I like Sportsnet.
I like TSN too. I love sports on TV. I love sports on radio as well. I am a fan.
100% complete disclosure – I also am a professional wrestling play by play guy; I call the action for the Manitoba based CWE. So I know how difficult it is to call live sports. I also did a couple of hockey games on radio while I was in Iqaluit, NU, and that was a disaster. One game I didn’t get a line-up, I had to wing it. Luckily there is no audio on that in a vault somewhere.
Back to Sportsnet. Harnarayan Singh and Louie DeBrusk did a fine job covering the Jets/Oilers series. One only has to listen to Singh’s call on Kyle Connor’s overtime goal; he held a note for like twenty seconds. Many prefer TSN’s Dennis Beyak and Kevin Sawyer, but they are the Jets broadcasters, and aside from some special assignments, that’s all they do. I would of preferred Chris Cuthbert and Craig Simpson call the Jets games, but they are East based, and well, you know, pandemic. Due to that pandemic, Sportsnet’s lead announcer, Jim Hughson elected not to travel this season, with the 64-year-old only calling games close to home in Vancouver.
So I don’t understand the keyboard warrior and social media hate towards Sportsnet. The stupid memes that were going around supposedly showing Elliotte Friedman, Kelly Hrudey, Kevin Bieksa, and Cassie Campbell-Pascall being sad that the Oilers lost. People attacking Singh on-line when he gets a players name wrong (you’ve never called your own kid by the wrong name?).
I guess attacking sports announcers is very “Winnipegish”, this is the same town that vilified Don Wittman for calling Winnipeg “cold” in 1991 at the Grey Cup game. The temperature at kickoff was -16 degrees Celsius, making the game the coldest Grey Cup ever.
Grow up people. Remember the days of “black outs”? Remember the Jets barely being on TV? Remember when we didn’t even have a team?
What do you think?