Skip navigation

 Login or Register | Member Centre

Hockey stays on NBC at least one more season

WILLIAM HOUSTON

From Wednesday's Globe and Mail

Latest comment posted at 10:34 PM EST 22/04/08

CBC continues to struggle with image problem over hockey coverage ...Read the full article

This conversation is closed

  1. Montgomery C. Burns from Springfield, Canada writes: It looks like Bill Watters is deluded about Burke coming to Toronto.
  2. Scot Loucks from Pickering, Canada writes: I kinda like McLean adding a bit more of an edge to his usually bland, goody goody commentary.

    PJ Stock is growing on me.

    Agree with you on Hughson and Cassie....

    No mention of Kelly Hrudy?

    Cheers
  3. R Miller from Halifax, Canada writes: What?

    Ron MacLean is OK!

    It's his lunatic sidekick that everyone has a problem with.

    Cheers.
  4. Alen Lager from Brampton, Canada writes: A combined audiance of over 3.5 million! This is close to Grey Cup/ Super Bowl numbers. O.K. Leaf Nation, tell us who Canada's team is?
  5. Scot Loucks from Pickering, Canada writes: Alen Lager;

    I can't speak for Leaf nation... but I know a lot of Leaf fans that are still watching and enjoying hockey right now.

    btw; Guess which teams that played tonight had the most Canadians playing for them and it's not even close in numbers.

    Hint; Both teams lost.

    Cheers
  6. Alen Lager from Brampton, Canada writes: Hi Scott, In refering to Canada's team, I meant in terms of people watching and popularity, not the number of Canadian born players.
    I'm pretty sure that the Leafs have never had ratings approaching 3.5 million for the first round of the playoffs yet the myth is out there that the Leafs are Canada's most watched and most popular team.
    Cheers
  7. Scot Loucks from Pickering, Canada writes: Alen Lager.... I know what you meant (I'm a Leaf fan). :)

    Believe me they have exceeded that... many times.

    Cheers
  8. Do B from Montreal, Canada writes: Can't believe there's no mention of Bob Cole in this analysis... Though maybe that's tooooo obvious. "Kostitsyn heads to the penalty box! I mean Brisebois! It's... it's a commercial break."

    Guess he didn't have time to see the whole jersey number (74 or 71?) and compare it to his list.

    Other dude with him -- forget his name -- is driving me nuts with his "No doubt about it." Especially when he continually follows it up with nuggets such as "No doubt about it, that's a slashing penalty and well deserved. There it is -- well -- yeah. That's not really a slash, I don't think."

    Maybe there was a little doubt about it, eh?

    grrr

    /yay habs!
  9. Scot Loucks from Pickering, Canada writes: Do B (lol... think I'll have one and play cards).

    You are correct.... but everybody (especially Leaf fans) know Bob Cole is an idiot and has to go. Best play by play man by far is Jim Hughson.

    Cheers
  10. Gord Lewis from Canada writes: I swore off HNIC quite a few years ago, and have returned to watch the Habs and Penguins put on a much improved show. Besides the ridiculous cartoon that is Ron & Grapes, Bob Cole is the most sleep-inducing, least knowledgable game caller I have ever heard - in any sport. But maybe I have been spoiled, because I can still remember Foster Hewitt on radio, creating vivid images that no one anywhere has matched since. He was more economical with words and certainly never swore.

    I have to put in a good word for Kelly Hrudey, who was overlooked here. Better spoken, better dressed (by a mile), and proof that brainpower increases with proximity to the goalie position (with the exception of Greg Millen, who is too hysterical and repeatedly makes boffo declarations).
  11. Pat Billings from CDN, Canada writes: The mighty leafs typically draw about 2 mln in the early rounds up to 3 mln in the later rounds (they never make it past round 3). If you don't believe...google it.

    The Habs are blowing them out of the water. 3.5 mln combining RDS (in Qc) and CBC. These numbers don't include the 700,000 RDS subscribers outside of QC. The total number may very well be over 4 mln. Sorry Loucks...the leafs don't draw that in the 1st round...not even close.
  12. Scot Loucks from Pickering, Canada writes: lol Gord Lewis.... have to agree with all of that sir (I call you sir because if you heard Foster on the radio you must have a couple years on me :) ) not many .... but at least a couple.

