Which NHL broadcasts are the best? 2023 broadcast rankings, rated by fans
The Athletic NHL Staff
May 31, 2023
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The landscape of NHL regional broadcasts is on the verge of change.
Challenges are mounting in the United States, with Bally Sports — a regional carrier for 12 NHL clubs — declaring bankruptcy this past spring. Meanwhile, teams like the Vegas Golden Knights will begin experimenting with a free model through Scripps Sports next season. It’s also increasingly common across the league for regional broadcast teams to rotate talent on a game-by-game basis, as the demand for national talent expands in the wake of the new U.S. rights deal.
The very nature of regional hockey broadcasting could shift massively in the years ahead, with significant ramifications for hockey fans and NHL clubs.
For now, however, there’s something familiar and comfortable for many hockey fans about their favorite team’s regional broadcast. The puck drops and you spend two-and-a-half hours with two (sometimes three) familiar voices calling the game. It’s comfort food and a deeply personal experience for hockey fans.
That connection was apparent in the responses to our annual broadcast survey for hockey fans. More than 8,000 of you shared your opinions on your favorite team’s broadcast, and others around the league, grading the work of various broadcast teams and providing detailed, insightful feedback into the games you’re watching throughout the season.
Using your grades and ratings, we’ve ranked the local broadcasts from 32 to 1, a project that has become an annual tradition for The Athletic going back four seasons.
For our methodology, we asked fans to rate their favorite team’s broadcast on a scale from one to five. Fans were also invited to rate as many other broadcasts as they wished on the same simple scale.
We then averaged out those results for local and national scores, and teams were assigned a national and local rank, which was averaged out for our composite score. This was far from scientific, and some teams had higher representation than others, but in the end, the results provide a snapshot of how fans across the league view and rate those calling the games.
32. Chicago Blackhawks
The Broadcast: NBC Sports Chicago carries Chicago Blackhawks games with Chris Vosters doing play-by-play and Patrick Sharp and Troy Murray doing color.
Local ranking: 32
National ranking: 30
Last season: 32
The results: The Chicago Blackhawks have had some legendary broadcast booths over the course of the past 30 years, but the retirement of Pat Foley and the departure of Eddie Olczyk created a rebuilding situation that matched the Blackhawks’ in-real-life circumstances during a challenging season.
“New group this year,” wrote one patient Blackhawks fan. “Another year or two they should be very good and deserve a higher ranking.”
“Losing Pat Foley and Eddie Olczyk has left big shoes to fill in Chicago,” summarized another.
In an impossible situation, Vosters showed some promise, which several of our respondents noted. Other more critical commentary from Blackhawks fans focused on the seams showing in terms of him still learning the sport and getting a feel for the pacing of his play-by-play call. Other commentators noted that while his game call was fine, he’s yet to really develop a local, Chicago feel to his broadcasting.
Sharp is a big talent and received a lot of praise for his work, while Blackhawks fans enjoyed seeing Murray get a shot on television, but lots of fans noted their preference for him in the radio format.
31. Anaheim Ducks
The Broadcast: Bally Sports SoCal carries Anaheim Ducks games, with John Ahlers doing play-by-play and Brian Hayward doing colour.
Local ranking: 30
National ranking: 29
Last season: 31
The results: The veteran team of Ahlers and Hayward have been together forever, and much of the criticism of the Ducks broadcast team reflects this.
“As much as I have loved these guys for so many years, I think it’s a new era and a need for fresher faces (and) voices a little more in touch with the modern style of play,” wrote one fan.
Much of the criticism from Ducks fans matches that tone. There’s a pervasive sense among our respondents that the broadcast is a bit stale, doesn’t incorporate much analysis of set plays or data and is out of touch with the “vibe” of a young team.
Other aspects of the broadcast, however, got some measured praise from some of our respondents. Guy Hebert and Aly Lozoff, in particular, appear to have charmed hardcore Ducks fans.
“Guy Hebert is always smiling and Aly Lozoff knows the game,” wrote one Ducks fan.
30. Boston Bruins
The Broadcast: NESN carries Boston Bruins games with Jack Edwards doing play-by-play and Andy Brickley doing color.
Local ranking: 26
National ranking: 32
Last season: 30
The results: The most controversial broadcast in the sport, it was a tough year for legendary Bruins play-by-play broadcaster Jack Edwards.
Edwards, who came under significant criticism for mocking Pat Maroon’s weight during a midseason broadcast, has also appeared to lose some clicks off of his fastball in terms of calling a detailed game (something he’s long been a master of, whatever you think of him personally), something several of our respondents noted.
“Edwards has a ton of energy and has some great calls in the past,” wrote one Bruins fan. “I get the hate from non-Bruins fans, but, come on, it’s a local broadcast so, relax. That said, it seems he’s lost a step or two in recent years.”
Of course, the more Edwards annoys other fan bases, the more Bruins fans embrace him.
“I love how Jack Edwards pisses people off,” wrote one Bruins fan.
Brickley’s work is universally praised by Bruins fans, with them specifically noting his penchant for reeling Edwards back in and pushing back when criticism of opposing teams and opposing players strays too far.
