Rating NHL Broadcasters

Since Justin is on vacation, not a lot noteworthy has happened in hockey, as the NHL world awaits Steven Stamkos' signing decision. However, since he likes writing about announcing; this article from SB Nation rating local NHL announcing crews would certainly have caught his eye.

http://www.sbnation.com/2011/7/8/2250696/nhl-broadcaster-rankings-announcers-commentators

Here are the comments about the Flyers CSN announcers:

"Jim Jackson, Keith Jones - Philadelphia Flyers: Keith Jones has become a caricature of the "good Canadian boy" ex-hockey player. On Versus, he's somewhat balanced and talks about things other than physical play.

On the Comcast broadcast, Jones wears his heart on his sleeve. Everything can be improved with toughness and every player having an off night "needs more effort", regardless of the level of effort. "Being more physical" in all aspects of the game is paramount.

Jackson carries a heavy Philadelphia bias and refuses to criticize a Flyer, even when the criticism is obvious."

In the few opportunities I've had to listen to Jim Jackson, I've enjoyed the broadcast. He calls a solid game and his voice doesn't annoy me. I guess calls like this are what accounts for this guy's opinion of Jackson as a Flyers homer. I do agree that Keith Jones doesn't really bring anything to the table.

Now, as some people who read this blog or follow Justin on Twitter know, I'm a Capitals fan. Ranking the team of Beninati and Laughlin as 3 stars is pure insanity, or perhaps he listens to those broadcasts with cotton in his ears. He correctly nails Beninati on the screaming on random plays, but misses how he all too often falls back on his stupid catchphrases and his incessant Comcast promotion. And Laughlin falls back on his hockey player-ese of just attaching "Y's" to every player to serve as a nickname. He also thinks every bad call against the Caps is a conspiracy, and also always has an excuse when the Caps flame out in the playoffs. I deserve a medal for listening to 15 years of these guys doing Capitals games on TV.

Anyway, these lists are always fun for debate as to which crew is the best. My money goes to Randy Hahn and Drew Remenda of the Sharks.

Also, remember to catch Bob Costas and Al Michaels as they work tonight's Mets at Giants game on the MLB Network.

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