    Interesting comment about goalies... they seem to have the brains to commentate... to coach... to do all sorts of things.... but they still let you shoot pucks at them... weird :) (still playing forward here)

    Cheers
  13. Scot Loucks from Pickering, Canada writes: Two ways of looking at that Billings.

    I think you would have to go back quite aways to find the Leafs in and the Habs out in the first round.... and a game seven. (93 maybe? just guessing).

    Secondly.... maybe it's Habs fans that don't watch hockey after their team is out? There is no way to find out how many of that 3. whatever million were Leaf fans.... but the pub where I watched the first period (a small one) .... the 2 habs fans were too nervous to watch with the rest of us.... the other 10 gathered round the TV were Leaf and Sens fans..... oh and one NJ fan.

    Cheers
  14. reality man from ottawa, Canada writes: Is this guy serious?

    "Can you imagine Peter Mansbridge announcing on the CBC's The National, "There was one hell of an earthquake in Pakistan yesterday."

    No, I can't imagine it but that's probably because Mansbridge talks about things like earthquakes and Maclean talks about things like 3rd periods. Is Houston still living in the 1950's? Who the hell, these days, is offended by people using words like "helluva" and "damn"? He probably thinks that the I Love Lucy episodes are racy. Clearly, this motherf'r didn't have anything to write about to meet his deadline - even though THE PLAYOFFS ARE ON!
  15. Scot Loucks from Pickering, Canada writes: lol... good comment reality man.

    Cheers
  16. A. Nonymous from Canada writes: Is this a joke? Are you actually complaining about Maclean saying 'damn' and 'hell' in his (usually very tame) commentary??? How are things back there in 1950? If Maclean starts throwing F-bombs all over the place, then maybe I'll get concerned. But even then, who cares? It's F***ing hockey, dammit!
  17. Ben Hong from Fredericton, Canada writes: Don F. Cherry was saying that it is his right to cheer for the Bruins. I agree wholeheartedly...except that it's not the Boston Bruins' tax money that he's taking. If we Canadian taxpayers continue to pay this joker, then we deserve some semblance of impartiality. Once he takes off that clown suit, he can cheer for whomever he wants.
  18. B Fulsom from Menlo Park, United States writes: Nah, Houston knows what he is talking about. I don't mind MacLean, but ever since he got that fat contract, he's no longer strictly the objective journalist. He likes to insert himself into the story far too often. Way too many "wink wink" insider comments.

    PJ Stock is a joke. What are his qualifications? He was an unremarkable player and lacks any experience as a coach or serious journalist. Next to guys like Strachan and The Hat on Hotstove, he might as well be talking about Junior B. I mute his out-of-town scoreboard segments immediately. He makes Kypreos look like a genius. I'm sure he'd fit it over at TSN making James Duthie's coffee or something, but I expect much more from HNIC. If I had to summarize him in one word, it would be "unprofessional".
  19. R Miller from Halifax, Canada writes: I really don't get this article.... Mr. Houston usually calls it like it is !

    However, there is a lot more wrong at HNIC than Ron MacLean and his potty mouth...

    Am I allowed to say potty mouth on a G&M thread?
  20. R Miller from Halifax, Canada writes: Sorry, I meant to say that there is a helluva lot more wrong at HNIC than Ron MacLean's potty mouth, damn it!
  21. Bill m from Canada writes: Oh come off it Bill Houston get out of the house more man. You can hear worse language in a school yard every day.

    Of course CBC/HNIC won't ever get fair and objective coverage in the Globe & Mail which is owned by Globemedia which also owns CTV/TSN!

    Let's have some objectivity Bill!

    Bill
  22. Baldy Cotton from Canada writes: Have to agree with those dissing Millen. The guy is a fuddy duddy frog mouth who never says anything worth noting. I really don't get why HNIC has taken pains to bring along such a mediocre, um, talent. Stock is indeed annoying, with his schoolboy antics on air and scintillating playing career to back up the act. Hrudey does good work. As to the secondary topic on this thread . . . I always chuckle when I read some wag spouting that Leaf fans are not hockey fans; that the faithful in the other Cdn cities really understand puck nuance, are students of the game, continue to watch after their beloved team is ousted, blah blah blah blah blah. Someone should really do a scientific study of this . . . I'll bet you dollars for doughnuts that, proportionally, it's the same everywhere. But keep it up with those incisive jibes about Leafs fans, fellow Canadians. Because I'm sure that no one has heard your awesome joke before.
  23. Joe Dirt from Canada writes: Scot and Pat, if you want to see the Leafs playoff ratings just look in Houston's archive. Last time they were in was 04 (pre-lockout mind you)

    Halfway through the series, Ottawa-Toronto was averaging 2.61 million (2.41M CBC, 200,000 RDS). By comparison, Montreal-Boston that year was averaging 2.045 million (1.23M CBC, 815,000 RDS). Game 7 of Sens-Leafs did 3.679 million on CBC and that series ended with an average of 2.8 million.