“I like the overall presentation of the broadcasts,” wrote one respondent, “This is due mainly to the quality of the analysts, from Andy Brickley in the booth to Billy Jaffe, Andrew Raycroft, and (to a lesser extent) Barry Pederson in the studio.”
29. Columbus Blue Jackets
The Broadcast: Bally Sports Ohio carries Columbus Blue Jackets games, with Jeff Rimer doing play-by-play and Jody Shelley doing color.
Local ranking: 28
National ranking: 27
Last season: 29
The results: One thing our respondents made clear is that Blue Jackets fans love Jody Shelley.
“Jody Shelley may be the best TV analyst in the game,” wrote one Blue Jackets fan.
“I gave the broadcast a four purely because of Jody Shelley, he’s excellent,” wrote another. “Engaging, makes the game exciting, he has that ‘welcome back’ type of tone that makes you feel like he’s a friend in your living room.”
A fair bit of the negative commentary from our respondents focused on Rimer, who joined the regional broadcast in 2005-06.
“Jeff Rimer has been stale for the past few seasons on the CBJ call,” one fan said.
28. Nashville Predators
The Broadcast: Bally Sports South carries Predators games, with Willy Daunic on play-by-play and Chris Mason doing color.
Local ranking: 29
National ranking: 24
Last season: 26
The results: Nashville’s broadcasts just haven’t been the same in the eyes of many fans following Terry Crisp’s retirement, with Pete Weber’s shift from TV to radio still hurting fans as well. It’s been a tough act to follow, with Dauncic and Mason doing a decent but unspectacular job.
“There is no discussion of tactics, no deep dives into how the goal was scored or given up, and the problem isn’t even that they give beginner information, it’s that they just show the highlight and pack it up for the night,” complained one fan.
Others pointed out that the broadcast is too biased in Nashville’s favor. One redeeming quality that a few fans brought up was that Chris Mason translates his experience as a former goaltender very well to help viewers understand the goalies’ perspective during games.
27. Pittsburgh Penguins
The broadcast: AT&T SportsNet carries Penguins games, with Steve Mears doing play-by-play and Bob Errey doing color.
Local ranking: 25
National: 28
Last season: 27
The results: Pittsburgh’s broadcast has consistently ranked near the bottom of the league and this year’s no different.
“Not bad, not great. Steve Mears is fine, but even though he’s been off TV for nearly 20 years, Mike Lange is still a tough act to follow,” wrote one Penguins fan who rated the broadcast a three out of five. “He just (doesn’t) quite have that excitement that we’re used to.”
Bob Errey was criticized for being too biased as a homer and many viewers felt that the radio broadcast team was superior to the television one.
Colby Armstrong was occasionally used between the benches as a third voice, which fans want to see more of.
“Shout out to Penguins gem Colby Armstrong, super glad TNT found out how awesome he is,” said one respondent. “This rating tanks without him and Jay Caufield.”
26. Arizona Coyotes
The Broadcast: Bally Sports Arizona carries Arizona Coyotes games, with Matt McConnell on play-by-play and Tyson Nash on color.
Local ranking: 22
National ranking: 31
Last season: 32
The results: The Arizona Coyotes have jumped up six spots in our ranking, with local regard for the broadcast driving their improvement.
The understated style of play-by-play broadcaster Matt McConnell earned particularly solid reviews from Coyotes fans that voted in our poll.
“Matt McConnell does a great job of play-by-play,” wrote one Coyotes fan. “Not too over the top. Just an all-around solid job.”
Color commentator Tyson Nash’s work was a bit more divisive, with reviews ranging from “national treasure” to “cliche machine.”
25. Toronto Maple Leafs
The Broadcast: Sportsnet carries Leafs games with Chris Cuthbert doing play-by-play and Craig Simpson doing color. TSN is the secondary carrier with Gord Miller doing play-by-play and Mike Johnson doing color.
Local ranking: 31
National ranking: 19
Last season: 25
The results: Ironically the team in the center of the hockey universe has the most decentralized broadcast structure, which always makes them a tough fit within the confines of this exercise.
Nearly half of Toronto’s games this past season were nationally broadcast by Sportsnet, with the remainder split between TSN and Sportsnet for regional broadcast. That gives Maple Leafs broadcasts a distinctly national feel, far removed from the comfy homerism that characterizes most regional broadcasts.
“The local broadcast is a national broadcast,” wrote one Maple Leafs fan. “The commentators bend over backwards not to favor the Leafs.”
This may be why the gap between how a national audience rates the Maple Leafs regional broadcast (about average) and how Leafs fans do (very poorly) is the widest in the NHL.
For the most part, Leafs fans seem to recognize the talent of their play-by-play broadcasters and focus their complaints on the color commentators, mostly for not being Leafs-centric enough in their analysis.
24. Colorado Avalanche
The Broadcast: Altitude carries Colorado Avalanche games, with Marc Moser on play-by-play and Mark Rycroft on color following the death of color broadcaster Peter McNabb in November.
Local ranking: 24
National ranking: 26
Last season: 28
The results: This season marked a significant change for the Avalanche broadcast, following the death of Peter McNabb, who had been a color broadcaster with the club for 27 years.
“First, a note of appreciation for the late Peter McNabb who provided insightful color commentary and analysis, though one of the greatest ‘homers’ to ever live, from the birth of the Avalanche in 1995 until he lost his battle with cancer during the season this year, may he rest in peace,” wrote one Avalanche fan.
