Best and Worst Hockey Announcers - Canadian TV, Computing and Home Theatre Forums

gdmaclew · 2012-05-09, 08:11 AM

I would have to say that Dean Brown is the best and, by far, Bob Cole is the worst.

redzone · 2012-05-09, 09:07 AM

i dont know there names but the guy doing the NJ/ Phly game is horrible. he doesnt follow the play well, he gets names mixed up. He would of never made it on radio...

NovaMan · 2012-05-09, 10:16 AM

Many people complain about Bob Cole, but I enjoy listening to him. It's like listening to an old friend talking about the game. He's not as slick as many other play-by-play announcers but I enjoy listening to his voice. I can't be the only one who enjoys listening to him because he has been in the business since 1980. I still get a kick out of his "Colisms": "Oh baby!" , "Holy cow" , "Heavens to Betsy!", "Oh Nelly!", and "What a dandy!"

JohnnyCanuck · 2012-05-09, 11:17 AM

I enjoy Cole as well.

Best are Emrick and Cuthbert. Worst is Mark Lee.

asd · 2012-05-09, 11:31 AM

Dean Brown and Jim Hughson should be tied for the worst announcers. They take homer talk to lower and lower levels. The Sens and Canucks are long gone so their biggest fans should be golfing too. Brown might be a bit worse, but it's a close race.

Bob Cole is very good but there are some US guys I can't name who are also professional rather than cheerleeders for the home team. I miss Danny Gallivan.

I did try watching with no sound but that doesn't quite work either.

therayman · 2012-05-09, 11:56 AM

Cole is terrible. Why does he need to tell us the score and time left in a period so often? Bob, it's not radio, we can see it on our TV screens. I would happily pay a couple extra $ for a feed that included only venue audio and no announcers.

DSgamby · 2012-05-09, 11:59 AM

And he still gets it wrong.

JohnnyCanuck · 2012-05-09, 01:18 PM

It's Cole's voice and his ability to modulate it to varying degrees that makes him so good. I can see who has the puck, I don't really care if he makes a mistake.

Don't hear enough of Brown to comment. Agree that Hughson is the single most over-rated hockey announcer there is. He's a good baseball guy, but on the poor side of average at hockey. Thankfully we have Shorty and Baller in this market who are both better.

Jaymeister · 2012-05-09, 01:53 PM

Quote:

Cole is terrible. Why does he need to tell us the score and time left in a period so often? Bob, it's not radio, we can see it on our TV screens. I would happily pay a couple extra $ for a feed that included only venue audio and no announcers.

I get that without paying extra - I just mute the centre channel.

And I am not a fan of TV play-by-play announcers pretending that they are on radio. We don't need much play-by-play because we can see what's going on. If you watch football, basketball or baseball on TV, the pbp guys usually acknowledge that their viewers can see what's happening, and just confirm the names of those involved - and let the analysts give analysis. Hockey broadcasters should learn from this and not live in the simulcast era of the 1950's. If there is a long stretch between whistles, you can miss many opportunities for the analyst to chime in with something relevant because the pbp guy is yammering away superfluously.

redzone · 2012-05-09, 02:11 PM

i like play by play. cause then i can go make a sandwich and not feel like im missing the game!

jimbo42 · 2012-05-09, 04:45 PM

Bob Cole is a great play by play announcer. You guys have to realize he is no spring chicken anymore. He's way up their in age so give him a break. The speed of the game alone makes it difficult to see who is doing what to the youngest spectator.

Bob does get names wrong from time to time now but never really use to when he was younger so when we reach his age let's see if we can call a game as fast as hockey is from home as well as we could when we were younger!!!!

Bob Cole is right up their with Foster Hewitt and Danny Gallivan

cyclist44 · 2012-05-09, 07:18 PM

My vote for best hockey annoucer goes to Jim Robson formerly of the Vancouver and I also like Mike Lange of Pittsburgh. The only one that I think really bad right now is Bob Cole but he is 78 years old. I think it long overdue for him to step aside.

Crash7 · 2012-05-09, 08:28 PM

I couldn't live with myself if I didn't mention Rod Phillips, long time Oiler play-by-play man, as the best ever. In terms of television, I've always liked Bob Cole and Mike Emrick. The ones I hate would be Peter Loubardias for play-by-play and Greg Millen and Pierre Maguire for color.

bigscreenbob · 2012-05-10, 01:26 AM

Emrick is about the worst. He gets so excited it sounds fake and phony.
It annoys me no end.

DanJ · 2012-05-10, 10:04 PM

I like listening to highlights by the radio guy from Pittsburgh. The worst radio guy is the one from Detroit (Ken Kell I think), with that annoying falsetto "scores" call. My favourite though is Joe Bowen from the Leafs, either on radio or TV.

