Everyone knows that the NHL has lousy ratings here in the States. NBC is aiming to fix that. No, they aren't going to start showing more games or showing games at times where people actually are watching TV. No way. Their idea is way better. A MONSTER, if you will. They are replacing their good TV personalities and replacing them with idiots.
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Yep. Bill Clement and Ray Ferraro are gone. I won't shed too many tears over Ferraro, and I assume I'll still get to watch him faun over the Oilers when Edmonton plays Colorado. I don't know what Mike Milbury will be like as an analyst, but I do know he was a lousy GM (*cough* Roberto Luongo). That, of course, has little to do with what happens in the booth, so I'll reserve judgement on this one.
The real travesty is losing cool Clement and replacing him with Pierre McGuire. Yes, McGuire. The guy who yearns to tell you how much hockey knowledge he has. The guy who lives to broadcast that he KNOWS hockey players by calling them ridiculously stupid locker room nicknames. The guy who loves to make wild statements that he can't back up with explanations. He does know his hockey, but his knowledge level is nowhere near the level that he thinks it is. Couple that with with the fact that he loves to hear himself talk, and you've got one of the most ingratiating personalities in hockey. In other words, he's the last person you want to revitalize a dying broadcast sport. Kudos, NBC!
The best part? McGuire will be able to continue his "Inside the Glass" segments - which, really, should be renamed as "Dumbass on the Ice". Woohoo. Now we can listen to him tell us how good he is through the entire game. Now we just need to get him in a few commercials, and we can have three straight hours of migraine headaches...er, insightful hockey coverage. Blech.