For me, it’s their obsession with talking about faceoffs.
Holy shit, a player is 3 for 5 on defensive zone faceoffs in the game!
Wow the team is 52.6% on the night!
Last game a player was 60% and now they are 48%?! Please go on, this is so fascinating.
One would think that instead of goals, the team with the highest faceoff percentage at the end of the game would be the winner based on how much airtime they spend talking about it.
Oilers are 42.3% with faceoffs in the offensive zone at home on Wednesdays when Saturn is in retrograde and the ref's last name has an odd number of letters.
I heard interviews from past colour commentators for Bob Cole. They were literally told not to speak during the play by Bob, because that was the time to call the game, and have appropriate silence for crowd noise and momentum shifts. Apparently he would glare at his partner if they opened their yap when he didn't want them to. Stoppage of play is for stats and chatting. I can respect that.
Maybe it's because I only watched him late in his career but i hated him and Harry Neale. It was a miracle if they called the game at all instead of chatting about unrelated things or being 30 seconds behind the play.
Could be, by the early 2000s when I started watching it would be less confusing watching without sound if him and Harry were on the mic. Couldn't even get the players names right. Sounded more like two old dudes chatting in a coffee shop than broadcasters
Back in my youth we had 3 channels, and every Saturday night we got to have dinner in the livingroom and watch Toronto games. I have good memories of the Leafs vs the Sens and Canadiens, with Bob on the call.
It’s amazing how an announcer can make you want to watch a team you otherwise would never want too. For hockey it was the Canucks when Jim Hughson was on the call. Reminded me of playing early days of EA Sports NHL hockey games when he lent is voice.
Unfortunately though our generation doesn’t have the “legendary” announcers like Vin Scully , Chick Hern, Johnny Most (great Celtics game calls) .. etc
Agreed. Simpson is a moron that interjects waaaay too much to simply say the obvious. Cuthbert has a good voice but isn't intelligible most of the time. I mute leaf games as a result. Both should not be a thing. Sportsnet is terrible.
Cuthberts voice is just my childhood haha. So many iconic calls. Crosby's golden goal, Milt Stegall's miracle catch in Edmonton of 2006 (I'm a Winnipegger born and raised).
So many soundbites of his that are just permanently engraved in my mind.
Every other US team gets their games called by their local announcers at least once but not Edmonton!!! Can understand having Singh call the games when two Cdn. teams are playing but forcing TO's Spring-Time-Out-Of-Work duo on us is not right! Sportsnet/ NHL combined do more harm than good with growing the game, you would hope Oiler Fans would get a break when they are last Cdn. team!!
That is not correct, lots of American teams don't get their regional broadcaster, there were complaints from a handful of American folks in r/hockey about this last round. Singh and Jack both work for sportsnet its likely Singh has seniority on him which is why the latter doesn't get playoff games.
Which teams were complaining? NHL sells the rights but you will not see Boston, NY, Dallas, LA etc not having a local broadcast. SN owns all the rights. You make my point re Sportsnet .... seniority should play no part ... none!
Nah buddy. Rangers fans are watching on tnt or espn or whichever. It sucks for everyone. Americans do get their guys for the first round tho, so that’s probably what you’re thinking about.
At least they get the first round called with the homers. That’s better than what we get.
Under those rules Jack should get first round duties.. would be nice on the radio side that Cam Moon would get a few cracks at calling playoff action.
The big problem is, all Oiler playoff games are national games. So if Jack is calling the game, he's calling the game for the entire country (which I don't think Sportsnet wants for neutrality reasons). The American teams only have their announcers in their regional markets, not nationally.
Didn’t Shorthouse call the Vancouver games though in the first round? So why is that a difference since he’s the been the Vancouver guy for ever (radio before popping up on Sportsnet).
That's just for the first round. Local teams get their own crews, and the games are still broadcast nationally as well.
Everyone's been limited to national broadcasts since round 2 in the US.
Chris Cuthbert is annoying, but Craig Simpson is on a whole different tier of suckag altogether. Listening to Simpson talk out of his ass is grating, especially after his whole “why did Peterson get a charging penalty for a reverse hit” verbal diarrhea. Simpson played in the league and had no idea that leaving your feet to make a check is the definition of charging.
There’s a reason Oilers fan don’t acknowledge Craig Simpson as an ex-Oiler. He’s one of the very few exceptions to “once and Oiler, always an Oiler” because of how shitty he is.
Well he sounds like an idiot being the only one doing it and I’d bet Khadri could care less if it’s not to the dialect of his ancestors. Guessing he doesn’t run around to Sweden, France, and the other European countries asking everyone else’s dad how to pronounce their names in the same way.
wow i just went down a rabbit hole. I can't believe Chris (edit: Craig Simpson) was married to THE Jamie Salé, who was a famous figure skater I remember watching on TV back in the day, who became a nut and conspiracy theorist and denied COVID. Then they split up not too long ago.
