Brian Engblom

Matt Watson

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Feb 10, 2018
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Don't get me wrong, Brian Engblom really knows the game and picks up on and explains the nuances, but Jesus, is there another analyst out there that prattles on as long and repeats himself as much as he does? He says in a 100 words what can be said in 25. And stop using the word "brilliant" every other sentence. And "good stuff" too.
 
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These Are The Days

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Engblom is pound for pound the best color guy in the game and literally knows every team in the league because of his years as a big box network analyst and you could tell he was the one guy who actually did his research. I seriously do not understand what people dislike about him. Because he is literally as black and white objective as they come? 100 words that can be said in 25? If you want less than 25 words then give Ken Daneyko and feel your IQ slip away by the second or a guy like Drew Remenda of the Oilers who literally struggles to form a coherent thought. The Caps color guy literally puts me to sleep. Engblom is concise compared to many broadcasters. If you wanna hear someone that ACTUALLY carries on give the Detroit, Minnesota and Chicago crew a listen and both guys will circle jerk for a minute and a half and you'll be down on your knees praising Jesus we have Engblom.

If I took a shot for every time Chief whined about a call I'd have died of cirrhosis by 2008

Late edit: For what it's worth Daneyko isn't that bad. But he speaks slowly and concisely but has trouble finding what he really wants to say sometimes because he's still coming into his own. His boorish voice does not contrast well with the 200 mph Cangialosi who might as well be Doc Emrick on speed after swallowing a balloon
 
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Bolt 45

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Oct 19, 2015
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Engblom is pound for pound the best color guy in the game and literally knows every team in the league because of his years as a big box network analyst and you could tell he was the one guy who actually did his research. I seriously do not understand what people dislike about him. Because he is literally as black and white objective as they come? 100 words that can be said in 25? If you want that give Ken Daneyko or Drew Remenda a listen and feel your IQ slip away by the second. The Caps color guy literally puts me to sleep. Engblom is concise compared to many broadcasters. If you wanna hear someone that ACTUALLY carries on give the Detroit, Minnesota and Chicago crew a listen and both guys will circle jerk for a minute and a half and you'll be down on your knees praising Jesus we have Engblom.

If I took a shot for every time Chief whined about a call I'd have died of cirrhosis by 2008
This. The more he embraces this team, the better Engblom gets.

The only complaint I have is, based on the way teams have been playing us, I'm kind of staring to wonder if they see Engblom and assume it's a nationally televised broadcast. We did send out a memo, right?
 

JoVel

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One thing that many color guys including Engblom do that annoys me is when a star player, usually Kuch for us, makes a somewhat nice play and Engblom is like "he's one of the very few players in the world who can pull this off". Maybe I'm just a boring person but I hate people raving about plays that are not very unusual.
 

Matt Watson

Registered User
Feb 10, 2018
372
101
Fairfield, CT
Engblom is pound for pound the best color guy in the game and literally knows every team in the league because of his years as a big box network analyst and you could tell he was the one guy who actually did his research. I seriously do not understand what people dislike about him. Because he is literally as black and white objective as they come? 100 words that can be said in 25? If you want less than 25 words then give Ken Daneyko and feel your IQ slip away by the second or a guy like Drew Remenda of the Oilers who literally struggles to form a coherent thought. The Caps color guy literally puts me to sleep. Engblom is concise compared to many broadcasters. If you wanna hear someone that ACTUALLY carries on give the Detroit, Minnesota and Chicago crew a listen and both guys will circle jerk for a minute and a half and you'll be down on your knees praising Jesus we have Engblom.

If I took a shot for every time Chief whined about a call I'd have died of cirrhosis by 2008

Late edit: For what it's worth Daneyko isn't that bad. But he speaks slowly and concisely but has trouble finding what he really wants to say sometimes because he's still coming into his own. His boorish voice does not contrast well with the 200 mph Cangialosi who might as well be Doc Emrick on speed after swallowing a balloon
I agree with you about the Chief - I pretty much led the charge to get the Chief and his constant crying about the refs off the air - and I agree with you about Engbloms knowledge, but to call Engblom concise about ANYTHING is nuts. Listen to Eddie Olczyk. Listen to Ray Ferraro (also not a great speaking voice - not as bad as Daneyko's -but makes up for it with keen, concise insight). Every bit as knowledgeable as Engblom but get to the point right away. Puck goes up and down the ice ten times before Engblom stops bloviating on a minor point. And sorry, but Daneyko is that bad.
 

These Are The Days

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I agree with you about the Chief - I pretty much led the charge to get the Chief and his constant crying about the refs off the air - and I agree with you about Engbloms knowledge, but to call Engblom concise about ANYTHING is nuts. Listen to Eddie Olczyk. Listen to Ray Ferraro (also not a great speaking voice - not as bad as Daneyko's -but makes up for it with keen, concise insight). Every bit as knowledgeable as Engblom but get to the point right away. Puck goes up and down the ice ten times before Engblom stops bloviating on a minor point. And sorry, but Daneyko is that bad.