    The only thing I found on Flyers-Leafs or Habs-Lightning Rd 2 info was game 6 Flyers-Leafs had 3.18 million on CBC.

    But to answer the question, yeah the Leafs could probably draw 3,000,000 or so in the playoffs given that it's now after the lockout and them playing after Easter is such a rarity these days.
  24. Chris Eaton from Fredericton, writes: " Ben Hong from Fredericton, Canada writes: Don F. Cherry was saying that it is his right to cheer for the Bruins. I agree wholeheartedly...except that it's not the Boston Bruins' tax money that he's taking. If we Canadian taxpayers continue to pay this joker, then we deserve some semblance of impartiality. Once he takes off that clown suit, he can cheer for whomever he wants."

    You know that Cherry's segment is usually the highest rated part of HNIC, right? Canadian taxpayers aren't paying him a cent, he brings in advertising money.

    As for the column itself... "hell" is swearing? Its like we've gone through a time warp to 30 years ago.
  25. Ed Flynn from Canada writes: Stock - who I don't recall as an NHL player - is absolutely amatuer. He's an annoyance who surely makes his "colleagues" shudder at the very sound of his voice. I have to turn the TV down or switch to Setanta when he's on. Same for old Don Cherry. How about his railing last night about his absolute favoritism of the Bruins, his coach of the year, his winning percentage... I can't believe he's employed in this position. HNIC looks absolutely terrible compared to some of the better US-based MLB and NFL productions.
  26. Andrew Bisson from Ottawa, Canada writes: Greg Millen is just awful, and was no more than a Habs cheerleader throughout the first round. He makes it clear that he thinks Kovalev is the best player in the league.
    He gets excited if Kovalev executes a line change. How come Millen didn't point out in game six that Kovalev was floating behind Sturm when Sturm scored the winner?
    What bothered me too is that he ignored the great play of Lucic, other than his rivalry with Komisarek. Here is a 19 year old Canadian kid playing excellent hockey, not just hitting, taking the last shift in a nailbiting game six, and none of the commentators were saying anything about him.
    Millen should not be doing the Habs games in round two. If I was Kovalev I'd think about getting a restraining order against Millen.
  27. Mr Right from Toronto, Canada writes: Hughson?!? I know that's the common thinking and everyone just blindly goes along with it, but no way. I think he talks WAY too much, calling the game as if it was on radio. Plus, he has a propensity to say some really silly things and make ridiculous reaches in logic.

    I'd rather listen to lots of announcers other than him - Mike Emerick, Gary Thorne or Sam Rosen to name a few U.S. guys. Heck, even Marv Albert was great. Don Wittman was an excellent, underrated analyst - my personal favourite for Canadian broadcasts. Right now the best guy in Canada is Mark Lee, which is kind of shocking. Guys like Gord Miller and Chris Cuthbert are tolerable, but to me Hughson's broadcasts are a draining experience.
  28. greg panke from Orangeville, Canada writes: HNIC has definitely gone down hill, Kelly Hrudy is one of the few really good people in it, I would give Cassie Campbell another try, she is just learning her way right now, but flush the rest of them. I haven't watched it much lately, but when I saw this Stock character on Sunday I assumed he was part of some US network and they were humouring him, he is absolutely terrible.

    HNIC is dumbed down about as much as it can be, it's time to move it to Fox or start it over pretty much from scratch.
  29. Lupa Nare from Canada writes: Yes, in a game that may involve two dudes punching each other's lights out and sometimes inspires riots and mayhem, "damn" and "hell" are quite upsetting to hear. Lame.
  30. bob miller from Canada writes: What about MacLean's almost constant attempt to be "funny' by using off color puns as he signs off the Crusty The Clown segment?????
    And Stock took one to many to the head I think during his "career" as a hockey player. Hrudy is an obvious upgrade from Crusty but we could have done without his commentary (that went on and on) lastw eek that basically told us that sometimes Marc Savard of the Bruins has his stick on the ice and sometimes he doesn't.....and....as Crusty pointed out.......he LOVES his stick.
  31. Matt Goulet from winnipeg, Canada writes: bob miller, lol that savard 'savvy' stick thing was hilarious. That whole series it's like kelly and ron had a huge school-girl crush on the guy. I'm pretty confident they could have singled out ANY player, and that player would sometimes have his stick ON, and sometimes OFF the ice.
  32. paddy o'reilly from Canada writes: Is Houston channeling my dear departed mother?