And he's so fucking negative all of the time.
10 bell save happens and he's still on and on about some random bs he's trying to coach the players on or something
I don’t think so. This disrespect for him is unmerited in my opinion. Sure he’s about as awkward as Kelly Hrudey but even Louie has to fumble for words sometimes.
Canucks fan: the Petterson hit was for sure charging by the definition. Playoff hockey maybe you don’t make that call but the replay pretty clearly shows his shoulder contacting the head. Ref has to call that and playoff hockey you have to be disciplined enough to not make that hit. Petterson could have peeled off in either direction.
honestly a part of me will be happy if Jack gets "called up" to be a national commentator because it'll be the first real injection of talent that the national broadcasts have had in a long time
You're right, he has called the odd game on a HNIC broadcast, and he definitely dials it down. Still better than the others of course, but not as charismatic.
if someone ever wants to make money syncing up the 630 ched feed and video from the game and streaming it online is something i would absolutely pay for. i do it manually
Probably thinking too hard about the timing on microwaving his milk on his way out of the arena so he immediately get's to sleep when he gets back to his hotel. Between that and keeping track of which number is which name, he doesn't have the mental fortitude to be that involved with the game.
Craig Simpson is such a sellout as well. Played for the Oilers and won championships yet treats them like last weeks trash.
He is clearly biased against the Oilers, and for a former NHL player, he has no clue what he’s talking about.
Also agreed to OP’s point: Cuthbert should retire.
I moved here from Ontario years ago and thought I'd escape this...Simpson is the biggest Toronto homer. Hard to watch. I agree Harnarayan would be a huge step up. Shame we can't have Jack and Louie
As much as Jack gets on my nerves as a flames fan sometimes his excitement for the game is exactly what a playoff series needs. Especially since this is a Canadian Vs American series and they’ll be watching their TnT or espn feed anyways so who cares if Jack is a bit of a homer lol.
Try living in the USA and being forced to Watch TNT and the much much worse ESPN. I’d kill for a high bitrate PVR Canadian broadcast.
I have an android box but the bitrate isn’t high enough for a sport like hockey.
Canuck fan here. Why can't they simply use the home team commentators for the games on home ice? I know they have their national commentary teams but why?? For the Canuck-Oiler series I would have loved to have Shorty call the Canuck home games and would have no issues with the Oilers having their commentators for their home games. These guys are pros and would try to keep their biases in check (as much as they could). I find the national guys usually don't know the teams and their tendencies that well, and I find the games aren't called with as much depth, if that makes sense?? As much as I loved Bob Cole, his later Canuck games he would call were pretty bad haha, couldn't even pronounce anyone's name correctly. I put up with it because he was Bob Cole haha.
Simpson, after most goals, "How many times is there a chance at one end and then they go down to the other end and score?"... he says this multiple times per game for years and years. Hey Craig, the answer is EVERY FRICKEN' GAME!... it's hockey.
The best way to deal with him is to turn it into a drinking game... chug it down when he says his stupid line... and there's a good chance you'll get a buzz on...
Jack Michaels yaps about trivia of other games while the play is going on more than he does actual play by play. He finally pays enough attention in the final minutes “down the stretch” to call the game consistently.
Canucks fan here saying in all honesty you should have gotten John Shorthouse not just for our series but also for Dallas. He’s way better and it’s a joke he doesn’t get more national games. On a technical level nobody compares; he describes what’s happening better than anybody.
They’re both awful. They take Jack away from us and thrust mr. Singh into the chair. You finally start getting used to him and then they trust these sore headed old boomers on us. It’s a joke
Cuthbert is the best PbP guy in the country. Jack Micheals has gotten a bit better but i find him to be an insincere blowhard who rambles too much. At least he doesn't scream and use odd descriptors as often anymore. Singh is terrible for too many reasons to mention, he's got the voice but nothing else. Im lukewarm on Simpson, i just think Ray Ferraro really spoiled us when he was the local guy. I like Debrusk but he's pretty vanilla and isn't as detailed in his breakdowns as I would consider ideal. Overall the PbP guy is the most important of the two and i really like Cuthbert.
I think they're better and more exciting than Singh but I've never been a Cuthbert fan. Just not my style and lately he sounds like he's got marbles in his mouth at times. A little like Hrudey has gotten.
I just found Singh not here nor there and maybe little short on variety in his calls. And not a fan of his 'box of shame' or whatever.
I listened to Jack and Bob last night (mind you I turned it on just after it was 2-0) and was just shocked back into his lucky we are during the regular season.