I didn't say Engblom WAS concise but that he is when compared to other broadcasters. Olcyzk is fine on national broadcasts. But pair him with Foley and it goes out the window. You're lucky he explains anything between mouthfuls of glorifying whatever play just made by Kane instead of talking about why it's a good play. You're just supposed to accept it's the most amazing thing you've ever witnessed. I know Engblom breaks down every tiny little detail in the most excruciating fashion possible but I'd rather listen to him count how many skates Patrick Kane put the puck through on a pass than listen to Olczyk use lazy filler like "What a play by Kane partner!"

To each his own but Ferraro is a rare breed and the only one of his kind you're gonna find because he spends much time as a 3rd wheel announcer without much tie to talk.
 

Stammertime91

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I agree with you about the Chief - I pretty much led the charge to get the Chief and his constant crying about the refs off the air - and I agree with you about Engbloms knowledge, but to call Engblom concise about ANYTHING is nuts. Listen to Eddie Olczyk. Listen to Ray Ferraro (also not a great speaking voice - not as bad as Daneyko's -but makes up for it with keen, concise insight). Every bit as knowledgeable as Engblom but get to the point right away. Puck goes up and down the ice ten times before Engblom stops bloviating on a minor point. And sorry, but Daneyko is that bad.

Lmao what?
 

LightningStrikes

Champa Bay Lightning
Nov 24, 2009
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Chief is a legend but you could tell in his last years (!) as our color guy that he didn't even bother to prepare and do research before the games anymore. He was like that mildly drunk guy sitting next to you in the arena or a sports bar, complaining about the refs and mispronouncing our own players (let alone the opponents'). Engblom provides good and objective analysis of what's happening. As a result of that though, the broadcast loses its homer flavor a bit. And I must say: I don't mind it one bit! Also, there's still Andy and Chief during breaks for those who are looking for that kind of ... content.

I'd rather hear from Engblom about the opponent's player who just did a nice play or has just scored a goal and his off-season training with [insert popular player names 1, 2 and 3] in [insert interesting fun fact town] and how it seemingly has improved his game in [insert aspect xy of hockey] which eventually lead to the goal we just saw and I'll go "oh nice, interesting, I did not know that". I don't get or learn anything from "tssssk (.... super long break ....) that's a penalty? c'mon!". Peckham must be so happy to have a competent partner now who he can bounce off nice tidbits of knowledge, analysis of what just happened and fun facts instead of going "he did not just say that on live tv..." in his head.

There is a fine line of overdoing the stuff I just mentioned (see Doc Emrick or Pierre McGuire) but Engblom is IMO pretty perfect. He'll give these neat background infos but then again he's able to break down a play, explain what's happening (instead of guessing and mixing up player names like Chief) and give a nice pass back to Peckham who then can chime in with his opinion and continue on calling the game.
 
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JoVel

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Chief will always be loved by most Lightning fans but he was about as unprofessional as a commentator can get. I mean the dude called the Habs fans morons on live TV. But as bad as he was at his job... I'd take him back instantly.

I remember when someone actually made a petition to get Chief fired. I understand all the hate he got but that was a little bit over the top. :laugh:
 
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Rschmitz

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Engblom is great in an entirely different way than the Chief. As the Lightning fanbase matured, I think we needed a guy who can analyze the game at another level versus speaking out of emotion.
 

Hockey4Life91

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Don't get me wrong, Brian Engblom really knows the game and picks up on and explains the nuances, but Jesus, is there another analyst out there that prattles on as long and repeats himself as much as he does? He says in a 100 words what can be said in 25. And stop using the word "brilliant" every other sentence. And "good stuff" too.
This thread is profoundly ridiculous. Trust me, I will always have a special place in my heart for the Chief. I grew up with him, listening to his homerish rants from the very start. But Engblom is one of the best in the business. I cannot underscore enough how fortunate we are to have him. And I agree with some of the posters above, as Engblom has embraced the team a little more year after year, the whole package continues to improve. I hope we never see another one of these absurd threads again.
 

Flat Ronnie

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Feb 11, 2014
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I like Engblom. I agree, he does bloviate a lot - but who cares.

He has grown on me a lot since last year. I'm glad we have him. Very knowledgeable.
 

MattM92

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Dec 8, 2010
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FL
Engblom is orders of magnitudes better than Chief as a color guy. Glad Chief is still with the organization since he's been here almost since inception, but he was not a professional on the air. I don't want to be watching my favorite team and have this guy constantly whining about the refs and burping his way through mispronunciations of foreign names.
 

