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Play-by-Play Man Needed
by Alanah McGinley on 02/15/08 at 12:14 PM ET
Comments (12)
From the Canucks/Wild game last night, on Sportsnet Pacific:
JOHN GARRETT: Do you think Alexander Edler ever gets excited? I don’t think so.
JIM HUGHSON: No. Typical of the Swedish defensemen… I don’t think they get excited when they get a paycheque.
Speaking of Jim Hughson, I always had a feeling that CBC was a threat to Canucks fans. And so finally it comes to pass… bad things are on the horizon.
Now that his contracts with both Sportsnet and the CBC are expiring at the end of this season, Hughson has decided he has to abandon one job or the other:
“I’ve pretty much determined it will be Sportsnet or Hockey Night in Canada,” Hughson said this week. “But I can honestly tell you I don’t know which way it’s going.”
Hughson wants to end his heavy schedule of travelling. It involves calling Vancouver Canucks regional games during the week for Sportsnet and also a national telecast each Saturday for Hockey Night.
Choosing between Sportsnet and CBC, you’ve got to figure he’s likely to take Bob Cole’s gig at Hockey Night in Canada. And can you blame him? Well, no. But still… we can always blame the CBC. (bastards...)
So who lands in Hughson’s Canucks’ job with Sportsnet in such an event?
I have no idea. But whoever it is, I think we can all breathe a sigh of relief that Greg Millen doesn’t do play-by-play commentary.
Filed in: hockey media, vancouver canucks | Canucks and Beyond | Permalink
Tags: cbc, hnic, jim+hughson, john+garrett, media, sportsnet,
Comments
Funny, when staying up waaay past my bedtime and catching Taylor do the daily updates on Sportsnet, I always thought he was way funnier than any of the other stiffs doing the show out of Toronto. But then again, I’ve only caught him a handful of times so I guess a western opinion would have more basis in fact than mine.
Posted by Brian Griffin on 02/15/08 at 01:23 PM ET
I wouldnt be that surprised if they shuffled around Oiler colour-guy Ray Ferarro and gave him a shot at play by play. I wonder if he would want to/if it would be good? It seems like he has the ‘up and coming in broadcasting’ aura about him.
Posted by underthechestnuttree from LaSalle, Ontario, Canada on 02/15/08 at 01:43 PM ET
I like Don Taylor for what he does as host at the anchor desk at Sportsnet. However, the one time I heard him calling a game was more than enough. I don’t think that’s really his strength… unless he’s improved a lot since then.
Posted by Alanah McGinley from British Columbia on 02/15/08 at 01:47 PM ET
Anything that lands Bob Cole out of a job is a great idea in my book. Bob Cole and Harry Neil need to leave forever.
Posted by Trevor from Vancouver, BC on 02/15/08 at 02:04 PM ET
I’ll take Taylor’s lame jokes over Pierre MacGuire’s “monster” anyday. Good lord that guy annoys me.
Posted by LOUiE from Calgary on 02/16/08 at 06:25 PM ET
Sportsnet and the Team 1040 already do other deals (like Pratt and Taylor) so I don’t understand why they wouldn’t look at going to a simulcast model like CKNW and BCTV did years ago.
To me it seems like an ideal solution. Canucks fans may already be having to adapt to a new colour guy on radio if Tommy doesn’t stick around. Having to cope with another run of substandard TV play-by-play guys would be a nightmare.
Posted by Keith on 02/17/08 at 02:47 AM ET
Didn’t Rick Ball do play-by-play when the Canucks were on VTV? He does a good job with the Lions. I’ve also heard rumore of Ray Ferraro going to the CBC. What about a Hughson/Ferraro tandem as team A on HNIC and Ball/Garrett and S-Pac?
Posted by Tom from Bellingham, WA on 02/18/08 at 04:41 PM ET
Pinder: it is right Khabi or left Bulin. Even Taylor knows no goalie has a right Khabi and a right Bulin.
Louie: MacGuire’s “monster” is played up for the Americans who need a reason to be interested in hockey. MacGuire grows on you if you can get past his caricature of himself.
Future voice of the Canucks? Why not John Shorthouse? The kid is going to be a fine broadcaster someday.
Posted by Terry from WestVan on 02/20/08 at 04:37 PM ET
If Hughson picks CBC, I’d love to see Shorty call Sportsnet - or even the simulcast 1040/Sportsnet idea sounds cool too.
Posted by CanuckGod from Calgary, Alberta on 02/25/08 at 12:42 PM ET
Canucks Radio should call up Brian Munz from the AHL here in Winnipeg. He does the Moose play by play on CJOB.
Posted by Alan from Winnipeg on 03/12/08 at 05:50 AM ET
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About Canucks & Beyond
Alanah McGinley has been blogging hockey since 2003, sharing opinions, rants and not-so-deep thoughts with anyone who will listen. In addition to writing Canucks & Beyond and helping manage Kukla’s Korner, Alanah is one of the founders and co-hosts of The Crazy Canucks Podcast, as featured at Canucks.com.
She has contributed pieces to FoxSports.com and the New York Times Slapshot blog, as well as other stray destinations in cyberspace.
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If Don Taylor gets it, I’ll have to switch to radio. He has the same, lame jokes he re-uses every night and still thinks is funny. “Oh, he saved it with his right Khabi, or was it his right Bulin!”. No joke is funny if you use it every night.
Posted by pinder on 02/15/08 at 01:11 PM ET