Not what you're talking about, but in-game interviews of coaches/players are the biggest waste of time. "Yeah, we need to try to put the puck in the net and get a goal." Deep. Insightful. Thank you for describing the objective of the game.
I could do wthout that. I feel as if Pierre Maguire invented that role for American TV. I found him irritating. I rarely think that this adds value. And yes, the interview with the manager while playing is going on. You can do that in baseball, though even there, a thrilling play can appear very suddenly. I think talking has just increased exponentially because the networks think that any hint of dead air or pausing is intolerable. So they have tried to replicate nature by trying to fill every vacuum with sound, even if it has no value. Regarding banter, that tends to be overused by some. European football commentary is so much better than any of this. Far from perfect, but they don't seem to feel the need to talk for the sense of avoiding silence. To be fair, due to the much smaller playing area and the frenetic pace, hockey rarely has moments where little is happening (except perhaps on power plays when the advantaged team is moving the ice via a series of passes including the required pass backs).
I remember Don Cherry talking about his time as the colour guy for Bob Cole back in the early '80s and stating that the only time he spoke during a broadcast was during a stoppage in play. This is the way it SHOULD be! How many times do I have to hear both members of the broadcast team yapping back and forth about something irrelevant while something is happening on the ice that eventually leads to a goal? It's like - Would you guys just shut the Hell up and just call the game?
I think Mickey Redmond for the Red Wings broadcast does a good job. Whenever something happens during play while he's talking he stops himself or whoever he is speaking to. And just accepts that he'll either get back to it later or the moment has passed. Also recognizes when he goes on tangents and cuts it off with something like "but I digress". Plus he's got that old school charm similar to Cherry.
the only time its relevent to hear them during play is to say stuff like ''guy X just retreated to the back seems hurt at....'' or to point out mayhem happening on the benches
ESPN really disappointment me with their coverage because its the same broadcasters that do football and college basketball. It didnt seem put together. Atleast the TNT crew was a bunch of ppl from NBC so they had some cred
I also mute the game and listen on the radio . Cool thing is the TV delay and radio are different . So most times I hear what's happening before it happens and it gives me a chance to really focus on the play on TV
Awhile back NHL Center Ice offered alternate views with feeds that included no commentary, just live on the ice audio. Need more of this! I tend to mute the telecast and listen to music and find it much more watchable.
I can never understand why we need a play-by-play guy to tell us what we’re watching. I would like it better if we just had a color guy chip in things every now and then. What’s really funny was when the pan-demic happened and the play-by-play guy was in front of a tv watching the game at home telling us what we’re were seeing lol
@dustylover100 100% agree- the live board ads really detract from the game. Good for money, bad for viewers. Before long they'll all be big pharma ads like on cable.
The NHL is nuts, they want my money, and yet they also seem to want me to hate their product. I stopped paying for it, when I lost the ability to choose my broadcast. I can't wait until one of those sailors dens uses AI to block the ads.
no joke...at the start of the season they seemed to be moving a clear direction. then as soon as it seemed like we may have an answer they started doing the complete opposite, and bouncing back and forth. it is maddening
Ken and Mick in Detroit have to be top three. Unreal synergy, they've been working together for 20+ years, and Ken knows when to push Mick's buttons to get stories out of him.
As a new fan, commentary is so important! I didn't realised how muched I relied on my local commentators to understand what was going on until I was forced to watch a national broadcast. Long patches of silence during plays, random unrelated anecdotes about players' birthdays, mispronouncing names...
The duo of Gary Thorne and Bill Clement will always be the GOAT. Nowadays I would pay a premium to watch a hockey broadcast with no announcers, just microphones placed all around the rink giving me the sounds of the game.
Sharks fan. Have noticed this in the past when trying to watch neutral games. Drew Remenda (color) being at ice-level during games is a delight... calling icing/offsides/penalties immediately, giving detail on certain plays (his effusive praise of Kostin's right hook & the information he provided about the discussion between officials in the preseason comes to mind...!) all without the chaos of a third voice in the studio... his familiarity/chemistry with Randy Hahn makes for a very enjoyable broadcast. add this to the fact that both Drew and Randy are such homers... it'll be a sad day when we lose that announce tandem, & given the pains of losing Brodie for Hoshida on pre/post/intermission, it doesn't seem like there's a lot of broadcast talent in the Bay to pick up the slack.
Started watching hockey around 2006. Drew was(is) excellent at explaining things to newer fans without it being annoying to long term fans. While some think Drew and Randy are homers I think they are willing to admit the Shark’s foibles but obviously say stuff that primarily appeals to the home crowd (like “Sharks need a goal here to have a shot to get back in it…”). That stuff is to be expected but when Drew was banished to Edmonton wasn’t it because the organization wasn’t happy with him calling it like it is? Glad he made his way back to San Jose.
The best hockey play by play is on the radio. The french habs broadcast in French is top quality, I can almost see the game when listing and the color does his job at the right moment.
This is why Randy Hahn and Drew Remenda with the Sharks are top notch. Yes, they can be homers, but it's a great call and good insight by the color guy.
It's a shame more people aren't bilingual enough to follow the RDS french commentary because that duo is by far the best I have heard in both languages. Legendary play-by-play and goal call, and maybe the most articulate, precise and professional ex-player I've heard as color commentator. Just enough banter, maybe a quick laugh as the puck drops and then it's back to the game. They are perfect. It's going to be a sad season when either of them leaves.
I'm so glad Marc Denis joined Pierre Houde to the broadcast. He's very intelligent and really describes well, while not overstepping Pierre Houde's legendary calls. And maybe one of the most unbiased broadcast I've heard.
@@CharlesABelair Btw, imo Bruno Gervais is doing a fantastic job replacing Marc during the holidays. I was surprised how seamless the transition was. The dynamic feels the same, and he's also very well spoken and concise.
Those ninja 10-second ads during the game with the split-screen thing absolutely suck. Last night, an ad started playing just as Brendan Dillon started fighting Sam Carrick. They just squeeze in advertising into every available surface, every tight crevice, every freaking orifice. It's just plain gross.
I was gonna say, I hope he’s not talking about the Devils crew with this video hahaha. I think they do it very well, but then again Dano and Sal love the Devils so much that maybe it’s blinding us hahaha. But no, I feel like they genuinely add a lot of good insight into the game, especially Sal with how he breaks down the specifics of plays, or gets into mindset a player might have in the game situation. Really happy with the Devils crew, and we are so spoiled to have gone from Doc + Chico to Cangy + Dano to now Bill + Dano + Sal.
I agree with everything Shannon was saying. That being said. The Devils crew is quite good. Bryce is phenomenal. Dano loves the Devils but he isn’t a homer. Bill is ok. Just want Doc back. No one will ever compare.
Al Shaver, who did radio for the North Stars was a teasure. Back in 81 listening to Al on the radio during the opening round of the playoffs against Boston was something I remember 43 years later. I was 15 years old and in 9th grade.
I recall many years ago the MN Wild broadcasters brought Al Shaver into the booth as a nostalgia feature during the game and had him call a few minutes of the action… you could tell after a few minutes they were regretting it because he was so much better than either of them were 😂😂😂
I was fortunate enough to audio tape some AL Shaver and Steve Cannon off of radio station WCCO in Minny and I live in Buffalo. Stars were awful in the 1970s but the broadcasts were gold.
Oh Hockey Guy - the last bit in this video about Grannie - completely describes how I have to deal with watching hockey with my 90 year old dad. Constant play by play commentary about how good the Jets are playing today, that they are going to lose and/or non-stop questions about why a certain penalty was called without listening to the announcers who are about to describe the current call. If I had a dollar for every time I have had to say - I'm sitting here watching too, I know as much as you - I'd be a freaking millionaire. Sigh - thanks for summing up watching hockey with my dad :)
knowing how much you enjoy the Red Wings broadcast, i’m sure we got a similar level of enjoyment out of Ken Daniels commentating the Canucks Sharks game. had no idea he would be doing it (thought it was Forslund - also legendary) but getting Ken for even just one game was so great
I have to say, here in Winnipeg our AM radio play-by-play announcer Paul Edmonds from 680 cjob is a huge blessing!!! He does all 3 of these things very well and is balanced with his primary being play-by-play. There are a lot of away games for the Jets where I will just listen to the radio broadcast while the game is muted.
I completely agree. I can listen to him in the car, and I can pretty much see the game in my head. Plus his "they scooooooooore" is almost Mexican soccer announcer level of good!
