Because of Course this Would Happen to the NHL…
May 13, 2009 29 Comments
Anaheim vs. Detroit, Game 7 – 7:00 PM ET, VERSUS/TSN/PRIME/FSD/RDS Carolina vs. Boston, Game 7 – 8:00 PM ET, VERSUS (JIP)/TSN2/FSC/NESN/RIS
Some Notes From the Evening:
- Kudos to Rick Peckham for clearly braving some laryngitis to come off the bench to call Game 6 of Bruins/Hurricanes. It’s pretty ridiculous that guys like Forslund and Beninati were getting work in addition to their local stuff while Peckham sat out Round 2, after having a really great Round 1 on the bench.
- We really can’t think of two better people to be bringing America Game 7 of what has become the league’s biggest playoff series since maybe 1994 than Mike Emrick and Daryl Reaugh. Doc and Razor have been pitch-perfect, Emrick setting the scene as only a Hall of Famer can, Reaugh as the weirdness wordsmith that a network has finally found to keep up with Doc. Eat your heart out, Thorne and Clement.
- Does it bug anyone else that “NHL: On the Fly” has been taking the CBC feed with Bob Cole over the VERSUS feed with Doc. Just from the highlights, Cole has been behind the play, senile-sounding and just plain dull. Can we get Mark Lee or Dean Brown out there, please? Or how ’bout giving Jim Hughson the stamp of approval as your new #1 guy by swooping him in to call this one?
Puck The Media 
They should really be using the NESN feed for all of their Bruins-related coverage.
>>Does it bug anyone else that “NHL: On the Fly” has been taking the CBC feed with Bob Cole over the VERSUS feed with Doc. Just from the highlights, Cole has been behind the play, senile-sounding and just plain dull. Can we get Mark Lee or Dean Brown out there, please? Or how ’bout giving Jim Hughson the stamp of approval as your new #1 guy by swooping him in to call this one?
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It’s Wonderful to get CBC highlights on the NHL Network… The more they show the better….
I do agree that Bob Cole is past his prime but it’s not nearly as bad as you suggest. I’ll take Bob Cole over almost any of Versus play by play guys 7 days out of 7.
Jim Hughson was calling the CBC’s number one series which was Vancouver Chicago. I doubt that the CBC will bump Bob Cole for game 7 of Pens Caps. It will be interesting to see who the CBC selects for the final this year. JH is clearly their nunber one play by play guy for the future but it’s not clear if that will happen this year.
Jim Hughson is their number 1 guy. CBC had the Canucks-Hawks series of higher importance obviously due to Vancouver as the last Canadian team. You’re right that Bob Cole should be replaced by Mark Lee but it usually not easy to get rid of legendary broadcasters when they clearly have lost a step. Case and point, look at Dick Enberg and Dick Stockton.
do we know for sure that versus is cutting to the Boston Carolina game after the Detroit Ahaheim game. Both nhl’s site and versus site does not have versus next to that game.
I want DEANOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
And — Pechkam with Laryngitis is always better than Benihana… who we keep wishing Laryngitis upon……………..
>>>I want DEANOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Well I’d sure take him over Benihaha any day….
I assume Benihaha will doing one of the Conference Finals…. 😦
Agree 1000% with Leafsfan. More CBC highlights on NHL on the Fly and less VS. Anyone notice how when the CBC highlights are used all you hear is the PBP guy doing….PBP!! When its VS, you get at least 60-70% highlights that start in the middle of a completely irrelevant conversation interrupted by “oh, and there’s a goal!”.
>>Anyone notice how when the CBC highlights are used all you hear is the PBP guy doing….PBP!! When its VS, you get at least 60-70% highlights that start in the middle of a completely irrelevant conversation interrupted by “oh, and there’s a goal!”.
BC you are so right. I’m not really interested in hearing meaningless conversations between the Versus broadcast team. I just want a minimal play by play that highlights what is going on, on the ice. At this, Bob Cole is still pretty darn good.
To the original comment that Cole has been behind the play… I don’t think that is always the case.
BENIHAHA ALERT!!!!
For those who love JB he’s coming up LIVE on the NHL Network!!!
POW BAM MELT IT DOWN JOE….. MELT IT DOWN!!!!
BREAKING NEWS
CANADIAN TELEVISION AND NHL MAKE ARRANGEMENTS FOR BOTH GAMES TO AIR
CBC: 7PM DETROIT VS ANAHEIM
TSN: 8PM CAROLINA VS BOSTON
VS will produce a Detroit vs Anaheim broadcast and then join Carolina vs Boston
Just announced on the NHL Network that CBC and TSN have agreed to split the coverage of the two games tomorrow night. Now come on NHL do the same in the States and give one of the games to the NHL Network….
The lack of a similar arrangement in the States is really stupid. The NHL Needs both of these games distributed as widely as possible….