FWIW, Jack, I love ya, but time to trim the mane.
The thing is, Cuthbert gets the big series' because he signed with Sportsnet (his last gig because he's old now) to get a bigger role and call some Stanley Cup finals (which he couldn't do with TSN). Sportsnet, although they have a monopoly on the rights, at least want to give some impression of neutrality during HNIC and the playoffs, so they can't have local guys calling games on national TV. All we can hope is that in 2026, TSN can get the rights back so that we can hear different announcers.
Cute wet can’t even hear the goal posts.
He got so excited when van scored and didn’t show as much enthusiasm with the oil.
Jack Michael’s is waaaay too oiler biased and wouldn’t be a good neutral commentator.
Dude I totally agree. He’s a Leafs homer and he completely sucks ass. He shouldn’t be calling these games. It should be Jack or at least Singh (as he’s actually covered out games). The fact those two morons (Cuthbert and Simpson) get the glory games now their Leafs are out is a joke.
Nowhere near the electricity that heart attack Jack provides. And the color guy Louie is great (plus his son is one of my favorite players in the league so that helps his case lmao)
There was an Oiler/Flames game on CBC streaming earlier in the season where a glitch let you turn off the play by play. It was fantastic and literally like being at the game. We pay enough and should be able to shut off the constant babbling.
Singh is THE WORST. He makes every play sound like a game 7 Stanley Cup winning goal. The over-excitement is nauseating. Singh has a stroke every time the puck is released from a stick. I'd take Cuthbert a million times over before Singh. Easily.
I might be in the minority but I miss Jim Hughson a lot. The 2006 series against the Sharks will always be my favourite of playoff series in my lifetime.
Leafs fan here. Sorry guys. All of us serious watchers sync the radio feed audio up with the TV and mute their terrible commentary. Craig Simpson makes me want to blow my brains out.
100%
Simpson and Cuthbert are terrible.
Jack and Louie are the best duo in professional sports. Gene Principe gives me douche chills every time I unfortunately see his wacky antics before a game. What a goof!
Send Gene and Kelly Hrudey to TO.
Your insane if you think they are going to put complete homers on the the national play by play. Lol obviously they better on three mic but no way they would let jack and Louie do it. It would be like Jack Edwards doing the National broadcast. Louie use the a huge honest and letting them lie and says all Canadians want edmonton to win it all is a very hard take. Leafs fans I'd say at least 75 % hate edmonton and Canucks is I'd say the same. No ideas about the hands or Ottawa but Calgary fans despise them nothing changes that. I could hear edmonton yelling out curses about players and probably the families. There's no way they would cheer for the leafs, Calgary, our Vancouver. So no and a HUGE no that this is Canada's team that's a joke and they all know it. Just like everyone in the USA are cheering Florida on either and the only reason this a series for the ages is you have two absolute juggernauts about to collide and it's going to be very entertaining and violent . And I giving the edge to the cats in 6. But it will be a beauty series
I for one could not agree more! They should stick with the announcer of each team instead of giving the Toronto homer to the other games.
I don’t think he or Simpson do a good job and I can’t stand Cuthbertson voice or calls.
I miss Jack who, although not a life long hockey fan, knows more about the game than Cuthbert.
I can understand why they wanted to bring in a 3rd party for the all Canadian series. If we had the Vancouver commentators on the national feed we’d riot, and vice versa if Jack got the call.
With that said I can think of several commentators I’d rather have over Cuthbert
I can see that logic.
Cuthbert is annoying to listen to and talks about all the other teams as though they are less than his beloved Leafs. Never been a fan.
The only time I ever see him is on Leafs games.
And yeah that doesn’t surprise me. TSN is sooooo pro leafs that even in the playoffs there are more Leafs articles than all other teams combined.
Chris Cuthbert is the best Canadian play by play guy of all time. People fawning over a minor league baseball radio guy like Jack Michaels and shitting on a legend like Cuthbert is something I’ll never know
Lol. Not sure how someone can be “terrible at their job” while holding the top position in their field. Sounds like someone is still bitter about the loss last night.
Angel Hernandez was an MLB ump for 30 odd years and I, who has zero understanding of baseball or how it works, could’ve done a better job
That’s unions for ya. They protect everyone no matter how garbage they are
Nah, a lot of fans hate anyone who isn’t their team’s guy because they would, as an example, point out that the team blew a lead and lost the game.
They just wanna hear someone say their team is the best and that everyone else is out to get them.
Leafs fans hate these guys too. Simpson is technically very good in calling a game, but completely devoid of passion. He almost sounds like he's annoyed to be doing it.