I’m starting to think that some of those are sponsored. On a recent Blues radio broadcast in the middle of play they proceeded to interview a Harlem Globe Trotter member and to completely ignore the on ice play. That organization was coming to town for a show. The Blues were losing by more than a goal and the interview went on long enough that in disgust I turned it off. It was the height of stupidity and disrespect to the listening audience for all involved. Do that promotional stuff between periods. Surely the producers know this, so it has to be for increased revenue.
@@JustBob-sw4rf nowadays some suit asking ''yeah do this exactly at the most critical moment in the game and totally disrespect the fanbase....its important'' totally checks out in fact id be surprised if it went otherwise
His obsession with cheating on the faceoffs the other night was the pinnacle of his excess. You could HEAR Forslund gritting his teeth. Would not let it go.
Should have never fired Brodie Brazil for the tv show. Randy and Drew are legends and Dan on the radio. The guys they try to replace Brodie with are not even on his level.
@@jacobkahn2091 It is it was never the sharks who fired him but the network. His replacements I just find them to be boring. To tune out during intermissions and before and after the game is easier without Brodie.
Came to say the same thing. No matter how bad the Sharks are we are blessed to have the great announcers to get us through these rough times. I miss Brodie, the new guy just does cringy jokes and adds nothing.
7:27 You had me up to this point. Minute details do absolutely matter. It’s largely an accessibility thing, even for TV. Yes, I want to know when the goalie is without a stick or the defenseman. I want to know when someone is down or having a skate issue. That IS 100% a part of the play-by-play: describing exactly what is going on. The TV play-by-play should be just like the radio play-by-play: describing everything that is going on. Whether watching on/listening to TV or listening on the radio we should know exactly what is going on throughout the entirety of game play just by listening. For one thing for many of us keeping up with what is happening on a little screen is tough, even a bigger screen. Some of us are multi-taskers; watching games while working on something else. Those minute details draw us back because something may happen because of the noted issue. Many of us have motion issues and get a bit dizzy or off with fast moving action and everything else littering the screen. And there are some of us with vision issues who need the accessibility of great play-by-play calling INCLUDING descriptors of other things like broken sticks and whatnot. So no, I wholeheartedly disagree with you about that not being needed, because it is. If they’re not calling the plays and descriptor of what is happening then we should just be watching with game sounds only and no talking heads. Now, I couldn’t care less about the talking heads’ golf game, what they ate, where they want to go after, and blah blah blah that has nothing whatsoever to do with the game. I also want 0 interviews playing during the game. Save that for intermissions.
Shannon, you have adequately described the best hockey coverage I ever ran across. I realize it was before your time. Danny Galivan and Dick Irvine Jr. They were a oerfect compliment to each other. They would do the intricate dance between them weekly. Galivan had the hockey understanding and used his voice to accentuate the flow of the play, the up-and-down the ice of those stretches. The louder emphasis for the close plays around the net. The boring slow times too. you could follow how the game was going due to how his voice rose and fell. Dick Irvine knew when to interject and as you rightfully pointed out had the sense and the knack of how to get across a story while being brief. Also he had more stories than the entirety of the current crop combined. He was at most of them, you know. Those two are my Gold Standard. The only current person I would consider to be mentoned in context with these two gentlemen is John Shorthouse. He does most of what Galivan used to do. TBH Galivan had a couple of decades more experience and the best color man of all time. Covering the best team of the era also helped a bit too. IMO all of the hockey play by play people should go through a few seasons of radio broadcasting so they can tighten up their skills on describing the game quickly and properly. I used to listen to the old CBC Sunday evening radio games done by Dick Irvine as play by play man. He was good at it. I still listen to the radio coverage generously supplied on NHL.com, especially when the game is not available to watch. Both teams radio is included so you can go back and forth.
After the great Gallivan, the next iconic play-by-play man was Dan Kelly who did St. Louis Blues broadcasts plus CBS, CBC, and the early days of the USA Channel (prior to ESPN picking up hockey in the ‘80’s). Just like Gallivan, Kelly’s voice would get stronger when there was a dangerous chance around the net or a fantastic save.
As a Leafs fan I once HATED Danny Gallivan, however in the 80’s and 90’s I started to really appreciate his broadcasts. I miss listening to him describe Guy Lafleur et al. He brought so much life and excitement into those broadcasts e.g. CANNONADING DRIVE, SPINERAMA and so many others. Nobody can touch him these days…Sadly now I can only get him on old TH-cam videos.
For your comments around 15:00- Canes broadcast is also aired on the radio, so Mike is doing play by play for audio only people too. I assume some other broadcasts are this way in the states, could be why some seem overly descriptive for what is obviously happening if you’re watching.
I came to say the same thing! I don’t know how common it is in other markets, but here we don’t have a separate radio announcer. So our play-by-play Mike has to thread the needle of providing enough for radio without boring the tv viewers. I think he does a great job, and he and Tripp feed off each other well.
The simulcasts used to be more common than they are now. Back in the 80s it seemed most teams were trying it to save money but ended up going back to separate broadcasts for TV & radio. I don't know how many do it now but I think less than there were some years back.
Andy Brickly balanced him out by being devil's advocate, which is kind of a problem now because he's still doing it with Judd Sirott who isn't 1/10th the homer Jack was.
I like my hockey games called more like boxing than football or baseball, and that is exactly what you are describing. Adding to the constant action, not filling in gaps between plays and pitches.
It got to the point a couple years ago that I decided to turn off the sound to avoid having to listen to the broadcasters. Instead I just listen to music and watch the game.
Kevin Durant of the NBA was telling people watch the game on mute and think for yourself. He really had a problem with someone talking about him or his team.
As a Seattle fan, I feel every bit of this video! The commentators act like as an expansion team, we have never watched hockey before, so they would (and continue to) explain soooo many things that just don't need to be explained. Add in Eddie O and how much we hear about his dinner last night or travel to the arena, and I am happy to mute the tv more than I am not. It is tragic.
I loved it when Forslund was sitting with JT (who was finally able to do the job he was originally hired for, and do it well...) while Edzo was gone for several weeks this year. It allowed Forslund to call the ding-danged game without being dragged into digression fully half the broadcast. I like Eddie Olczyk and I like his stories, but he should be on the desk between periods with Alison or Linda. Put Piper between the benches and let JT back into the booth.
@@bar383 Not even a little bit. I'm sure there's some bias for me considering he's the only play by play guy I've ever known, but his chemistry with Mickey Redmond is unparalleled and he's clearly gleaned more hockey insight just being Redmond's coworker than you or I will ever know on our own. Not to mention Daniels in his prime calling the great late 00's/early 10's teams was some of the most passionate play by play calling you'll ever hear out of any of his contemporaries.
As a devils fan i was spoiled with doc emrick. I like the little interjects the analyst will say (point out a back-check, someone breaking free, penalty coming) but i think the “between the glass” is now overkill.
Counterpoint, Doc was awful. Every 15 seconds he’d give you an update on the amount of time remaining on the clock. God he was awful. Seemed like a super nice guy though!
@@pb12echo The repeated time updates is probably from his radio days and is old school broadcasting. Red Barber had a thing doing baseball games where he had a 30 second egg timer and he'd turn it over and every time the sand ran out he'd give the score. Nowadays the score & time are on the clock the whole time but in the Red Barber days or when Emrick was young, it was different and giving that key information was serving the fan.
I woud love if they offered a broadcast option where they had no commentators, and it was just in-rink audio. ESPN+ did two minutes of it at the end of a period recently and it was pretty rad.
Growing up in NJ I listened to Doc and Chico, they were legends. Now I've been listening to Randy Hahn and Drew Rememda for the Sharks. I also like Kenny Albert cause he yells , "SCORE!" In such a unique way.
Doc and Chico were amazing. I am glad Chico still does color on the radio, when I can't see a game in person or watch it, it is great to be able to listen to him.
@@Cape-DwellerIt's also awesome when the TV and radio crews interact, loved how on the one trivia were Chico was the answer, they cut to the camera feed of Chico in the radio booth holding up a sign saying "Me".
Goodness, Schenectady, you talked through the whole thing! (Merry Christmas Shannon and thanks for all the videos) Depending on the channel, I usually turn down the TV and turn on the radio. Local Play-by-play guy is always on top of the action, and color, when provided, is *politely* timed.
A very unique voice and so awesome to listen too was that guy in Buffalo who recently retired …. Jiggs McDonald w the Islanders during the cup years and John Forsland - Canes then Kraken. Love these guys !! Happy Hollidays everyone!!
You’re referring to Rick Jeanerette, lovingly known as RJ to Sabres fans. Unfortunately he passed away last year. I’m a Blues fan since 1968 and was rooting for the Sabres to win the Cup for RJ, but they’ve never been close for a long time.