“The loss of Peter McNab was profound,” wrote another.
Obviously, the death of McNab and the ensuing shuffle — Rycroft had filled in on color in previous years, but was thrust into the role full-time this season — shaped the Avalanche broadcast this season.
“Mark Rycroft got better as the color man as the year went on but he’s much better in the studio than the arena,” one respondent said.
Moser is mostly seen as solid based on our responses, while the broadcast itself is often described as being a bit too team friendly and biased. Where the Altitude broadcast incurs some really poor marks the feedback usually focuses on accessibility rather than content.
“Unfortunately because of the Comcast/Altitude feud, we have very little chance to watch the local broadcast,” complained one fan.
23. Winnipeg Jets
The broadcast: TSN carries Jets games with Dan Robertson doing play-by-play and Kevin Sawyer doing color.
Local ranking: 27
National: 22
Last season: 20 (tied)
The results: TSN’s Jets broadcasts featured some major changes this year. Canadiens radio play-by-play caller Dan Robertson replaced the retiring Dennis Beyak, while John Lu returned home as host, replacing the popular Sara Orlesky, who took a job with the Jets themselves.
Robertson and Lu have both been well received by Jets fans.
“Dennis Beyak retiring didn’t hinder the broadcast as much as I originally expected,” wrote one Jets fan. “After a couple weeks of listening to Dan Robertson, I began enjoying the broadcasts more and more.”
Kevin Sawyer’s work in the color role, on the other hand, was very harshly criticized. Winnipeg fans said they feel that he lacks depth in his analysis and goes too far as a homer.
22. Philadelphia Flyers
The Broadcast: NBC Sports Philadelphia carries Philadelphia Flyers games with Jim Jackson on play-by-play and Keith Jones on color.
Local ranking: 17
National ranking: 25
Last season: 18
The results: The Flyers broadcast will have to replace Jones, who moved into the top hockey operations job as the club’s president of hockey operations this summer.
Jackson, however, should provide some stability as the broadcast transitions. The longtime play-by-play broadcaster has been calling Flyers games since the mid-1990s and is still earning (mostly) rave reviews from the Flyers faithful.
“Jim Jackson is one of the best hockey announcers bar none,” one Flyers fan wrote. “He is fair and reasonable, not the biggest homer, but roots for the team, and makes the game more enjoyable.”
Criticism of Jackson’s play call and the overall broadcast from Flyers fans tended to center on the positive tone being poorly matched with the club’s persistent mediocrity.
“Jackson could make a ride on the Hindenburg seem like a terrific time,” wrote one Flyers fan.
Among Flyers fans that responded to our rankings poll, Al Morganti and Scott Hartnell earned praise for their “informative” and “funny” work on the pre and postgame show, with several respondents stumping for Hartnell to fill Jones’ shoes as the club’s color broadcaster next season.
Whatever the Flyers broadcast looks like next season, the respondents are clear: Jones will leave behind some big shoes to fill.
“Will miss Keith Jones’ levity,” wrote one Flyers fan, a representative comment.
21. Minnesota Wild
The broadcast: Bally Sports North carries Wild games, with Anthony LaPanta on play-by-play. Ryan Carter, Wes Walz, Lou Nanne and Gigi Marvin rotate on color.
Local ranking: 23
National: 14
Last season: 14
The results: Anthony LaPanta’s work on play-by-play has landed much more positively during the last couple of years. He was widely recognized for his knowledgeable, professional style.
The main gripe fans pointed out was the rotating color analysts. Ryan Carter separated himself from the pack as the clear favorite in that role but fans aren’t nearly as fond of the others. Many respondents preferred Wes Walz in a studio role for pregame, intermission and postgame analysis rather than the color role.
“Carter has made a huge step forward as the color guy,” wrote one fan. “I wish they would now drop the rotation of color guys and just go with Carter full-time or as close to it as they can get him.”
Minnesota’s broadcast also lost marks from some viewers because of poor technical production.
20. Ottawa Senators
The Broadcast: TSN carries Ottawa Senators games with Gord Miller on play-by-play with Jon Abbott occasionally filling in, and Jamie McLennan and Mike Johnson rotating on color.
Local ranking: 14
National ranking: 21
Last season: 9
The results: The Senators’ TSN regional broadcast lost Ray Ferraro this past season, and unsurprisingly given Ferraro’s quality, fell out of the top 10.
Nonetheless, Senators fans were mostly satisfied with their regional broadcast and prominently noted how significantly they preferred it to national broadcasts of Senators games.
“Any broadcast with Gord Miller is great,” one Senators fan wrote. “Mike Johnson, who I think is the best in the business, and Noodles (McLennan) are great complements as well. Mix in Marc Methot, and Jon Abbott proved to be a great commentator as well. Overall just a great crop of people to get covering the local broadcasts.”
Using high-profile national talent on the Senators regional broadcast, TSN rotates talent throughout the broadcast on a game-by-game basis and some respondents provided a qualified grade noting their specific preferences personality-wise. Nonetheless, the broadcast scores well based on the professionalism, chemistry and knowledge base of the various broadcasters.