Well, my fingers are crossed that NHLN will take up the Bos/Car game here in the states. Come on NHL, do the right thing!!
Don’t hold your breath BC. On NHL Live on the NHL Network today they had a banner running across the bottom of the screen saying that Boston Carolina would be on NHL Center Ice.
While I have NHLCI so I can watch this if I want, the NHL is really messing up on this.
OK, can’t say I am surprised. Thanks Leafsfan. I’ll start praying now that the online streams aren’t choppy tonight.
I know what you mean about the online streams. They aren’t always watchable, but when Versus inflicts Joe Benihaha on us I head for my coputer to find HNIC.
Haha. Me too. I’ve been listening to a lot of games on my computer while watching VS with the sound off.
Great job by the Candadian channels to get both games on air. As for in the US are we at all surprised that this happened? If NHL Network picked up the game would Versus still be able to do bonus coverage after ducks-wings? I don’t get NHLN thats why I ask. Now I don’t think that will be an issue because the NHL isn’t going to move the games but just in case they get smart.
Doc Emrick sucks. Only a Devils fan would think otherwise.
Wow……. just….. wow….. I can’t even come up with teh words to accurately express how much I disagree with you. He’s the top USA hockey guy, hands down….
Doesn’t mean he doesn’t suck. Doc is way past his prime. Spends too much time trying to show us how smart he is. If he would just do PBP like he used to, he’d be a lot better.
Top USA hockey guy. He doesn’t have much to compete with. He’s not the top NHL guy.
The NHL will always have this dilemma whether or not they have multiple cable partners because as long as Detroit and Columbus are Western Conference teams, the league will always be forced to schedule two games at once, unless the league decides to have them play 9:30 local starts. Thus there will be games overlapping which hurts the league no matter which network(s) it’s on.
I agree that there will always be a game overlap but with the ESPN contract one game could be on ESPN with the other on ESPN2; or even ESPN Classic. The problem here is very simple. The NBA makes every playoff game available. The NHL does not. More people have NHL Network than NHL Center Ice. For example, I have NBA TV, MLB Network, NHL Network but not the various PPV packages. So while I am not even an NBA fan, and have the ability to see all their playoff games, I am shut out from more than a handful of NHL games – and its absolutely absurd that this exists like it does. I am actually not faulting or critcising VS, because Keith who wrote before me is correct. My point simply is that it is to me beyond stupid that the other game is not on NHL Network.
You are right about that Jeff, the second game should be on NHL Network and the NHL should do everything they can to get a second cable network because while they they will always a problem of overlap, both games should be widely available. At least the Bruins-Canes are starting at 8pm so everyone can watch the full 3rd period (assuming Wings-Ducks doesn’t go into OT).
I agree with both of you, in fact I have written stuff like that on other blogs as well. Its funny I had this same conversation about why Detroit and Columbus are in the West with a friend today. I think the NHL has a lot to think about over the off season with regards to tv. One other thing is who will be the network provider for the league. NBC clearly doesn’t care too much for the NHL but wants to use it as a lead up for the Winter Olympics. However I wonder if ESPN may make a play for it. Usually a league wants a major 4 network but ESPN can do a lot for a sport (assuming ESPN would want it, which I don’t know). Also I have heard if NBC doesn’t pick up the contract Fox is interested.
Bob Cole may have lost a step but clearly no one on any of the US networks comes close to being as good as he is even if he is supposedly senile. I am so sick of the bias against Bob. He has actually been fantastic this season doing less work, giving way to Jim Hughson. CBC clearly is the best when it comes to hockey and i am disappointed that Americans cant and dont see how it should be done.
Sorry Doc Emrick wouldnt even be in the top 10 play by play for hockey today.
1. Jim Hughson
2. Chris Cuthbert
3. Bob Cole
4. Dean Brown
5. Gord Miller
6. Mark Lee
7. Joe Bowen
8. Pierre Houde
9. Ken Daniels
10 Kevin Quinn
I agree. Though I’d rank Pierre Houde in the top 5, and Dean Brown a little lower. Dave Strader is probably the only American play-by-play I like.
There is a simple solution to this scheduling mess.
6:30: Boston and Carolina
9pm PRIMETIME : Detroit and Anaheim
The inconvenience for Boston and Carolina fans (who have full TV coverage) with this switch would have been minimal while it is a big benefit for those fans who want to watch the game but do not have access to local markets or NHL Center Ice or do not want to spend 20 bucks for a single game.
For Detroit fans, it is a tradeoff for those still settling in from work versus those who go to sleep earlier.
But this would be a big benefit for the Anaheim fans who can watch the game at 6Pacific instead of 4.
But it would, of course, make too much sense for the NHL.
Other common sense alternatives: Just show the freaking game on NHL Network, compensate Versus a tiny amount, and let Versus join the game in progress the same way they would have if NBC carried an OT game.