    For dumbed down look no further than the Hrudey/ Scott Oake debacle looking for Hockey Town or whatever it was they were looking for (hint: a script writer)

    How about the new HNIC set. . .it, hmm, don't want to offend Houston. . . what rhymes with sucks. They all look so uncomfortable sitting or standing out in the open.

    PJ is kinda growing on me too, but mostly, I switch between periods to TSN if at all possible.

    Jim Hughson is great, Cassie needs another job, but you can take all of Greg Millen's gaffs and inanities in any given game and they wouldn't equal the number that Pierre McGuire or Eddie Olczyk spew out in one sentence. Then multiply that but their endless unnecessary repetitive blather and you've got the Ulysses of inanity. .. minus the good grammer. . .and the sex. Molly Bloom's soliloquy for the mentally challenged. And this while the game is underway. Talk about "no sense that (they aren't) the show."
  33. Gern Blandston from Missasausage, Canada writes: I think the new edge with Ron and Don is hilarious. Did you all see the night when Don suggested that kids sleep with their hockey sticks? - because Marc Savard of the B's was talking to his on the bench? Anyhoo, Ron's quip at the end of the segment had something to do with "going to bed with Sher-Wood and Don said I' ain't touching that one!".. LMAO - fell out of my chair! I agree with most about Houston getting with the times. Soon, we will have a typist inputting politically correct descriptions on the screen with no announcers if we keep this up. A little personality goes a long way on the air - good or bad. I'm watching the game for the most part and I could care less who calls it.
  34. R W from Canada writes: Galley is the best. He speaks with knowledge about the game, doesn't get overly excited and appears fairly unbiased. I'll take his double-negatives any day over the idiot Cole.

    If that guy tells me "what a great game it is" on more time I am going to throw something at the TV. I know when its a good game, I am watching it, I don't need the idiot to tell me so, especailly when the game is not a good game and he wants me to believe it is.

    At least with the idiot Cherry, I can avoid him by turning it off during intermission.
  35. s d from Canada writes: why the hell was this article even written? Seriously does anyone give a damn? seriously Huston try some real journalism and leave your sensitivities out of it
  36. L. W. from Greener Pastures, Canada writes: Some people really need to learn to comprehend what they are reading.
  37. Alberto Bayo from Canada writes: Why bother with CBC...GO RDS GO
  38. Big M from Canada writes:
    I'm an equal opportunity critic. My wife and I both think Cassie Campbell is an embarrassment. She's a good person and all - but as an announcer/interviewer she has no emotion to her voice, she stammers and trips her words, lobs week softball questions etc. Can't they give somebody who actually studied journalism a break to try out?
  39. Swifty J from Mtl, Canada writes: I actually don't mind Bob Cole, despite his gaffes and inanities. The man has a great voice and he lets it show some excitement. Makes a lot of the specific stupid words forgivable, at least in my book.

    Don Cherry is another story. He's nails-on-blackboard most of the time, but I do get a kick out of his jackets. "Oh look, he stole some drapes from grandma's house and brought them to his tailor. Oh look, he's moonlighting as a hostess at a Chinese buffet..."

    PJ Stock is a twit but that doesn't mean there's no hope he might develop into a broadcasting professional. I see him regularly on the 6 o'clock CBC news in Montreal, where he disses the Habs most days. Yes, he played 20 games for them almost a decade ago, but he's still very much a Bruin and is clearly playing up the "I'm not a homer!" angle. (Check his page on team990.com if you don't believe me.)

    I can definitely live without Millen, but anybody who thinks he's a Habs homer is nuts. He, Cole, Cherry and Stock were tooting the Bs' horn all series long.

    As for language: is HNIC closer to a flagship 10 p.m. newscast, or a cheeky 11 p.m. talk show? If the CBC bigwigs decide it's the latter (IMO it is), Mr. Houston will be railing against the arrival of the s-word soon enough.
  40. paddy o'reilly from Canada writes: It's too bad that budget cuts and poor management by government installed lackeys has gutted the CBC of it's brightest talents.

