Sens fans call Cole for too many Karlssons
Some Ottawa Senators supporters expressed frustration with Hockey Night in Canada Friday after broadcaster Bob Cole made several obvious errors in his play-by-play of Ottawa’s opening Stanley Cup playoff game against the New York Rangers Thursday.
“While I respect the great broadcasting career that Mr. Cole has enjoyed, it doesn’t change the fact that for nearly the entire broadcast … Erik Karlsson was confused for Sergei Gonchar,” Jon Chung wrote in a letter to CBC after the game, one of many complaints sent to the Citizen or posted on social media.
“It was insulting. The broadcast was so confusing and distracting that I actually had to mute the game after 40 minutes.”
On Twitter, @havey03 tweeted: “#CBC will lose HNIC all together — Bob Cole once good @ PxP — now can’t tell who is on ice & he misses plays #Retirement”
Among several missteps made by Cole during Thursday’s broadcast, the most obvious came toward the end of the first period when Ottawa defensive star Karlsson was handed a roughing penalty. Cole made note of Karlsson being sent off the ice, but then each time Senators blueliner Sergei Gonchar (No. 55) handled the puck in the ensuing minutes, Cole continued to refer to him as Karlsson (No. 65).
Several fans wondered why CBC decided to have Dean Brown, who calls Senators games regularly for radio and TV during the regular season, work the Boston Bruins-Washington Capitals series rather than the Ottawa-New York matchup.
“I’d rather have a guy who tilts toward the Senators over a guy who can’t get the players’ names right,” Alexis Donohue of Cornwall wrote in an email to the Citizen.
“Dean Brown is to an Ottawa broadcast was Bob Cole was to a Toronto broadcast,” wrote another fan. “Please recognize this and allow our broadcaster to give our team the call we deserve.”
Chuck Thompson, CBC’s head of media relations, said the decision to use Cole for one of the two first-round series involving Canadian teams was a no-brainer.
“Jim Hughson (doing the Vancouver-L.A. series) and Bob Cole are our two lead play-by-play announcers,” Thompson said. “As you would expect the have been assigned to call two marquee series in the first round.”
Of course, many stalwart Senators have long believed Cole holds a bias against Ottawa in favour of the Toronto Maple Leafs, an accusation Cole has always said is untrue.
“I get excited when a team makes a great play and the crowd helps me,” Cole told the Citizen a few years ago in response to criticism from Ottawa fans.
“I remember Stevie Thomas scoring a goal, I think it was in overtime, and it was terribly exciting. I can’t see how I should have said it any way other than I did. I would have said it the same way if Ottawa scored. It was exciting, and I was excited.”
Chuck Thompson, CBC’s head of media relations, said the decision to use Cole for one of the two first-round series involving Canadian teams was a no-brainer.
Hmm…yep. That’s about the right way to describe it.
Harry Cole should not broadcast Ottawa games. He does not like Ottawa. Along with getting Karlsson name wrong. He also called Anderson “Henderson”. He quotes Ottawa scratching to get out a hole when we were down a goal. I do mute the game too when Harry Cole broadcasts or turn to the french channel. Harry is fair too negative towards Ottawa.
Why is it that Ottawa never gets Jim Hughson, if this is such a marquee matchup for CBC?
Goes to show that CBC is stuck in a Toronto funk and out of touch with Canadian reality.
I applaud when their funding gets cut and will applaud when they loose their rights to hockey in Canada.
Bring on Dean Brown!
“Chuck Thompson, CBC’s head of media relations, said the decision to use Cole for one of the two first-round series involving Canadian teams was a no-brainer.”
“No-brainer” is right. Too bad for us Sens fans.
I can see where he might mix them up–seeing how Gonchar’s #55 and Karlsson’s #65–but if the viewers can tell them apart, then so should the broadcasters be able to.
“Chuck Thompson, CBC’s head of media relations, said the decision to use Cole for one of the two first-round series involving Canadian teams was a no-brainer.”
Yep. No-brainer for sure. Perhaps if they had used a brain while making that decision, we’d have Dean Brown.
For what it’s worth, I don’t think Cole has any emotional bias against Ottawa. He’s just more familiar with the Leafs, and thus has a better knowledge of them. And it shows.
Wow! Do the names Dean Brown and Pom Pom Potvin not come to mind when casting your stones. Worst tandem by far on the airwaves, at least Bob has age to blame.
Bob has had a great career and will be missed; that being said, he should step down gracefully rather than wait for the inevitable push out the door. This is a commentator whose blunders generated a college drinking game almost a decade ago – that’s how long he’s been on the decline.
Yes his voice is a familiar and iconic element of that wonderful tradition known as Hockey Night in Canada, but like a great many players who retired after the lockout discovered, the game has changed and he can’t keep up. Time to step aside and let someone else take over.
For all you Bob Cole (legendary) haters and Dean Brown lover (aka Sens fans only) please see the following:
B’s-Caps game,
1. Dean Brown calls Brian Rolston (in the NHL for 19yrs now and is a forward) Dwayne Roloson (who is a goalie for Tampa) twice in one shift, I get that Rolston and Roloson are close but give me a break
2. Dean Brown calls Benoit Pouliot (who is from Ottawa which is where Brown lives) Patrice Bergeron, someone tell Brown that Pouliot shoots left and is on the 3rd line and Bergreron is a center who shoots right, plus I think Bergeron is fairly well know.
That’s all
P.S. Ask Dean Brown (the Sens broadcaster) where the Sens 1st round pick from a couple of yrs ago Parick Eaves (not some 4th line Latvian) played clooege hockey, he interviewed Eaves and asked him how he liked Colorado College when Eaves (a 1st rnd pick) actually went to Boston College….Please do your homework
the Ottawa media is a joke. Really, picking up on Cole now? He’s been doing this for years. during the 1999 finals he spent half the game calling the Stars the Dallas Cowboys. Who cares!
Breaking news in Ottawa, the Titanic sinks.