Bob Cole is enjoying a comeback season at CBC

Chris Zelkovich of the Toronto Star: "But as Cole showed again on Saturday night during the opener of the Stanley Cup final, he's enjoying a bit of a revival a year after most had written him off. Sure, there was plenty of evidence that Cole's not the play-by-play guy he used to be – regularly failing to identify players and missing the obvious from time to time – but there's also enough to indicate he's still one of the best in the game."

Here is the full article from the Toronto Star.

I will admit it. I get razzed sometimes because I still think Bob Cole is great. For me, it isn't a big game if Bob Cole isn't calling the game. While I understand he gets criticized for being partial to certain teams or misidentifying the players from time-to-time, his voice makes the game that much more meaningful. Let's enjoy his last few seasons at CBC instead of calling for his retirement.

The HD Corner - Stanley Cup Final Preview

Due to the overwhelming success of my recent preview, the editors at Illegal Curve thought it was only fitting that I do another preview, this time of the two networks broadcasting the Stanley Cup final. The following is a comparison of CBC’s broadcast team against NBC’s (Versus has games 1 and 2, while NBC will cover the rest using predominantly the same personalities). Now let’s get this party started.

Play by Play
Bob Cole vs. Doc Emrick
Bob Cole will call the action for CBC, and Doc Emrick will man the mike for NBC. Great Scott!!!...Doc wins this battle. Emrick’s calling duties are always dead-on, and he never seems to play favorites, unlike Cole's fetish with the Maple Leafs. Look for Cole to be rooting for fellow Maritimer Sid the Kid and the Pens during this matchup.
Edge: Dock Emrick of NBC

Colour Commentary
Greg Millen vs. Eddie Olczyk
Annoying Greg Millen goes up against Eddie Olczyk here. Although Eddie O does NBC and Versus studio work, he also takes part in colour duties periodically. The former productive NHLer and Pens coach brings a tremendous amount of enthusiasm, but will sway his vote towards the Pens. Millen on the other hand was a terrible NHL goalie, but does bring some interesting insight from seeing so many pucks go in through is five-hole. If this was any other series, Eddie O would get the nod, but due to his penchant for cheering for the Pens, I regrettably give this category to Millen.
Edge: Greg Millen of CBC

Best Jewish Personality
Elliotte Friedman vs. Pierre McGuire
Rumoured to be partially of the Jewish faith, I’m hard pressed to admit that there is a possibility Pierre and I could share a bowl of borscht at a downtown Montreal deli someday. He is so annoying and pompous, that he makes it an easy decision to tune into CBC. Elliotte Friedman on the other hand is a real mench, with great sideline reports throughout the series, and a history of asking the tough questions. And no, I don’t mean him asking “why is this night different from any other night?” twice a year.
Edge: Elliotte Friedman of CBC

Most Colourful
Don Cherry vs. John Vanbiesbrouck
Donald S’s crazy suits give him the edge in this category alone, not to mention his brief run-in with the 10 second audio delay on Coach’s Corner back in the day. His wit, coaching insight, and love of all things Canadian makes him a must see every night of the playoffs. Now onto the Beezer….The editors at Illegal Curve will have a conniption if I make this next joke about his colourfulness. Let’s just give the edge to Grapes and be done with it.
Edge: Don Cherry of CBC

Most Likely to have your Back in a Brawl
Scott Oake vs. Christine Simpson
You don’t want to mess with Scott Oake and his towering 6’9” frame, the Zdeno Chara of the CBC broadcasting team. Despite his hair plugs being quite obvious when seen in HD, his mammoth hands alone would crush anyone that tried to tell him that the Jets aren’t someday coming back to his hometown. For NBC, the ever-so manly Christine Simpson could definitely drink NBC studio host Bill Clement under the table, and also uses less hair spray than her cocky brother and CBC competitor, Craig. Scott Oak wins for his custom tailored Moore’s suits.
Edge: Scott Oake of CBC

Final Verdict:
CBC gets the nod. Let the games begin!