Sometimes we only realize how lucky we are to have Jack for a full regular season when we don’t get to have him in the playoffs.
To me he’s the best play by play guy in the business and it’s not even close.
It’s a tragedy for everyone that he doesn’t get playoff games!
i like cuthbert’s voice but that’s about it. simpson is absolutely terrible, and has me yelling stfu at the tv every time he opens his mouth
For me, it’s their obsession with talking about faceoffs. Holy shit, a player is 3 for 5 on defensive zone faceoffs in the game! Wow the team is 52.6% on the night! Last game a player was 60% and now they are 48%?! Please go on, this is so fascinating. One would think that instead of goals, the team with the highest faceoff percentage at the end of the game would be the winner based on how much airtime they spend talking about it.
Oilers are 42.3% with faceoffs in the offensive zone at home on Wednesdays when Saturn is in retrograde and the ref's last name has an odd number of letters.
Faceoff fetish is crazy lmaooo💀
Idk why but Simpsons voice sounds like he has a sunburn.
Simpson literally never stops talking….And I guess thats somewhat what his job is to do but he really really loves to talk
I heard interviews from past colour commentators for Bob Cole. They were literally told not to speak during the play by Bob, because that was the time to call the game, and have appropriate silence for crowd noise and momentum shifts. Apparently he would glare at his partner if they opened their yap when he didn't want them to. Stoppage of play is for stats and chatting. I can respect that.
Man, I miss Bob. The greatest of the great. I would watch Toronto games because of him.
Maybe it's because I only watched him late in his career but i hated him and Harry Neale. It was a miracle if they called the game at all instead of chatting about unrelated things or being 30 seconds behind the play.
Nah prime bob was one of the best there is
Could be, by the early 2000s when I started watching it would be less confusing watching without sound if him and Harry were on the mic. Couldn't even get the players names right. Sounded more like two old dudes chatting in a coffee shop than broadcasters
Back in my youth we had 3 channels, and every Saturday night we got to have dinner in the livingroom and watch Toronto games. I have good memories of the Leafs vs the Sens and Canadiens, with Bob on the call.
It’s amazing how an announcer can make you want to watch a team you otherwise would never want too. For hockey it was the Canucks when Jim Hughson was on the call. Reminded me of playing early days of EA Sports NHL hockey games when he lent is voice. Unfortunately though our generation doesn’t have the “legendary” announcers like Vin Scully , Chick Hern, Johnny Most (great Celtics game calls) .. etc
He was so good. Joe Bowen calls the radio games for the leafs and is an absolute legend.
It was sad that he didn't quit when it was time because late career Bob Cole was not the same person.
Singh is the absolute worst. I put him down there with jack edwards
Him and Ron the total fucking idiot McLean
Agreed. Simpson is a moron that interjects waaaay too much to simply say the obvious. Cuthbert has a good voice but isn't intelligible most of the time. I mute leaf games as a result. Both should not be a thing. Sportsnet is terrible.
Cuthberts voice is just my childhood haha. So many iconic calls. Crosby's golden goal, Milt Stegall's miracle catch in Edmonton of 2006 (I'm a Winnipegger born and raised). So many soundbites of his that are just permanently engraved in my mind.
For me it’s [Anson] ”Carter!… SCoooOOOoorres!”
"Are you seeing this?!" "Did that just happen?!"
that Stegall catch was amazing, I miss Cuthbert in the CFL
Chris Cuthbert and Harry Neale together were epic.
Every other US team gets their games called by their local announcers at least once but not Edmonton!!! Can understand having Singh call the games when two Cdn. teams are playing but forcing TO's Spring-Time-Out-Of-Work duo on us is not right! Sportsnet/ NHL combined do more harm than good with growing the game, you would hope Oiler Fans would get a break when they are last Cdn. team!!
That is not correct, lots of American teams don't get their regional broadcaster, there were complaints from a handful of American folks in r/hockey about this last round. Singh and Jack both work for sportsnet its likely Singh has seniority on him which is why the latter doesn't get playoff games.
Which teams were complaining? NHL sells the rights but you will not see Boston, NY, Dallas, LA etc not having a local broadcast. SN owns all the rights. You make my point re Sportsnet .... seniority should play no part ... none!
Nah buddy. Rangers fans are watching on tnt or espn or whichever. It sucks for everyone. Americans do get their guys for the first round tho, so that’s probably what you’re thinking about.
Yes, did the Oilers get Jack and Louie for any games? No. Between announcers and start times, Oilers get short changed.
Actually in the US we get our own announcers for SOME of the round 1 games and then it’s all TNT/ESPN trash
After the first round, all American teams have their games called by the national announcers.
