[Rumour] Ron Maclean to replace George Stromboulopoulos on HNIC

[Flash Walken]

Ron McLean is a political animal, from what I've heard, always has been.

[GioforPM]

Originally Posted by Azhouse

What was the show that CBC had to get on the air? I think it was "He Shoots, He Scores". Another CBC show that no one watched.

Pretty sure it was the news.

[saillias]

Ron has really gone off the deep end this year with the shtick.

"Saturday. Going to be a great day. Always is."

[JiriHrdina]

I wish it wasn't a Ron v. George debate and instead a Ron v. The Right Guy debate.

There's gotta be a better choice overall.

[PepsiFree]

Originally Posted by JiriHrdina

I wish it wasn't a Ron v. George debate and instead a Ron v. The Right Guy debate.

There's gotta be a better choice overall.

I agree, I mean I personally like Strombo way more than Ron, but it's basically choosing between two people who really aren't right for the job. Each of them irrationally annoy different audiences.

Instead of what you could call the "bold" choice (you know, those tight suits everybody!) in Stronbo, or the milquetoast choice in Ron, we've still yet to see Rogers make the SMART choice.

[JiriHrdina]

James Duthie is the name that constantly comes up as the right type of guy.

But I think TSN has done everything to keep him there.
But surely there is someone else like James Duthie out there.

I also really like Kate Berness on TSN and think she could do the job. Knows her stuff, is naturally funny, and very quick on her feat and sharp.

[Weitz]

In all honestly these days I don't know a single person who watches pre-game, intermission, or post-game coverage. No one seems interested in it anymore. I know I am not.

I think soon most of it will just be cut to a brief pre-game intro.

[PepsiFree]

Getting Kate Beirness would be magic for Rogers. She's one of the absolute best sportscasters in Canada.

Duthie would be good but he's a little soft. Intelligent and great at his job, but a little meek for the grating personalities Rogers likes to keep around.

Still, either would be a massive upgrade.

[TheoFleury]

Duthie would be great, I also think Hrudey would do very well in that role. Unfortunately, I think we see corny ol' Ron for the duration of the Rogers deal.

[saillias]

David Shoalts interviewed a Sportsnet VP about the direction they're taking.

David Shoalts ‏@dshoalts10m10 minutes ago
Sportsnet VP Rob Corte says won't see as much of the high-tech doo-dads like using pucks to call up stats or guys with sticks on glass rink.

The emphasis will be on "our panel, our stars and stories of the game," Corte said. "More story-telling."

Top of mind for all Sportsnet hockey producers, VP Corte says, "Is how best to present the story." Expect more features on players.

[Textcritic]

Originally Posted by Zarley

I think we can all agree that nobody is going to miss Strombo's Baby Gap suits.

I'm flabbergasted that anyone would allow his wardrobe choice to distract them that much. It's not like his fashion choice was anywhere near the lunatic fringe variety of Darryl Katz.

This is just petty.

[Beatle17]

David Shoalts ‏@dshoalts10m10 minutes ago
Sportsnet VP Rob Corte says won't see as much of the high-tech doo-dads like using pucks to call up stats or guys with sticks on glass rink.

The emphasis will be on "our panel, our stars and stories of the game," Corte said. "More story-telling."

Top of mind for all Sportsnet hockey producers, VP Corte says, "Is how best to present the story." Expect more features on players.

The problem with this statement is "The emphasis will be on "our panel, our stars and stories of the game," Corte said. "More story-telling."". The emphasis should be on the game, not their STARS and more story-telling - this tells you exactly why Ron MacLean is back, to tell more of his crappy stories. - Sorry for the blue writing, don't know what I clicked on.

[McG]

Originally Posted by Beatle17

David Shoalts ‏@dshoalts10m10 minutes ago
Sportsnet VP Rob Corte says won't see as much of the high-tech doo-dads like using pucks to call up stats or guys with sticks on glass rink.

The emphasis will be on "our panel, our stars and stories of the game," Corte said. "More story-telling."

Top of mind for all Sportsnet hockey producers, VP Corte says, "Is how best to present the story." Expect more features on players.

The problem with this statement is "The emphasis will be on "our panel, our stars and stories of the game," Corte said. "More story-telling."". The emphasis should be on the game, not their STARS and more story-telling - this tells you exactly why Ron MacLean is back, to tell more of his crappy stories. - Sorry for the blue writing, don't know what I clicked on.

Wow. Only Rogers. Every other sport on the planet, and especially Football/Soccer (arguably one of the most staid sports going), are embracing the technology that is available.

Distance travelled? Passes attempted/completed? Possession? Speed? Heat Charts? Areas of ice a certain player is in? Formations? These are the gee whiz moments that bring in casual fans, and the sport and actual game play will be what keeps them there. You may not see these things when you first watch a game/match, but having it shown to you, as in why something happened or worked, helps the casual viewer understand the subtleties of the game more, and that changes casual views into scheduled views.

I am also tired of surface "stories"; yes, all very interesting the things that players and parents sacrifice to get there. What I want to know is what they do that makes them so special; what is it that they do on or off the ice that makes them better than their peers.

As someone else posted, hearing "that is the same number that Billy Smith wore in the battle of South Yonge Street when he played with Jimmy Jones (who wore the exact double number as Billy when he earlier scored exactly double the number of goals), when they were playing on his local outdoor rink where Billy's uncle had put a penny at centre ice where Jimmy's mom was in the Community Association, and his dad actually built the boards from the leftovers of Billy's grandfather's fence. BTW, I'll be there next Sunday for Hometown Hockey with a bunch of players who once played a game for the Leafs."

