted member 28548]

It's not really their job to be neutral though. They're not doing national broadcasts. It might make a certain part of the fanbase happy to hear more criticism, but then you're likely annoying others who get plenty of "calling it like it is" all over the damn place between social media and places like here.

I was really circling back to my prior criticism of Cangelosi in this thread for doing things like calling meaningless goals in blowout losses with the enthusiasm level of it being a Henrique series clinching moment. He’s got to have a better handle on the proper time and place to voice the appropriate level of excitement while calling games.

 

[Bleedred]

The only time I ever had an actual problem with on air crew’s talking points was all the handwaving during the darkest moments of the Great Goalie Crisis of 2021-22.




Blackwood’s numbers were plummeting while Erika was going on about how the team’s plan was to ride his gimpy body into oblivion (“The scheduling is great for it this season, we only play every other day most of the time and breaks exist!”).

His SV% during his late 4-1-0 win streak was .890 and he looked awful but, hey, he was winning! So we got the endless “he just knows how to win/ how to make those big saves and his teammates trust him when he’s in the net blah blah blah”. And then he was shutdown two games after the win against Columbus.

Not having a healthy NHL goalie in the organization is a pretty uniquely shitty spot to be in, but I thought the team handled Blackwood poorly at the time, and I didn’t need the broadcast crew to be excited about it.

The entire MSG broadcast (not just Steve, Bryce Salvador also) was a complete propaganda machine for forcing the “Blackwood has the ball and they’re gonna let him run with it” stuff right around the time you speak of.

They kept talking so much about Lindy Ruff’s comments regarding it and how they’re giving him the ball. It was actually some of the craziest stuff I had seen from a broadcast.

And rhe “Hey he was winning!” stuff takes me back to this board circa 2013-2014 with the Marty Cory stuff. There was a game that year where we were playing the Hurricanes late in the season and I think it might have been Ruutu’s first game here or one of his first games here and I think he had the game winner late in the 3rd period, which was clearly a bad goal on Cam Ward. Just days after he was traded off that team and onto ours.

I clearly remember Marty allowing a very weak goal late in regulation to tie the game. Ruutu scored to take the lead minutes later and I don’t remember if there was an empty net goal or not, but that won us the game. There was at least one poster claiming that Marty just makes the saves you need to be able to win a game, which Cory does not and Marty proved that yet again that night. And then I’m pretty sure a couple others echoed with this poster said and agreed with that completely.

But wait a minute…. Come to find out that Marty was credited with facing exactly ZERO shots in between allowing the weak game tying goal and the conclusion of the game. That was the last shot he faced of the game, yet there was a small but vocal cult…. I mean contingent claiming he yet again made the difference in the game by making that one game changing and game preserving save that was needed and his wins all year long proved it.

I won’t publicly shame this poster by saying their name on here, but it appears they’ve since switched teams in the last few years and have now become a Florida Panthers fan.

And no, it’s not Devils Dominion lol.

I know this has nothing to do with your post, but it triggered the memories of the “But look at win/loss record! He wins games!” When you cited Blackwood’s 4-1 record while playing .890% and the false narrative that he was key to those wins.

 

[My3Sons]

The entire MSG broadcast (not just Steve, Bryce Salvador also) was a complete propaganda machine for forcing the “Blackwood has the ball and they’re gonna let him run with it” stuff right around the time you speak of.

They kept talking so much about Lindy Ruff’s comments regarding it and how they’re giving him the ball. It was actually some of the craziest stuff I had seen from a broadcast.

And rhe “Hey he was winning!” stuff takes me back to this board circa 2013-2014 with the Marty Cory stuff. There was a game that year where we were playing the Hurricanes late in the season and I think it might have been Ruutu’s first game here or one of his first games here and I think he had the game winner late in the 3rd period, which was clearly a bad goal on Cam Ward. Just days after he was traded off that team and onto ours.

I clearly remember Marty allowing a very weak goal late in regulation to tie the game. Ruutu scored to take the lead minutes later and I don’t remember if there was an empty net goal or not, but that won us the game. There was at least one poster claiming that Marty just makes the saves you need to be able to win a game, which Cory does not and Marty proved that yet again that night. And then I’m pretty sure a couple others echoed with this poster said and agreed with that completely.

But wait a minute…. Come to find out that Marty was credited with facing exactly ZERO shots in between allowing the weak game tying goal and the conclusion of the game. That was the last shot he faced of the game, yet there was a small but vocal cult…. I mean contingent claiming he yet again made the difference in the game by making that one game changing and game preserving save that was needed and his wins all year long proved it.

I won’t publicly shame this poster by saying their name on here, but it appears they’ve since switched teams in the last few years and have now become a Florida Panthers fan.

And no, it’s not Devils Dominion lol.

