NBC Sports

[hockeymass 11]

Nobody outside of new england wants to hear jack edwards. hell, a lot of people in new england don't want to hear jack edwards. I have nothing against him, he was always nice to me.

I like Jack, but I grant you he's not popular around the league (even though most broadcast crews are biased). Brick's pretty good, definitely the better half of the duo. It just seemed like Edzo and Doc, PARTICULARLY Edzo, were the anti-Jack and Brick. Whoever the Bruins played was an insurmountable force and couldn't be stopped. Vancouver was unbeatable. Maybe this is the homer in me talking, but it was pretty grating.

[chippa13 1844]

Doc would be fine if he would just get better glasses. He gets names wrong more than he gets them right these days.

[wrangler 157]

I'd prefer not to listen to him. And he's got a problem that too many announcers have these days -- he wants to talk about other things, and tell stories, while the puck's in play.

[chippa13 1844]

I think that is part of the NHL's attempt to make the players more interesting to viewers.

[wrangler 157]

I find that it's done by announcers in all sports, and seems to have increased as the amount of readily available data on players has increased. I don't mind what they're telling me, but I don't want to hear it while the puck's in play.

And it's annoying when a power play starts, and the announcers haven't bothered to mention who got a penalty, and for what. I seem to notice this more with Emmerick than with others.

Sometimes they treat the game as background for what they're doing and saying, as if they don't realize that it's what we tuned in to watch, and the only reason they are there.

[Chadd 916]

I think that is part of the NHL's attempt to make the players more interesting to viewers.

I think it has more to do with the guys calling the game getting bored with the game itself. It usually happens during periods of slow play. Just like pre-lockout, many were complaining about how long the game took

[Jason Harris 31]

I've been paying attention to something over the past year whenever Bruins' games are on NBC/Versus or the NHL channel. With one qualifier that occasionally I don't see an occasional national game because my auto-record doesn't auto-record, not once have Jack and Brick been the chosen announcer. Doesn't matter if it's a home or away game, it is ALWAYS the other announcers.

That tells you what the NHL thinks of Jack, whom I admit hasn't been quite as intolerable this season. Of course, it could also mean I'm hearing him a lot less, since the B's are on national games about 20% of the time.....

[hockeymass 11]

I've been paying attention to something over the past year whenever Bruins' games are on NBC/Versus or the NHL channel. With one qualifier that occasionally I don't see an occasional national game because my auto-record doesn't auto-record, not once have Jack and Brick been the chosen announcer. Doesn't matter if it's a home or away game, it is ALWAYS the other announcers.

That tells you what the NHL thinks of Jack, whom I admit hasn't been quite as intolerable this season. Of course, it could also mean I'm hearing him a lot less, since the B's are on national games about 20% of the time.....

I don't get NHLN on my cable package, but NBC Sports always uses its own guys, right?

[Jason Harris 31]

Yes, NBC uses its own guys, but NBC Sports (or the old Versus) uses one of the feeds from the game. I've not once seen them use the Boston feed.

[chippa13 1844]

Sometimes they'll use one of the local crews when they are doing a double header.

[cooperalls 4]

I appreciate Emrick's attempts to tell a story, but his verbiage is used to the degree that it loses all meaning. Everything is "ladled", "wanded", "shoveled", "knifed", "cancelled-out"

...you know, sometimes they just shot the puck, or passed it. Get over yourself, have a Bud Light.

[hockeymass 11]

Yes, NBC uses its own guys, but NBC Sports (or the old Versus) uses one of the feeds from the game. I've not once seen them use the Boston feed.

Every NBC SP/VS Bruins broadcast I've watched this year has been Doc and Edzo.

I will admit, Jack is more homeriffic than most other US play by play guys. Canadian crews are a different story.

[wrangler 157]

In my experience, it's been Emmerick and Eddie for at least the last couple years, as their first team. On occasion, I remember each of them replaced by a substitute. Once, I remember them taking the Blackhawks audio, when a game was televised in Chicago on Comcast, and nationally on Versus. This year, it seems that when Versus/NBCSports has a Blackhawks game, they have an exclusive, so we don't have our local team on Comcast.

EDIT: This applies only to Blackhawks games.

[Chadd 916]

They use local crews for the secondary games on NBCS or anything on NHL Net. Secondary games are usually west coast games or the second game of a double header.

[hockeymass 11]

I appreciate Emrick's attempts to tell a story, but his verbiage is used to the degree that it loses all meaning. Everything is "ladled", "wanded", "shoveled", "knifed", "cancelled-out"

...you know, sometimes they just shot the puck, or passed it. Get over yourself, have a Bud Light.

I was just watching a bit of the San Jose - Washington game, and yeah. Knifed along, chopped down the boards, cancelled each other out. Kind of annoying once you notice it.

[troy 12]

I can't stand Emrick because of his over-wrought descriptors and shrill tone of voice.

[trevor13478 1]

"Squibbed out in front!!!"

[RadioGaGa 162]

Almost all TV commentators (in hockey anyway) need to talk less. Radio guys need to describe every little thing that happens to paint a picture for the listener...but viewers can VIEW what is happening. Play by Play needs to describe parts of the action..not every single thing. And, when they do...it does not need to be in great detail - that is what the Color guy is for when play stops and there is a replay.

[chippa13 1844]

Color guys don't just wait for whistles like in the old days and I think there is none better than Brickley at interjecting during play. However, the best color man interjection was Derek Sanderson's "Uh oh" which was almost always followed by a goal going into the Bruins net in the next 5-10 seconds.

[Chadd 916]

Almost all TV commentators (in hockey anyway) need to talk less.

Please forward this to Jim Hughson

[RadioGaGa 162]

Please forward this to Jim Hughson

Pretty sure he started doing radio for Vancouver. Probably why he doesn't shut up. Craig Simpson is a good color guy....when he gets a word in.

I see NBC has the TSN crew (Gord Miller/Ray Ferraro) doing the Buffalo/Pittsburgh game. I guess with HDIA...NBC ran out of crews to work?

[chippa13 1844]

Did Ferraro still find a way to sneak in the fact that he's married to Cammy Granato?

[DBear 0]

Anyone have some numbers on how much of a viewer share they pulled in over the weekend?

Can't wait tell we start seeing more NHL and less NBA. And who knows that might even force ESPN to cover hockey

[chippa13 1844]

People really need to let go of this whole ESPN and hockey thing. With the NHL Network as part of the NBC sports group, there is no way that NBC will let the NHL go now.

[cooperalls 4]

People really need to let go of this whole ESPN and hockey thing. With the NHL Network as part of the NBC sports group, there is no way that NBC will let the NHL go now.

I kind of have to agree with you here. The only thing worse than ESPN not covering hockey, is ESPN covering hockey. Except Melrose and Buccigross, ESPN's hockey coverage is largely uninformed.