Hey Shannon, love following your thoughts and commentary via the channel. By and large agree with you on all points - I’ve been frustrated by newer broadcast teams talking far too much during a game - but to the point about commentators mentioning when someone loses a stick, or how long players have been on the ice, etc. I’d venture to say that’s more to help our visually impaired friends immerse in the game. Keep up the good work! I find myself enjoying the commentary and analysis by independent creators like yourself more than the people on the big networks these days!
Ok so for the extra info (i.e. guy missing stick, can’t do a line change) - I think this can be very helpful for people who are new to watching hockey. I’ve only been watching hockey regularly for one year. The first few months I saw nothing and I had no idea what was going on. The extra info was helpful for me to see those other details because I was too busy trying to figure out where the puck went to notice the players. I’m getting much better at seeing what’s going on but I still miss a LOT and I find it helpful. Now I find it really exciting when I see or notice something and the announcer points it out because it shows me how much more of the game I can see. I think maybe people who watch a lot of hockey can forget that hockey can be really hard to watch because of how fast it goes; especially when you’re tired after a long day. However! That said! I appreciate your opinions and find them very interesting. I just wanted to add my two cents.
I am fine with explaining in some cases, but it doesn't need to be throughout the entire game especially when they keep harping on a play which happened more than five minutes ago.
Little biased but, the Kraken have one of the best broadcast crews in the league. I know lots of people dont like Eddie O but, I think he works well with Johnny Forslund and J.T Brown.
I've shared this story here before. At some point in the early to mid 90s, there was a strike at one of the labour unions of the CBC, and that prevented them from delivering the play-by-play. The game was still broadcast with sound and picture, but not commentators. I have never enjoyed watching hockey games so much. You could hear the crowd reactions, you had to pay attention to the ref to see what penalty he's calling (they weren't mic'ed up back then. It was fun.
He definitely is excitable, and its usually good. I remember one game though after a fight I think he went on and on and on about some boxing movie from the 1960s or whenever. I just wanted to yell through the TV "Talk about the game!"
@@BluesMan1234 now imagine listening to a radio broadcast of him doing that. It's tolerable on TV because I can see what's going on in the play, but I can't see shit on radio lmao
I love the oilers broadcasts I love Jacks energy. Lately I've had to stream games online and get the opposition stream and they have zero energy and no vibe with the rest of the crew
The ABSOLUTE and CONSTANT attempt to fill every and any nook and cranny of both sight and sound with ANY sort of drivel and or advertising is down right barf inducing. Such an overload detracts from that...um...thing that's going on...on the ice...oh yeah....a FRIGGIN' hockey game. Sheesh.
Is this in response to the Canucks game on Amazon Prime last night? The broadcast was brutal. I muted it for the second period because I couldn't handle the colour commentator.
The red wings announcer was one of them. There was a sharks broadcast and the amazon one and a national one? When espn does sharks games instead of the sharks broadcast it can be brutal.
Over the last couple seasons, and especially this season, I’ve been muting the tv broadcast and putting on the radio broadcasts. The radio commentary teams for the most part seem to have much better chemistry than their tv counterparts, and are more focused on calling the game on the ice. I think the tv broadcasts are taking for granted the fact that we can watch the play and the commentary is more ancillary than via radio
Completely agree, Ive been listening to the Wild Radio team for probably around a decade. Its just such a better experience at the cost of the minute or so it takes to sync up the audio and video
I think for radio, the broadcasts are more for the real dyed-in-wool hockey fans. A TV broadcast anyone might tune in, even by accident, so they have to dumb it down for the casual or accidental viewer, but to listen on radio you have to specifically be a hockey fan and the broadcasters know it. Casual or non-fans aren't tuning in na hockey radio broadcast.
You forgot one... Announcers - Don't constantly talk about yourself and drop names of people you know. IT IS NOT ABOUT YOU, believe it or not. If you have an insight about something on the ice, fine but stories about players not in the lineup and history that is 20 years old have a different place.
@@warmikeNope, if the game is going slowly they should be talking about why that’s the case and what the losing team, or tied teams, need to do to change that.
As a PXP guy, you are spot on! Keep up, get names right, and "call the play well" or for me, augment the big moments, articulate the play throughout the rest.
As a long time Sharks fan I'm a bit biased as I think Randy Hahn is a tremendous play by play announcer. It's crazy how much a bad color commentator can bring down the broadcast though. He's got great chemistry with Drew Remenda but some of the other people they've tried in Drew's place have been awful. He's definitely a homer but honestly I don't mind it too much besides when he's clearly wrong on a ref call. Two announcers is great, three there's not enough action to go around imo.
The absolute best was during covid when you got the "on ice" mic on some broadcasts... thats all i want. just let me hear the asmr of the skates and sticks and chirps.
@@mitchelcook7877 I'd have to disagree. He uses the same phrases over and over, talks about stuff that happened two plays ago, but the most annoying is--and it hasn't been as bad this year--but after every goal he says "it looks like they might take a look at this" and then he gets wrapped up in the replay that he doesn't notice play is going again.
the best Analystin the game , because hes not really a color commentator, is Marc Denis on the habs french weekdays broadcast (the Saturday ones are terrible) because Marc Denis seems to me like one of the highest IQ to ever skate in the NHL...he never misses a single detail on any play and whenever he says something midplay like ''oops such and such is about to happen'' usually withing 15 seconds is prediction comes to life and hes perfect to point out guys that may be hurt but no one noticed
As a Stars fan, Razor has been an absolute joy to watch and listen to. I think he adds a touch more color commentary that you say is ideal, but he knows the game and doesn't detract from the game.
I wish I could mute the commentators without muting the rink noise. Hockey with no sound feels really weird to me and kinda can't keep my attention, so unless I've got the game on my second screen while doing something else on my main screen, I'd probably just turn the whole broadcast off before watching it muted. And I have, for some broadcasts, done that.
It could be the worst, boring, insufferable, [put other adjectives here] commentators and I'd still prefer watching hockey with sound on. I like the sounds of the game and especially when microphones picks up players swearing
@@reaganharder1480 surround sound is your answer to do this. Mute/unplug the center speaker and hear on-ice sounds on the front speakers and in-arena sounds on the rear speakers. Works on most sporting events.
@@hanz787 never watched on a setup with surround sound, but that does sound like an excellent idea. I'll keep this in mind if I ever get myself a half decent home theatre setup...
Then you have RDS where the color commentator (Marc Denis) IS between the bench and play by play is Hall of Famer Pierre Houde. We're spoiled french-canadians I tell you.
It's interesting, in Finland we've had this legendary commentator Mertaranta for hockey for so long and his speciality was trying to express what the players were thinking. It was big difference to Doc who I never heard talk about a player's mind set. But also I appreciate NHL commentators' insights, knowledge, amount of factual info they have.
I’m used to in Columbus, we have the play by play, color (between the benches for home games and in the booth for road games) and rink side reporter who really only speaks during the intermissions or if a player is making their debut and he’s with their family. I like that setup, generally only two people during play. This year we got a new play by play announcer, and for the first few games, he and the color announcer would step on each others toes a bit, but their chemistry has gotten much better and I like them as a duo
Jody’s always been a gem, he’s improved SO much since first taking over for Billy Davidge! And Steve? I can’t talk up Steve Mears enough. Wonderful human being, and he’s having a blast with Jody (And JD when Shelley’s doing Prime Canada games). We’re in great hands post-Rimer with Mearsy. Got to chat with him a while back before the season, like I said, an awesome dude.
I like hearing the actual sound of the game underneath the play by play. The fast stick handling clicks, skates carving up ice, the deep thud of a leg pad save, the tink off a cross bar etc, I'm on the edge of my seat watching, not a good time to start talking about Johnny's pre game meal!
One of the things I like about THG's videos is how he instigates interaction in his community by saying "I'm sure you'll tell me how I'm wrong in the comments section" Clever way to boost the numbers on your content
I am a huge football fan and I have similar feelings for football. I end up watching football muted more often than not cause I just want to enjoy the game
Disagree with losing the stick or other pieces of equipment. I see a player who lost their stick, but in the chaos, I personally can’t determine who exactly lost it. I don’t know all the players numbers (especially on teams I don’t follow) so having the announcer tell me exactly who lost their stick allows me to follow the play better because I get the information instantly.
