The good, bad and ugly: second cut
From the wealth of observations obtained over a weekend of searching for the good, bad and ugly:
ON ICE: Will all those hockey commentators please check their calendars, note that the 2010 Olympics are months away and chill out over who's going to be or who's not going to be on the Canadian hockey team? Every time a goaltender has a good game or two (Chris Osgood), he's a candidate. One bad one (Marty Brodeur) and you're out. A little perspective, please. ... Funniest moment on Hockey Night In Canada Saturday came when Don Cherry called Craig Simpson ``Chris." He did admit, however, that Craig's sister is prettier. ... CBC opened Saturday's game broadcast with Ron MacLean interviewing Detroit GM Ken Holland. Presumably, this was so HNIC didn't have to show him sitting in the team box and not reacting to what was happening on the ice. The interview, by the way, scored a 9 on the Snooze Meter. ... One of CBC's best moments is showing the teams in the corridors, preparing to step on to the ice, with nothing more than the arena sounds. ... During his 11,487th reminder about covering the points, Cherry noted Saturday that the Penguins were doing a good job of it, adding, ``I think they've been watching Coach's Corner." So that's what teams do during the intermission. Do they each have individual televisions, or do they crowd around one big-screen model? ... NBC had the guy Inside The Glass, but CBC's Elliotte Friedman was the one who reported Saturday that Pittsburgh goaltender Marc-Andre Fleury had been asked if he wanted out after the fourth Detroit goal.
OFF THE ICE: Best line of the weekend came when that lunatic sprinted on to the court during the French Open men's final Sunday. ``At least he's wearing clothes," said NBC's John McEnroe. ... Will someone explain why ABC thinks Kenny Mayne is funny? That bit he did with Mine That Bird trainer Chip Woolley Saturday was something you might see in a high school video competition. ... Here's a bit of analytical genius from Sportsnet's Rance Mulliniks, which came during Sunday's Blue Jays game. Talking about the importance of the home run, Mulliniks told viewers, ``With one swing of a bat you can get a run, or two or three." Maybe even four, right? ...
Hey Chris, love your articles. Not sure if you mentioned it already, but after game 1 of the NBA finals, a reporter asked Kobe Bryant if he's noticed that he's been "showing more teeth" than usual, and if so, "why is that?" Kobe, to his credit, answered the question with a straight face.
Posted by: Jay | 06/09/2009 at 09:48 AM
Not surprising at all. I think a number of people, in spite of being avid hockey fans are disgusted with the NHL, some of the owners and particularly Gary Bettman.
I will not watch another game until they show some respect towards hockey fans in our area, Hamilton-Burlington-Oakville, until they stop this arrogant imposition of boycotting us. Until then, it's Goodbye NHL. Don't come back til you say "please let us put a team in your city".
Posted by: Stephen Nichols | 06/09/2009 at 11:14 AM
Mulliniks is the worst!!!
Posted by: Jamie | 06/09/2009 at 01:58 PM
re: Mulliniks is the worst!!!
jamie campbell is that you?
Posted by: b | 06/12/2009 at 02:23 PM
Hey Chris, I'm just catching up to this post, and I can remember laughing out loud watching the Jays game and hearing good ol' boy Rance utter that line. I actually held my breath first waiting for the other shoe to drop ("...or four") and it never came. Unintentional comedy at it's best. Thanks for reminding me of that one.
Posted by: Chris | 06/17/2009 at 11:58 PM