Blackhawks media thread

[Brightwing]

Feel free to delete if this thread already exists, but I thought it would be good to have spot to discuss Blackhawks media coverage, behind the scenes stuff and your opinions on columnists and podcasts.

What prompted it was listening to the Blackhawks Talk podcast. I actually really enjoy the podcast but I want to punch a wall everytime Nick Gismondi opens his mouth. He talks about himself all the time. Like literally they were discussing the Patrick Kane quote about his relationship with John McDonagh and Gismondi starts talking about his relationship with his dad. Like it's so much "I, I, I, me, me, me". I don't get why NBC uses this guy.

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[RememberTheRoar]

Feel free to delete if this thread already exists, but I thought it would be good to have spot to discuss Blackhawks media coverage, behind the scenes stuff and your opinions on columnists and podcasts.

What prompted it was listening to the Blackhawks Talk podcast. I actually really enjoy the podcast but I want to punch a wall everytime Nick Gismondi opens his mouth. He talks about himself all the time. Like literally they were discussing the Patrick Kane quote about his relationship with John McDonagh and Gismondi starts talking about his relationship with his dad. Like it's so much "I, I, I, me, me, me". I don't get why NBC uses this guy.

Gismondi is a goof and says so much cliche stuff, but he has kind of grown on me.

He has almost child-like positivity/ignorance, it’s odd but different.

Also, in the moment you were referencing, he’s providing analysis and using his frame of reference. Not really sure why he does that when NBC Chicago has literal Cup-winning former players to do that, but it’s his thing coming from a smaller market I guess.

 

[Brightwing]

The new 31 Thoughts podcast is worth listening to. They spend a lot of time talking about Jonathan Toews and his role in the player negotiations as well as his COVID comments.

 

[Brightwing]

Added a poll to the thread about The Athletic. I know we often discuss articles posted there and just curious how many people subsrcribe. Le Brun's recent Seabrook feature was very well done.

 

[Mrfenn92]

I subscribe to the athletic. I like powers a lot. Lazerus while a good writer is just not my cup of tea. But for hawks coverage in this town it doesn’t get any better or even close to it. Like Ben pope with the sun times. Not sure who covers the hawks with the trib anymore although I did like jimmy greenfield in the short time he was there.
The rink sucks.

 

[Brightwing]

So because Covid killed my social life, I just listened to the latest Blackhawks Insider podcast with Jeremy Colliton interviewed.

Really interesting section kinda midway through where he was asked about what he says to players when they're being sent down or sat.

-When sent down, usually Stan is in the room and they tell the player what they need to do to improve. Because players can kinda black out during the discussion, Colliton also calls King in Rockford to communicate what the player needs to do.

-With respect to scratches, there's usually a meeting before to discuss issues then the next step is a scratch. It's harder with veteran players because sometimes they get more upset about that initial feedback. After a scratch he usually meets with the player the next day.

-Some players know why they get scratched and he cited Kubalik as an example in that he said he knew the scratch was coming and in fact was more critical of his own game than Colliton was so at that point he tried to provide more enouragement.

-There's a language barrier with Adam Boqvist where he understands but can find it difficult to express himself, to the point they've said ok, tell us in Swedish and he has Mittel follow up to make sure Boqvist understands. This point was really interesting because I think of the Puljujarvi case in Edmonton and you wonder how much language issues can impact player development. It must be hard for a young player in the NHL to say, no I don't understand.

 

[bwana63]

Feel free to delete if this thread already exists, but I thought it would be good to have spot to discuss Blackhawks media coverage, behind the scenes stuff and your opinions on columnists and podcasts.

What prompted it was listening to the Blackhawks Talk podcast. I actually really enjoy the podcast but I want to punch a wall everytime Nick Gismondi opens his mouth. He talks about himself all the time. Like literally they were discussing the Patrick Kane quote about his relationship with John McDonagh and Gismondi starts talking about his relationship with his dad. Like it's so much "I, I, I, me, me, me". I don't get why NBC uses this guy.

TV media is an entirely different world than print media. Especially, from the happy talk bunch. They can all piss off.

 

[Brightwing]

TV media is an entirely different world than print media. Especially, from the happy talk bunch. They can all piss off.

I really like Charlie Roumeliotis. He asks good questions in scrums and is good on the podcast too. Pat Boyle is decent but I find some of his opinions kinda old school.

 

[Hinterland]

Athletic = garbage journalism. All about click baits and acquiring new customers with illegal methods. All about making money, not informing people. Quality journalism isn't something they're into. Mass production is more important than checking facts etc. Most disgusting company in sports media ever.

 

[BK]

Athletic = garbage journalism. All about click baits and acquiring new customers with illegal methods. All about making money, not informing people. Quality journalism isn't something they're into. Mass production is more important than checking facts etc. Most disgusting company in sports media ever.

This is not remotely true.

 

[ClydeLee]

This is not remotely true.

He's stated that same blanket claim with nothing but slaming them with no examples or reasoning.

