[News] Canadians not impressed with new HNiC

[CliffFletcher]

And I bet most of the people polled think Bob Cole is still the best play-by-play guy in the game.

[calgary2220]

Less skinny jeans please!!!

[FlamesAddiction]

If people think Ron MacLean is smug, how do they handle Don Cherry?

[Chill Cosby]

More skinny jeans please!!!

[calgarygeologist]

HNIC is trying too hard to be like ESPN's Sunday NFL Countdown.

[lanny9]

First off, have never liked Strombo, just find him boring, monotone and not a person you think about when you want to talk sports. He makes me fall asleep, if you want to talk pop culture fine have him do the job, but good god, not sports! Do not like the coffee table setting at all, not sports related imo, again pop culture, sure! Sure Rogers wants to put their stamp on this and move away from McLean,tune but could they not have found someone with a sports background?

Other than that there is some smaller aspects that I would change, Healy being one, Cassie Campbell another, maybe some other guys, but really they have given us more opportunity to watch more games and I think we will see more improvements going forward, but overall production quality I'm not having a major problem with.

[N-E-B]

Originally Posted by Huntingwhale

Strombolopolous looks like a sketched out stoner. Can't stand him. I don't watch any of the filler stuff so I'm not going to comment on it. If people have such big issues with them, learn to PVR the game and skip it all.

The problem with PVR is, like myself, lots of people like to have websites up (such as CP and Twitter) and follow along and read others comments on the game or a play that happened. For people who like watching it live and not having to go through the hassle of avoiding knowing the score, I think it's perfectly valid to be upset if they feel the filler is sub-par.

[Tacopuck]

I have to admit i was quite against the whole Sportsnet taking over HNIC at first (I'm still not 100% convinced) but I am enjoying the multituide of games being broadcast on Saturdays. Strombo has been a bit akward these first few weeks but is getting better as time goes on. I'll reserve full judgement until the end of the season / see what their playoff broadcasts are like.

That being said I am really enjoying the sunday Hometown hockey with Ron Mclean. I cant imagine a better person to host something like that.

[T@T]

Other than the fact everyone on the planet needs to cut/paste Stoumboulopoulos just to spell it 50% of hockey fans know more about the game than he does. I don't dislike the guy and I know he started in sports radio but he belongs in the music/entertainment biz...not hockey!

And lining up so-called sportscasters in bunches doesn't do the trick if half the country can't stand them...ESBN has legends on their panels...HNIC have a bunch of no-bodys and irritating hacks.

I'm probably just crusty but I doubt i'll start to like the "new" HNIC anytime soon.

[Cleveland Steam Whistle]

Originally Posted by T@T

Other than the fact everyone on the planet needs to cut/paste Stoumboulopoulos just to spell it 50% of hockey fans know more about the game than he does. I don't dislike the guy and I know he started in sports radio but he belongs in the music/entertainment biz...not hockey!

And lining up so-called sportscasters in bunches doesn't do the trick if half the country can't stand them...ESBN has legends on their panels...HNIC have a bunch of no-bodys and irritating hacks.

I'm probably just crusty but I doubt i'll start to like the "new" HNIC anytime soon.

Is that really true though, and even if it is, does that matter? Pretty knowledgable hockey country, so if half the hockey fans no less than him, maybe that's enough, especially considering he's not occupying an analysis or expert role on the broadcast, he's just the host.

Also, I doubt 50% know more, I'd say that 50% just think they know more, but that same 50% feel they know more than everyone in the media including ex players. Stroumb....... George is coming across as knowledgable as the average Canadian in his role, and to be honest whether he knows more or not than the average is tough to tell, again given his role on the broadcast, and simply just hard to know unless you get him in room and really dive deep. He's just easy to pick on because his previous professional history has been mostly in the entertainment and specifically music genre, so it's easy for people to say default to the guy must have a knowledge gap and is out of his element because he hasn't occupied a sports host seat in decades.

[waner]

Originally Posted by Cleveland Steam Whistle

Is that really true though, and even if it is, does that matter? Pretty knowledgable hockey country, so if half the hockey fans no less than him, maybe that's enough, especially considering he's not occupying an analysis or expert role on the broadcast, he's just the host.

