The Athletic ranks the NHL local TV broadcasters - Carolina #1 - Boston #31

[The S5]

This actually goes on to say that the poll for NYR was actually hijacked by Islander fans hence they were down to 13th.

Butch Goring is absolutely horrible. He isn't in Michelletti's league. Sam Rosen, while getting a bit old and prone to making mistakes with player ID, is all class and an institution.

 

[FoxyClean]

Sam Rosen is a treasure, but I don't like Micheletti, even after more than a decade of listening to him.

My favorites are St. Louis, Carolina, and most of the Canadian guys, particularly Jim Hughson.

Least favorites are Florida, Washington, NJ, NYI, Boston, and Pittsburgh. A lot of terrible senile color analysts like Mickey Redmond and Denis Potvin completely derail broadcasts, too.

 

[Leafidelity]

Middle sounds about right for us. Gord, Cuthbert and Ray are some of the best in the entire business. On the other hand, Hughson, Simpson and Millen are some of the absolute worst. TSN can't get full rights to the NHL back soon enough!

 

[cjm502]

Damn. I cannot realistically rank because I don't watch other teams, but I'm stunned DRW are so low. I and everyone I know love Ken and Mickey.

Just yesterday a few of my hockey friends and myself were talking about how those two had to be some of the best in the business and how lucky we are to have them. Mickey is a national tresure and Ken Daniels might be the best sportscaster in Detroit.

 

[BritainStix]

I love Hughson because of the retro feeling I get from my first experience of the NHL. He was the voice for NHL 98 and it was epic.

 

[Bleedred]

The Colorado guy is brutal. So was the last PBP guy they had right before him, before they brought this current guy on a couple years ago. I don’t know if they switched him to radio or what. And I thought they’d have a hard time not upgrading, but they didn’t upgrade at all.

Goldstein from the Panthers is also absolutely brutal. I don’t mind Randy Moller though. Before Potvin retired I think that would have been a bottom-2 broadcast crew in the league.

I don’t care for Jeff Rimer either. I could see why the CBJ is in the bottom half. Rimer sounds like Martin Sheen calling a hockey game.

The Pittsburgh crew isn’t quite as bad in the post-Steggy days.

 

[sharkhawk]

Foley olczyk 10 years ago were probably top 5, now they are closer to bottom 10. 30 years ago foley Tallon were probably the best. 50 years ago Lloyd Pettit was one of the best of all time.

 

[biturbo19]

These rankings kinda come off like the author building a list to justify taking a shot at Jack Edwards.

 

[glovesave_35]

I'd assume the Stars are only 2nd cause of the weird calls Daryl Reaugh makes

Stars board hates our broadcast team but I don't mind them although sometimes they're annoying which I'd guess is the case for any broadcast team you listen to often

Also am I the only one who doesn't like Forslund?

This Stars fan loves Razor. I don't know about the groupthink over on the Stars board, but most Stars fans I know in real life also like Razor.

 

[Darth Bangkok]

Probably wouldn't agree on a line by line basis, but comfortable with the bottom 5.

 

[Howboutthempanthers]

I think the Panthers broadcast was much better with Bill Lindsay as the analyst. Yet another drop of the ball by ownership.

 

[Mount Suribachi]

A lot of terrible senile color analysts like Mickey Redmond and Denis Potvin completely derail broadcasts, too.

Just yesterday a few of my hockey friends and myself were talking about how those two had to be some of the best in the business and how lucky we are to have them. Mickey is a national tresure and Ken Daniels might be the best sportscaster in Detroit.

Maybe that's the answer. Wings fans love Mickey Redmond, he's been doing it forever, and you have to be **really** old for you to have not been listening to him your entire Wings fan-life. He is all our favourite uncle. Whereas to other fanbases, he's that boring uncle you see twice a year who trots out the same stories everytime.

I'm sure the time will come where he has to be put out to pasture, but he's not gone all Joe Biden on us just yet.

And yes, Daniels is an excellent PBP guy.

 

[Smartguy]

Good. Jack Edwards is brutal.