Strombo always seemed at his best in the "couches" segment, where he could just talk to the analysts and get their thoughts away from telestraters etc.

[nik-]

Is there any other sport in the world that is marketed without actually pressing what's awesome about the game itself and rather focuses on history and nationalism?

I mean, there's the baseball's "America's Pastime" but that was more a slogan as opposed to a technique.

The game is fast, high action, rough, dramatic. I get excited watching the sport, I don't care about these stories. It's so annoying.

[Oil Stain]

The thing that bugs me the most about NHL hockey broadcasts has always been their complete lack of explaining things on the technical side.

The broadcasters might say something like the LA Kings play a defensive style, but they never breakdown what that actually means. Do they play man on man in the D-zone, Box +1, overload, etc.

I think a lot of even hardcore fans don't really have a good idea about systems like Box+1 and that's a shame. It's paid attention to so little that its even difficult to find good explanations on the internet about hockey systems and tactics.

It'd be nice if they had coaches on the show that have coached in this century, to explain the current hockey hockey strategies and systems more thoroughly.

[Erick Estrada]

Originally Posted by JiriHrdina

I wish it wasn't a Ron v. George debate and instead a Ron v. The Right Guy debate.

There's gotta be a better choice overall.

James Duthie is the guy and instead of paying $$$ to Ron and Don they should have opened the check book to bring him in. It's possible Duthie wanted to stay at TSN but the opportunity to host HNIC would have had to be pretty enticing if he was being highly compensated. That said after RSN dropped Strombo out of panic you can understand why anyone in a comfortable gig would be hesitant about joining them.

[Erick Estrada]

Originally Posted by Oil Stain

The thing that bugs me the most about NHL hockey broadcasts has always been their complete lack of explaining things on the technical side.

The broadcasters might say something like the LA Kings play a defensive style, but they never breakdown what that actually means. Do they play man on man in the D-zone, Box +1, overload, etc.

I think a lot of even hardcore fans don't really have a good idea about systems like Box+1 and that's a shame. It's paid attention to so little that its even difficult to find good explanations on the internet about hockey systems and tactics.

It'd be nice if they had coaches on the show that have coached in this century, to explain the current hockey hockey strategies and systems more thoroughly.

TSN has been doing this with CFL broadcasts at half time. Each week one of the ex-players on the panel explain certain offensive and defensive schemes. Stuff like this helps new viewers gain a better understanding of the game and since a lot of regular viewers are tuning out intermissions you may as well put them to good use in trying to educate new viewers as they may be the ones that are still paying attention seeing it's relatively new to them. Unfortunately TSN has always been several steps ahead of Rogers in everything so by the time RSN catches on they will likely be on the back half of their deal.

[JiriHrdina]

I agree with EE. TSN has done a tremendous job with their CFL coverage - with a panel that provides the right balance of deep insights, humor and other elements.
The problem I have with the HNIC approach to hockey, which RSN is now embracing, is the lack of balance. They don't go deep enough. They focus too much on the past, and even within that, it is too narrow.

I've heard enough about the '72 series, the New Year's Eve game between Canada and Russian, Bobby Orr, Wayne Gretzky, Mario.

There are a ton of other great stories, players and games from the past that are never re-visited because they just talk about the same dozen or more things over and over and over again.

[Erick Estrada]

Originally Posted by JiriHrdina

I agree with EE. TSN has done a tremendous job with their CFL coverage - with a panel that provides the right balance of deep insights, humor and other elements.
The problem I have with the HNIC approach to hockey, which RSN is now embracing, is the lack of balance. They don't go deep enough. They focus too much on the past, and even within that, it is too narrow.

I've heard enough about the '72 series, the New Year's Even game between Canada and Russian, Bobby Orr, Wayne Gretzky, Mario.

There are a ton of other great stories, players and games from the past that are never re-visited because they just talk about the same dozen or more things over and over and over again.

You are reading my mind as I posted this below but the site kind of crashed so you beat me to it;

This is indeed an issue. How many times a year do we still see and hear the goal calls on Henderson in 1972, Bobby Orr moments, etc. The thing is that I'm probably considered an older poster but I never saw either of those two players play and while it's a part of our history it's not something you need to be showcasing over and over every year. HNIC is a broken record as it is so resorting to more stories is again catering to an older audience and not new viewers who are all about now and not the past. Do 20 year olds today need to be constantly reminded about Lemieux's goal in the 1987 Canada Cup a tournament that a large portion of the population doesn't even know about? The NBA and NFL excel in selling their current stars and it seems like HNIC is stuck in the past.

[JiriHrdina]

The thing is, I would argue MLB, NBA and NFL all do a great job of still honoring the past, but using it as a means to promote the now.
History is tremendously important to the NFL and MLB - and if you want to get more of that, they provide easy ways to do so. NFL Archives is fantastic.
But it never gets in the way, or undermines the current product.
NHL fans constantly long for the game of years past, because the league and broadcast partners seems to promote the concept that it was "better".

The NBA is really interesting, because a lot of their history is even less known. Television coverage was sporadic and broader media coverage wasn't great at times. But the league has some awesome stories and characters from their past - but again - they don't make that the lead story. It is supplemental and a way for fans to go deeper if they want.