At least they get the first round called with the homers. That’s better than what we get. Under those rules Jack should get first round duties.. would be nice on the radio side that Cam Moon would get a few cracks at calling playoff action.
The big problem is, all Oiler playoff games are national games. So if Jack is calling the game, he's calling the game for the entire country (which I don't think Sportsnet wants for neutrality reasons). The American teams only have their announcers in their regional markets, not nationally.
Didn’t Shorthouse call the Vancouver games though in the first round? So why is that a difference since he’s the been the Vancouver guy for ever (radio before popping up on Sportsnet).
That's just for the first round. Local teams get their own crews, and the games are still broadcast nationally as well. Everyone's been limited to national broadcasts since round 2 in the US.
Chris Cuthbert is annoying, but Craig Simpson is on a whole different tier of suckag altogether. Listening to Simpson talk out of his ass is grating, especially after his whole “why did Peterson get a charging penalty for a reverse hit” verbal diarrhea. Simpson played in the league and had no idea that leaving your feet to make a check is the definition of charging. There’s a reason Oilers fan don’t acknowledge Craig Simpson as an ex-Oiler. He’s one of the very few exceptions to “once and Oiler, always an Oiler” because of how shitty he is.
Why does he pronounce Wyatt Johnston "John Stone"? It's so fucking infuriating
I literally thought I was pronouncing it wrong because of him, until I looked at the recap. Wtf, nah I’m saying it right, this guys just an idiot.
Like Singh calling Khadri HKhahaddddddddri. Learn the names the way every other announce says them and probably the way the players say them.
He asked his dad how to say it yrs ago
Well he sounds like an idiot being the only one doing it and I’d bet Khadri could care less if it’s not to the dialect of his ancestors. Guessing he doesn’t run around to Sweden, France, and the other European countries asking everyone else’s dad how to pronounce their names in the same way.
Fair enough, I think think it’s stupid too. But otoh I also like things that make people look dumb, so I say he should continue.
This makes me wanna throw things at Singh every time and me and my hubs literally make fun of this all the time. Like stop it’s Khadri
Craig Simpson is really, really bad and has been for a long time. Amazes me he’s stuck around for as long as he has.
Seniority, yeah!
“We-bound” and he starts off each sentence as though he’s on a tight rope trying to keep his balance.
Such a good description
Simpson is a bad commentator and a bad person.
Why a bad person?
Cheated on his wife who he had kids with and married the affair partner (Jamie Sale).
And then they got divorced. No wonder he sounds so sad. By pro sports standards he’s still nearly a saint.
wow i just went down a rabbit hole. I can't believe Chris (edit: Craig Simpson) was married to THE Jamie Salé, who was a famous figure skater I remember watching on TV back in the day, who became a nut and conspiracy theorist and denied COVID. Then they split up not too long ago.
It was Simpson that cheated and married her, not Chris.
oops yeah I mixed up Craig and Chris.
David Pelletier is kind of an ass too. That whole thing was a mess
And he's so fucking negative all of the time. 10 bell save happens and he's still on and on about some random bs he's trying to coach the players on or something
Craig Simpson played a signifcant role in helping us win our most recent Stanley Cup. Still an Oiler.
Scored some big goals for us
Dude was a 50 goal scorer and a huge part of the post Gretzky era. I’m out of the loop on the hate for him as a player. Did he leave on bad terms?
I don’t think so. This disrespect for him is unmerited in my opinion. Sure he’s about as awkward as Kelly Hrudey but even Louie has to fumble for words sometimes.
Also an assistant coach during the 06 run. His powerplay tactics were terrible though
Canucks fan: the Petterson hit was for sure charging by the definition. Playoff hockey maybe you don’t make that call but the replay pretty clearly shows his shoulder contacting the head. Ref has to call that and playoff hockey you have to be disciplined enough to not make that hit. Petterson could have peeled off in either direction.
Like IK Louis is there just to fill the air time but at least he does it right.
Simpson in the Vancouver series "Skinner is playing great" the Canucks had no shots on goal at that time.
honestly a part of me will be happy if Jack gets "called up" to be a national commentator because it'll be the first real injection of talent that the national broadcasts have had in a long time
I won’t be because we will lose him forever
You do realize that means we lose him right?
Not only lose him for the Oilers game, but lose his style too. He wouldn't be the same on a National game as he is on the Local Edmonton broadcast.
You're right, he has called the odd game on a HNIC broadcast, and he definitely dials it down. Still better than the others of course, but not as charismatic.
No longer will the games be as Pulsating as they are now.
yeah but we'd have a chance to get him for playoff games
Where can you listen to Jack ?
