The Athletic: The 2021 NHL broadcast rankings: The best and worst markets to watch th

[CaptainCrunch]

Originally Posted by Macman

Principe is actually a good interviewer if he would only drop the ridiculous puns and maybe get a better haircut. I won't watch an Oilers telecast knowing I may see him, you can't change the channel quick enough.

No he's not, he leads the broadcast world in eye rolls from his interview per broadcast with his constant "What do you think of Connor", and "What's it like to share the ice with Oiler greatness questions". Add to that his puns and skits are more stupid and pathetic then funny or well thought out.



He's a greasy topped mulletted amateur.

[gvitaly]

Originally Posted by FlamesAddiction

I like Hrudey and think he has a very likable personality. The problem is that bot he and Campbell are extremely technical. Hrudey has some interesting stories and conjecture, but that they could use someone a little more colorful.

Personally I used to be a big fan of Hrudey, but I got a little tired of hearing the same things. Mostly things like comments about elevating the puck, and saying a save was harder than it looked because it changed direction. He's a good guy, and does a decent job, but I'm ready for a bit of a change.

[ComixZone]

Yeah, the broadcasts are generally bottom of the barrel. You don't have to spend too much time watching broadcasts for other teams to realize what an afterthought the Flames are on this front.

I thought the guys on Kong for the Kraken were really good. The colour provided actual analysis and was generally accurate - not some random musings that they're trying to shoe horn into a situation that doesn't fit.

I think Ball is good, and everything else ranges from dull to horrid. We're a small market that I don't believe puts up very good ratings though, so it just is what it is.

[Old Yeller]

While I appreciate Ball and don't mind Hrudey / Cassie... I'd still pay money for a broadcast with no commentary, just the product on the ice and everything the microphones picked up.

[MolsonInBothHands]

Was there any mention of the low quality video or out of sync audio?

[Owen15]

We need a full rebuild.

[Off the Wall]

How did the Canucks rank #7?
John Shorthouse and John “Homer” Garrett are like listening to Bert and Ernie on Sesame Street.

I live in BC and am subjugated to much worse commentary..

[Off the Wall]

Is Harvey the Hound an option?
We could boost his rankings

[Buff]

Originally Posted by Macman

I like Cassie though and don't get the dislike people have for her.

Hrudey is good on the panel but just okay as colour guy in my view. Him and Ball banter on way too much sometimes while the play is happening like a couple guys at the bar which I find irritating.

I'm not a Cassie fan but I still don't get the dislike people have for her!

[d_phaneuf]

Originally Posted by Toonage

Cassie does get a lot of flack but clearly is doing something right as they gave her a gig in the states.

As for a panel I have a novel idea. No former players. Canucks broadcast were like this (unsure if they still are) where it was newspaper or TV reporters discussing the team and the league. That might be the way to go in Calgary. Haynes, Duhatschek, Pike, maybe some folks outside the province via Zoom.

Yep still doing it. It's been a huge improvement.

Dan Murphy is your guys Ryan Leslie basically, and he has 2 guests on at each home game who get like 6-8 minutes at each intermission, sometimes it's a former player but it's super rare. Most of the times it's guys from the athletic or the local Sportsnet radio guys.

Guessing for away games, assuming they travel this year, is zoom. But it's made intermissions much more watchable than throwing to a panel in Toronto who don't really follow the team

[CaptainYooh]

As much as I've hated Bieksa on ice, I really enjoy his commentary. He is always bang on with his play analysis, adds humour to the game reviews and is very entertaining to watch/listen to.

[Erick Estrada]

Originally Posted by Off the Wall

How did the Canucks rank #7?
John Shorthouse and John “Homer” Garrett are like listening to Bert and Ernie on Sesame Street.

I live in BC and am subjugated to much worse commentary..

Shorthouse is good. Garrett wouldn't be bad if he wasn't such a shameful homer. Murphy seems like he's been there forever and he's good.

[Sandman]

I love Ball and Hrudey with Leslie, and I also love Wills and Loubo on the Radio. I think those two teams of play-by-play personalities are some of the best in the business. Cassie doesn't bother me at all. I think the only true black hole is Francis, and he doesn't bother me too much either.

[Vinny01]

These are dumb rankings. The Oilers guy fits their market because he sounds like an announcer for a monster truck rally, or backyard wrestling promotion. Fits right in with their mullets and sweatpants. I do think Debrusk is pretty solid and has come a long way over the years.

Canucks at 7? Short house is no better than Ball and Garrett is an even bigger homer than Hrudey.

Francis is the worst part of the broadcast. They get decent former flames on the panel and Leslie is awesome. Ball is national broadcaster level and such an epic improvement over Rob Kerr.

Imo once the Flames went from Kerr-Simmer to Ball-Hrudey it has been great.

[Strange Brew]

I like our broadcast team just fine. All of them really.

[Ped]

Originally Posted by Vinny01

These are dumb rankings. The Oilers guy fits their market because he sounds like an announcer for a monster truck rally, or backyard wrestling promotion. Fits right in with their mullets and sweatpants. I do think Debrusk is pretty solid and has come a long way over the years.

Canucks at 7? Short house is no better than Ball and Garrett is an even bigger homer than Hrudey.

Francis is the worst part of the broadcast. They get decent former flames on the panel and Leslie is awesome. Ball is national broadcaster level and such an epic improvement over Rob Kerr.

Imo once the Flames went from Kerr-Simmer to Ball-Hrudey it has been great.

It's all subjective, but these rankings are literally fans opinions:

For our methodology, fans were asked to rank their favorite team’s broadcast on a scale from 1 to 5 and then had the option to rank as many other broadcasts as they would like on the same scale.
We then averaged out those results for local and national scores. Teams were then assigned a national and local rank, which was averaged out for our composite score. This was far from scientific, and some teams had higher representation than others, but in the end, it provided a snapshot of how fans across the league view and rate those calling the games.

[GioforPM]

Originally Posted by Buff

I'm not a Cassie fan but I still don't get the dislike people have for her!

Me too. She’s definitely middle of the pack as far as colour commentators go. But she gets slagged way more than most others (give or take a Remenda).

[heep223]

I give Hrudey a pass for being a bit bland because he’s just such a lovable human.

[Goriders]

I just tune in to watch the game. I’m surprised at how many people have opinions about the broadcast crew. I don’t really notice them during the game.

[DeluxeMoustache]

Originally Posted by Goriders

I just tune in to watch the game. I’m surprised at how many people have opinions about the broadcast crew. I don’t really notice them during the game.

Yes, this!

It’s amazing the things people complain about

The video? It’s not like the broadcast is in SD. I grew up watching hockey on a 26” tube TV, and was in to the games enough to watch hockey successfully then. Maybe you can find a better picture quality now, but i don’t view Flames vs other broadcasts as much different than going to Best Buy and looking at video on different TVs. The on ice product for me dictates the enjoyment of the game more than the video quality.

The commentary? I’m watching the game and barely notice the commentators. The vitriol towards Cassie on here is one of a few things that make GTs unreadable

Although, Francis? Totally get it, he is just a nuisance