First-year sideline reporter Claire Hanna also received a fair bit of positive feedback from Senators fans, who appreciated her interview style and intermission work.
“Claire Hanna is new this past season and she did a great job usually with Methot between periods,” wrote one Senators fan.
19. Carolina Hurricanes
The Broadcast: Bally Sports South carries Carolina Hurricanes games with Mike Maniscalco on play-by-play, and Tripp Tracy on color.
Local ranking: 19
National ranking: 15
Last season: 24
The results: Mike Maniscalco might have the most thankless play-by-play job in hockey.
The third-year play-by-play broadcaster on Hurricanes regional broadcasts is following in the footsteps of the legendary John Forslund, while also being asked to provide a game call that can be simulcast on television and radio. It’s a tough gig, but one that he pulls off well, despite the fact that Forslund’s departure is still widely regretted among the Hurricanes fans that responded to our rankings poll.
“Mike Maniscalco is not John Forslund, but who is?,” one Hurricanes fan asked. “This crew has experienced a lot of rather dramatic turnover the past couple years, and the combo of Mike and Tripp Tracy has ultimately steadied a great broadcast (that has the tall task of simulcasting on TV and radio). It sounds and looks great on either.”
Tracy, the longtime Hurricanes color broadcaster, is a fan favorite. He’s been around the club for 25 years now, and received uniformly positive reviews from Hurricanes fans.
“Tripp Tracy is so knowledgeable and genuinely understands the sport,” wrote one Hurricanes fan. “Plus, he is a gossip!”
18. Calgary Flames
The Broadcast: Sportsnet West carries Calgary Flames games with Rick Ball on play-by-play, and Kelly Hrudey on color.
Local ranking: 18
National ranking: 16
Last season: 22
The results: The Flames jump up four spots from last year’s ranking, with play-by-play broadcaster Rick Ball’s efforts highlighted by a majority of our respondents as a main reason why.
“Rick Ball — gets all the details right. Paints the picture. Doesn’t distract,” summarized one Flames fan.
Ball, who missed nearly a month early this season after suffering a pulmonary embolism, combines with Hrudey for most Flames regional broadcasts in the booth — with Greg Millen occasionally filling in when Hrudey is away fulfilling his Hockey Night in Canada responsibilities.
“Hrudey and Ball have good rapport,” wrote another respondent. “They don’t take the game or themselves too seriously.”
One trend that emerged from our poll respondents was that Ball props up the game call portion of the broadcast. Some of our respondents were critical of Hrudey’s and Millen’s color work for being too descriptive, rather than insightful.
“The color commentator is the weak part of the broadcast,” noted one Flames fan. “Hrudey has a great personality and is an incredible person, but he is not great at doing color commentary.”
Intermission host Ryan Leslie also received solid reviews from our Flames fan respondents.
“Ryan Leslie and the rotating arena desk folks are great too … with good humor and excellent interviewing skills and game analysis. You can tell they love hockey,” one fan noted.
17. New Jersey Devils
The broadcast: MSG Plus carries Devils broadcasts, with Bill Spaulding handling play-by-play and Ken Daneyko on color commentary.
Local ranking: 15
National: 28
Last season: 20
The results: Bill Spaulding did a solid job of replacing the departing Steve Cangialosi this year. It must have helped that the Devils were finally an exciting, high-end team, but Spaulding deserves credit for finding seamless chemistry with color man, Ken Daneyko. The reward was jumping up three spots compared to last year, which is a positive considering broadcast booth changes aren’t always well received.
Daneyko is adored for being a true New Jersey Devil at heart, but some respondents pointed out that his analysis was basic and lacked insightfulness.
​​”He cares so much about this team — he’s known as ‘Mr. Devil’ for a reason,” one Devils fan said of Daneyko. “His actual analysis isn’t the sharpest, but I think more Devils fans were willing to give him a pass for that this season while the team was winning — he can get a little tiresome trying to make excuses for the team when things go wrong, like in many seasons past.”
16. Florida Panthers
The Broadcast: Bally Sports Florida carries Florida Panthers games, with Steve Goldstein on play-by-play and Randy Moller doing color.
Local ranking: 9
National ranking: 23
Last season: 4 (tied)
The results: Panthers fans love Goldstein and Moller.
In fact, the difference between how highly Panthers fans rated their home broadcast and how their home broadcast was rated by neutral fans who responded to our poll was the biggest in our data set.
Between Goldstein and Moller, the Panthers broadcast is one of the league’s most colorful. Goldstein’s signature catchphrases — including his “Let’s go home baby!” call for Panthers game winners, and his personalized Matthew Tkachuk goal call “Tkachuk ka-ching” — make him a standout personality among NHL play-by-play guys. “Red Deer” Moller, meanwhile, is completely original and famous for his iconic aphorisms.
“GOLDIE & RED DEER know where Momma keeps the peanut butter!! TOP SHELF BABY!!!” noted one excitable Panthers fan, making reference to one of Moller’s signature formulations.
Our respondents also had a lot of praise for sideline reporter and intermission host Jessica Blaylock.
“Goldie, Moller, and Jess Blaylock are legit the best,” noted one Panthers fan. “I honestly couldn’t tell you how much I hate watching our games on national broadcasts.”