    It's an important national institution that should be exempt from political interference and never need to cater to the lowest common denominator in order to justify it's existence.

    Once again, to paraphrase John Ralston Saul, our "elites" let us down.
  41. Wanda Fyooka from Vancouver, Canada writes: Damn! That was a helluva article! Give me a break! This guy should listen to how grade schoolers speak on the bus these days!
  42. Harold Atkinson from Guelph, Canada writes: There is more than PJ Stock that is in love with himself - maybe he is just folowing the style of Don Cherry.
    When I hear Don ranting (he has never been wrong ) or pointing out that remember "when I told you ....." ( he conveniently forgets the many times that he was wrong) I remember the oft-quoted phrase "saying it louder doesn't mean its right" and mute the TV
  43. Dave Miller from Canada writes: I'm not so sure about Stock...he's a little much and doesn't seem to know when to stop. I find he often fades into incomprehensibility.

    As for Campbell, she sat in as an analyst for a game this year (I forget who was doing the colour), but I thought she was excellent. She doesn't have the presence for the interviews, but she was great calling the game.
  44. Bob Fugger from Victoria, BC, Canada writes: I don't agree with Houston's dressing down of Maclean for using damn and hell - it's reflective of the vernacular of the day. This is a hockey telecast, for Vishnu's sake, not a polo match.

    As for PJ Stock, this guy is an idiot. Nepotism is obviously rampant at the CBC for this guy to get on the air. He adds absolutely ZERO value to the telecast, goes on about nothing in particular and all the while acts like his poop don't stank. Let's get some real sportscasters in there - remember the guy who used to do the play-by-play for the Argos before they switched stations - Jaime Stein? That guy got his chops driving up and down the 401 covering hockey and football games for Queens and McGill before proving on the big stage that he can call and provide meaningful insight. Let's get this guy on HNIC!

    On that note, why are Jim Hughson and Craig Simpson - easily the best broadcasting duo on CBC - relegated to the unwatched Avs-Wild series? Those two should be on the coast-to-coast Canadian series and Cole should team up with PJ Stock to do cover the Bakersfield Condors in the ECHL.
  45. Arec Bardwin from Canada writes: Sounds like someone (William Houston) is a little bit jealous. If you imagine him sobbing, as he writes the article, it makes a lot more sense.
  46. ron from hamtown from hamtown, Canada writes: What a bunch of nit picking. HNIC has been outstanding this playoff season. Informative, entertaining, abit fun, great analysis. I hadn't seen Galley (?) until the other night but his insight and analyis were great. I think PJ Stock is a good addition, he lightens things up a bit. HNIC's "problem" is that it has too much good talent and not enough time for everyone. Houston should be aiming his pop gun at the three stooges on TSN. Their analysis and presentation is third rate, except for Pierre Maguire but he should stop being a name dropper and get more consistently back to providing solid information that earned him his rep.
  47. Rob C from Canada writes: Cassie Campbell is an emabarrassment - she gets latitude due to her gender - I hate sounding mean, as I am sure she is a nice person and wants very much to be successful - I blame her bosses for rushing her - She ahould have been ushered into a broacasting school for a year or teo rather than learning on the job (as taxpayers and viewers, we are the owners and the customers - no one at the CBC cares what goes on the air?). McLean can do no right in my opinion, so I don't need to comment...PJ Stock proves no one has a clue at HNIC. There are so many Elliotte Friedmans out there looking for a break - and we get Cassie Campbell and PJ Stock?
  48. Christopher Ralph from CBS, NL, Canada writes: Maybe they should hire some of the Raptors Broadcasters... now THAT is poor commentary. There is no room for Salami and Cheese in hockey! Well, maybe cheese...
  49. Friendly Anglo from Canada writes: You would think there is more to talk about in the sports world today than someone saying Damn and Hell during a hockey game. It's sports for crying out loud. He isn't an anchorman, so don't try to make him into one. I suggest Mr. Houston get a life.
  50. Jake Richardson from Canada writes: William Houston: get over it, dammit.
  51. Lee McMillan from Calgary, Canada writes: William Houston needs his ears cleaned. Craig Simpson and Greg Millen were stumbling around more than a drunken cow on stilletoes.

    As for Ron Maclean using the word 'hell', maybe Houston should join us in the 21st century.

