I was really looking forward to last night's Canucks/Minnesota Wild Game. For a couple of reasons.
One, it was a game between Division Rivals with first place on the line.
And two, it was being Broadcast by TSN which meant that Pierre McGuire was going to be the "Color Man".
Usually I see Canuck's Games broadcast by Rogers Sports network or CBC. In most cases we get the duo of Play By Play man Jim Hughson (who is getting really tiresome) and "Color Man" John Garret.
Garret is OK, I've heard a lot worse. But like so many so called color men and game analysers they state the obvious.
I've been watching televised hockey games for many, many years and I don't need a Broadcaster to tell me what any fan can see.
Many of the Color men used today are ex players and they see the game from a players, or even a fans, point of view.
McGuire is an ex coach and he analyses the game from a Coaches viewpoint, picking out little nuances of the game only a coach could see.
Sometimes only a side comment of a few words is all that's needed to raise an interesting aspect of the flow of the game, a mistake here, a good play behind the scenes there.
I always learn something about the game when McGuire is in the Broadcast Booth.
Last night's game (won by the Canucks 3-2 in OT) was amazing, full of intensity and great hockey, one of the best games I've watched all year.
The addition of McGuire's keen analysis made it all that much better.
Good job Pierre!