One theme in our responses was that the Panthers broadcast seems to be regarded as a “voice of Panthers fans”, with the tone being unapologetically supportive of the team. That might explain the discrepancy between how adoringly Panthers fans regard their home broadcast, with how it’s rated by neutral fans that responded in our ranking.
“Measured, even-keeled, impartial — none of these adjectives describe play-by-play analyst Steve “Goldie” Goldstein, color commentator Randy Moller, or studio host Jessica Blaylock,” one Panthers fan wrote. “They are very professional … but these are all enthusiastic Panthers fans, and that’s just how we like them. From cheering to catchphrases to complaining about the officiating, they are the voice of the fans, and I hope the fans get to hear their voices for years to come.”
15. San Jose Sharks
The Broadcast: NBC Sports California carries San Jose Sharks games, with Randy Hahn on play-by-play and Bret Hedican and Drew Remenda doing color.
Local ranking: 11
National ranking: 20
Last season: 19
The results: “Randy Hahn has gotten us through some dark, dark years,” wrote one Sharks fan in assessing the quality of the Sharks broadcast.
Among Sharks fans, their regard for Hahn’s game call is universal. He’s the clear heartbeat of San Jose’s rotating broadcast team.
“Randy Hahn is a national treasure,” wrote another. “Randy is always thoughtful, entertaining and certainly knows what he’s talking about.”
The Sharks broadcast also has a color broadcasting tandem in Hedican and Remenda — Hahn’s longtime partner, who returned in an expanded role to the broadcast in 2021 — and responsibilities rotate on occasion. Sharks fans appear to enjoy the work of both color broadcasters, but there’s an apparent inclination among some Sharks fans to take sides, based on the responses we received.
“Love having Drew Remenda back, even though it means less of Bret Hedican’s incredible insight,” one Sharks fan wrote. “I’ve always appreciated the dynamic Randy and Drew have and how they play off each other on the air.”
Overall, Sharks fans seem pretty happy with the home broadcast and didn’t ding their work too severely for the efforts of the team on the ice. It’s notable that among the bottom-five American-based teams in the NHL this season, the Sharks broadcast is the only one that didn’t rank in the bottom-10 of these rankings.
“I watch a lot of hockey and Randy, Bret and Drew are the gold standard,” wrote one fan. “They are prepared, knowledgeable, creative and entertaining. Especially with the team playing the way they have been, they have kept us engaged through all 82 games.”
14. Buffalo Sabres
The Broadcast: MSG Western New York carries Sabres games with Dan Dunleavy handling play-by-play, and Rob Ray and Martin Biron splitting analyst duties.
Local ranking: 21
National: 8
Last season: 12
The results: Dan Dunleavy had the unenviable task of succeeding the iconic Rick Jeanneret, who retired at the end of last season. It’s understandably going to take Sabres fans some time to adjust but Dunleavy acquitted himself well in the eyes of most fans.
“Dan Dunleavy has done an excellent job under very difficult circumstances; it’s never easy to replace a Hall of Famer,” wrote one respondent. “Rob Ray provides good insights mixed with humor as the color man. Brian Duff and Martin Biron are a lot of fun on the pre-game, intermission, and post-game shows. Very satisfied.”
Rob Roy’s work on color was a little bit more divisive. Some love him, others feel his insights aren’t informative enough.
“I love Rob Ray but he’s mostly good for comic relief,” said one fan. “The analysis is bare bones. I’d like a little more insight on the fly and I feel that it’s lacking … Ray isn’t always great at painting a picture of what’s going on as far as strategies or trends.”
Buffalo’s broadcast scored very well nationally, in part because of the studio analysis.
“Marty Biron’s intermission work is genuinely one of my favorite things in hockey,” wrote a Colorado Avalanche fan.
13. Montreal Canadiens
The Broadcast: TSN carries Canadiens games with Bryan Mudryk on play-by-play for most games with Mike Johnson, Dave Poulin, Craig Button and Sergio Momesso primarily rotating on color. French rights are split between RDS and TVA Sports.
Local ranking: 20
National: 9
Last season: 13
The results: It’s nearly impossible to give the Canadiens a singular ranking for this exercise because there are essentially three different broadcasts. Some watch TSN’s English version, others watch in French, which has split rights between RDS and TVA. The result is that we got votes for all three TV broadcasts (TSN, RDS and TVA). So consider this ranking a composite of all three.
The French RDS broadcast was by far the most popular.
“Shout out to Pierre Houde from RDS who is criminally unknown. Fantastic play-by-play man,” said one Canadiens viewer.
TVA Sports’ French broadcast, on the other hand, was heavily criticized.
On the English side, TSN’s play-by-play caller Bryan Mudryk is very well-regarded. There’s also high-end talent on the color side with Mike Johnson, in particular, earning high praise.
“Bryan Mudryk is fantastic,” wrote one fan. “Great voice, great banter with MJ, Poulin, Button, Momesso. Knowledgeable and not a homer. MJ is one of the best analysts in the game.”
The lack of a consistent duo in the broadcast booth — the color analyst position was rotating and Victor Findlay would occasionally fill in for Mudryk as well — did frustrate some viewers who felt there were too many different broadcast combinations and a lack of continuity.