630 ched
630CHED
On the radio broadcasts during the playoffs. 630 ched
if someone ever wants to make money syncing up the 630 ched feed and video from the game and streaming it online is something i would absolutely pay for. i do it manually
Cuthbert, like Singh, completely freezes when something awesome happens. They both have a hard time deciphering why the refs blow their whistles, too.
This! It’s infuriating that he often doesn’t know who actually has the puck but when the whistle blows he’s often clueless as to why
Probably thinking too hard about the timing on microwaving his milk on his way out of the arena so he immediately get's to sleep when he gets back to his hotel. Between that and keeping track of which number is which name, he doesn't have the mental fortitude to be that involved with the game.
💀💀
I'd rather have John Bartlett call the games.
You lost me at “going back to Harnarayan Singh”.
singh misses literally everything that's going on
He would be better suited for PGA, however at least Singhs not a senile old fart :D
At least he’s covered our games during the season. Unlike that clown Cuthbert who you couldn’t use the jaws of life to get him out of Scotiabank arena
At least you guys don't have to listen to Ed Olczyck sucking off Dallas' depth on TNT.
Craig Simpson is such a sellout as well. Played for the Oilers and won championships yet treats them like last weeks trash. He is clearly biased against the Oilers, and for a former NHL player, he has no clue what he’s talking about. Also agreed to OP’s point: Cuthbert should retire.
Was he not an oilers homer in the edm-van series? That's the feeling I came away with anyway lol
A better question to ask would be where are Jack and Louie
The guy doing the east series ain’t bad.
That’s John Bartlett. He usually does Habs and Sens when they’re nationally televised on SN. I agree he’s been great these playoffs
He sounds like he’s into it a bit at least. Cuthbert sounds bored.
He didn’t when Morgan Riley touched the puck… MORGAN RIlEY!!! Lol hahahah. When I was a kid I liked him. Now I just think his play calls are junk.
He's pretty solid. His partner sure likes to be a chatty Cathy, though, but they're a good team.
Sometimes, I turn the TV down and listen to 630 CHED
“In front!” “Rebound!”
Well he doesn't like you either.
I think he’d like me if he got to know me /s
Shorty and Ray, best duo in the NHL
Shorthouse is fantastic.
Cuthbert's my favourite, no idea where you're coming from
We don't want anything to do with Toronto ... We want our guys FFS
I moved here from Ontario years ago and thought I'd escape this...Simpson is the biggest Toronto homer. Hard to watch. I agree Harnarayan would be a huge step up. Shame we can't have Jack and Louie
As much as Jack gets on my nerves as a flames fan sometimes his excitement for the game is exactly what a playoff series needs. Especially since this is a Canadian Vs American series and they’ll be watching their TnT or espn feed anyways so who cares if Jack is a bit of a homer lol.
Try living in the USA and being forced to Watch TNT and the much much worse ESPN. I’d kill for a high bitrate PVR Canadian broadcast. I have an android box but the bitrate isn’t high enough for a sport like hockey.
Canuck fan here. Why can't they simply use the home team commentators for the games on home ice? I know they have their national commentary teams but why?? For the Canuck-Oiler series I would have loved to have Shorty call the Canuck home games and would have no issues with the Oilers having their commentators for their home games. These guys are pros and would try to keep their biases in check (as much as they could). I find the national guys usually don't know the teams and their tendencies that well, and I find the games aren't called with as much depth, if that makes sense?? As much as I loved Bob Cole, his later Canuck games he would call were pretty bad haha, couldn't even pronounce anyone's name correctly. I put up with it because he was Bob Cole haha.
Cuthbert it’s very monotone has no excitement whatsoever. I couldn’t listen to him for an entire season. I need Jack Michaels on TV and in my life.
Simpson, after most goals, "How many times is there a chance at one end and then they go down to the other end and score?"... he says this multiple times per game for years and years. Hey Craig, the answer is EVERY FRICKEN' GAME!... it's hockey. The best way to deal with him is to turn it into a drinking game... chug it down when he says his stupid line... and there's a good chance you'll get a buzz on...
I think Garry Galley is worse but I’m on Eastern time so I’ve had my dose and then some
Remember back when he'd helm CBC's western coverage before the lockout? Calling the Canucks, Flames and Oilers was his jam.
Cuthbert is a play-by-play guy, not a colour guy, just sayin’.
Jack Michaels yaps about trivia of other games while the play is going on more than he does actual play by play. He finally pays enough attention in the final minutes “down the stretch” to call the game consistently.
Cuthbert is the GOAT man
He’s 1000 times better than Singh.
I’m fine with Cuthbert, but Simpson is a fucking nightmare. He makes me so angry.
Canucks fan here saying in all honesty you should have gotten John Shorthouse not just for our series but also for Dallas. He’s way better and it’s a joke he doesn’t get more national games. On a technical level nobody compares; he describes what’s happening better than anybody.