    As for Don Cherry, the guy runs off pure emotion. Kelly Hrudey is young, clear headed and it hasn't been 3 decades since he's been a apart of real hockey.
  52. Pat Billings from CDN, Canada writes: The Habs blow the leafs out of the water....they were near 4 mln people watching last night.

    To compare, the Leafs drew about 3.5 mln for a second round game 7 in 2001.

    Either, there is more Habs fans in the country, or Habs fans actually watch their team....or a combination of both.
  53. Cowtown boy from Calgary, Canada writes: Have they nothing better to write about. What a bunch of idiots.

    I'm suprised that Maclean doesn't spew out far worse, considering who he's had to work with all these years. Normally I turn them off because of Cherry the brain dead clown. Guy couldn't get hired as a coach so CBC pick him up instead and expects people to believe him. Any other TV personality would have lost their jobs years ago if they said some of things that clown has said.
  54. R Miller from Halifax, Canada writes: paddy o'reilly from Canada:

    Quoting John Ralston Saul in a hockey thread at 11:10 AM..... Wow, I am impressed!

    "Our elites let us down."

    Yes, they certainly did!

    However, to actually really understand the significance of what you just said, you would actually have to live outside of the City of Toronto.

    In fact, your argument could be construed as a good reason for the Feds to cut the CBC's budget even further.

    Cheers.
  55. Cheryl Nelson from Bloomington, MN, United States writes: Big M from Canada writes: "My wife and I both think Cassie Campbell is an embarrassment. She's a good person and all - but as an announcer/interviewer she has no emotion to her voice, she stammers and trips her words, lobs week softball questions etc. Can't they give somebody who actually studied journalism a break to try out?" _______ Because it's easier to take someone with knowledge of the nuances of hockey and teach them the tricks of the broadcasting trade than to take a journalist and teach them the nuances of hockey. Cassie is inexperienced in journalism, yes. Somebody at CBC needs to mentor her so she doesn't ask leading questions, or better yet, send her to journalism boot camp. I think she has been put into a role for which she is currently ill-suited. She performed well as an analyst for the recent women's world championships and in the coaching segments shown during Hockey Day in Canada. If you think Cassie is bad as a hockey sideline reporter, what, then to make of the countless female sideline reporters on the U.S. networks covering NFL and hockey? More eye candy than substance. I swear some of them couldn't spot a football or hockey puck in a lineup. You guys think the CBC's sports coverage has flaws? You oughta come down here and suffer through U.S. hockey coverage. With a few notable exceptions, it's dismal. I'm including the coverage on NBC and Vs. Most of the local/regional NHL coverage is awful. The Minnesota Wild team is pretty bad. We know that the local coverage can be better. We have announce crews and camera work on high school and college hockey telecasts throughout Minnesota. *They* should cover the Wild. The best U.S. NHL hockey coverage is found in the four U.S. Original Six markets, plus Buffalo, Philly, Pittsburgh and Colorado. The Carolina Hurricanes broadcasts are the absolute worst.
  56. Cheryl Nelson from Bloomington, MN, United States writes: Gord Lewis from Canada writes: "But maybe I have been spoiled, because I can still remember Foster Hewitt on radio, creating vivid images that no one anywhere has matched since. He was more economical with words and certainly never swore." _________


    I feel sorry for any announcer sitting up there in the Foster Hewitt Gondola trying to fill shoes that no one can fill. It's hard enough to follow in the footsteps of a very good announcer - you're under a microscope. Doing Hewitt's old job, you're under an electron microscope.


    In Wisconsin, Ray Scott (CBS television) and Jim Irwin (Packers Radio Network) were our Foster Hewitt for NFL broadcasts. There's a generation of fans who just won't accept the current NFL crews, no matter how good they are. Scott and Irwin were the best, and still fondly remembered. Everybody else is the new kid on the block. Wayne Larrivee has done Packers radio now for nine years. Good as he is, he's still compared to Irwin.


    Great as Scott and Irwin were, I don't think they could hold Foster's mic.
  57. T H from Canada writes: I generally like the HNIC sportscast, and I think that the concern over language is a helluva big deal over nothing. Ron is great - pure and simple. He's smart enough to be taken seriously, and jock-ish enough to have street cred with hardcore pucklovers. I think Kelly Hrudey has improved a lot from his early days.

    Hughson is awesome - the best caller period. Millen has a yen for overstating the obvious, but isn't too bad. Galley is quite good also.