12. Los Angeles Kings
The Broadcast: Bally Sports West carries Los Angeles Kings games, with Alex Faust on play-by-play and Jim Fox doing color.
Local ranking: 12
National ranking: 13
Last season: 16
The results: Color commentator Jim Fox is revered in LA. Analyzing games in a way that genuinely educates the viewer beyond what’s obvious to see is very challenging to do in real time and that’s where he differentiates himself.
“There is no color man better in the NHL than Jim Fox,” wrote one Kings fan. “His ability to break down plays and explain them for everyone to see the nuances of a fast game is unmatched.”
On the play-by-play side, Alex Faust has held his own since succeeding the legendary Bob Miller in 2017. Some Kings fans noted that the broadcast still isn’t the same without Miller, but most acknowledged that Faust has done a respectable job and seems to be improving each year.
11. Vegas Golden Knights
The Broadcast: AT&T SportsNet carries Golden Knights games, with Dave Goucher on play-by-play and Shane Hnidy doing color.
Local ranking: 6
National ranking: 17
Last season: 15
The results: In their last year on AT&T SportsNet, the Golden Knights broadcast earned rave reviews from local fans who typically viewed the combination of Goucher and Hnidy, with Ashali Vise as a sideline reporter, and Gary Lawless and Daren Millard during intermissions, as professional, high energy and relatively neutral in breaking down the games.
“They give a level assessment of the game at hand and don’t seem like Golden Knights ‘homers’ when calling the game,” wrote one Golden Knights fan. “At the same time, they still provide plenty of great VGK insight and are entertaining while on air.”
That relative fairness of Goucher and Hnidy’s game call — particularly in contrast with those of other broadcasts — was widely noted by Golden Knights fans as a major positive, and even a draw for new fans.
“When I gave up on the Coyotes a few years ago I was deciding between Vegas and the Avs (both teams in my market),” wrote one new Golden Knights fan. “Vegas’ broadcast team was a lot better (even if) I missed out on a cup.”
The Golden Knights broadcast is going to undergo a major change next season, as the club is moving to Scripps Sports. Vegas is the first NHL team to announce free over-the-air broadcasts.
Goucher and Hnidy will return on the play call, so the broadcast will have the same sound next season, but this is a situation worth watching closely for hockey fans. If Vegas’ free regional broadcast experiment works, it could fundamentally shift the regional broadcast landscape.
10. New York Rangers
The broadcast: MSG Network carries Rangers games, with Sam Rosen handling primary play-by-play duties and Joe Micheletti serving as color commentator.
Local ranking: 16
National: 6
Last season: 7
The results: Sam Rosen and Joe Micheletti have called Rangers games as a duo for nearly two decades. They continue to draw strong reviews, especially out of market, where they ranked third best last year and sixth best this season.
Rosen’s an indisputable icon for his exuberant, passionate calls. Fans pointed out that he does misidentify players, but it hasn’t been too detrimental to the overall experience.
“Rosen is a little slower on the call than he used to be, but he and Micheletti make a good pair, along with John Giannone,” said one Rangers fan. “Rosen’s power-play goal call is still iconic ‘It’s a POWER-PLAY GOAL!”
Countless fans also highlighted the standout work of MSG’s intermission panels, which offer uniquely deep analysis.
“MSG boasts some of the studio analysts in the business,” wrote one respondent. “The level of insight from Steve Valiquette and Henrik Lundqvist alone is worth watching.”
9. Washington Capitals
The broadcast: NBC Sports Washington carries Capitals games, with Joe Beninati handling play-by-play and Craig Laughlin handling color commentary.
Local ranking: 10
National: 12
Last season: 10
The results: This is the third consecutive year that the NBC Capitals broadcast has ranked inside the top-10.
Beninati is a star as the play-by-play caller. Many viewers were surprised that he doesn’t get tapped for more national work. Laughlin is described as more of an acquired taste and was more polarizing for out-of-market viewers, but still drew mostly excellent reviews locally.
“Joe B. is terrific,” said one Caps fan. “Calls a clean game with great cadence and draws you into the game. Craig (Laughlin). is a ‘homer’ but in an entertaining way, has a ton of insightful hockey knowledge and normally evens things out by critiquing (the Capitals)/complimenting opponents’ play, when deserved.”
Many Capitals fans complained about how much they miss the local crew when games are handled nationally — that’s always a positive sign of how strong support for the local product is.
8. Edmonton Oilers
The broadcast: Sportsnet carries Oilers games, with Jack Michaels doing play-by-play and Louie DeBrusk doing color.
Local ranking: 13
National: 7
Last season: 17
The results: When The Athletic ran its broadcast rankings for the first time in 2020, Edmonton’s crew ranked near the bottom of the league. Jack Michaels was introduced as a new play-by-play announcer the following season, a move that’s totally reinvigorated the Sportsnet Oilers broadcast.
After immediately catapulting to around league average during the last two rankings, Edmonton’s broadcast has slotted top-10 for the first time.
Michaels is one of the most boisterous, electric play callers in the league — every game he calls feels like Game 7 of the Stanley Cup Final. That’s not going to be everybody’s cup of tea, but the majority of fans love the passion, even out-of-market ones.
“While I loathe the Oilers, Jack Michaels is freakin awesome to listen to,” said one Jets fan. “Him and Louie (DeBrusk) rival anyone in the game as best tandem.