I like Laz and get why a lot of people don't from a few angles. But I like his writing from a human interest stories lense. Thats what he cares about and is interested in. He's not valuable for hockey evaluation. My biggest disdain for him is just his love of Pearl Jam.

Overall I don't like the chicago, or what seems a universal sports media pattern of a certain age range, mostly Gen X that have this unfathomable love for Springsteen, U2, and Pearl Jam.

 

[Hinterland]

He's stated that same blanket claim with nothing but slaming them with no examples or reasoning.

I like Laz and get why a lot of people don't from a few angles. But I like his writing from a human interest stories lense. Thats what he cares about and is interested in. He's not valuable for hockey evaluation. My biggest disdain for him is just his love of Pearl Jam.

Overall I don't like the chicago, or what seems a universal sports media pattern of a certain age range, mostly Gen X that have this unfathomable love for Springsteen, U2, and Pearl Jam.

Lots of examples released by them every day. Plus, them buying data to flood mail inboxes with their spam is completely illegal. They flooded my inbox for months. You can unsubscribe from the newsletter (you never subscribed for anyway) but that reduces the amount of emails you're getting by about 10%. All of this is absolutely illegal. They're also using click baits to promote their articles (which has been confirmed multiple times) plus they're spreading false information and fake news rather than doing some actual research. There are countless examples. Looking at the athletics staff writers, 99% of them were trash or completely unknown even before joining the company.

 

[MileHighHawksFan]

-There's a language barrier with Adam Boqvist where he understands but can find it difficult to express himself, to the point they've said ok, tell us in Swedish and he has Mittel follow up to make sure Boqvist understands. This point was really interesting because I think of the Puljujarvi case in Edmonton and you wonder how much language issues can impact player development. It must be hard for a young player in the NHL to say, no I don't understand.

Gotta wonder how much his dyslexia effects this. It can really be hell processing information, especially if you’re stressed or anxious.

 

[IU Hawks fan]

Athletic = garbage journalism. All about click baits and acquiring new customers with illegal methods. All about making money, not informing people. Quality journalism isn't something they're into. Mass production is more important than checking facts etc. Most disgusting company in sports media ever.

I couldn't disagree more.

Clickbait is about driving ad impressions. I know all about that, since I'm in digital marketing.

The Athletic is ad free, so it couldn't be further from that model.

 

[Crow]

Not interested in paying for newspapers or any sort of journalism that charges directly to the consumer. I understand why they do it, but I just won’t pay. I’m not even sure why.

 

[Hawkaholic]

I used to have the Athletic, but cancelled my subscription. Powers was the only one I would read, and I figured I can get most of the info from articles on here, from others, or it comes out eventually in regular free media.

 

[Brightwing]

Was just listening to the latest Laz and Powers podcast. They interviewed Jay Zawaski about his new book which was not that interesting as they more talked about the writing process.

But what I did find interesting is Jay's take on why the radio doesn't talk about the Hawks. He basically said the people who have sports shows came up before the Hawks were good and they don't want to bother learning about hockey. Podcast numbers show there absolutely would be a market for hockey on the radio in their key demo, but they just won't do it.

Blows my mind because in my area all the prime time sports radio is hockey, albeit with a Leafs slant though they do talk about the league as a whole.

I really wonder how much more popular hockey would be in the US if it was covered more.

 

[ClydeLee]

Was just listening to the latest Laz and Powers podcast. They interviewed Jay Zawaski about his new book which was not that interesting as they more talked about the writing process.

But what I did find interesting is Jay's take on why the radio doesn't talk about the Hawks. He basically said the people who have sports shows came up before the Hawks were good and they don't want to bother learning about hockey. Podcast numbers show there absolutely would be a market for hockey on the radio in their key demo, but they just won't do it.

Blows my mind because in my area all the prime time sports radio is hockey, albeit with a Leafs slant though they do talk about the league as a whole.

I really wonder how much more popular hockey would be in the US if it was covered more.

Its a factor. I know earlier he was on the pat boyle Hawks podcast talking about that.

Basically described it is stuck in a loop. They point out specific radio hosts have pointed to data numbers do drop with Hawks talk, but thats also because its so rarely or poorly done you're not building that up in the fanbase listening. They're afraid of making moves that would of been better long term sadly

 

[x Tame Impala]

I've mentioned this a few times over the years but yeah, Hawks talk on the radio was always an embarrassment. Still remember back in 2010 when they won the first Cup I was SOOOOO excited because i thought it'd finally mean some substantial Blackhawks coverage on ESPN/The Score radio. It never came. They'd give it some joke of a 7 minute segment and then go back to talking about the shitty Bulls, or the Bears, or the shitty Cubs....in January.

When they would actually talk hockey it'd be more about how fun it was to go to a game or some fluff piece on Toews or Kane. Never any serious discussion. Partly because almost none of them had any idea of what they were talking about but also because they felt like Chicagoans didn't want to hear about it. They really would rather listen to radio hosts bitch and moan about Carlos Marmol blowing another game and how bad the Alfonso Soriano contract was.

