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Meritocracy for announcers too

PK just doing a 3rd rate Skip/Stephen A act.

Say stupid stuff. People talk about how stupid it is on the internet. And that's a win.
 
Surprised no one has brought up Kevin Bieksa as far as analysts go, he saves the Sportsnet broadcasts lots of intermissions. He's like what you picture TNT wanting Biz or Subban to be but actually really good at it. Very smart analysis and his sense of humor is miles better than the other two.

Also the recent/former coaches on Sportsnet have been very good, too, Lalonde and Bowness are great for insight this playoffs
 
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End of Line said:
100% agreed. McDonough would be better at calling only golf. He’s awful at college football as well and always has been. Brings zero emotion to whatever sport he calls. His rant about Indiana against Notre Dame pissed me off since it was unneeded and unwarranted.

Bob Wichausen should be their #1 pbp guy for ESPN. He brings emotion to every game he calls. Which is what I miss most about not hearing Doc Emrick call games anymore.
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Wichusen + Callahan is a good team.
 
IsThatSemin said:
PK is absolutely horrendous and if he does have a point, it’s lost in his fake banter or screaming. Agreed on meritocracy in broadcasting though. If we think hockey coaches are all retreads just look at these broadcasting booths.This also applies to the “pros” like Buccigross or Levy, that think the narrative is more interesting than the actual game. If there is any attrition, these networks inevitably shoehorn in as many women as humanly possible to replace them, competency be damned. I’ll gladly be labeled a misogynist if it means Cassie Campbell and Leah Hextall aren’t on the feed.
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They do the same with non-white analysts.

But in the grand scheme, this and having more women makes sense from a business perspective as it helps the NHL appeal to a more broader audience in two countries where because of low birth rates, immigration is going to be very prominent and typically involves people not from Europe since they have an even worse birth rate
 
IsThatSemin said:
PK is absolutely horrendous and if he does have a point, it’s lost in his fake banter or screaming. Agreed on meritocracy in broadcasting though. If we think hockey coaches are all retreads just look at these broadcasting booths.This also applies to the “pros” like Buccigross or Levy, that think the narrative is more interesting than the actual game. If there is any attrition, these networks inevitably shoehorn in as many women as humanly possible to replace them, competency be damned. I’ll gladly be labeled a misogynist if it means Cassie Campbell and Leah Hextall aren’t on the feed.
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ESPN/Buchigross/Campbell/Hextall/Levy/Subban make me grateful that I know how to hijack the feeds from Canada on most nights. Ray Ferraro and Sean McDononough are excellent. I'm sure that ESPN will move on from them. Competence isn't part of the ESPN hockey model for the most part.

Jack Michaels and Louie Debrusk are a great pair and I haven't yet had a Canadian broadcast that I can't listen to. Not a big fan of Ron MacLean or Friedman, but they don't make me want to throw the cat against the wall.
 
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shello said:
Both the ESPN/TNT crew suck, I miss NBC
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TNT >>>>>>>>>>>>>ESPN crews

Messier is as good of an hockey analyst as Gretzky was as a NHL coach. We don't need video evidence of his CTE on a daily basis.

Biz, Henrique, and Tocchet are great, and I love that they don't filter their voices much.
 
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I'll say it again, Bisonette is awful and the reason I can't watch any of the intermissions.

Eddy O is just as bad if not worse.

Both have no business near a broadcast of any kind.
 
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I'm ok with everyone on the ESPN and TNT crews except Kaplan and Ferraro.
Kaplan's creepy smile as she gazes up at the player, and she asks a lot of dumb questions for someone who knows hockey.
Ferraro does not know when to shut up, the faceoff was 10 seconds ago dude, mind letting your partner call the game? Someone please tell me he's not doing Canucks games again next year. 🤢
 
Cyclones Rock said:
ESPN/Buchigross/Campbell/Hextall/Levy/Subban make me grateful that I know how to hijack the feeds from Canada on most nights. Ray Ferraro and Sean McDononough are excellent. I'm sure that ESPN will move on from them. Competence isn't part of the ESPN hockey model for the most part.

Jack Michaels and Louie Debrusk are a great pair and I haven't yet had a Canadian broadcast that I can't listen to. Not a big fan of Ron MacLean or Friedman, but they don't make me want to throw the cat against the wall.
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I do find TSN superior to sportsnet but both are vastly better than ESPN/Turner viewing experience. I don’t know the consensus on him, but IMO Mike Johnson is a great national analyst. He reminds me a little of Jim Palmer the baseball announcer in that he’s absolutely not narrative driven and he will talk about poor play if he sees it. Ferraro needs to get out from between the benches IMO. He says some fairly dumb shit from time to time that could easily be confirmed by getting regular stat sheets and handouts that you don’t get down there. Also Eddie Olcyzk absolutely belongs on the shit list as well. Boucher gets a pass because I’m not sure I could function with someone saying “bouch” after every sentence at me either.
 
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IsThatSemin said:
I do find TSN superior to sportsnet but both are vastly better than ESPN/Turner viewing experience. I don’t know the consensus on him, but IMO Mike Johnson is a great national analyst. He reminds me a little of Jim Palmer the baseball announcer in that he’s absolutely not narrative driven and he will talk about poor play if he sees it. Ferraro needs to get out from between the benches IMO. He says some fairly dumb shit from time to time that could easily be confirmed by getting regular stat sheets and handouts that you don’t get down there. Also Eddie Olcyzk absolutely belongs on the shit list as well. Boucher gets a pass because I’m not sure I could function with someone saying “bouch” after every sentence at me either.
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arizonainsider.substack.com

Catching Up With: Mike Johnson

The fifth in a series of Q&As with former Coyotes
arizonainsider.substack.com arizonainsider.substack.com

Not real familiar with Johnson but enjoyed this article. Olcyzk's only redeeming quality is that he's into race horse handicapping:laugh:
 
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So it looks like everybody here is agreed that the one and only announcer for the playoffs should be Leah Hextall.

leah-hextall-NCAA-tournament.jpg
 
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Cyclones Rock said:
ESPN/Buchigross/Campbell/Hextall/Levy/Subban make me grateful that I know how to hijack the feeds from Canada on most nights. Ray Ferraro and Sean McDononough are excellent. I'm sure that ESPN will move on from them. Competence isn't part of the ESPN hockey model for the most part.

Jack Michaels and Louie Debrusk are a great pair and I haven't yet had a Canadian broadcast that I can't listen to. Not a big fan of Ron MacLean or Friedman, but they don't make me want to throw the cat against the wall.
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Canada has the better player by broadcasters.

Cuthbert has lost some miles on his fastball but he's still alright. Bartlett is excellent and never gets talked about.

Jack michaels kind of sounds like a pre-scripted horse race, but he's not a national guy regardless.
 
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