https://theathletic.com/2746567/2021...tch-the-games/
I expected the Flames to be higher than 25th but they finished lowest of the Canadian teams. It appears Eric Francis brought the ranking down.
Quote:
24. Calgary Flames
The broadcast: Sportsnet carries Flames games, with Rick Ball on play-by-play and Kelly Hrudey and Cassie Campbell-Pascall rotating on color.
Local ranking: 25 National: 25 Last season: 25
The result: Calgary’s broadcast received equally underwhelming marks both in and outside of the market for a variety of reasons.
The strongest criticism was directed at Eric Francis, who was mentioned in nearly every comment that came attached with a below-average grade.
“I like Ryan Leslie and many of the talking heads employed by Sportsnet, but I cannot stand Eric Francis,” said one Flames fan.
A common theme in the feedback outside of the local market was that the broadcast is prone to a lack of enthusiasm which can lead to a dry product.
“Their PBP isn’t too bad, but the other broadcasters vary from being too boring to too homer,” read one out of market ballot.
“Calgary’s broadcast needs 100 times more energy,” added another.
The intermission panel guests are typically ex-players like Cory Sarich, Brendan Morrison, Troy Brouwer and Matt Stajan, all of whom fans seemed to respect but felt lacked polish and experience with their on-air delivery.
Elsewhere, the color commentary was polarizing with most having a love or hate relationship with the rotating duo of Hrudey and Campbell-Pascall. The common complaint among those who weren’t as fond of them was that they describe what already happened in front of viewers’ eyes rather than explaining why the play unfolded the way it did or how a breakdown happened — that the analysis wasn’t insightful enough.
The one silver lining in all of this is how many fans supported the professionalism of Ball’s play-by-play and Leslie’s work as an in-game host.
The bottom line: A broadcast lacking energy with polarizing figures outside of the play-by-play and host.
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The other Canadian teams:
22. Leafs
16. Oilers
15. Senators
14. Canadiens
12. Jets
7. Canucks