DeBrusk earned lots of praise as an excellent partner on the color side too.
7. New York Islanders
The Broadcast: MSG Network carries Islanders games, with Brendan Burke on play-by-play and Butch Goring doing color.
Local ranking: 7
National ranking: 11
Last season: 11
The results: The widespread admiration for Burke’s play-by-play call appears to be the primary driver of the deep affection that Islanders fans have for MSG Networks’ broadcast of Islanders games.
“We are fortunate to have Brendan Burke, one of the best in the business doing our play-by-play,” wrote one Islanders fan in a representative comment.
Burke, who is increasingly called on to do national games and the occasional New York Yankees game, is absent from the occasional Islanders broadcast, which generated some fearful commentary among our respondents who seem nervous about Burke moving on to a bigger stage.
“Brendan Burke is the second coming of Howie Rose,” wrote one. “Let’s just hope we don’t lose him full-time to the Yankees.”
Intermission host Shannon Hogan and first-year analyst Thomas Hickey were also widely praised by our respondents. Almost universally the Islanders fans responding to our poll viewed Hickey as slick and learning quickly in his role on MSG’s broadcast this past season.
Our respondents were a bit more split on Goring. A slim majority of responses expressed affection for the four-time Islanders Stanley Cup winner, with viewers noting their appreciation of his habitual malapropisms, the direct link he provides to the Islanders’ dynastic years and his odd-couple chemistry with Burke.
“Butch Goring is iconic and irreplaceable, one of us,” wrote one fan.
There were a large group of respondents, however, that seemed to view Goring as someone who applies the mores of a bygone era to the game today and does not permit the broadcast to breathe.
“If Butch Goring didn’t interrupt Brendan Burke’s play-by-play so frequently, I would give them a 5,” noted one respondent.
6. Tampa Bay Lightning
The broadcast: Bally Sports Sun carries Lightning games with Dave Randorf handling play-by-play and Brian Engblom serving as analyst.
Local ranking: 5
National: 10
Last season: 8
The results: Dave Randorf has been a strong successor for the legendary Rick Peckham, who retired in 2020.
“(Randorf’s) raspy goal celebrations and drawn out moments such as ‘POWER. PLAY. GOAL.’ are well-received here,” said one Bolts fan.
Randorf’s experience as a national broadcaster certainly shows in his polished delivery and he’s built seamless chemistry with Engblom, whose genuinely insightful analysis on the color side has made him a favorite in Tampa for years.
Tampa Bay is still a developing hockey market and an underrated aspect they’ve nailed is striking a balance in their presentation that caters to hockey fans both new and old.
“I’m a relatively new hockey fan and these guys manage to educate me while amusing my bff who’s a 50-plus year hockey fan!” wrote one respondent.
5. St. Louis Blues
The Broadcast: Bally Sports Midwest carries Blues games, with John Kelly on play-by-play and Darren Pang doing color. Jamie Rivers fills in for Pang when Pang fulfills his national TV responsibilities.
Local ranking: 8
National ranking: 5
Last season: 4 (tied)
The results: The St. Louis Blues’ fortunes uncharacteristically sagged on the ice this past season, but the performance of their broadcast crew continued to stand out.
In our survey Blues fans lavished praise on the storytelling ability and overall quality of John Kelly’s play-by-play call. Darren Pang’s energy, positivity and knowledge were frequently cited as draws by Blues fans that participated in our poll.
“Panger and Kelly are knowledgeable, professional, honest but not afraid to be critical, and have great chemistry,” one Blues fan wrote. “A pleasure to listen to.”
While many of the responses we collected specifically cited Pang’s signature “Holy Jumpin” catchphrase, the personality that Pang brings to the broadcast received some scattered criticism. Even those who weren’t necessarily fans of Pang’s earnest, high-energy schtick expressed respect for his technical skill as an analyst and broadcaster.
“Panger’s “Holy Jumpin'” is a little goofy,” one Blues fan noted, “but he’s so knowledgable, well connected, and insightful the goofiness is worth it.”
The Blues broadcast has been a fixture in the upper third of our broadcast rankings, but has undergone a bit of change with the expansion of Pang’s national broadcasting responsibilities in recent seasons. Pang, who will be working the Stanley Cup Final for TNT, has yet to be renewed for next season.
“Losing Panger to the national broadcasts hurt a bit,” one Blues fan noted of Pang’s role, “but when he’s down on the ice, the Blues have the NHL’s best crew. Happy for Panger, and Rivers did just fine, but Panger’s enthusiasm and ability to talk about goaltending is elite.”
4. Vancouver Canucks
The broadcast: Sportsnet carries Canucks games, with John Shorthouse on play-by-play and John Garrett on color.
Local ranking: 4
National: 4
Last season: 2 (tied)
The results: We’re at the end of a special era.
John Garrett, the Canucks’ color broadcaster since 2002, announced that he’d be retiring from Vancouver broadcasts at the end of this past season. Garrett’s heartfelt love for the team and hilarious banter with Shorthouse resulted in exceptional chemistry.
“The impending loss of John Garrett is a crushing blow,” said one Canucks fan. “No matter how bad the (Canucks) have been, he, Shorthouse and Dan Murphy made the broadcast fun.”