Stanley Cup Final Announcers

The CBC broadcasters have been set for the Stanley Cup final, with Bob Cole and Greg Millen calling all of the action between the Pens and Wings starting Saturday night. William Houston of the Globe and Mail details it here.

Analysis: Cole is old and senile. It should be Jim Hughson’s time to shine. Although Cole’s work this year has been better than in previous seasons, Hughson is the superior announcer. Axing Harry Neale from the finals is a smart move, although Millen will likely have worn out his welcome by the time the second period of game three rolls around.

The HD Corner - First Round Report Card

With the first round coming to a dramatic close, I thought it was time to unveil my first round report card for the Canadian broadcasters. Now, without further adieu:

Bob Cole and Greg Millen: C+
Montreal vs. Boston

Cole and Millen’s first round work was nothing spectacular, with Cole making his usual blunders every so often. Their game seven work was fine, however one large omission did occur during game six. An interesting storyline developed when Tim Thomas’ mask broke, which required him to go to the Bruins’ bench twice during TV timeouts. Apparently the strap on his mask couldn’t be repaired and he had to hold it in between his teeth for the remainder of the period until the intermission. Obviously viewers weren’t aware of his troubles since they occurred during TV timeouts, and it would have been nice if Millen had made a comment or two instead of focusing on “Big” Zdeno Chara.

Further, Kessel’s first goal in game six was no doubt outstanding, and CBC missed the boat without directly comparing it to the similar goal he scored at the World Juniors. A few years ago at the World Junior tournament in Grand Forks, Kessel pulled almost the identical move putting the puck past a defender’s legs, jumping around him, and going five-hole.

Jim Hughson and Garry Galley A-
Pittsburgh vs. Ottawa

For those viewers that don’t recall, yes, the Sens were in the playoffs, although not much longer than Alexei Kaigorodov’s career in a Sens uniform. Once the Pens quickly dispatched the Sens, Hughson was seen calling the Colorado-Minnesota series that the CBC sporadically picked up. Galley’s work over the year has improved exponentially, and he deserves to be solidified as the number two colour man. Harry Neale’s time has come. At this point, Neale is more washed up than Fedor Fedorov. Speaking of Neale…

Dean Brown and Harry Neale: B
Nashville vs. Detroit

It’s really a shame that Dean Brown was relegated to this series, as it definitely did not receive the same amount of hype as the Canadian matchups. Sure, the Preds did make it interesting, but game six was possibly the worst game I’ve seen since Kevin Constantine stopped coaching. Brown is usually very accurate with his play calling, although I heard rumours he was hitting it up pretty hard in Music City with Jordin’s pop Barney Tootoo, after game three.

Mark Lee and Craig Simpson: A
Calgary vs. San Jose

Lee and Simpson definitely get the best grade, partly due to the exciting nature of this seven game series. Even when J.R. scored his second goal in game seven and essentially clinched the series, Lee did not show any bias towards cheering for the Flames. One annoying factor with this series was that the Flames home games weren’t in HD – quite ridiculous for the playoffs. Further, CBC’s feed did cut out for a brief period during game seven, but they were quick to pick up the Versus feed starring Lighting play-by-play man and former Whalers broadcaster Rick Peckham at the mic.

Gord Miller/Rod Black and Pierre McGuire: B
Colorado vs. Minnesota Jose and Washington vs. Philadelphia

I’m not sure what has been the more obscure story line so far: Guy Carbonneau’s tie or Gord Miller’s throat. In case anyone thought they were having a mild hallucination during game two of the Colly-Minni series, don’t fret: Rod Black was indeed calling the game. Black was summoned to call the game on a last minute request due to Gord Miller contracting a throat infection and unable to call the game (that’s just too easy to make a joke here). Overall, Black’s work was quite impressive considering his lack of hockey calling experience, and only mentioned the Jays amicably parting ways with the Big Hurt twice during the broadcast. TSN’s patented “between the glass” calling technique with Pierre in the box at ice level always keeps things interesting, although I’d much rather see Pierre locked in a trunk for three hours instead.

