NBC coverage

[GMS-11 0]

I watched the NBC coverage of the Devils/Tampa Bay game this afternoon. Frankly, I think the coverage is atrocious in many ways. For example:

- I used to think Mike "Doc" Emerick was a good play/play announcer back in the 80's. Now it seems all he does is scream at almost every play and I find it really annoying, making me practically put the sound on mute.

- Piere Macguire has some good things to offer (being between the benches) but his comments should be much less frequent. It's like having two color commentators always talking. I thought Olczyk did a pretty goog job.

- Brett Hull was an awesome player. His comments in the studio I find to be smug, obvious, and somewhat denigrating to the game. Ferraro is pretty good. Heaven help us if Roenick is there next year.

- Get rid of the "shift time" for the individual players on the top part of the screen. I don't need to know how many seconds Vincent L. has been out there and it takes up screen space.

- Great to have the "Gillette Power Play" logo during the 2 minutes. Not.

Personally, I thought Bill Clement was an excellent color commentator, especially when he would avoid bleeding orange/black. Can't figure out why they have him in studio, and not teamed up with Gary Thorne like ESPN did.

[GSHL99 0]

Put the sound on mute and be glad that at least there is some major network NHL coverage....

[DamnLocust 0]

Emerick makes it exciting for those who don't know the game as well as those of us who live for it. The guy's obviously passionate about the game, and I'd much rather have him than some random schmo who couldn't care less what's going on on the ice.

I actually enjoy Hull's commentary. sure it's rather crude, but the guy gets right to the point and speaks his mind. That and he frequently squabbles with Ferraro, which can be entertaining.

I never liked Gary Thorne. not much else to say about that one.

[Smitty34 0]

Overall, I don't think nbc does a bad job, there are just some minor things (besides the announcers) that bother me.

I like Emrick. He does yell a lot, but I don't mind that. He's way better than some of the other Vs. announcers like Joe Benenati, who says "this is the nhl on vs." every 15 seconds. A lot of the nbc/vs. announcers have no personality. and they use strange frazes that I've never heard used in hockey before. All of them annoy me except for Emrick.

I also don't like the shift clock. It is pointless and takes up space.

As for MacGuire, I think has too much to say sometimes and he tends sound like a pissed off coach during his commentating. I noticed today, it seemed like He and Emrick did most of the talking. There were several times when I forgot that Olczyk was even at the game until he would chime in briefly.

I like Clement a lot, especially when he does color commentary. He knows the game well, and I think he has a good, entertaining personality that makes him fun to listen to. He is one of those guys that would make me want to watch the game even if 2 horrible teams were playing.

As for Hull, his comments seem a bit simplistic to the avid hockey fan like me, but I guess that is okay for those that aren't as familiar with the game. I don't have much of a problem with him. I don't like Ray at all. I haven't liked him ever since he made that comment last season when the Dallas player missed the empty net, then Hemsky went the other way and tied the game.

[djosbun 0]

I think it blows. I would rather see NBC swallow their pride and just pay the CBC to run it so we could have quality hockey broadcasting.

[Smitty34 0]

I'd love it if vs/nbc would just air the HNIC broadcasts every week of the regular season, just like they do in the playoffs.

[RadioGaGa 162]

As soon as Roenick retires, NBC needs to fire Hull and put JR in there. He has been workgin with TSN and he is fantastic. Entertaining, insightful...just fun to watch.

I don't mind the shift clock (as long as the announcers don't dwell on it too much). It helps new fans understand the game better. Think about baseball, basketball and football. Starters pretty much play the whole game. The changing in shifts thing is different than in most sports. A friend of mine went to a game in Carolina in one of their first seasons...

He said he heard a guy sitting behind him say to someone. "They'll never win...they keeping taking their bext players off the ice"

[Chadd 916]

I like Doc. He's a fan of the game and gets excited sometimes. I could do without some of the stories though.

[chippa13 1844]

Outside of Pierre McGuire blathering on and on, I like the presentation by NBC. I don't care for most of the Canadian broadcasts, probably because of the blatant homerism that goes on.

[srv2miker 0]

I think it blows. I would rather see NBC swallow their pride and just pay the CBC to run it so we could have quality hockey broadcasting.

Why, you want to watch the Leafs every freaking weekend? That's what we in Canada have to put up with.

[nyhockey6 1]

Emerick sucks. Glad it opened some eyes. He can shove his awards where Marty Broduer has been many a times. And him and Chico? Goddamn.

I agree with Radio on Roenick. He is very good actually. I think Hull has some potential as well.

Agreed on some others....Way too much between the bench stuff.

I agree about Emerick to an extent, the only time I actually can tolerate listening to him is during the Olympics. Otherwise I can't stand him, especially when he's with that idiot Chico.

