Rumor: Big Changes Coming to HNIC Panel

[boredmale]

I hope she doesn't get moved from TSN, I like her intermission analyses on the regional Sens broadcasts and would like to keep it that way. One of the better hockey desk analysts, female or otherwise.

Wow Botterill gets around, I seen her do like 20 Islander games a season on the sidelines(for the past 4-5 seasons). I assumed they hired her to replace Buch down the line

 

[Voight]

Botteril I found a bit preachy, not my cup of tea personally. Ron is just getting old AF and it's time. Only one I'd be upset to lose is Bieksa, thought he was great

I dont know if its cause of the Don Cherry fallout, but he seems way too eager to throw out progressive statements now.

 

[dukeofjive]

TSN has been better for a long time.

Every time Sportsnet/CBC tries to get more fresh and cool, it just gets more and more cringe. I prefer TSN's self-deprecating humour. Yeah, sometimes they are lame, but they know it and acknowledge it.

Ottawa's regional coverage has been absolutely fantastic since TSN has taken over: Cuthbert, Ferraro, Noodles, Miller, Poulin, Pounder, Johnson.

If only we could get Ian Mendes instead of Bruce Garrioch.

Ill give TSN a try next year for the habs, last year I found myself watching more games on TNT, was a good change off pace.

 

[NyQuil]

Ill give TSN a try next year for the habs, last year I found myself watching more games on TNT, was a good change off pace.

I think TSN shares their personnel between Ottawa and the Habs, so you'll get good people I think.

I remember seeing Mike Johnson do the Habs.

At first I thought he was just a big asshole but he's just got a darkly sarcastic sense of humour that is kind of fun when you get used to it.

 

[DuklaNation]

The panel has been awful for a long time. Dump MacLean especially. Botterill and her anti-fighting stance needs to go also. Mixed feelings on the others but if you don't provide interesting viewpoints, what is the point of them being there. Personality can compensate but too many of them don't provide either. I'd be interested to see how much they get paid for so little time and value provided.

 

[Siludin]

Bieksa was the only positive thing about that panel

 

[NYR94]

Keep Friedman, Bieksa and Botterill.
Get rid of MacLean and Hrudy

 

[Stive Morgan]

You either love him or hate him, even with his x-phobic rants, he was a must watch TV when he spoke hockey. It was like watching an accident that you can't turn away from. Leafs fans will remember Alexei Ponikarovsky - I still chuckle at how Cherry would refer to him as Pony Horseky. In the 90s HNIC 1st intermission with Ron and Don was must watch TV, to the chagrin or outrage of opposing fans of the Leafs, but it was never a dull moment with him on TV in that segment.

Him calling Miroslav Šatan "Satan" will always be my favourite moment lol

 

[ToNedOuT]

Yeah, she is developing into a star. She deserves all the screen time she is getting. Love having her on the panel. She's smooth in her delivery, knowledgeable, and has a "TV voice" that doesn't make her difficult to listen to at all.

The TV Voices is lacking for Botterill….I find her voice to be nails ona chalkboard for me.

 

[ucanthanzalthetruth]

Ron MacLean is being released into the wild, where all snakes should go

 

[Lshap]

I like Bieksa's on-air personality. He's knowledgable and funny, plus he's from a younger generation.

Friedman's a solid addition. Botterill and Hrudey are fine, but replaceable.

McLean... well... I get the temptation to try something new after decades of the same, but the guy deserves a little more respect. He's always comported himself with class and without personal controversy, even though his biggest gig was playing sidekick to the biggest, most controversial personality in hockey. McLean's older, but far from old. If he's booted from the HNiC panel I'm sure he'll find a place elsewhere in hockey broadcasting.

 

[LeafGrief]

Getting rid of Bieksa is a mistake. He's the only one with any actual personality worth watching. Friedman is the insider and always has wacky haridos, so he's alright. The rest of them are just astoundingly vanilla. I've always had a soft spot for MacLean as the other half of Coaches Corner, but he's just completely uninteresting these days. He's pretty much an AI chatbot for polite Canadian political correctness. Botteril and Hrudey are about as interesting as ferns in the garden. Their takes are alright, but they're just alright and neither of them bring any real chemistry to the panel.

Keep Bieksa and Friedge and get some analysts who can actually banter with them and run fun segments.

 

[Channelcat]

When Hrudy came forward with the mental health issues you knew it was just a matter of time before Rogers canned him.

 

[Lshap]

Here's some throwbacks for old time's sake:

The first time I saw the piano-desk video I couldn't stop laughing. Watched it a dozen times and laughed just as hard every time.

And now years later, the video cracked me up again. It's so well-done!

 

[93gilmour93]

Awesome news that I don’t have to listen to Jen Botterill anymore crying cause the hockey players are being mean on the ice

 

[I am Canadian]

Bieksa imo is the best thing they've ever done on that panel. I bet he goes to ESPN

 

[Szechwan]

Can't wait to hear they're replacing the knowledgeable former hockey player with Certified Cool Dude Cabbie who will spend his whole segment talking about betting odds.

"Very interesting rumour you've heard about the Leafs Elliot, now lets look at what that hypothetical trade could do for Auston Matthews' Hart odds."

 

[Mickey Marner]

I’m not going to get my hopes up. I fully expect MacLean will be back to morbidly read obituaries during the intermission of a hockey game.

 

[MMC]

This can only be a good thing, the NHL personalities on Sportsnet are unbearable

 

[Beerz]

Don Cherry has been the only entertaining Hockey host ever.

 

[Andre Palot]

Can you please take “the biz”. Thank you.

Something Devils fans and Rangers fans can agree on.

 

[MMC]

Don Cherry has been the only entertaining Hockey host ever.

His absence has left a massive void there for sure. Bieksa was the only guy I liked. Still can’t believe they were dumb enough to let Cherry go

 

[Suntouchable13]

His absence has left a massive void there for sure. Bieksa was the only guy I liked. Still can’t believe they were dumb enough to let Cherry go

Not a mistake at all. The guy was unbearable to listen to/watch in the final years up to his termination. Sorry, but age gets to everyone. It was time for him to go anyway.

 

[MMC]

Not a mistake at all. The guy was unbearable to listen to/watch in the final years up to his termination. Sorry, but age gets to everyone. It was time for him to go anyway.

Funny, he was the one guy I DIDN’T think was unbearable to listen to. I can’t stand people like Anthony Stewart, Jennifer Botteril, Ron MacLean etc

 

[LevelingSolo]

Bieksa was good

Please get rid of Maclean and Hrudey