Also, I doubt 50% know more, I'd say that 50% just think they know more, but that same 50% feel they know more than everyone in the media including ex players. Stroumb....... George is coming across as knowledgable as the average Canadian in his role, and to be honest whether he knows more or not than the average is tough to tell, again given his role on the broadcast, and simply just hard to know unless you get him in room and really dive deep. He's just easy to pick on because his previous professional history has been mostly in the entertainment and specifically music genre, so it's easy for people to say default to the guy must have a knowledge gap and is out of his element because he hasn't occupied a sports host seat in decades.

I think he is "easy to pick on" because he is unlikable and doesn't bring any hockey knowledge to the table. He brings nothing. At least the other guys that are unlikeable in the panel bring hockey knowledge and/or experience with them.

[Cleveland Steam Whistle]

Originally Posted by waner

I think he is "easy to pick on" because he is unlikable and doesn't bring any hockey knowledge to the table. He brings nothing. At least the other guys that are unlikeable in the panel bring hockey knowledge and/or experience with them.

Unlikable is an opinion, but one you are entitled to, but by no means a fact.

Who are the other guys you speak of? Not everyone that graces that broadcast is an ex player (and I have serious beef with ex-players being anointed with immediate credibility, it does obviously bring some knowledge with it, but some of those guys are the biggest morons of the bunch). As far as experience, how valuable is it to have more experience reporting on hockey? It's worth something for sure, but it's not the be all and end all, and many posters on here are far more knowledgeable for example in regards to hockey, and especially the Flames, than many of the "reporters" who have been doing this for decades. The Elliot Friedman's and Duha's of the world are not the norm of their peer group.

[waner]

Other guys would be Healy, Cox, PJ, Kypreos, Jaffe, Smith, Morrison, Millen etc.

I actually think Friedman is often terrible on HNIC because he is put in bad spots where he is analyzing plays. Friedman is awesome as a reporter and should be used in a hot stove type role. He is great on the radio relaying stories/news but he is bad as an analyst because it takes him out of his comfort zone.

[Dion]

It's a heck of alot better than the previous one that force feed the rest of Canada with Leafs hockey every Saturday night. At least now we get numerous choices of teams we can watch

[GGG]

I really like Ron Mclean doing the Home town hockey segmants, I wouldn't mind if they moved Cherry there with him as he has a passion for minor hockey and the military both of which fit well in the throwback pond hockey feel of the Sunday night show. I think that show does a real good job of the nostalga that people miss in the new HNIC.

The new HNIC is an excellent set up. It feels like NFL sunday. There are kinks to work out but it really modernized the set up and most importantly gives you 5 games in the 5pm slot and 2 games in the 8pm slot to watch each week. That alone makes it way better.

What really doesn't fit is coaches corner behind a desk. It is just shoehorned in there. I know they kept it to placate the never change people but to me it just disrupts the flow of things now.

[kirant]

Originally Posted by BigErnSalute_16

What was Healy's comment? I must have missed this, something about Gaudreau right?


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I think most here have always felt Healy is a bit anti-Flames.

The comment this year that made everyone upset was that, and I'm paraphrasing, it's too early to call someone "Johnny Hockey" when he's only had one shot on net in four games.

Incidentally, Gaudreau was scratched for a game soon after and began taking over as a key offensive player.

[BigErnSalute_16]

Originally Posted by kirant

I think most here have always felt Healy is a bit anti-Flames.

The comment this year that made everyone upset was that, and I'm paraphrasing it's too early to call someone "Johnny Hockey" when he's only had one shot on net in four games.

Incidentally, Gaudreau was scratched for a game soon after and began taking over as a key offensive player.

Thanks! heard all the talk about it but didn't hear the comments myself


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[Salt Water Cowboy #10]

Who was surveyed? Where was the survey? I never saw it.
I think it's ok. But I'm just happy with all the games that are on.

Healy is the worst, but he gets people talking... Negatively about him mostly

[bubbsy]

I just hate the panel. Cox, Maclean, kypreous, etc, are pretty weak.

Hnic had a feel of tradition and brought an association of my youth and watching hockey on sat nites as a kid. The new format though "fresh" just seems to be missing something that triggered that nostalgia of Saturday night hockey you can feel everywhere in canada.

[GioforPM]

Before he began HNIC, McLean was a local DJ. He did Flames TV for 2 years and then he only had a couple years at most before he took over after Hodge threw his tantrum. He did have his reffing experience.