The other day, while I was watching the Leafs game, the broadcast experienced an issue with their audio mix. The sound of the game remained loud, but those in the booth became quite muted. For a glorious five minutes I watched the game only hearing the crowd, the players and sounds of the game, like the blade along the ice and the puck along the boards.
It was great. The best hockey commentators and analysts know when to shut up, and they don't do it nearly often enough. I don't need them to fill up every second with words, sometimes I just want to hear the game and see the action for myself.
I watch every Leafs game possible, and as much NHL playoff hockey as I can find. Rogers Communications securing a $5.2-billion deal for the right to broadcast NHL games across Canada for the next 12 years doesn't bother me, so long as they provide me with a live HD feed and put quality hockey people on the broadcast.
It's no secret my favourite Hockey Night in Canada games feature Bob Cole calling the action, and that rarely happens these days. It's usually Jim Hughson, who I can take or leave. I'm there to watch the game and just hope whoever is calling the action isn't particularly annoying.
And that's it. I just want to watch my Leafs and the playoffs, ideally my Leafs in the playoffs. Whether it's on CBC, TSN, Sportsnet or Leafs TV makes little difference to me. We got over losing the old HNIC theme song and we'll get over this.
After all, it's all about what the content is, not where it can be found.