    Cole's day has come and gone - PLEASE CBC, take Ol Yeller out behind the barn and do what's right for all of us.

    Elliott Friedman's early interviews were truly awful - enragingly so - and I still dislike him. That said, I'll take him over Steve Armitage any day. Or Cassie.

    And then there's PJ. This arrogant twit needs to be yanked. Put him on Sportsnet, where attitude and an inability to read clearly from a prompter are rewarded with a job. They need to ditch him, even mid-playoffs! Even Ron's "throws" to him are annoying.

    Given this mixed bag of talent, can ANYONE tell me why they got rid of Chris Cuthbert??
  58. A Demers from Canada writes: HAhahaha... this post sums up Mr. Houston's article quite nicely, I think.
    http://puckthathit.com/2008/04/22/william-houston-needs-to-get-laid/
    It is not recommended for those with sensitive ears...
  59. Bill H from Canada writes: Get a life Houston, you are a disgrace to sports journalism.
  60. paddy o'reilly from Canada writes: R.Miller. . . if it was my residence you were referring to, though I once did live in T.O. I moved away 25 years ago, seldom to return. Not as far away as you perhaps but far enough. . . and never happier.

    You miss the point perhaps. . . The so called "elites" referred to are the political and big business types who never stray from their own narrow interests which seldom if ever include the "national" interest.

    Houston refers to the dumbing down of the CBC. When they can no longer attract the best and the brightest because of funding and /or interference the consequence is inevitable.

    Even the odd Torontonian would understand that
  61. Rex Bradley from Oakville, ON, Canada writes: You should know the differences among swearing, oaths, cursing and profanity. This is sacred English and if you do not recognise Hell as a mythical home for the damned, I am sure you will be welcomed by Harold Ballard.
  62. P McLean from Canada writes: T H, they got rid of Cuthbert because Nancy Lee, the ex-head of CBC sports had something personal against him. Or at least somebody did(but who else with the kind of power to can him?) because they claimed it was a money move during the lockout, when his contract clearly stated that he would be paid less if a lockout were to occur. I don't know if Mark Lee is related to her, but he was considered to be the big winner in the fallout from the Cuthbert dismissal. Which, frankly says all you need to know about CBC Sports' talent base. Lee's ok I suppose, but if he is in line to be a main voice(he did the Grey Cups etc the last few years if I'm not mistaken), then you have a problem. It's been brought down for a while. All the little tweaks seem to miss the mark. "All the big guns" at the beginning of the pregame show is just awful the way that woman sings it. There was nothing wrong with the original one, why the need to change? Trying to change hotstove with ex-players(mercifully that got cut short). The only good move in the recent past was going back to the early 90s version of the HNIC Theme(bit of guitar instead of computerized endless percussion). Cassie Campbell: mentor shmentor, she has been on there for at least 2 years, and hasn't shown any improvement. Did anyone else catch her call Kiprusoff "Kipper"? As bad as the CBC's talent is, they would not have a man who does the job that poorly in there for that long. But that's CBC management's fault. HNIC is not the place to learn your trade. It's also unfair to Campbell because like Houston says, it's ok for local TV. She wouldn't be nearly as scrutinized. Scott Moore has made a few quick decisions, so hopefully the Nancy Lee years will be long behind us.
  63. aniphylactic shock troops from Victoria, Canada writes: Can somebody please explain the appeal of Ron Maclean? He was bearable when he was Don's invisible sidekick, but ever since the country got up in arms over his contract he thinks he IS the show. I had been sorta weaned off Coach's Corner, but now I watch in the hope Grapes might one day drop the little Pinhead. Nobody cares that he refs Midget Triple C hockey in Etobicoke. Nobody cares what he thinks about Colin Campbell. He's a weather-man from Red Deer.
  64. Matt O from Canada writes: Call me crazy, but I think PJ Stock is a diamond in the rough, and will turn out to be a solid contributor to an otherwise weak program. Normally I hate the kind of frat-boy mentality guys like Stock bring to the sports show game, but he is self-depricating enough that he makes it work. Is he full of himself? Probably, but no more than Cherry, and, like Cherry in his prime, he can make it work by working himself into his humour. His Old Navy tie reference the other day was a near-classic. On the other hand, I think Cherry has to go. And, really, I like the guy, and used to be a big CC fan. But the show jumped the shark long ago. Cherry is a smart guy, much smarter than his detractors think, but I think he's just run out of steam and new material. No big deal, it happens to everyone in showbiz. Anyway, I'd take characters like Stock and Cherry in his prime over bland commentators like Hrudey any day. I've never understood Hrudey's appeal...he may know the game, but he's as dull as dishwater. I don't expect an intermission show to resemble a university lecture, but that's the sort of stuffy ascetic he brings to the show. Seeing Bowman in HNIC's preview show the day before the playoffs made me appreciate his talents all the more, however. I can understand why people are nostalgic for the days when he was a regular on the show.
  65. Melissa Wiebe from Canada writes: Bob Cole's time has long time gone and he needs to be shown the door. I don't know why CBC keeps hanging onto him when they have an excellent guy in Jim Hughson. Millen should also go; his comments want to make me cringe, as he doesn't get the notion that he needs to shut-up during the play rather than yammering on. I tend to turn away when Cassie is interviewing somebody and she clearly needs a course or two in how to ask questions. True, she is good as an colour anyalst; her interviewing skills need some polishing. CBC only hired her because she didn't clearly have anything else and needed a "pretty" face.
  66. Bob Fugger from Victoria, BC, Canada writes: Matt O - I call you crazy! Bring us Jaime Stein!!
  67. R Miller from Halifax, Canada writes: Matt O from Canada:

    Ever since your liberal admission last night, I will take every opportunity to call you crazy...

    PJ Stock has been lousy thus far, but I am willing to give him a chance because I don't really think that one can get any worse than Cherry. If Stock is being groomed to be Cherry's little dog, Blue, then I am opposed to what he is trying to stand for.

    Cherry's character on the show doesn't need a replacement....

    Once was enough!

    Also, enough with the politics of polarization already !

    Cheers.
  68. R Miller from Halifax, Canada writes: paddy o'reilly:

    "Our elites let us down..."

    The way that I interpreted your sentence was in the nauseous feeling that I always got while attending Liberal wine and Cheese parties in TO after spending time in a place like Fond du Lac, Saskatchewan where 20 people might be living in a single house with raw meat lying on the counters or seeing Cape Breton sealers being abused by rich Torontonians who managed to learn how to drive a ship at them and then portray themselves as the seals saviours....

    There were lots of stories to be told in Canada.... The CBC chose to stay in the Big Smoke and cover the Make Beleafs instead...

    They made their bed, they lie in it !

    Cheers.
  69. Matt O from Canada writes: R Miller from Halifax, Canada writes: Matt O from Canada:

    Ever since your liberal admission last night, I will take every opportunity to call you crazy...
    ----------------------------------------
    If this isn't a joke, I pity you...I really do. I didn't realize I was "coming out" yesterday.

    Anyhow, I know everyone's down on PJ, but let me give you an example to illustrate my point. HBO boxing recently added Lennox Lewis to its roster of announcers. In his first few broadcasts, his delivery was absolutely terrible. His use of the word "definitely" was so frequent (eg. "He definitely hurt him with that punch") that it became a running joke among boxing fans.

    Still, everyone once in a while, Lennox would throw in something that was highly insightful. And slowly but surely, his delivery has improved, and he is becoming a solid contributor.

    Maybe people don't think PJ has anything to contribute, but I see the same potential in him as people did in Lennox. I dunno, I could be wrong, but that's my opinion.
  70. R Miller from Halifax, Canada writes: It WAS a joke, Matt O... Good reason to keep partisan politics off the hockey threads though...

    Cheers.
  71. Matt O from Canada writes: R Miller from Halifax, Canada writes: It WAS a joke, Matt O... Good reason to keep partisan politics off the hockey threads though...

    Cheers.
    ----------------------------------------

    Okay, sorry for the misinterpretation. I was only trying to have a bit of fun with the political posts, but I guess it's a pool best not waded in.

    Anyway, lots of good series coming up 2nd round that not even HNIC can wreck.

    Cheers to you as well.

Comments are closed

Thanks for your interest in commenting on this article, however we are no longer accepting submissions. If you would like, you may send a letter to the editor.

Report an abusive comment to our editorial staff

close

Alert us about this comment

Please let us know if this reader’s comment breaks the editor's rules and is obscene, abusive, threatening, unlawful, harassing, defamatory, profane or racially offensive by selecting the appropriate option to describe the problem.

Do not use this to complain about comments that don’t break the rules, for example those comments that you disagree with or contain spelling errors or multiple postings.