On Saturday night’s CBC broadcast of Colorado’s big win against the Canucks, Scott Oake interviewed Avalanche forward Andrew Brunette during the 2nd intermission:
Andrew, a lot of people thought that your injury list - Smyth, Sakic and Stastny all out - would doom you to failure but that has not been the case. Are you surprised that the team has played so well without those three?
Brunette gave his stock “everyone’s rallied” answer, and we went on our merry way.
After the game, Oake and Kelly Hrudey interviewed a disinterested Tyler Arnason. Similar question:
Tyler, you head into this game without Stastny, Smyth and Sakic and still you score six. Why has scoring goals not been a problem without those guys in the lineup?
Arnason looked down at his feet and gave a similar answer: “everyone’s been picking up the slack”. Yada yada.
For reasons I don’t understand, I almost never get the Altitude feed with my DirecTV Center Ice program, even though they’ve started showing both home and away feeds for many games. Although I like Mike Haynes and Peter “one of the best…” McNab, I have to admit that I enjoy getting different perspectives on the game. Well, except when the eggheads in Nashville are involved, but that’s a different story.
But, for all the freshness I get from listening to a new broadcasting team for every game, there are some drawbacks. Namely, everyone focuses on the same talking points. For weeks, every game I watch they’ve got to have a lengthy discourse on the injuries to the big trio (oh, how many times have I heard the joke about a bad year for players who’s last name start with ‘S’). When the Avs get interviewed during intermission, you can bet the injuries will be mentioned (and that the player in question will respond with the everyone pulling together line as above). At least once a week I get to hear that Joel Quenneville has coached and played in 800 games; I already know that the next sentence from the color guy will be: “Hey [insert name of play by play guy here], did you know there are only two other coaches in NHL history who have done that?” Like some Pavlovian renegade, I immediately start mouthing “Jacques Lemaire and Bob Pulfod”. I’ve seen the Peter Stastny with the Nordiques montage more time than I care to count, and yes, random broadcaster, I did know that one of the guys who played with Peter late in his career was a young Joe Sakic and I do think it’s just swell that now he’s nurturing Peter’s son, Paul just like Peter did for him.
I get why this happens. I’m watching the opponent’s feed, and the fans watching the game don’t have the familiarity with the team that I do. I have to expect that there’ll be some rehashing of information in there - heck, even the Altidudes aren’t above focusing on the same thing from time to time. I just wish that, mixed in with all the Stastny montages and injury charts we could get some discussion of some other material. Let’s talk about guys like Ben Guite and Jeff Finger who’ve gone from AHL afterthoughts to key NHL players. Or, we could discuss the attendance woes of the team. Perhaps we could talk about how an undrafted player like Cody McLeod finds his way to the NHL…or how a skilled guy like Jaroslav Hlinka could get passed over altogether. We could even discuss the Avalanche jerseys - that would benefit me greatly, as I’m always looking for new words for “hideous monstrosity”. At this point, if it doesn’t involve hearing about the injuries to our top players, I’m all ears.
One thing you are not “missing” from the Altitude feed, in addition to Peter “Everyone in an Av uniform is one of the best at (fill in the hilarious blank here)” McNab, is their wonderful propensity for flashing very disruptive and prominent 5 second advertisements OVER PLAY DURING THEIR BROADCASTS. No, they can’t wait until an icing or other stoppage in play, they have to actually disrupt your viewing experience by covering about 20 percent of the screen, often including the puck and players involved in the action, with some wonderful Go Auto or Waste Management ad. I need to call those *&^%%$#ers and ask them to please stop that crap. It is incredibly bush league.
“I wouldn’t exactly say I’m missing it, Bob”
Great Office Space reference. We have a manager here that we call Lumberg. And sometimes when he says “that would be great” he sounds just like him.
“covering about 20 percent of the screen, often including the puck and players involved in the”
I forget what game I was watching on Saturday but after a player was shook up, they did a PIP shot with the injured player on the bench taking up 80% of the screen and the action taking place in the other 20%.
And it wasn’t a split second either, it was a good 5-10 seconds. Those camera/production crew people do some weird things.
“Great Office Space reference. We have a manager here that we call Lumberg. And sometimes when he says “that would be great” he sounds just like him.”
my first few years here, I swear we ended up having to move our desks every 3 months or so. that always prompted lots of “yeah, we’re going to go ahead and move you downstairs” riffs. good times.
I know the Altidudes are homers, but when I have to listen to some of the other broadcasters (like VS.), I do count myself lucky to have those guys, especially McNabb. I thought he was the best of the bunch at the last olympics. And I definately don’t miss John “pass me another Dewars” Kelly. Thank you, thank you, thank you he’s gone!
I am not a McNabb fan, but I will say he engages really well with players in interviews. He asks the right questions, and they dont just shuffle off answers. His interview with Brett Clark the other night (after SJ?) was actually really good, and he got Brett to talk candidly about how the team is in some ways better with all the injuries — something I doubt anyone else could have pulled out of Mr. Not Keystone Light.
McNabb really understands the game, I just wish he would stop the over-praise of everything that skates.
wow, doc, I can’t picture that at all. Clark usually speaks in the blandest of teamspeak cliches. I’m impressed if McNab pulled him out the shell for a moment.
Ok I’ll say it. I love McNabb. As I’ve said before he’s not a homer, he loves EVERYONE. Phaenuf, Chelios, Lidstrom, the guy may not have a critical bone in his body. Everything is the best ever, not only is it highly entertaining but at least he is able to convey the love he has for the game and it’s players. Listen to Detroits guy who bithces and moans about every little thing that bounces against Detroit, or the Calgary guy who kills the fun in everything. I’ll take McNabb’s soccer-mom style confidence building any day over those crotchety farts.
He is Stephen Colbert in real life… Markus Naslund, great hockey player, or GREATEST hockey player?
I kid, but I actually think McNab does a good job. He is obviously being directed to not be critical by the guys upstairs so he isn’t. But he has an enthusiasm for hockey that few match in the booth. He occasionally has some good analysis, and he’s able to usually make good points without being critical of anyone, which takes some skill.
In short he makes games more fun and entertaining, and that’s a good thing.
I loved your Colbert line. When interviewing a rightie, “G dubya, great president, or greatest president?” And of course some of the dolts he is interviewing don’t get it.
Don’t get me wrong, I do admire McNab’s passion and knowledge of the game. But when your team is down 4-0 to Nashville, or being outshot 27-4 by Detroit, you do kind of get sick of hearing how great they are. Maybe he was more of a good fit during the glory years?