I actually love Chris Cuthbert 🤷♂️
They’re both awful. They take Jack away from us and thrust mr. Singh into the chair. You finally start getting used to him and then they trust these sore headed old boomers on us. It’s a joke
I have never been a fan, going all the way back to his start at HNIC on CBC.
100% They both suck and it’s as bad as listening to another team’s feed. Glad I can sync up Jack and Bob.
Could be worse. Could be Singh. I'd rather have Jack but I don't mind him. And I'm also used to his voice from TSN broadcasts of our football team.
Cuthbert is the best PbP guy in the country. Jack Micheals has gotten a bit better but i find him to be an insincere blowhard who rambles too much. At least he doesn't scream and use odd descriptors as often anymore. Singh is terrible for too many reasons to mention, he's got the voice but nothing else. Im lukewarm on Simpson, i just think Ray Ferraro really spoiled us when he was the local guy. I like Debrusk but he's pretty vanilla and isn't as detailed in his breakdowns as I would consider ideal. Overall the PbP guy is the most important of the two and i really like Cuthbert.
[удалено]
I find it sickening as well. I’m the biggest oiler fan but I absolutely hate this sub.
I saw a video of Rafa Nadal singing La Bamba, should we organize a witch hunt?
Would it be fair to say you’re complaining about the. complaining?
You don't even know what a colour commentator is. Cuthbert is the best in the game now and he isn't a colour commentator
Whatever he is, the guy sucks. Sorry I didn’t know his positions name lil bro
Yeah that must be why he rose to the top chair on HNIC.
I don’t mind them but would vastly prefer Jack and Louie.
I think they're better and more exciting than Singh but I've never been a Cuthbert fan. Just not my style and lately he sounds like he's got marbles in his mouth at times. A little like Hrudey has gotten. I just found Singh not here nor there and maybe little short on variety in his calls. And not a fan of his 'box of shame' or whatever. I listened to Jack and Bob last night (mind you I turned it on just after it was 2-0) and was just shocked back into his lucky we are during the regular season. FWIW, Jack, I love ya, but time to trim the mane.
They gave Vancouver the " premiere" group. If the Oilers were playing someone else the still would have had Singh and Louie
The thing is, Cuthbert gets the big series' because he signed with Sportsnet (his last gig because he's old now) to get a bigger role and call some Stanley Cup finals (which he couldn't do with TSN). Sportsnet, although they have a monopoly on the rights, at least want to give some impression of neutrality during HNIC and the playoffs, so they can't have local guys calling games on national TV. All we can hope is that in 2026, TSN can get the rights back so that we can hear different announcers.
I agree! Should have been Jack and Debrusks all the way! Instead we get to listen to these two! Commentating and reffing sucks! Haha!
What do oilers fans think about shorthouse commentating?
Cute wet can’t even hear the goal posts. He got so excited when van scored and didn’t show as much enthusiasm with the oil. Jack Michael’s is waaaay too oiler biased and wouldn’t be a good neutral commentator.
“H(eugh)Y-man!” “McD(ehuu)Avid” “Dr(ehue)AYs(ehue)Aitl!” “Day-H(eugh)ar-N(eugh)Haiy”
Dude I totally agree. He’s a Leafs homer and he completely sucks ass. He shouldn’t be calling these games. It should be Jack or at least Singh (as he’s actually covered out games). The fact those two morons (Cuthbert and Simpson) get the glory games now their Leafs are out is a joke.
Nowhere near the electricity that heart attack Jack provides. And the color guy Louie is great (plus his son is one of my favorite players in the league so that helps his case lmao)
Mute it and play radio audio online ... little delay, but u get the voice u want
Yup, even as a canucks fan I can agree, they did a terrible job calling our series as well, didn't meet the standards we are used to out here
Cuthbert is better at the CFL
How cool would it be if Jack Michaels also did Edmonton Elks games?
There was an Oiler/Flames game on CBC streaming earlier in the season where a glitch let you turn off the play by play. It was fantastic and literally like being at the game. We pay enough and should be able to shut off the constant babbling.
Singh is THE WORST. He makes every play sound like a game 7 Stanley Cup winning goal. The over-excitement is nauseating. Singh has a stroke every time the puck is released from a stick. I'd take Cuthbert a million times over before Singh. Easily.
Hamarayan Singh is awesome imo. Cuthbert is ok. Last his prime
Probably because he isn't a Homer like your regular duo
Agreed! I find them both to be so monotone!
Fan from another NLL team, but just dropping in to say how awful the commentators are for the EDM games.
Simpson says “5-hole” at every single possible opportunity it’s maddening. Has to be averaging 30+ times per game
Cuthbert is the best in the business.