NJ fan here - Bill Spaulding, Ken Daneyko, and Bryce Salvador work really well together (and Rachel Herzog here and there). However, sometimes Ken talks for a little too long, going into the play. Only criticism I have
One thing the Sabres have gotten right over the years is the broadcast. Blessed with decades of Commentators like Ted Darling and Rick Jeanneret, color guys like Jim Lorrentz & Harry Neal, intermissions with Mike Robitaille & Brian Blessing. Even post Jeanneret, Dan Dunleavy has done a great job replacing a legend. And theyve combined the color/rinkside/between the benches guy all in one with Rob Ray. Their chemistry is great despite Rayzor not being the booth with him. Nothing beats Rayzor getting knocked in the dome by a puck live and reacting to it, getting stitches and returning same game 😂. Even Marty Biron & Brian Duff do a good job between periods.
Shannon, great take on the broadcasts. I have found myself more and more lately yelling at the TV "Shut up and call the game" when colour commentators are dominating the broadcast. I would love to hear your take on the other side of the broadcasts, the cameras... In that, in part of what you said, they have mimicked other sports "extreme close ups". I feel hockey is way too fast of a sport for the up close camera angles during play. They're fine for replays but are distracting during gameplay. I especially hate the corner camera views, I don't need to see a close up of players squished up against the glass kicking away at a puck or even worse, the refs backside. All too often the camera cut back to the main view is too slow and some of the play has been missed as the view is focused on something unimportant (ie why do I need to see a player do a line change while the play is moving up the ice?). There's been numerous instances as of late where goals or entire plays are missed because the camera angle/view is focused on the "close up action". Anyways, thanks for the great videos.
I used to love tripp Tracy and John forsland for the canes, they bounced off each other so well. I was pissed when canes wouldn't pay forsland his due and he went off to the kraken.
Honestly, I like the Devil's broadcast of three with Bill, Daneyko, and Salvador. Salvador acts as a play analyst who can break down plays really well and he interacts with Daneyko in a fun manner.
My GF and I watch every game, intently! And sometimes Dano can get in a depression loop that's a little funny but also, just, kinda Dano LUL Bill is pretty great IMO. He knows a lot and brings up good questions to the team. Bryce is a little mathematical but I can tell all three guys care about the game and the effort and a lot! I could see an outside listener thinking "WTF is going on here," but we love it! Go Devs!
The good thing about their broadcast is that they make it so that you understand the other team- stats, players to watch for, etc. And Bryce is great for the analytic angle.
@@tehbeernerdI like when Bill shouts out guys on the opposing team that might be a little under the radar, comes off as a guy that really loves the sport
I'm a Devils fan since 1988. I know Daneyko was a big part of our Cup teams and he's a revered figure for us, but in his own way he is kind of the problem THG is talking about here. He's insightful and he's funny but he talks pretty slowly, and meanders sometimes, which often forces Spaulding to jump back in, cut him off, and call the play because there's a shot on goal, an odd-man-rush, etc. Some days are better than others but sometimes it makes me a little nuts.
@@bted I can understand that. For me I am fine with it and I think they still have time to develop more chemistry. They have only been together for a short time, and there have been gradual improvements. Also when they cut each other off, I never hear any hostility, the game is important to them.
the fact is, any time a player has gear on, they're going to all say the same thing during an interview. "pucks in deep. play our game" etc. there's no point in the interview when we already know what's going to be said
Since I started watching hockey regularly a few years ago I’ve been asking the NHL, ESPN+, etc for a game sounds only option for each broadcast. Seriously this would the best. The sound of skates scraping the ice, pucks being caught and launched, it would be awesome.
Not what you're talking about, but in-game interviews of coaches/players are the biggest waste of time. "Yeah, we need to try to put the puck in the net and get a goal." Deep. Insightful. Thank you for describing the objective of the game.
A plague on all sports too, not just hockey/nhl
It’s the same in the NFL, too. The sideline interviews between quarters or periods are so annoyingly pointless
Pucks in deep
Typical American's - don't see that in the Canadian games (or I haven't). Very annoying. Especially that Hextall woman.
@@ginnyweatherbee7941 yep
I absolutely hate rinkside/bench interviews during the game. Hate it! Leave the coaches and players alone during the game!
I could do wthout that. I feel as if Pierre Maguire invented that role for American TV. I found him irritating. I rarely think that this adds value. And yes, the interview with the manager while playing is going on. You can do that in baseball, though even there, a thrilling play can appear very suddenly.
I think talking has just increased exponentially because the networks think that any hint of dead air or pausing is intolerable. So they have tried to replicate nature by trying to fill every vacuum with sound, even if it has no value.
Regarding banter, that tends to be overused by some.
European football commentary is so much better than any of this. Far from perfect, but they don't seem to feel the need to talk for the sense of avoiding silence. To be fair, due to the much smaller playing area and the frenetic pace, hockey rarely has moments where little is happening (except perhaps on power plays when the advantaged team is moving the ice via a series of passes including the required pass backs).
They also just ask the same questions and get the same answers or non-answers back.
Ditto, I'll bet a lot of coaches hate it too.
Right there with you. They’re totally frustrating
Those interviews harsh my mellow they don't roll away the dew.
I remember Don Cherry talking about his time as the colour guy for Bob Cole back in the early '80s and stating that the only time he spoke during a broadcast was during a stoppage in play. This is the way it SHOULD be! How many times do I have to hear both members of the broadcast team yapping back and forth about something irrelevant while something is happening on the ice that eventually leads to a goal? It's like - Would you guys just shut the Hell up and just call the game?
Bob Cole was the best!
@@709mash He was one of my favourites - along with Danny Gallivan.
I think Mickey Redmond for the Red Wings broadcast does a good job. Whenever something happens during play while he's talking he stops himself or whoever he is speaking to. And just accepts that he'll either get back to it later or the moment has passed. Also recognizes when he goes on tangents and cuts it off with something like "but I digress". Plus he's got that old school charm similar to Cherry.
Those were the days!
the only time its relevent to hear them during play is to say stuff like ''guy X just retreated to the back seems hurt at....'' or to point out mayhem happening on the benches
Any ESPN broadcast is muted and I listen to the radio broadcast or silence.
ESPN really disappointment me with their coverage because its the same broadcasters that do football and college basketball. It didnt seem put together. Atleast the TNT crew was a bunch of ppl from NBC so they had some cred
I totally agree. I have been a fan for 70 years and these guys are the worst.
I also mute the game and listen on the radio . Cool thing is the TV delay and radio are different . So most times I hear what's happening before it happens and it gives me a chance to really focus on the play on TV
The only one that's worth listening to on ESPN NHL is Bob Wischusen, but he should probably join TNT, or the Hockey Night Live broadcast.
I was extremely worried when ESPN got the broadcasting rights because today’s ESPN is nothing like the one back in the day. I was right. 😆
Very fortunate to have Ken Daniels and Mickey Redmond doing the Red Wing games. Mickey goes between the benches only for the third period.
Still does his color commentary too
Best broadcast team in the biz.
The very best tandem in all of hockey. And the only bright side in our season.
As a Leafs fan even I have to tip my cap to them. They're fantastic!
Ken & Mickey ❤️🏒
Awhile back NHL Center Ice offered alternate views with feeds that included no commentary, just live on the ice audio. Need more of this! I tend to mute the telecast and listen to music and find it much more watchable.
We need this back! Hockey ASMR is incredible
I second this 1000%. Just the arena sounds, no more useless chatter and forced (often irrelevant) commentary to fill out airtime.
I can never understand why we need a play-by-play guy to tell us what we’re watching. I would like it better if we just had a color guy chip in things every now and then. What’s really funny was when the pan-demic happened and the play-by-play guy was in front of a tv watching the game at home telling us what we’re were seeing lol
Oh yeah I’d pay for that
And I hate those ads projected onto the boards, covering the actual ads on the boards.
Where any team wearing green vanishes from existence along the boards
@dustylover100 100% agree- the live board ads really detract from the game. Good for money, bad for viewers. Before long they'll all be big pharma ads like on cable.
The NHL is nuts, they want my money, and yet they also seem to want me to hate their product. I stopped paying for it, when I lost the ability to choose my broadcast. I can't wait until one of those sailors dens uses AI to block the ads.
The 3 body problem is kindergarten arithmetic compared to the Jedi mind tricks the league has put into goaltender interference.
no joke...at the start of the season they seemed to be moving a clear direction. then as soon as it seemed like we may have an answer they started doing the complete opposite, and bouncing back and forth. it is maddening
@@progshark I agree with you. Some of these goalie interference calls leave me scratching my head.
@@sharileeboyle7760 I think they use a Ouija board to figure some of the calls out.
but can we get the thg broadcaster power rankings?
He did a top 16 a month ago.
Where is the link?