Awful, he has to know this is the view on him by now right? Oddly enough I seem to get a lot of Bruin games through my TV provider so I turn them on from time to time. His homerism and the way he calls a game is so bad that I have yet to make it a full period, and I’m a completely neutral fan.

 

[Sweetpotato]

For Edmonton, Debrusk is fantastic, Quinn and Remenda are hot garbage though one screws up every name/call he can get his hands on and the other has clear bias towards certain Pacific opponents. Our radio team with 630 ched are significantly better.

 

[iamjs]

Have a feeling pens low ranking is based on reputation due to years and years of Steigerwald. Mears isn't nearly as homerish.

Came here to say this too. Mears calls a balanced game and even Errey has toned down being Errey since Steigerwald left.

Would I put them in the top 10? Of course not. I'd probably put them somewhere in the middle of the pack, probably in the 15-20 range.

Multiple local respondents who rated AT&T’s broadcast as “very good” complained about the quality of analysis, wishing for more systems talk and some mention of modern analytics.
“Wish they would include shot totals and refer to shot attempts more,” noted one before adding there was “not enough calling out skaters on the home team for mistakes.”

So somebody dinged them for not including the fancy stats in the broadcast?

The majority of people watching aren't sitting around waiting for Corsi numbers. If that person wants modern analytics, I'm sure he or she has a dozen sites bookmarked already.

 

[iamjs]

These rankings kinda come off like the author building a list to justify taking a shot at Jack Edwards.

Except this isn't the author's list

It started off with the survey. For nearly a month, hockey writers across The Athletic shared the link and asked their readers to share their opinions on their local broadcast teams and the best and worst elsewhere. Thousands of you did, with all of you rating your local broadcast on a scale of very poor to very good, and many of you obligingly chiming in on teams from other markets.

 

[yada]

This is an interesting take haha. As a Devils fan, of course I love Chico, but his commentary, especially in the later years on Tv, was pure homerism and not particularly insightful IMO. He was basically the drunk uncle that everyone loved and just shook off his outlandish comments.

Daneyko and Chico are probably both the same level of eloquence when speaking and of course Daneyko can go on his biased rants too, but I think he also has plenty of moments of being incredibly insightful...much moreso than Chico.

I loved chicos goofiness. My favorite segment was right after the devils moved and chico eats

Maybe i would like danekyo more if i didnt find cangelosi a bit bland and boring.

 

[Quid Pro Clowe]

Surprised SJ team is that high. Randy is great as is Hedican but Kendall is still finding her bearings and Jamie isn’t good.
Dallas should be #1 imo.

Bakes is good when talking the game and experience. I think his mental health issues have likely effected his performance. Hard to be on your game when you're literally off of yours personally.

 

[Super Hans]

Colorado's TV and radio guys are backwards. Moser has a voice for radio and he might be an even bigger homer than Haynes was. Moser's viral "guts" call got him the job, but really needs to go back to radio. Conor McGahey isn't the greatest play-by-play, but he's much better suited for TV. McNabb could be replaced, but I'm afraid they'll replace him with Rycroft.

 

[HighLifeMan]

Calagary's broadcasts are miserable.

Rick Ball is one of the best in the business.

I do however get the disdain for Cassie Campbell but she only does spot duties for the broadcast.

 

[Cyclones Rock]

Rick Ball is one of the best in the business.

I do however get the disdain for Cassie Campbell but she only does spot duties for the broadcast.

I should have been more specific. CC is turn off the sound awful.

How do you like Derek Wills? When the Cincinnati Cyclones were affiliated with Montreal/Hamilton years ago I listened to him quite a bit and found him to be quite good.

 

[HighLifeMan]

I should have been more specific. CC is turn off the sound awful.

How do like Derek Wills? When the Cincinnati Cyclones were affiliated with Montreal/Hamilton years ago I listened to him quite a bit and found him to be quite good.

Derek Wills is extremely well received here. He does a fantastic job, certainly no complaints from me.

The color commentary here in Calgary could use some help. Hrudey surely isn't all that great either.