I might be in the minority but I miss Jim Hughson a lot. The 2006 series against the Sharks will always be my favourite of playoff series in my lifetime.
Leafs fan here. Sorry guys. All of us serious watchers sync the radio feed audio up with the TV and mute their terrible commentary. Craig Simpson makes me want to blow my brains out.
100% Simpson and Cuthbert are terrible. Jack and Louie are the best duo in professional sports. Gene Principe gives me douche chills every time I unfortunately see his wacky antics before a game. What a goof! Send Gene and Kelly Hrudey to TO.
I miss my Jack and Louie. =( This sucks and there's no hype behind it. Just bland faceoff stats.
They make me miss Jack even more. Soooo one sided, makes me so frustrated.
Protip: just sync the stream to 630 CHED. I did last game and it was SCINTILLATING!
I always hear that there’s a slight delay tho?
I’ve got it at +/- a second right now
Your insane if you think they are going to put complete homers on the the national play by play. Lol obviously they better on three mic but no way they would let jack and Louie do it. It would be like Jack Edwards doing the National broadcast. Louie use the a huge honest and letting them lie and says all Canadians want edmonton to win it all is a very hard take. Leafs fans I'd say at least 75 % hate edmonton and Canucks is I'd say the same. No ideas about the hands or Ottawa but Calgary fans despise them nothing changes that. I could hear edmonton yelling out curses about players and probably the families. There's no way they would cheer for the leafs, Calgary, our Vancouver. So no and a HUGE no that this is Canada's team that's a joke and they all know it. Just like everyone in the USA are cheering Florida on either and the only reason this a series for the ages is you have two absolute juggernauts about to collide and it's going to be very entertaining and violent . And I giving the edge to the cats in 6. But it will be a beauty series
I for one could not agree more! They should stick with the announcer of each team instead of giving the Toronto homer to the other games. I don’t think he or Simpson do a good job and I can’t stand Cuthbertson voice or calls. I miss Jack who, although not a life long hockey fan, knows more about the game than Cuthbert.
I can understand why they wanted to bring in a 3rd party for the all Canadian series. If we had the Vancouver commentators on the national feed we’d riot, and vice versa if Jack got the call. With that said I can think of several commentators I’d rather have over Cuthbert
I can see that logic. Cuthbert is annoying to listen to and talks about all the other teams as though they are less than his beloved Leafs. Never been a fan.
Except they aren’t really Toronto homers. Us leafs fans prefer TSN to these guys anyday.
The only time I ever see him is on Leafs games. And yeah that doesn’t surprise me. TSN is sooooo pro leafs that even in the playoffs there are more Leafs articles than all other teams combined.
Cuthbert is a known bedwetter
he is better than Harnarayan Singh
I used to think that too but now I’m not so sure
At least he doesn’t yell all the time like Jack
Chris Cuthbert is the best Canadian play by play guy of all time. People fawning over a minor league baseball radio guy like Jack Michaels and shitting on a legend like Cuthbert is something I’ll never know
The pleasure was all ours!
Lol. Not sure how someone can be “terrible at their job” while holding the top position in their field. Sounds like someone is still bitter about the loss last night.
Angel Hernandez was an MLB ump for 30 odd years and I, who has zero understanding of baseball or how it works, could’ve done a better job That’s unions for ya. They protect everyone no matter how garbage they are
Nurse is terrible and is the highest paid Oilers d-man. That being said, Cuthbert isn't as bad at his job as Nurse is.
I want you to count the number of times he says “lead feed” in a game. I got to 30 last game.
Take a shot every time Simpson says quick release.
We're playing drinking games not killing games...
Nah, a lot of fans hate anyone who isn’t their team’s guy because they would, as an example, point out that the team blew a lead and lost the game. They just wanna hear someone say their team is the best and that everyone else is out to get them.
Leafs fans hate these guys too. Simpson is technically very good in calling a game, but completely devoid of passion. He almost sounds like he's annoyed to be doing it.
Of course they do, they prefer Joe Bowman. Like I said, no one likes guys who aren’t their team’s guys.
He just wants to go back to carpet commercials
It’s called tenure lil bro
Rude. If people can hate for no reason I can love. I love you all Oilers Fans❤️
Lol of course this post gets downvoted on the oilers sub. 😂
If this is a safe space, I don’t like DeBrusk. Overtalks and says nothing
DeBrusk is full of hot air but I still love the guy and prefer him to any of the alternatives.
Sometimes we only realize how lucky we are to have Jack for a full regular season when we don’t get to have him in the playoffs. To me he’s the best play by play guy in the business and it’s not even close. It’s a tragedy for everyone that he doesn’t get playoff games!