 

[Kaners PPGs]

I greatly enjoy the Athletic but the Hawks coverage leaves a lot to be desired especially when compared to other teams’ coverage. Toronto, Vancouver, and New Jersey are much better and make Lazerus and Powers look like newspaper writers in comparison. Neither Lazerus or Powers delve into advanced statistics. Lazerus would rather write a story about each player’s favorite color or which superhero best represents them than an article about zone entries and exits or grading salaries based on expected performance. Neither writer has a long history in hockey. Over and over, I read their articles and learn nothing more than what you could sift through on this forum if you know who to pay attention to.

 

[Brightwing]

I greatly enjoy the Athletic but the Hawks coverage leaves a lot to be desired especially when compared to other teams’ coverage. Toronto, Vancouver, and New Jersey are much better and make Lazerus and Powers look like newspaper writers in comparison. Neither Lazerus or Powers delve into advanced statistics. Lazerus would rather write a story about each player’s favorite color or which superhero best represents them than an article about zone entries and exits or grading salaries based on expected performance. Neither writer has a long history in hockey. Over and over, I read their articles and learn nothing more than you could sift through on this forum if you know who to pay attention to.

I can't really speak to the New Jersey crew because I rarely read their coverage, but I know that with Toronto and Vancouver the Athletic writers double dip working TV, radio and other gigs as well so that improves the quality of the writers simply because they get paid more. You're right that Laz and Powers are newspaper writers as opposed to hockey analysts (though I think Scott is improving in his analysis) but they are seasoned sports reporters and much better than some of the green writers they have in some markets for the Athletic.

I do think Laz and Powers are the best hockey writers currently working in the Chicago market. What this market seems to lack is writers who played hockey at the junior or college level who understand the game a bit better or writers who are insiders with good sources. The Hawks as an organization are pretty locked down. Contrast that to, say, Pittsburgh or Minnesota where all sorts of internal stuff becomes public knowledge. But I will say that Laz and Powers do ask the questions that need to be asked and usually ask the right questions.

 

[Kaners PPGs]

But I will say that Laz and Powers do ask the questions that need to be asked and usually ask the right questions.

Their interview with Bowman was fine. You're right- they asked the questions that needed to be asked.

I guess my biggest gripes with Lazerus are all the soft articles he writes, his lack of harsh criticism when warranted, and his overall condescension and arrogance. And this has nothing with his politics since I agree him there.

I agree with you that Powers has improved over the years.

 

[Kaners PPGs]

Not interested in paying for newspapers or any sort of journalism that charges directly to the consumer. I understand why they do it, but I just won’t pay. I’m not even sure why.

IMO it is not worth it if you are just following the Hawks. I love the league-wide coverage, Pronman and Wheeler on prospects, and the coverage of other teams which many are better than the Hawks. The Vancouver podcast is excellent and their coverage along with Toronto's are excellent. I suspect there are some other team writers that are great as well but I don't have time to listen and read everyone. I easily get $5 worth of value from the site every month. Besides a fantasy hockey site membership and a fishing videos subscription I get, the Athletic is only media I pay for.

 

[RememberTheRoar]

I can't really speak to the New Jersey crew because I rarely read their coverage, but I know that with Toronto and Vancouver the Athletic writers double dip working TV, radio and other gigs as well so that improves the quality of the writers simply because they get paid more. You're right that Laz and Powers are newspaper writers as opposed to hockey analysts (though I think Scott is improving in his analysis) but they are seasoned sports reporters and much better than some of the green writers they have in some markets for the Athletic.

I do think Laz and Powers are the best hockey writers currently working in the Chicago market. What this market seems to lack is writers who played hockey at the junior or college level who understand the game a bit better or writers who are insiders with good sources. The Hawks as an organization are pretty locked down. Contrast that to, say, Pittsburgh or Minnesota where all sorts of internal stuff becomes public knowledge. But I will say that Laz and Powers do ask the questions that need to be asked and usually ask the right questions.

Frankly, I was impressed with Laz’s questioning of Bowman and Colliton. His d-bag persona lends itself well to unapologetically asking hard questions.

My opinion of him improved after hearing how he performed there

 

[Brightwing]

Their interview with Bowman was fine. You're right- they asked the questions that needed to be asked.

I guess my biggest gripes with Lazerus are all the soft articles he writes, his lack of harsh criticism when warranted, and his overall condescension and arrogance. And this has nothing with his politics since I agree him there.

I agree with you that Powers has improved over the years.

In terms of harsh criticism, I think this is where you have the difference between beat writers and analysts. Laz and Powers do express criticism, I remember Laz really questioning the Q firing.

But they will only ever go so far because they have to face these folks regularly. You are likely not going to see them say something like the coach should be fired or X player traded because expressing those kinds of opinions regularly may make it impossible to interview these folks.

You need a distance, a neutrality. That's why you don't see the more decisive analysts in the locker rooms doing beat work. It's not just sports, politics too. You're not going to see Trump's biggest critics in the press conference, though White House beat reporters do ask critical questions. The real meat of the criticism comes from analysts who speak after the presser is done.