[#96 0]

They talk WAY too much. They talk through plays and sometimes even have little videos of player interviews that they run in the top right while a power play or something big is going on in the live action. Terrible.

[The Playoff Beard 0]

Bret Hull, SHUT UP!!!!

[Chadd 916]

Bret Hull, SHUT UP!!!!

He was a bit of an asshole during the pre-game.

[BigT 4]

i HATE listening to Hull and his cocky attitude....he makes it too unpleasant to watch and i wish they would just get rid of him...chicken parm on the other hand does a great job

[mdamson 0]

I am sure glad I get CBC. Listening to Brett Hull, Ray Ferraro and Bill Clement argue in the booth has to be driving the casual fan away in droves. Hull sounds like an idiot. Listening to him and Ferraro go at it for a whole intermission about whether it was a "kicking motion" or not made me wish that they had Dave Schultz in the booth to give them both a beat down. As for Emerick, I really liked the way he used to announce back in the 80's as well. I still remember a long overtime game where he was wearing his necktie around his head as a headband by the end. Now days, he seems to be just yelling at anything that happens on the ice. CBC playoff coverage is tons better. I really like Ron Maclean's announcing style, and Don Cherry is the ultimate between period entertainer.

[joshy207 15]

Damn, I thought Hull and Ferraro were going to drop the mitts today when they were arguing about the waved-off Rangers goal that was kicked in. I think Hull's trying to generate some excitement with his comments, but he's been way off base a couple times, especially when talking about Detroit. Less than a week after he said there was no way Datsyuk would return to Detroit, he inked a 7-year deal. Good call Hullie... He's gotta tone it down a bit. Ferraro and Clement, Clement, Hands of Cement are both pretty good. I'm not a big Emerick, he's too exciteable. But much more tolerable than GARY THORNE!!!!!!!!!!! Keep in mind, NBC's broadcasts are designed for the non-fan or casual fan, not the diehards. If we have to put up with shift clocks and sponsor logos so we can see nationally televised NHL hockey, well, I'll take it.

[Thockey17 1]

Quote of the day:

"Nobody should be using green sticks, anway"

Hullie's are character. You need to be around him to experience the best.

[BigT 4]

hull is just irritating, nothing more....i feel bad for ferraro and clement having to work with that cocky, loudmouthed sob

[LkptTiger 1]

Quote of the day:

"Nobody should be using green sticks, anway"

Yeah. I just shook my head. What do you say to that???

As for Thorne: I never liked the guy - then this whole "bloody sock" mess started (again) and I decided that he's a complete and total clown.

[JR Boucicaut 3801]

My reply to that when I heard it on the tv was like, "No, nobody should be spraypainting sticks and writing Mission in gold marker on it."

[chippa13 1844]

hull is just irritating, nothing more....i feel bad for ferraro and clement having to work with that cocky, loudmouthed sob

Ferraro lost me when he went on his little tirade during the Olympics because wifey was left off the US women's team.

[WingsVK97 0]

Hull is fine. The arguments for and against him sound an awful lot like the same fights over Don Cherry on CBC. It's no accident. NBC did it on purpose. For those who say Hull is no Grapes, find someone who will have the same affect that US audiences will recongnize. Roenick might work, but I don't think he'd be as pointed with his comments. And for those who say you won't watch because of him, NBC knows that's an empty threat. Everyone on this message board will watch at some point because we already like hockey. They know this and they aren't after your attention. It's for the people who aren't avid fans and don't know sticks come in green.

On the subject of CBC, Versus can get away with broadcasting CBC feeds on cable. One of the advantages of begin a Comcast property with spotty availability. They don't have the resources to produce the broadcasts so they pick it up from someone else. Versus is still new and doesn't have an established identity. NBC does. You'll never see a CBC broadcast on the major networks for that very reason. NBC would produce it themselves if they wanted to carry it. Weather it makes sense or not, there is a lot of "branding", "imaging", and "positioning" with everything a network televises. Using someone elses product undermines that even if it is superior.

[BigT 4]

My reply to that when I heard it on the tv was like, "No, nobody should be spraypainting sticks and writing Mission in gold marker on it."

so true!!

[flyerman 0]

I am sitting here watching the Rangers-Bruins game on NBC on this lazy Sunday afternoon and just endured one of the most painful [first] intermission reports ever . WTF was Pierre McGuire doing? That was simply bizarre. Is he on medication or just really horrible at trying to make his mundane comments seem interesting and enthusiastic. What a freakin' SPAZZ! Throw Mike Milbury in there and that was the most awkward exchange I have seen in a very long time. Anyone see this? Maybe the long, wide camera shot just made this seem so weird...