Garrett’s replacement will have big shoes to fill. Fortunately, Shorthouse, who was unanimously applauded by both local and out-of-market fans, will still be around.
“John Shorthouse is probably the best in the entire business at this point,” wrote one respondent. “He sees who is on the ice with very few mistakes. He pronounces names correctly. He never talks over or misses a play. He does math mid-game. He sees if a puck was tipped and by who, with near 100 percent accuracy. He raises his excitement at appropriate times, and slows it down when needed. He gives his color commentator time to say things, and has friendly banter without interfering with the broadcast.”
3. Dallas Stars
The Broadcast: Bally Sports Southwest carries Stars games with Josh Bogorad on play-by-play and Daryl “Razor” Reaugh on color.
Local ranking: 3
National ranking: 3
Last season: 6
The results: Reaugh is perhaps the most unique broadcaster in hockey.
The longtime Stars colour commentator is iconic as a result of his mastodonic vocabulary and completely unique euphemisms. Reaugh, for example, won’t typically say that a goalie “made a pad save”, but instead will describe a netminder who “kicked it out with their pillows”.
“Reaugh and his ‘razor-isms’ are the best thing going in sports broadcasting,” noted one Stars fan, in a representative comment.
Complimenting Reaugh in calling Stars games is Bogorad, who just completed his fifth season opposite Reaugh on the Stars’ simulcast television and radio game call. Reaugh is the homerun hitter of the two, but Bogorad’s overall solidity and understated style earned him very high marks from a high number of our respondents.
“Razor gets the attention for obvious reasons, but don’t sleep on Josh Bogorad,” noted a Stars fan. “He is phenomenal. Crisp play-by-play, just enough homer-ism, tone matches the play, just enough ‘announcer voice’. He’s developed into a world-class broadcaster in the last few years.”
The Stars had been on a downward trend in these rankings in recent seasons, but while calling games for one of the league’s most exciting teams this past season, Reaugh and Bogorad bounced back into the top-3.
2. Detroit Red Wings
The broadcast: Bally Sports Detroit carries Red Wings games with Ken Daniels calling play-by-play and Mickey Redmond handling most games as the color analyst.
Local ranking: 2
National: 2
Last season: 1
The results: Red Wings fans have endured a lot of pain and losing in recent years. A bad on-ice product can sour the experience of viewers, so it’s a testament to Ken Daniels and Mickey Redmonds’ first-class presentation that Detroit’s local broadcast continues to be revered.
The Red Wings broadcast earned extremely high marks because of how well they strike the balance between clean, professional playcalling, informative analysis and entertaining storytelling. They have a perfect feel for what the moment requires. Mickey’s catchphrases are legendary among Wings fans, with his colorful personality adding a nice foil to Daniels’ sharp, objective play calling.
“Often I turn on games more to enjoy the broadcasters’ presentations than to follow the action,” wrote one fan. “I live in California now and still try to tune in for every game because I realize this is a true golden age in Red Wings’ broadcasts.”
Chris Osgood, Larry Murphy and Jimmy Howard have all rotated to fill in on color on occasion to high praise as well.
1. Seattle Kraken
The Broadcast: ROOT Sports carries Kraken games with John Forslund on play-by-play, Eddie Olczyk on color and J.T. Brown between the benches. Olcyzk occasionally misses Kraken games while fulfilling his national broadcast commitments for TNT; Forslund and Brown form a two-man booth on those occasions.
Local ranking: 1
National ranking: 1
Last season: 2 (tied)
The results: The Seattle Kraken already had a star-studded broadcast, headlined by John Forslund, who is universally recognized as one of the best play-by-play broadcasters in the sport.
Then the Kraken doubled down by adding another big-name broadcaster in Olczyk this past summer. It was a massive swing and it worked. The Kraken find themselves in the top spot of our 2023 broadcast ranking.
“Adding Eddie Olczyk has taken a very good broadcast and made it great,” said one respondent.
A three-person play call is notoriously difficult to pull off, but to their credit, Olcyzk, Brown and Forslund found quick chemistry in their first year as a trio and earned rave reviews, leading the way in overall score in the results from both local Kraken fans and fans of other teams.
“(They offer) exciting commentary, effective hockey education and entertaining banter,” wrote one Kraken fan. “It’s like they are sitting on the couch next to you and your friends, trash-talking each other.”
While adding Olczyk to the Kraken regional broadcast has earned significant plaudits from Kraken fans, a number of our fans noted that the move has lessened Brown’s impact.
“Brown gets a little overshadowed when Eddie O is on the broadcast,” one fan noted, “but he’s a star.”
The praise for the Kraken broadcast was very nearly universal among our respondents, and what criticism was levied at the broadcast was less about presentation or quality or tone and more about the accessibility of the ROOT Sports broadcast itself — which has been a significant challenge for the Kraken.
“You can’t dang watch it without a crazy expensive cable package,” noted one fan. “I don’t even have cable to begin with!”
Also earning significant praise from our respondents is analyst Alison Lukan, who features prominently on ROOT Sports’ intermission broadcast.
“Alison is fantastic at describing the intricate parts of hockey strategy that, as a newbie to the sport, I really appreciate,” said a Kraken fan.
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