I am going to try and do this weekly and hopefully there will be enough material to justify a weekly rant, I mean blog commentary. I could write volumes on the pandemic, how it's being handled and the many, many issues surrounding it but I think for this I will go counter to what a lot of people are doing and will "stick to sports" . I do have a lot of creative ideas percolating around in my head right now. Maybe some will come to fruition? I've spent too many nights staring at the ceiling with my brain active thinking of creative ideas for sports broadcasting and sports media. Normally my time would be spent at the arena calling games, and watching my daughter's game. With a pretty wide open schedule, other things have occupied my time. That's not a bad thing. That, along with running, keep me out of trouble.
I look at the NHL Offseason differently than most and you can blame the broadcasting nerd in me for that. Sure I track player signings, coaching changes and trades that are made as much as the next guy. However, I'll spend more times analyzing the shifts in broadcasting more than the shift in team personnel. Joe Thornton signs with the Leafs? Cool! Chris Cuthbert moves from TSN to Sportsnet? Well, lets analyze that from every angle, and sorry broadcasting executives but you are going to get an unsolicited email from me inquiring if there are any openings.
This NHL off season broadcasting shuffle saw Mike Milbury ousted, the fallout from his insensitive remarks during the playoffs being a main reason. The much maligned Mike Babcock joins NBC as an analyst. Many people expressed unhappiness at that given Bab's disdain for the media at times and the many stories of psychological abuse that he heaped on his players. For me it's fine given that many coaches have done this to keep their names in the news. John Tortorella, Bruce Boudreau, Mike Keenan are just a few of the big names who've turned to TV. The Winnipeg Jets changed radio stations but kept the same play by play broadcaster (PauL Edmonds). Edmonton shuffled the deck by moving radio voice Jack Michaels to TV replacing Kevin Quinn and elevating Red Deer Rebels play by play voice Cam Moon to be their radio broadcaster. This is great news for us veterans who are grinding it out in the junior leagues hoping for the call to the show. Moon, however, deserves it more than just about anybody. He's been honing his craft with Red Deer for 22 years, never missing a game during his tenure. Imagine that? All those long bus rides, 70 plus gams a year and never missing a game. How many km's has he logged over 22 years? Good for him! Ex Sportsnet national play by play voice Dave Randorf trades his winter boots for sandals as he is Tampa Bay's new TV voice. Randorf was made expendable by the hiring of Chris Cuthbert from TSN.
I do think that there will be shifts in broadcasting in the next few years. There are some that are getting older and might look at retirement, though the norm for most broadcasters is that you'll have to drag them kicking and screaming out of the booth. Bob Cole and his reluctance to retire is but one example of that. There will be shift in content delivery as well. Many teams have their own in-house content creation with hosts, producers, insiders etc. As someone who applied in Winnipeg and reached a certain point in the process, the job description for the new play by play voice was expansive and included blogging, podcasts, contributing to Jets TV and generally being a swiss army knife. Play-by-Play, while a key component obviously, was just one of many jobs Paul Edmonds will be doing. San Jose has followed the lead of Tampa and to a certain extent the Kings and have created essentially a 24/7 app with shows, podcasts, live play by play and coverage of their AHL team the San Jose Barracuda's. Expect more of that going forward. If you are a broadcaster, hone your skills. Be able to write it, say it and present it on TV. That's certainly a goal I am working towards and I'm hoping some of the creative ideas I have will reflect that. Hey, I'm 48 and I've never stopped dreaming of the NHL. George Matthews spent 20 plus years as a teacher before calling Columbus Blue Jackets games for years. Cam Moon's ascension to Oilers play-by-play might just be the push I need to get to the next level. As we say in the TV business, stay tuned!
QUICK HITS:
- Monday Night Raw (yes, I will talk about wrestling here. Is that a disclaimer or a warning?) ended last night with Randy Orton getting a fireball tossed in his face by Alexa Bliss, who is aligned with The Fiend Bray Wyatt. Campy? Oh my yes!!! Will it keep me hooked? Probably! Story telling hasn't been the forte of WWE so at least they're trying. Champ Drew McIntyre is fighting Goldberg for you nostalgic people and Roman Reigns is fighting a producer named Adam Pearce, which I really hope is part of an ongoing storyline. Plus, this is the build up to the 30 man Royal Rumble which is the coolest match, except when there are 15 guys in the ring at the same time and we are in the middle of a pandemic.
-Ken Jennings stepped into impossible shoes last night as the first voice you've heard hosting Jeopardy in 36 odd years. Jennings, the best Jeopardy player ever, is a consulting producer on the show and was tabbed as the first guest host. He did a very good job, considering and would be a front runner except that his quirky sense of humour and opinionated nature have gotten him in social media hot water in the past.
-I wish I had an OHL season update to deliver but I don't. The WHL has proposed a 24 game season and the QMJHL is hoping to start up, but it's been crickets from the O. Lots of work being done behind the scenes from what I hear, but they're not driving the bus here. The province and their response to COVID is.
I am 48 but I've become old. Wheel of Fortune at 7, Jeopardy at 7:30 and let's see what is on Dateline or Fifth Estate. Plus, I can't get out of my 80's and 90's rut for TV watching. So expect a lot of Happy Days, 90210 or Friends references.
Until next time. Keep your thumbs up (Aaaaaaay!) and stay positive!
Steve Clark
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