Ken and Mick in Detroit have to be top three. Unreal synergy, they've been working together for 20+ years, and Ken knows when to push Mick's buttons to get stories out of him.
Mickey Redmond still at the top.
Ya mick
I miss Peter McNab. He was funny, insightful and knew when to be quiet. So much of my hockey knowledge came from him. RIP Maxy
Nobody can replace McNab, but Rycroft is pretty funny and definitely has some chemistry with Moser.
Enjoyed McNab on the ice and in the booth for New Jersey
As a new fan, commentary is so important! I didn't realised how muched I relied on my local commentators to understand what was going on until I was forced to watch a national broadcast. Long patches of silence during plays, random unrelated anecdotes about players' birthdays, mispronouncing names...
The duo of Gary Thorne and Bill Clement will always be the GOAT. Nowadays I would pay a premium to watch a hockey broadcast with no announcers, just microphones placed all around the rink giving me the sounds of the game.
Thorne is an absolute goat. Dude has made multiple iconic calls across multiple different pro sports.
@@larryhaines7109 I called them the A squad when I was growing up. Al Morganti was usually the rinkside reporter.
Sharks fan. Have noticed this in the past when trying to watch neutral games. Drew Remenda (color) being at ice-level during games is a delight... calling icing/offsides/penalties immediately, giving detail on certain plays (his effusive praise of Kostin's right hook & the information he provided about the discussion between officials in the preseason comes to mind...!) all without the chaos of a third voice in the studio... his familiarity/chemistry with Randy Hahn makes for a very enjoyable broadcast. add this to the fact that both Drew and Randy are such homers... it'll be a sad day when we lose that announce tandem, & given the pains of losing Brodie for Hoshida on pre/post/intermission, it doesn't seem like there's a lot of broadcast talent in the Bay to pick up the slack.
Started watching hockey around 2006. Drew was(is) excellent at explaining things to newer fans without it being annoying to long term fans. While some think Drew and Randy are homers I think they are willing to admit the Shark’s foibles but obviously say stuff that primarily appeals to the home crowd (like “Sharks need a goal here to have a shot to get back in it…”). That stuff is to be expected but when Drew was banished to Edmonton wasn’t it because the organization wasn’t happy with him calling it like it is? Glad he made his way back to San Jose.
Sorry Shannon, someone calling you Sheldon or Shelby had me in stitches 😂😂
Exactly my experience.
THE Shannon
Mr Guy
I love Razor's commentary ,his vocabulary is so entertaining , they are called razorisms, extremely funny.
love Razor and Josh, they're an awesome duo
The best hockey play by play is on the radio. The french habs broadcast in French is top quality, I can almost see the game when listing and the color does his job at the right moment.
This is why Randy Hahn and Drew Remenda with the Sharks are top notch. Yes, they can be homers, but it's a great call and good insight by the color guy.
It's a shame more people aren't bilingual enough to follow the RDS french commentary because that duo is by far the best I have heard in both languages. Legendary play-by-play and goal call, and maybe the most articulate, precise and professional ex-player I've heard as color commentator. Just enough banter, maybe a quick laugh as the puck drops and then it's back to the game. They are perfect. It's going to be a sad season when either of them leaves.
I'm so glad Marc Denis joined Pierre Houde to the broadcast. He's very intelligent and really describes well, while not overstepping Pierre Houde's legendary calls. And maybe one of the most unbiased broadcast I've heard.
@@CharlesABelair Btw, imo Bruno Gervais is doing a fantastic job replacing Marc during the holidays. I was surprised how seamless the transition was. The dynamic feels the same, and he's also very well spoken and concise.
@@Martin-kc1xj Yeah Bruno is doing fine as a temporary substitute. I do prefer Marc Denis however, but Bruno does seem to be fitting in the role
Those ninja 10-second ads during the game with the split-screen thing absolutely suck.
Last night, an ad started playing just as Brendan Dillon started fighting Sam Carrick. They just squeeze in advertising into every available surface, every tight crevice, every freaking orifice.
It's just plain gross.
At this rate the entire surface of the ice is gonna be filled up with ads. There won’t be any white space left
"This ice is brought you by Shmirnov Ice" (covers entire ice with Shmirniv Ice ads).
I prefer the PWHL and NCAA because the boards on the telecast are actual boards and not TV Billboards.
I feell like Jody Shelly does a great job. Never says too much and jumps in right when needed.
Red wings and rangers announcers are probably as good as it gets.
I love Salvador involved with the play by play this year between the benches. Guy is great.
I was gonna say, I hope he’s not talking about the Devils crew with this video hahaha. I think they do it very well, but then again Dano and Sal love the Devils so much that maybe it’s blinding us hahaha.
But no, I feel like they genuinely add a lot of good insight into the game, especially Sal with how he breaks down the specifics of plays, or gets into mindset a player might have in the game situation. Really happy with the Devils crew, and we are so spoiled to have gone from Doc + Chico to Cangy + Dano to now Bill + Dano + Sal.
I'll always miss Doc. Legendary. Made some extremely bad teams entertaining to watch.
I agree with everything Shannon was saying. That being said. The Devils crew is quite good. Bryce is phenomenal. Dano loves the Devils but he isn’t a homer. Bill is ok. Just want Doc back. No one will ever compare.
Al Shaver, who did radio for the North Stars was a teasure. Back in 81 listening to Al on the radio during the opening round of the playoffs against Boston was something I remember 43 years later. I was 15 years old and in 9th grade.
I recall many years ago the MN Wild broadcasters brought Al Shaver into the booth as a nostalgia feature during the game and had him call a few minutes of the action… you could tell after a few minutes they were regretting it because he was so much better than either of them were 😂😂😂
I was fortunate enough to audio tape some AL Shaver and Steve Cannon off of radio station WCCO in Minny and I live in Buffalo. Stars were awful in the 1970s but the broadcasts were gold.
Brian Boucher has become one of my favorite color guys. He sees the game incredibly well, he's subtle and articulate...and he speaks goalie.
Completely agree, the goalie perspective is awesome. he and JJ together are excellent, great chemistry.
I like his work too.
Oh Hockey Guy - the last bit in this video about Grannie - completely describes how I have to deal with watching hockey with my 90 year old dad. Constant play by play commentary about how good the Jets are playing today, that they are going to lose and/or non-stop questions about why a certain penalty was called without listening to the announcers who are about to describe the current call. If I had a dollar for every time I have had to say - I'm sitting here watching too, I know as much as you - I'd be a freaking millionaire. Sigh - thanks for summing up watching hockey with my dad :)
Eddie Olczyk is the worst for not shutting up.
@@pw3093 Truth!!!
@@pw3093 No way! Craig Simpson wins this contest by a mile! I have to mute the TV for a full minute after somebody scores!
knowing how much you enjoy the Red Wings broadcast, i’m sure we got a similar level of enjoyment out of Ken Daniels commentating the Canucks Sharks game. had no idea he would be doing it (thought it was Forslund - also legendary) but getting Ken for even just one game was so great
The best is when the color commentator is between the benches like Mickey Redmond
Edmonton oilers broadcasts are usually this way with Louis Debrusk
Ken and Mickey!
I have to say, here in Winnipeg our AM radio play-by-play announcer Paul Edmonds from 680 cjob is a huge blessing!!!
He does all 3 of these things very well and is balanced with his primary being play-by-play.
There are a lot of away games for the Jets where I will just listen to the radio broadcast while the game is muted.
I completely agree. I can listen to him in the car, and I can pretty much see the game in my head. Plus his "they scooooooooore" is almost Mexican soccer announcer level of good!
"We have such and such guest in the booth!!!".... Oh Lord
I’m starting to think that some of those are sponsored. On a recent Blues radio broadcast in the middle of play they proceeded to interview a Harlem Globe Trotter member and to completely ignore the on ice play. That organization was coming to town for a show. The Blues were losing by more than a goal and the interview went on long enough that in disgust I turned it off.
It was the height of stupidity and disrespect to the listening audience for all involved. Do that promotional stuff between periods. Surely the producers know this, so it has to be for increased revenue.
@@JustBob-sw4rf nowadays some suit asking ''yeah do this exactly at the most critical moment in the game and totally disrespect the fanbase....its important'' totally checks out in fact id be surprised if it went otherwise
I haven't watched the whole videos yet, but I know Edzo did a lot to inspire this.
dude has singlehandedly wrecked the Kraken broadcast lol, it's wild how even Forslund can barely keep him in check.
His obsession with cheating on the faceoffs the other night was the pinnacle of his excess. You could HEAR Forslund gritting his teeth. Would not let it go.