2012-05-09, 08:11 AM	#1
gdmaclew Join Date: Jul 2008 Location: Ottawa;Denon AVR590, Samsung LN32B460, BellTV 6141 Posts: 241	Best and Worst Hockey Announcers I would have to say that Dean Brown is the best and, by far, Bob Cole is the worst.

2012-05-09, 04:45 PM	#11
jimbo42 Join Date: Jun 2008 Location: Halifax (Motorola HD DVR DCX3400-M/DCX700M 50" Plasma) Posts: 674	Bob Cole is a great play by play announcer. You guys have to realize he is no spring chicken anymore. He's way up their in age so give him a break. The speed of the game alone makes it difficult to see who is doing what to the youngest spectator. Bob does get names wrong from time to time now but never really use to when he was younger so when we reach his age let's see if we can call a game as fast as hockey is from home as well as we could when we were younger!!!! Bob Cole is right up their with Foster Hewitt and Danny Gallivan __________________ Once you go Plasma you will never go back.

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2012-05-09, 09:07 AM	#2
redzone Join Date: Apr 2008 Posts: 1,027	i dont know there names but the guy doing the NJ/ Phly game is horrible. he doesnt follow the play well, he gets names mixed up. He would of never made it on radio...

2012-05-09, 10:16 AM	#3
NovaMan Join Date: Apr 2012 Location: Nova Scotia Posts: 207	Many people complain about Bob Cole, but I enjoy listening to him. It's like listening to an old friend talking about the game. He's not as slick as many other play-by-play announcers but I enjoy listening to his voice. I can't be the only one who enjoys listening to him because he has been in the business since 1980. I still get a kick out of his "Colisms": "Oh baby!" , "Holy cow" , "Heavens to Betsy!", "Oh Nelly!", and "What a dandy!"

2012-05-09, 11:17 AM	#4
JohnnyCanuck Moderator Join Date: Feb 2004 Location: Vancouver, BC Posts: 4,645	I enjoy Cole as well. Best are Emrick and Cuthbert. Worst is Mark Lee.

2012-05-09, 11:31 AM	#5
asd Join Date: Dec 2007 Location: Annapolis Valley Posts: 368	Dean Brown and Jim Hughson should be tied for the worst announcers. They take homer talk to lower and lower levels. The Sens and Canucks are long gone so their biggest fans should be golfing too. Brown might be a bit worse, but it's a close race. Bob Cole is very good but there are some US guys I can't name who are also professional rather than cheerleeders for the home team. I miss Danny Gallivan. I did try watching with no sound but that doesn't quite work either.

2012-05-09, 11:56 AM	#6
therayman Rookie Join Date: Sep 2010 Location: Moncton, N.B. Posts: 4	Cole is terrible. Why does he need to tell us the score and time left in a period so often? Bob, it's not radio, we can see it on our TV screens. I would happily pay a couple extra $ for a feed that included only venue audio and no announcers.

2012-05-09, 11:59 AM	#7
DSgamby Veteran Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: Thunder Bay, Ontario Posts: 3,896	And he still gets it wrong.

2012-05-09, 01:18 PM	#8
JohnnyCanuck Moderator Join Date: Feb 2004 Location: Vancouver, BC Posts: 4,645	It's Cole's voice and his ability to modulate it to varying degrees that makes him so good. I can see who has the puck, I don't really care if he makes a mistake. Don't hear enough of Brown to comment. Agree that Hughson is the single most over-rated hockey announcer there is. He's a good baseball guy, but on the poor side of average at hockey. Thankfully we have Shorty and Baller in this market who are both better.

2012-05-09, 02:11 PM	#10
redzone Join Date: Apr 2008 Posts: 1,027	i like play by play. cause then i can go make a sandwich and not feel like im missing the game!

2012-05-09, 07:18 PM	#12
cyclist44 Join Date: Oct 2008 Posts: 531	My vote for best hockey annoucer goes to Jim Robson formerly of the Vancouver and I also like Mike Lange of Pittsburgh. The only one that I think really bad right now is Bob Cole but he is 78 years old. I think it long overdue for him to step aside.

2012-05-09, 08:28 PM	#13
Crash7 Join Date: Jun 2005 Location: Edmonton Posts: 491	I couldn't live with myself if I didn't mention Rod Phillips, long time Oiler play-by-play man, as the best ever. In terms of television, I've always liked Bob Cole and Mike Emrick. The ones I hate would be Peter Loubardias for play-by-play and Greg Millen and Pierre Maguire for color.

2012-05-10, 01:26 AM	#14
bigscreenbob Join Date: Oct 2005 Location: Cranbrook, B.C. Posts: 626	Emrick is about the worst. He gets so excited it sounds fake and phony. It annoys me no end.

2012-05-10, 10:04 PM	#15
DanJ Join Date: Jun 2010 Posts: 139	I like listening to highlights by the radio guy from Pittsburgh. The worst radio guy is the one from Detroit (Ken Kell I think), with that annoying falsetto "scores" call. My favourite though is Joe Bowen from the Leafs, either on radio or TV.