Chris Cuthbert and Glen Healy: B+
Colorado vs. Minnesota

This duo was also seen calling the Colly series for TSN, and it is apparent Cuthbert needs to be TSN’s go to guy. Why not try pairing him with Pierre for a game, and leaving Healy to call the Women’s World Broomball Championships?

Things will likely get interesting with the World Hockey Championships starting in Halifax next week, on TSN. With Randorf finishing his duties for the Under 18 Championship, he could get the call, although bringing Vic Rauter out of the woodwork would be highly appreciated!

Enjoy the second round everyone.

The HD Corner - Playoff Preview

With the Stanley Cup Playoffs just around the corner, I thought the time was right to have a write-up on each of the National networks and their broadcasting permutations and combinations.

CBC:

Obviously Bob Cole and Harry Neale are the two head honchos here. However, with Bob slowly being pushed out and with Harry having Buffalo Sabres duty, there could be shakeups amongst broadcasting tandems. Look for Bob and Harry to still call the Stanley Cup Finals, with Jim Hughson having more of a prominent role leading up to the grand finale. As it stands Bob will probably take the Habs first round match-up, which will be CBC’s bread and butter in the playoffs due to the Canadiens’ strong following throughout Canada. If the Sens still make the playoffs (I can’t believe that sentence needed to be written), either Mark Lee or Dean Brown would likely man the mike. As for the West, Hughson will probably call the Flames’ first round match-up. If the Canucks or the surging Oilers make it, maybe Cassie Campbell can pinch hit (in other words: Let’s Go Preds!). As far as colour goes, Harry, Craig Simpson, Greg Millen, or the underrated Garry Galley will be available to team up with any of the aforementioned play-by-play personnel. As with past post season series and a common occurrence this year, Bob and Harry will be split up at least for the first round.

NBC and Versus:

The above two networks have been grouped together since they feature more or less the same broadcasting team. Versus will likely handle the weekday games, while coverage switches to NBC on weekends until the finals start. Lead man and local New Jersey Devils announcer Doc Emrick will handle play-by-play duties, with anyone from Eddie Olczyk, Keith Jones, John Vanbiesbrouck, Pierre McGuire, and the ever-so masculine Christine Simpson handling the colour. Too bad “Pub Night: Snooker and Darts” is also in its playoffs, as U.S. viewers will be drawn to the latter’s coverage.

TSN:

TSN’s schtick includes its patented “between the glass” broadcasting style with the colour guy stuck in between the two benches, Maggie The Monkey providing her playoff pick analysis, McGuire’s Monster, and Glenn Healy’s Loch Ness Monster. Unfortunately TSN doesn’t have the rights to cover any Canadian match-ups until next season, so look for them to cover the Pens first round series or the Sharks’ match-up, providing they don’t play a Canadian opponent. Both provide intriguing story lines, with the possibility of Crosby/Malkin vs. Ovechkin being a huge draw. Combos will include Gord Miller and Pierre McGuire, Chris Cuthbert and Glenn Healy, with Dave Randorf waiting in the bull-pen. The NHL Network’s Dave Reid will also likely be available should the apocalypse occur.

The HD Corner - Random Notes

I would like to open with a brilliant quote from legendary broadcaster Bob Cole during the opening moments of last night's Leafs-Bruins game:

“…and to all of our Jewish friends, happy Channukah!”

Here are some random notes/links:

Check out William Houston’s recent article from the Globe and Mail regarding some behind the scenes insight about Coach’s Corner. And yes, this includes information on how grade 9 drop-out Don Cherry prepares for each week’s segment. For some reason it didn't shock me that his preparation doesn’t include any in-depth NHL statistical analysis.

Grapes’ rant from last week’s Coach’s Corner concerning the recent minor hockey league brawl is also worth looking at. He also goes on to rip Steve Ludzik of The Score, or of Sportsnet has Cherry says (skip to the 5:30 mark of the clip).

Did anyone else catch Lisa Bowes’ triumphant return to TSN? To my surprise, she was featured as a Calgary correspondent on SportsCentre earlier this week. The last time I saw her name was on Illegal Curve’s own Ari Baum-Cohen’s sign at the 1999 World Jr. Championships, asking for her hand in marriage.