@@TheFusionmix John Forslund might do a good job the rest of the time, but I only know his awful catchphrases.
Exactly who I thought of...I thought the Kraken broadcast was really good until he became a regular
Thank You for saying this Shannon!!! Three person booths are 1 person too many. ESPN is completely guilty of everything you said ... 👍🥰
100% on ESPN and other national broad-casts -- they are guilty of "doing too much."
I love the Shark's tandem. Hahner and Drew are fun together, and make the losses at least sweeter to listen to.
They’re able to cover all the bases with two guys. Perfection.
Should have never fired Brodie Brazil for the tv show. Randy and Drew are legends and Dan on the radio. The guys they try to replace Brodie with are not even on his level.
@@DanRaidersWarriorsSharksGiants yeah I usually tune out during intermissions, but it’s good to see he’s back with the organization now.
@@jacobkahn2091 It is it was never the sharks who fired him but the network. His replacements I just find them to be boring. To tune out during intermissions and before and after the game is easier without Brodie.
Came to say the same thing. No matter how bad the Sharks are we are blessed to have the great announcers to get us through these rough times. I miss Brodie, the new guy just does cringy jokes and adds nothing.
7:27 You had me up to this point. Minute details do absolutely matter. It’s largely an accessibility thing, even for TV. Yes, I want to know when the goalie is without a stick or the defenseman. I want to know when someone is down or having a skate issue. That IS 100% a part of the play-by-play: describing exactly what is going on. The TV play-by-play should be just like the radio play-by-play: describing everything that is going on. Whether watching on/listening to TV or listening on the radio we should know exactly what is going on throughout the entirety of game play just by listening.
For one thing for many of us keeping up with what is happening on a little screen is tough, even a bigger screen.
Some of us are multi-taskers; watching games while working on something else. Those minute details draw us back because something may happen because of the noted issue.
Many of us have motion issues and get a bit dizzy or off with fast moving action and everything else littering the screen.
And there are some of us with vision issues who need the accessibility of great play-by-play calling INCLUDING descriptors of other things like broken sticks and whatnot.
So no, I wholeheartedly disagree with you about that not being needed, because it is. If they’re not calling the plays and descriptor of what is happening then we should just be watching with game sounds only and no talking heads.
Now, I couldn’t care less about the talking heads’ golf game, what they ate, where they want to go after, and blah blah blah that has nothing whatsoever to do with the game. I also want 0 interviews playing during the game. Save that for intermissions.
Shannon, you have adequately described the best hockey coverage I ever ran across. I realize it was before your time. Danny Galivan and Dick Irvine Jr. They were a oerfect compliment to each other. They would do the intricate dance between them weekly. Galivan had the hockey understanding and used his voice to accentuate the flow of the play, the up-and-down the ice of those stretches. The louder emphasis for the close plays around the net. The boring slow times too. you could follow how the game was going due to how his voice rose and fell. Dick Irvine knew when to interject and as you rightfully pointed out had the sense and the knack of how to get across a story while being brief. Also he had more stories than the entirety of the current crop combined. He was at most of them, you know.
Those two are my Gold Standard. The only current person I would consider to be mentoned in context with these two gentlemen is John Shorthouse. He does most of what Galivan used to do. TBH Galivan had a couple of decades more experience and the best color man of all time. Covering the best team of the era also helped a bit too.
IMO all of the hockey play by play people should go through a few seasons of radio broadcasting so they can tighten up their skills on describing the game quickly and properly. I used to listen to the old CBC Sunday evening radio games done by Dick Irvine as play by play man. He was good at it. I still listen to the radio coverage generously supplied on NHL.com, especially when the game is not available to watch. Both teams radio is included so you can go back and forth.
After the great Gallivan, the next iconic play-by-play man was Dan Kelly who did St. Louis Blues broadcasts plus CBS, CBC, and the early days of the USA Channel (prior to ESPN picking up hockey in the ‘80’s). Just like Gallivan, Kelly’s voice would get stronger when there was a dangerous chance around the net or a fantastic save.
As a Leafs fan I once HATED Danny Gallivan, however in the 80’s and 90’s I started to really appreciate his broadcasts. I miss listening to him describe Guy Lafleur et al. He brought so much life and excitement into those broadcasts e.g. CANNONADING DRIVE, SPINERAMA and so many others. Nobody can touch him these days…Sadly now I can only get him on old TH-cam videos.
For your comments around 15:00- Canes broadcast is also aired on the radio, so Mike is doing play by play for audio only people too. I assume some other broadcasts are this way in the states, could be why some seem overly descriptive for what is obviously happening if you’re watching.
I came to say the same thing! I don’t know how common it is in other markets, but here we don’t have a separate radio announcer. So our play-by-play Mike has to thread the needle of providing enough for radio without boring the tv viewers. I think he does a great job, and he and Tripp feed off each other well.
The simulcasts used to be more common than they are now. Back in the 80s it seemed most teams were trying it to save money but ended up going back to separate broadcasts for TV & radio. I don't know how many do it now but I think less than there were some years back.
I would add just one thing.Keep the "homerism" within limits. No more Jack Edwards, please.
Jack Edwards is retired. Wish granted haha
Andy Brickly balanced him out by being devil's advocate, which is kind of a problem now because he's still doing it with Judd Sirott who isn't 1/10th the homer Jack was.
If Colorado has the same guys as they did last year, they'd give Jack a run for his money.
@@liveloudandidiotic6091Thank goodness!!
IN SPADES, THANKFULLY HE IS RETIRED. ABSOLUTE WORST HOMER I HAVE EVER HEARD. I COULD NOT WATCH A BRUINS FEED WITH SOUND, WHAT A DOUCHE !!! 15:25
I like my hockey games called more like boxing than football or baseball, and that is exactly what you are describing. Adding to the constant action, not filling in gaps between plays and pitches.
It got to the point a couple years ago that I decided to turn off the sound to avoid having to listen to the broadcasters. Instead I just listen to music and watch the game.
Same
Kevin Durant of the NBA was telling people watch the game on mute and think for yourself. He really had a problem with someone talking about him or his team.
Miss NHL Gamecenter and the option to have the audio as sounds of the arenas
@@reverend_wintondupree There is still the option to listen to the other teams broadcast if you do not like amazon or espn.
Didn't expect to see a Navi reference in a THG video. 🤣
That's because you failed to LISTEN
As a Seattle fan, I feel every bit of this video! The commentators act like as an expansion team, we have never watched hockey before, so they would (and continue to) explain soooo many things that just don't need to be explained. Add in Eddie O and how much we hear about his dinner last night or travel to the arena, and I am happy to mute the tv more than I am not. It is tragic.
At least they haven't had any Jack in the Box ad reads this season. Not hearing about strawberry milkshakes for 20 minutes every game is nice.
Eddie Olczyk just rambles on and on and on
I loved it when Forslund was sitting with JT (who was finally able to do the job he was originally hired for, and do it well...) while Edzo was gone for several weeks this year. It allowed Forslund to call the ding-danged game without being dragged into digression fully half the broadcast. I like Eddie Olczyk and I like his stories, but he should be on the desk between periods with Alison or Linda. Put Piper between the benches and let JT back into the booth.
@@ToymakersToolbox YES!
@@goatslayrr So true!
The Best; Ken and Mic, enough said!
mick is top notch. ken overated
@@bar383 Not even a little bit. I'm sure there's some bias for me considering he's the only play by play guy I've ever known, but his chemistry with Mickey Redmond is unparalleled and he's clearly gleaned more hockey insight just being Redmond's coworker than you or I will ever know on our own. Not to mention Daniels in his prime calling the great late 00's/early 10's teams was some of the most passionate play by play calling you'll ever hear out of any of his contemporaries.
As a devils fan i was spoiled with doc emrick. I like the little interjects the analyst will say (point out a back-check, someone breaking free, penalty coming) but i think the “between the glass” is now overkill.
I miss Doc
Counterpoint, Doc was awful. Every 15 seconds he’d give you an update on the amount of time remaining on the clock. God he was awful. Seemed like a super nice guy though!
Doc was terrific. Followed the play closely and his vocabulary was remarkable. And yes, a nice fellow to boot.
@@pb12echo The repeated time updates is probably from his radio days and is old school broadcasting. Red Barber had a thing doing baseball games where he had a 30 second egg timer and he'd turn it over and every time the sand ran out he'd give the score. Nowadays the score & time are on the clock the whole time but in the Red Barber days or when Emrick was young, it was different and giving that key information was serving the fan.
@@pb12echobut he never said how much time was “left to go” 🥴
Hockey fan physics. This should be good...
