Wednesday was the start of a 12 year journey into Roger's broadcasting of the NHL. To their credit, they have impressed. The combination of the shiny new studio and multiple camera angles (more on that in a sec) make the visual presentation outstanding.
But, because it's Rogers, it can't be all lollipops and rainbows. One issue is one that always has been an issue: the panel. Kypreos is good as an insider/breaking news type, but between him and (Doug) MacLean, the discussions are unbearable (THEY HAD A FRICKEN CROSBY DEBATE THE FIRST NIGHT!!!). With the possibility of Healy and Cox joining in, it might be time to turn the studio into a rocketship and aim it at the sun. It was just day one, so maybe overreacting isn't the best idea. The track record combined with the hype coming into this season did result in it becoming underwhelming and flat.
The other issue is that Rogers has set up all these amazing camera angles (skycam, refcam, benchcam the first time a player wears hockey pants like a kilt) but alienate about half (?) of GameCentre's audience by blocking off those that aren't regular Roger's customers. Can they just charge an extra $20 for those that want to access those angles? Especially the skycam, that has a nice video game feel to it.
From Punisher on the Ice to Punisher off the Ice
Chris Pronger is now a part of the Department of Player Safety.
Just let that sink in for a moment. Pronger...Player Safety....Department
Terrible joke aside, this might not be a bad thing. He is a former player and has plenty of experience in the suspension area. The department already works as a committee, so having another experienced voice can only be a good thing.
Now, the problem (along with a lot of the opposition against this) is the fact that Pronger is still under contract with the Flyers. The outrage is two-fold. One is obviously the optics of Pronger having a conflict of interest when giving an input on rulings - especially Flyers (Wyshynski has a great FAQ that tackles this issue). This other issue (and the one I have a problem with) is that he's a player under contract that is working for the league. This is a violation of the CBA. Something I do wonder is why the Flyers (and the Bruins in the case of Mark Savard) is "reassign" the player to another role within the company. Pronger has done scouting work for the Flyer since he last played, so why not have him continue that? or coach? I'll admit I don't know if there are restrictions on doing that, but just from an employer/employee standpoint it makes sense. It's well known that Pronger hasn't officially retired yet because he would have to forfeit the rest of his contract and the Flyers would get dinged with a $4.6-million cap hit. If the Flyers are going to keep him around in order to skirt the cap ceiling, then they should be the ones finding a way to use him within their organization.
Two More Things
1. If you ever read one interview this season, read this one were Wayne Gretzky interviews Gordie Howe.
2. Your unintentionally hilarious photo of the week
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| This might be a great marketing opportunity for Red Bull |
Lineup Notables
It's Super Saturday in the NHL, here's what's notable in the games containing Canadian teams.
Montreal Canadiens vs. Philadelphia Flyers
Montreal: The Habs are healthy. Carey Price starts.
Philadelphia: Chris Pronger (league duties), Kimmo Timonen (blood clot) and Ryan White are out. Ray Emery will be in net.
Ottawa Senators vs. Tampa Bay Lightning
Ottawa: Marc Methot (back) is out. Robin Lehner is in net.
Tampa Bay: Jonathan Drouin (hand) and Matthias Ohlund (knee) are out. Ben Bishop starts tonight.
Pittsburgh Penguins vs. Toronto Maple Leafs
Pittsburgh: Beau Bennett (lower body) is out. Marc-Andre Fleury is expected to start.
Toronto: David Booth (foot) and Cody Franson (knee) are out. Jonathan Bernier will start.
Calgary Flames vs. St. Louis Blues
Calgary: Sam Bennett (
St. Louis: Carl Gunnarsson (hip) is questionable. Brian Elliott gets the nod in net.
Winnipeg Jets vs. San Jose Sharks
Winnipeg: Evander Kane (lower body) is out. Ondrej Pavelec will start tonight.
San Jose: Tyler Kennedy (undisclosed), Raffi Torres (knee) and Barcley Goodrow (undisclosed) are out. Alex Stalock will be in net.
Edmonton Oilers vs. Vancouver Canucks
Edmonton: Luke Gazdic (shoulder) is out. Viktor Fasth is in net.
Vancouver: Frank Corrado (upper body) is questionable. Ryan Miller gets the start.
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