The HD Corner - Unique FSN Game

As first reported in The HD Corner, a Kings – Ducks game on FSN West was broadcasted without any play-by-play or colour commentary earlier this week. The unique broadcast was in HD, with special low camera angles that provided a unique perspective of the game. FSN Prime Ticket was also showing the game with the usual play calling, so it was interesting to go back and forth in between the two feeds. At first the distinct broadcast seemed like a great idea, but I found it hard to follow without the commentary. Watching a game live in person without commentary, and having the ability to focus on a certain area of the rink was a completely different experience than what was shown during this broadcast. Often at times, the camera would zoom-in on a particular player during a play stoppage, and it felt slightly uncomfortable tying to figure out what the purpose was for the iso shot.

The Score HD made its triumphant debut this weekend on Express Vu in Western Canada to little fanfare. Don’t get me wrong – the ticker’s Arial font in HD is breathtaking; however, the majority of the highlights are still in poor quality standard definition. And no, I don’t care if WWE’s Thursday Night Smackdown! will be in HD.

It looks like Mike Toth’s work on Sportsnetnews will be drastically decreasing, and he has apparently opted for more work on the FAN 590 in Toronto. Earlier this year Toth roughed up a Sportsnet producer over a minor difference in opinion, but according to sources, Toth’s decreasing workload wasn’t a result of this previous confrontation. It is however, arguably the funniest breaking news since Dutchie from TSN got in a brawl at his buddy’s wedding. Although Toth was quite cocky behind the desk, his Bob Cole impression will surely be missed. In other Sportsnet gossip, Greg Ross has flown the coup. Let’s keep our fingers crossed that this doesn’t mean more Jim Lange air time.

For those with XM Satelite Radio, you’ll be happy to know that NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman will debut his new talk show called “NHL Hour” on November 27th. Bill Clement will co-host, who is apparently so desperate for work that he thought it would be a good career move to be involved in a business opportunity with Bettman. Bob Goodenow will probably call into the show to tell Clement “I told you so”.

The HD Corner - HNIC Numbers

The numbers are in for HNIC, and they aren’t too pretty as far as the Oilers are concerned. According to the Globe and mail, 409,000 viewers tuned in for the Oilers – LA Kings late game this past Saturday night. As the Globe notes, this likely could be attributed to the World Series being shown that night. More accurately, it could be due to the fact that the Oilers were one of the teams “competing” in this game. It’s not too often that a team’s go-to defenseman is Steve Staois. Ouch. It could be a long season Mac-T and friends. Or maybe this late game drew so poorly simply because P.J. Stock was conducting studio analysis along with Ron and Sean Burke. Burke was actually quite good, making some interesting points of how as a former goalie, he never judged his teammates by their salaries and only focussed on what they bring to the table each and every game. Stock on the other hand was so incoherent that he must have been on some kind of hallucinogen. I’m pretty sure there is an ECHL team out there that can use 7 assists and 150 PIMS for their team this season. As if the Wheeling Nailers can't use him. Please take him off our hands.

Finally, William Houston has written an excellent article about the one and only Bob Cole that I suggest everyone check out for a good laugh. Apparently, Ralph Mellanby has some dirt on the legendary broadcaster in his new book. Mellanby is of course the former executive director of HNIC (and father of Scott Mellanby). In 1987, Mellanby fired Dave Hodge for throwing his pen up in the air, while on camera no less, in protest that the CBC wouldn’t cut to an in-progress playoff OT game instead of The National. Dave Hodge is officially my idol. Mellanby’s book supposedly details how Bob Cole once actually said “don’t ever touch me again” to John Davidson in the broadcast booth years ago. If that can’t convince you to check out this article and buy Mellanby’s book, I don’t know what will. Caution: the co-author for Mellanby’s HNIC book is the one and only Mike Brophy. If you have seen Brophy’s work on Sportsnet you’ll know what I’m talking about. He has made Nick Kypreos look like a Rhodes Scholar in past broadcasts. And yes, this is the same Kypreos who made that racist Vincent Lecavalier – Michael Jordan remark years ago.