It was a surprisingly candid (perhaps not all that surprising considering the source) take on why he was not brought back by Drew. I really felt that Drew was the perfect color guy for this market, up until the last couple of years. His perspective as an unsuccessful coach (his words, LOL), thoughtful analysis, recognition that a bit of education about the Xs and Os of the game would go a long way towards building the fan-base, and most importantly his genuinely great rapport with Randy Hann was a great asset to the Sharks in establishing their foothold in this market.
During his halcyon years as a Sharks broadcaster you could clearly see that even though he’s was a paid ambassador for the team, he was also sincerely one of the biggest Sharks fans. Especially impressive, was that for a regional broadcaster he still managed to be relatively objective about other teams and refs/calls. Ultimately, I think his downfall (can’t think of a better word to use here) came as result of being as big of a fan as he was, that level of emotional investment, and perhaps drinking a bit too much of McLellans Koolaid.
Eventually, like for many of the long time Sharks fans I’ve known, the mounting playoff disappointments took their toll on him, and bright eyed optimism gave way to a more jaded perspective of the Sharks play and players. The last couple of seasons, he was clearly not as joyful, and the relentless criticisms of the teams play got old and was regularly painful to watch. It seems he’s come to understand all this, and reading between the lines, is not nearly as emotionally invested in Edmonton. Also after hearing a few of their broadcasts, compared to Randy, he has crap rapport with Edmonton’s PBP guy.
None of the subsequent color guys have fit nearly as well with Randy as Drew did during those special years. And I’d say in the pantheon of Bay Area sports in my lifetime, only maybe Krup and Kuip, during the Giants recent World Series runs, may have added more to the enjoyment of watching a teams broadcast than the multiple regional Emmy winning (LOL) team of Randy and Drew during the bulk of their time together.