I suspect there is a generation of people on this board that have no more than a cursory knowledge of who Harry is/was.
IMO he was the best color man to ever assume that role on HNIC.
His ability to understand when to speak and when not to can't be overstated. He addresses this very thing in this peice so well written by Steve Simmons..
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When play was going on, the announcer spoke. When play stopped, it was Neale’s time to come in and explain.
When he watches hockey today, sometimes Neale is aghast at what he hears. “It doesn’t seem to work that way anymore,” Neale said. “Sometimes the analyst is talking while the play is going on. I don’t like that. I don’t want a hear a story, as good as it might be, while a guy has a breakaway. I want to hear the breakaway.”
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Then you add in his humor and one-liners and he is nothing short of a broadcasting icon who was inducted into the HHOF for his efforts.
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“Last season we couldn’t win at home. This season we can’t win on the road. My failure as a coach is that I can’t think of anywhere else to play.”
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Another line still alive: Neale on why he disliked the Canadian national anthem: “Every time I hear that song, we play a bad game.”
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Another from his coaching days: “I know my players don’t like my practices, but that’s OK, because I don’t like their games.”
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One night, a defenceman of his over-handled the puck Neale gave it to him outside the dressing room. “You think you’re Bobby Orr. You remind me of Frank Orr (the Toronto Star hockey writer at the time).”
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And his take on the best players he ever saw? (He coached Howe at one point and talks about it in the interview)
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“I have this argument with myself,” Neale said. “On Monday, it’s Howe followed by (Wayne) Gretzky and Orr. On Tuesday, it’s Gretzky followed by Howe and Orr. On Wednesday, it’s Orr, followed by Gretzky and Howe. For me, they’re the top 3. I keep changing the order. Your list might be different from mine. It doesn’t make anybody correct.”
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Just a great light read and he ends it with this,
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He ended the conversation with a riddle of sorts. “How many wrinkles in a horse’s ass?” he asked and quickly answered.
“Smile and I’ll count them.”
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https://torontosun.com/sports/simmon...box=1646790254