I know this has nothing to do with your post, but it triggered the memories of the “But look at win/loss record! He wins games!” When you cited Blackwood’s 4-1 record while playing .890% and the false narrative that he was key to those wins.

Blah blah blah I’m secretly a Cory Schneider fan and would take him back on a four year extension right now. Sure I curse at him but it’s just an act. He’s never lost it. Blah blah blah.

 

[Bleedred]

Blah blah blah I’m secretly a Cory Schneider fan and would take him back on a four year extension right now. Sure I curse at him but it’s just an act. He’s never lost it. Blah blah blah.

You never know. Cory is probably looking at Craig Anderson and thinking “You know, he’s 41, I think I can play till I’m 40. How about a 4 year deal? Anybody? Somebody? Lou?”.

 

[My3Sons]

You never know. Cory is probably looking at Craig Anderson and thinking “You know, he’s 41, I think I can play till I’m 40. How about a 4 year deal? Anybody? Somebody? Lou?”.

To be fair you have to admit that Schneider shirt picture was really funny after all this time.

 

[Bleedred]

To be fair you have to admit that Schneider shirt picture was really funny after all this time.

I think only because of the way it ended and that being the most recent, I’m more remembered as a Schneider critic and by far the biggest and loudest mouthpiece of the Schneider must go contingent on this forum. But there were also posters that were biased against him from the start because they were (borderline) Marty worshippers and decided they didn’t like Cory from the very beginning. And these people were calling for his removal as soon as he got here.

I was one of the biggest backers of Schneider up until probably early in 2018, when it became apparent that 2016-2017 probably wasn’t just a one-off down year and this is likely to be the norm for him.

And as someone that was still a kid and in high school when Brodeur first started playing in the NHL I held on to him almost till the bitter end, but I finally hit my threshold in 2013-2014, after we traded a 9th overall pick for a younger, better goalie, only to have sit through almost as many games of a broken down Marty and miss the playoffs by only 5 points.

I was vehemently against re-signing Marty in 2014. I was insanely paranoid and anxiety ridden that Lou would give in and bring him back one more year. Any time someone suggested we re-sign him one more year to he Cory’s backup I would go off on one of my famous rants.

I’m probably gonna go down as being more remembered for being ready to kick Cory out the door before almost anyone else (other than those biased posters that didn’t like him because he spelled the end of Marty), but that’s only because it’s easier to remember due to its more recency. I was just as against Brodeur by his last year here, but fortunately due to his contract expiring and us opting not to sign him, I can’t honestly say Marty overstayed his welcome here. Cory probably only overstayed his welcome by one year.

 

[Better Call Sal]

It's not exactly shocking that the local broadcast isn't going to criticize the team and players they cover to an extent that would make the more cynical fans happy.

They ultimately work with/for the team. They're the only form of media that covers them, more or less, for the entire season. They're not going to rock the boat by calling out players and then have to deal with that confrontation the next day or remainder of the season. There's no sense in taking what is said to heart, you can tell by their general candor that they're well aware of what is taking place on the ice.

I'm not sure why some put as much stock into how our analysts would attempt to put a positive spin on everything. They have to watch the same shit every night the same way we do, would it really make anyone feel better if Dano casually dropped a "what the f***" the next time a leaky puck went through Jon Gillies?

Actually, come to think of it, that would have made me feel better.

 

[NJDevs26]

 

[Bleedred]

It's not exactly shocking that the local broadcast isn't going to criticize the team and players they cover to an extent that would make the more cynical fans happy.

They ultimately work with/for the team. They're the only form of media that covers them, more or less, for the entire season. They're not going to rock the boat by calling out players and then have to deal with that confrontation the next day or remainder of the season. There's no sense in taking what is said to heart, you can tell by their general candor that they're well aware of what is taking place on the ice.

I'm not sure why some put as much stock into how our analysts would attempt to put a positive spin on everything. They have to watch the same shit every night the same way we do, would it really make anyone feel better if Dano casually dropped a "what the f***" the next time a leaky puck went through Jon Gillies?

Actually, come to think of it, that would have made me feel better.

I would have LOVED hearing that from Dano!

I would laugh for the rest of my life about it if Steve was calling a shot going through Gillies, while Dano just blurted out ''What the f***!?'' as Steve was mid-call and then said ''I'm sorry Cangy, but ugghhhhh, yeah, this is just.... A.... Jon Gillies is gonna want this one back''.

 

[FooteBahl]

Could be a nice guy. Doesn't come across that way on the broadcasts.

Do you also think Kamala Harris has a soothing voice?

 

[Jersey Fan 12]

Do you also think Kamala Harris has a soothing voice?

No, but would put her hockey analysis on par with Sam, Catherine and much of the Devils' intern group.