I woud love if they offered a broadcast option where they had no commentators, and it was just in-rink audio. ESPN+ did two minutes of it at the end of a period recently and it was pretty rad.
I love it when a player comes back to the bench, breaks his stick, and starts to FLIP OUT while everyone is watching! I laugh every time. YOU GO GIRL
Growing up in NJ I listened to Doc and Chico, they were legends. Now I've been listening to Randy Hahn and Drew Rememda for the Sharks. I also like Kenny Albert cause he yells , "SCORE!" In such a unique way.
Doc and Chico were amazing. I am glad Chico still does color on the radio, when I can't see a game in person or watch it, it is great to be able to listen to him.
@@zept2170 Matt Loughlin and Chico are very good 👍🏼
@@Cape-DwellerIt's also awesome when the TV and radio crews interact, loved how on the one trivia were Chico was the answer, they cut to the camera feed of Chico in the radio booth holding up a sign saying "Me".
Shannon makes me feel like I’m in hockey school watching him write on the whiteboard haha.
(He’s a great teacher)
Spot-on true. Just give me the play-by-play in real time and provide insight as time allows, as more of a spice rather than as the main course.
Goodness, Schenectady, you talked through the whole thing!
(Merry Christmas Shannon and thanks for all the videos)
Depending on the channel, I usually turn down the TV and turn on the radio. Local Play-by-play guy is always on top of the action, and color, when provided, is *politely* timed.
A very unique voice and so awesome to listen too was that guy in Buffalo who recently retired …. Jiggs McDonald w the Islanders during the cup years and John Forsland - Canes then Kraken. Love these guys !! Happy Hollidays everyone!!
RJ? He was awesome, unfortunately he passed away last year.
@@ginnyweatherbee7941RJ was THE BEST. RIP.
McDonald also called Kings games ... and the 1992 Olympics in Albertville.
You’re referring to Rick Jeanerette, lovingly known as RJ to Sabres fans. Unfortunately he passed away last year. I’m a Blues fan since 1968 and was rooting for the Sabres to win the Cup for RJ, but they’ve never been close for a long time.
Hey Shannon, love following your thoughts and commentary via the channel. By and large agree with you on all points - I’ve been frustrated by newer broadcast teams talking far too much during a game - but to the point about commentators mentioning when someone loses a stick, or how long players have been on the ice, etc. I’d venture to say that’s more to help our visually impaired friends immerse in the game.
Keep up the good work! I find myself enjoying the commentary and analysis by independent creators like yourself more than the people on the big networks these days!
Ok so for the extra info (i.e. guy missing stick, can’t do a line change) - I think this can be very helpful for people who are new to watching hockey. I’ve only been watching hockey regularly for one year. The first few months I saw nothing and I had no idea what was going on. The extra info was helpful for me to see those other details because I was too busy trying to figure out where the puck went to notice the players. I’m getting much better at seeing what’s going on but I still miss a LOT and I find it helpful. Now I find it really exciting when I see or notice something and the announcer points it out because it shows me how much more of the game I can see. I think maybe people who watch a lot of hockey can forget that hockey can be really hard to watch because of how fast it goes; especially when you’re tired after a long day.
However! That said! I appreciate your opinions and find them very interesting. I just wanted to add my two cents.
I am fine with explaining in some cases, but it doesn't need to be throughout the entire game especially when they keep harping on a play which happened more than five minutes ago.
Merry Christmas Shannon. Thank you for what you do.
Little biased but, the Kraken have one of the best broadcast crews in the league. I know lots of people dont like Eddie O but, I think he works well with Johnny Forslund and J.T Brown.
Love Edzo most of the time but his face-off cheating rant the other night went on way too long.
Kraken KHN going on its own away from Root Sports NW was a great move too! The whole crew & on radio is awesome as well.
I've shared this story here before. At some point in the early to mid 90s, there was a strike at one of the labour unions of the CBC, and that prevented them from delivering the play-by-play. The game was still broadcast with sound and picture, but not commentators. I have never enjoyed watching hockey games so much. You could hear the crowd reactions, you had to pay attention to the ref to see what penalty he's calling (they weren't mic'ed up back then. It was fun.
2:35
I know you're talking about Jack Michaels, but that man is a treasure
I feel like you either love him or hate him, no in between 😂.
He definitely is excitable, and its usually good. I remember one game though after a fight I think he went on and on and on about some boxing movie from the 1960s or whenever. I just wanted to yell through the TV "Talk about the game!"
@@BluesMan1234 now imagine listening to a radio broadcast of him doing that. It's tolerable on TV because I can see what's going on in the play, but I can't see shit on radio lmao
I love the oilers broadcasts I love Jacks energy. Lately I've had to stream games online and get the opposition stream and they have zero energy and no vibe with the rest of the crew
Best duo - Pierre Houde (play-by-play) and Marc Denis (colour guy, former goalie) on RDS.
They don't have a third guy!
The ABSOLUTE and CONSTANT attempt to fill every and any nook and cranny of both sight and sound with ANY sort of drivel and or advertising is down right barf inducing. Such an overload detracts from that...um...thing that's going on...on the ice...oh yeah....a FRIGGIN' hockey game. Sheesh.
Sometimes when Ed Olczyk is on color duty, I think Ye Wenjie was completely valid when she pushed the button
Is this in response to the Canucks game on Amazon Prime last night? The broadcast was brutal. I muted it for the second period because I couldn't handle the colour commentator.
The red wings announcer was one of them. There was a sharks broadcast and the amazon one and a national one? When espn does sharks games instead of the sharks broadcast it can be brutal.
Over the last couple seasons, and especially this season, I’ve been muting the tv broadcast and putting on the radio broadcasts. The radio commentary teams for the most part seem to have much better chemistry than their tv counterparts, and are more focused on calling the game on the ice. I think the tv broadcasts are taking for granted the fact that we can watch the play and the commentary is more ancillary than via radio
Completely agree, Ive been listening to the Wild Radio team for probably around a decade. Its just such a better experience at the cost of the minute or so it takes to sync up the audio and video
I think for radio, the broadcasts are more for the real dyed-in-wool hockey fans. A TV broadcast anyone might tune in, even by accident, so they have to dumb it down for the casual or accidental viewer, but to listen on radio you have to specifically be a hockey fan and the broadcasters know it. Casual or non-fans aren't tuning in na hockey radio broadcast.
Any ESPN only broadcast is a no watch or no sound in our house. I prefer the team announcers. They are not half as bad. Some are excellent.
You forgot one... Announcers - Don't constantly talk about yourself and drop names of people you know. IT IS NOT ABOUT YOU, believe it or not. If you have an insight about something on the ice, fine but stories about players not in the lineup and history that is 20 years old have a different place.
I respectfully disagree. If the game is going pretty slow and there is time for some interesting historical trivia, I'll gladly listen to it.
Hockey can be boring sometimes, and I appreciate it, at the right time.
you weren't thinking of maudlin Ron Mclean.
@@AmosDohmsHockey is never boring..
@@warmikeNope, if the game is going slowly they should be talking about why that’s the case and what the losing team, or tied teams, need to do to change that.
John Shorthouse and Ray Ferraro are a deadly combo. Love it when they work together.
Canucks fans have been blessed with our commentators. So when I watched the game on Amazon for the first time yesterday, I was severely disappointed.
Those 2 make me love watching canucks games even as a Ducks fan lol
@@therealandonlyadam Those two are gold. Ferraro just has that hockey voice I could listen to that guy talk all day.
Still miss Cheech though.
As a PXP guy, you are spot on! Keep up, get names right, and "call the play well" or for me, augment the big moments, articulate the play throughout the rest.
I can’t imagine seeing Shannon angry, he seems so calm and cool
Those are the guys you never want to see angry.
Ken and Micky are the best commentators, and no one will ever change my mind.
I came here to comment this exact statement🙌🏼👍🏼
When Micky gives it up I will literally cry like I lost a family member cause I have.
@@JustinHendersonVvvV absolutely... I'm so scared of that day...
It could be worse, it could be Pierre Maguire commentating or Gary Neville say oooohhhhhhhhhhh after every potential call or miscall on the play
As a long time Sharks fan I'm a bit biased as I think Randy Hahn is a tremendous play by play announcer. It's crazy how much a bad color commentator can bring down the broadcast though. He's got great chemistry with Drew Remenda but some of the other people they've tried in Drew's place have been awful. He's definitely a homer but honestly I don't mind it too much besides when he's clearly wrong on a ref call. Two announcers is great, three there's not enough action to go around imo.
