| "body"> | | | | Levy/Darren Pang on ESPN and ESPN 2. |
| Like many hockey fans, I was just happy that | | | | - Speaking of Bill Clement, he's not a studio guy, |
| hockey was back this year. I didn't care that | | | | he's a color commentator. Next season please |
| ESPN didn't renew their TV contract with the NHL | | | | find a studio guy so you can move Clement back |
| - I figured OLN might have a few hiccups, but | | | | to the booth where he belongs. |
| overall they would do fine. I was wrong. OLN has | | | | - It's not OLN's fault, but not having another |
| been a disaster all season long and it's not getting | | | | network (i.e. ESPN 2) hurts the fans. We used to |
| better. | | | | get to watch two playoff games at once, now |
| I understand that they have never done the NHL | | | | we get one. |
| before and that they only had a few months to | | | | - The score takes up far too much of the screen |
| hire announcers, camera crews, build a set, etc. | | | | on top. Do we need to see gigantic logos of each |
| But the worst part about it is that they haven't | | | | team at all times? All that does is eat up space |
| been improving and learning from their mistakes. | | | | and force OLN to put a black bar across the top |
| The broadcasts are still as mediocre as they | | | | of the screen so the logos can fit, wasting more |
| were on opening night. | | | | space. Good luck trying to find the puck when |
| After watching the opening weekend of the 2006 | | | | score updates and advertisements pop up (which |
| NHL Playoffs, here are my thoughts: | | | | is quite frequently) eating up even more space. |
| - The camera angles are mediocre at best. The | | | | - With two minutes left in the Red Wings vs. |
| camera for the first 10 minutes of the Red Wings | | | | Oilers Game 1, with the score tied at 2, the |
| vs. Oilers Game 1 was zoomed out to the point | | | | camera cut out...for at least thirty seconds. This is |
| where I could see the entire ice. This would be | | | | unacceptable. Period. |
| great except for the fact that it's IMPOSSIBLE to | | | | - Game two of the double header on Friday, |
| see the puck or read a jersey number (and no, | | | | Anaheim vs. Calgary, was 'bonus coverage', i.e. |
| I'm not watching on a 13" TV). They fixed it a | | | | OLN just broadcasted CBC's feed. Weak guys, |
| few minutes later, but are these the things that | | | | weak. What, you can't afford to send out more |
| we should have to deal with in the post season? | | | | than one camera crew a night? Maybe the NHL |
| Shouldn't they have figured out how to film a | | | | should have given coverage to a network that |
| game at Joe Louis Arena during the regular | | | | could handle it (of course, if the NHL didn't |
| season? | | | | demand so much money from ESPN we wouldn't |
| - Jack Edwards should not be doing play-by-play | | | | have this problem in the first place). |
| for nationally televised playoff games. I miss the | | | | And that was only the first weekend of |
| days of Gary Thorne/Bill Clement and Steve | | | | coverage. It's going to be a long playoff season... |