The absolute best was during covid when you got the "on ice" mic on some broadcasts... thats all i want. just let me hear the asmr of the skates and sticks and chirps.
@drujo25 Like beer league. I miss that... You don't need the endless and mindless chatter now.
My favorite mic'ed up moments are still Giroux making pigeon noises at JVR.
Louie Debrusk does a great job of Colour commentating and Between the Benches for Oilers games!
@@mitchelcook7877 I'd have to disagree. He uses the same phrases over and over, talks about stuff that happened two plays ago, but the most annoying is--and it hasn't been as bad this year--but after every goal he says "it looks like they might take a look at this" and then he gets wrapped up in the replay that he doesn't notice play is going again.
Red Wings fans stay winning even when the team is ass
13 mins. absolutely well said and on point THG
I think announcers talking about the players needing a line change and calling it out is just an old habit from days before players wore the trackers.
the best Analystin the game , because hes not really a color commentator, is Marc Denis on the habs french weekdays broadcast (the Saturday ones are terrible) because Marc Denis seems to me like one of the highest IQ to ever skate in the NHL...he never misses a single detail on any play and whenever he says something midplay like ''oops such and such is about to happen'' usually withing 15 seconds is prediction comes to life and hes perfect to point out guys that may be hurt but no one noticed
All things betting ads during broadcasts, and commercials, are far worse than this.
Betting ads and drug ads. Just what we need. Lol
@@robertr997 Yeah cause you need anti depressant pills to deal with losing all your money on the sports gambling sites. Such a joke
As a Stars fan, Razor has been an absolute joy to watch and listen to. I think he adds a touch more color commentary that you say is ideal, but he knows the game and doesn't detract from the game.
Muting the television, best way to watch so many broadcasts.
Shannon you missed the odds/prop banter while play is going on. Happy holidays.
I wish I could mute the commentators without muting the rink noise. Hockey with no sound feels really weird to me and kinda can't keep my attention, so unless I've got the game on my second screen while doing something else on my main screen, I'd probably just turn the whole broadcast off before watching it muted. And I have, for some broadcasts, done that.
It could be the worst, boring, insufferable, [put other adjectives here] commentators and I'd still prefer watching hockey with sound on. I like the sounds of the game and especially when microphones picks up players swearing
@@reaganharder1480 surround sound is your answer to do this. Mute/unplug the center speaker and hear on-ice sounds on the front speakers and in-arena sounds on the rear speakers. Works on most sporting events.
@@hanz787 never watched on a setup with surround sound, but that does sound like an excellent idea. I'll keep this in mind if I ever get myself a half decent home theatre setup...
Then you have RDS where the color commentator (Marc Denis) IS between the bench and play by play is Hall of Famer Pierre Houde. We're spoiled french-canadians I tell you.
Your Don Cherry name is Sha-neau Skah-nays
It's interesting, in Finland we've had this legendary commentator Mertaranta for hockey for so long and his speciality was trying to express what the players were thinking. It was big difference to Doc who I never heard talk about a player's mind set. But also I appreciate NHL commentators' insights, knowledge, amount of factual info they have.
I’m used to in Columbus, we have the play by play, color (between the benches for home games and in the booth for road games) and rink side reporter who really only speaks during the intermissions or if a player is making their debut and he’s with their family. I like that setup, generally only two people during play. This year we got a new play by play announcer, and for the first few games, he and the color announcer would step on each others toes a bit, but their chemistry has gotten much better and I like them as a duo
Jody’s always been a gem, he’s improved SO much since first taking over for Billy Davidge! And Steve? I can’t talk up Steve Mears enough. Wonderful human being, and he’s having a blast with Jody (And JD when Shelley’s doing Prime Canada games). We’re in great hands post-Rimer with Mearsy. Got to chat with him a while back before the season, like I said, an awesome dude.
i love this video so much. pure thg. merry christmas shannon!
Happy Holidays, Shannon!
I like hearing the actual sound of the game underneath the play by play. The fast stick handling clicks, skates carving up ice, the deep thud of a leg pad save, the tink off a cross bar etc, I'm on the edge of my seat watching, not a good time to start talking about Johnny's pre game meal!
Cant beat Ken and Mickey Redmond for the Wings. Guys are irreplaceable.
About the only reason to watch wings games so far this season.
One of the things I like about THG's videos is how he instigates interaction in his community by saying "I'm sure you'll tell me how I'm wrong in the comments section"
Clever way to boost the numbers on your content
I am a huge football fan and I have similar feelings for football. I end up watching football muted more often than not cause I just want to enjoy the game
Sharon, I like your YT channel and insightful videos
Disagree with losing the stick or other pieces of equipment. I see a player who lost their stick, but in the chaos, I personally can’t determine who exactly lost it. I don’t know all the players numbers (especially on teams I don’t follow) so having the announcer tell me exactly who lost their stick allows me to follow the play better because I get the information instantly.
commentary analysis video? 😭 if someone loves hockey, it’s this guy. respect.
NJ has a good trio when Salvador is talking.
NJ fan here - Bill Spaulding, Ken Daneyko, and Bryce Salvador work really well together (and Rachel Herzog here and there). However, sometimes Ken talks for a little too long, going into the play. Only criticism I have
One thing the Sabres have gotten right over the years is the broadcast. Blessed with decades of Commentators like Ted Darling and Rick Jeanneret, color guys like Jim Lorrentz & Harry Neal, intermissions with Mike Robitaille & Brian Blessing. Even post Jeanneret, Dan Dunleavy has done a great job replacing a legend. And theyve combined the color/rinkside/between the benches guy all in one with Rob Ray. Their chemistry is great despite Rayzor not being the booth with him. Nothing beats Rayzor getting knocked in the dome by a puck live and reacting to it, getting stitches and returning same game 😂. Even Marty Biron & Brian Duff do a good job between periods.
Shannon, great take on the broadcasts. I have found myself more and more lately yelling at the TV "Shut up and call the game" when colour commentators are dominating the broadcast. I would love to hear your take on the other side of the broadcasts, the cameras... In that, in part of what you said, they have mimicked other sports "extreme close ups". I feel hockey is way too fast of a sport for the up close camera angles during play. They're fine for replays but are distracting during gameplay. I especially hate the corner camera views, I don't need to see a close up of players squished up against the glass kicking away at a puck or even worse, the refs backside. All too often the camera cut back to the main view is too slow and some of the play has been missed as the view is focused on something unimportant (ie why do I need to see a player do a line change while the play is moving up the ice?). There's been numerous instances as of late where goals or entire plays are missed because the camera angle/view is focused on the "close up action".
Anyways, thanks for the great videos.
I used to love tripp Tracy and John forsland for the canes, they bounced off each other so well. I was pissed when canes wouldn't pay forsland his due and he went off to the kraken.
Honestly, I like the Devil's broadcast of three with Bill, Daneyko, and Salvador. Salvador acts as a play analyst who can break down plays really well and he interacts with Daneyko in a fun manner.
My GF and I watch every game, intently! And sometimes Dano can get in a depression loop that's a little funny but also, just, kinda Dano LUL Bill is pretty great IMO. He knows a lot and brings up good questions to the team. Bryce is a little mathematical but I can tell all three guys care about the game and the effort and a lot! I could see an outside listener thinking "WTF is going on here," but we love it! Go Devs!
The good thing about their broadcast is that they make it so that you understand the other team- stats, players to watch for, etc. And Bryce is great for the analytic angle.
@@tehbeernerdI like when Bill shouts out guys on the opposing team that might be a little under the radar, comes off as a guy that really loves the sport
I'm a Devils fan since 1988. I know Daneyko was a big part of our Cup teams and he's a revered figure for us, but in his own way he is kind of the problem THG is talking about here.
He's insightful and he's funny but he talks pretty slowly, and meanders sometimes, which often forces Spaulding to jump back in, cut him off, and call the play because there's a shot on goal, an odd-man-rush, etc. Some days are better than others but sometimes it makes me a little nuts.
@@bted I can understand that. For me I am fine with it and I think they still have time to develop more chemistry. They have only been together for a short time, and there have been gradual improvements. Also when they cut each other off, I never hear any hostility, the game is important to them.
the fact is, any time a player has gear on, they're going to all say the same thing during an interview. "pucks in deep. play our game" etc. there's no point in the interview when we already know what's going to be said
Uploading on Christmas Eve? Shelby works so hard for us ❤️
Since I started watching hockey regularly a few years ago I’ve been asking the NHL, ESPN+, etc for a game sounds only option for each broadcast. Seriously this would the best. The sound of skates scraping the ice, pucks being caught and launched, it would be awesome.