Steazy Doo

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Brian is slowly but surely becoming a Lightning fan. In ten years time he'll be sipping whiskey with his feet up on the desk like good ol Chief
 
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These Are The Days

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Brian is slowly but surely becoming a Lightning fan. In ten years time he'll be sipping whiskey with his feet up on the desk like good ol Chief

"Ho ho ho baby what a great play by Nikita Kucherov. *awkward pause* This is why he's one of the best in the world. He takes the puck in himself and shakes the defender and it's bobbling on him. He settles it down with that subtle move.... right there as he pulls it to his back hand. *burp* Then threads the needle on the cross ice pass between *unsure of how to count* 1.... 2..... 3..... 4 skates onto the tape of Stamkos waiting at the goal mouth. Just another great play by 86 *belch*"
 
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DownIsTheNewUp

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Mar 27, 2017
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I was super excited when we got Engblom, he was always one of the best national guys.

First half season with him, I hated him. It was like he was trying so hard not to come off as homerish that he was blatantly anti-Lightning. It was like having the other teams color guy on the broadcast. Wouldn't be shocked if somebody from the organization sat him down and said something to him or maybe it just took him time to get settled in.

Now I think he's found that happy medium. He's not homerish, he's still very objective, but he talks from the Lightning perspective as he should since its the Lightning broadcast.

I love Chief and would buy him a beer if I saw him, but Engblom is more in tune with todays game.
 

These Are The Days

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May 17, 2014
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Chief is a legend but you could tell in his last years (!) as our color guy that he didn't even bother to prepare and do research before the games anymore. He was like that mildly drunk guy sitting next to you in the arena or a sports bar, complaining about the refs and mispronouncing our own players (let alone the opponents'). Engblom provides good and objective analysis of what's happening. As a result of that though, the broadcast loses its homer flavor a bit. And I must say: I don't mind it one bit! Also, there's still Andy and Chief during breaks for those who are looking for that kind of ... content.

I'd rather hear from Engblom about the opponent's player who just did a nice play or has just scored a goal and his off-season training with [insert popular player names 1, 2 and 3] in [insert interesting fun fact town] and how it seemingly has improved his game in [insert aspect xy of hockey] which eventually lead to the goal we just saw and I'll go "oh nice, interesting, I did not know that". I don't get or learn anything from "tssssk (.... super long break ....) that's a penalty? c'mon!". Peckham must be so happy to have a competent partner now who he can bounce off nice tidbits of knowledge, analysis of what just happened and fun facts instead of going "he did not just say that on live tv..." in his head.

There is a fine line of overdoing the stuff I just mentioned (see Doc Emrick or Pierre McGuire) but Engblom is IMO pretty perfect. He'll give these neat background infos but then again he's able to break down a play, explain what's happening (instead of guessing and mixing up player names like Chief) and give a nice pass back to Peckham who then can chime in with his opinion and continue on calling the game.

Well said because unless Peckham dropped his little factual tidbits you'd have never found out a thing about anyone when Chief was on.

Also I enjoy the fact the Engblom give as us an inside look on what the team is doing on a regular basis i.e "Kucherov worked with that Killorn on that play in practice today" when discussing that pass he made to Killorn in the slot. Then he takes the time to explain the differences between that play and Killorn having to open up on his forehand on a cross ice pass as the only other place the puck can come from to him. If new fans listen to everything Engblom says seriously in every game they watch they'll understand the facets of a hockey game by the end of an entire season.

He's one of the few guys that'll take time to say things like "The Senators are really clogging the middle of the ice right now and the Lightning are really struggling to even get to the blue line. They're gonna have to dump it in and go after it in order to establish any kind of forecheck against the Senators. There's just no room in the neutral zone for the Lightning to get the speed game going right now"

A new fan is probably gonna "WTF?" that remark and then as soon as they see the puck get dumped in and scoring chances they're gonna connect the dots on what is happening. Then if they see the speed of the Lightning in another period they'll eventually be able to contrast the different formations they see on the ice after so many games. Suddenly what looks like a bunch of guys skating around turns into a chess match
 

Matt Watson

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Feb 10, 2018
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Fairfield, CT
This thread is profoundly ridiculous. Trust me, I will always have a special place in my heart for the Chief. I grew up with him, listening to his homerish rants from the very start. But Engblom is one of the best in the business. I cannot underscore enough how fortunate we are to have him. And I agree with some of the posters above, as Engblom has embraced the team a little more year after year, the whole package continues to improve. I hope we never see another one of these absurd threads again.
Wait, that someone has an opinion that is different than yours is profoundly ridiculous? I never said he wasn't extremely knowledgeable or that he hasn't embraced the team. He talks too much and repeats himself constantly. I'd like him to stop doing it then he'll be as great as you all think he is.
 
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Werewolf

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Oct 29, 2013
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Chief will always be loved by most Lightning fans but he was about as unprofessional as a commentator can get. I mean the dude called the Habs fans morons on live TV. But as bad as he was at his job... I'd take him back instantly.

I remember when someone actually made a petition to get Chief fired. I understand all the hate he got but that was a little bit over the top. :laugh:

This is the stuff of legend ... I want to watch a game with chief while having a beer. Give me Engblom for color commentary on the TV.
 

Steazy Doo

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Jan 31, 2013
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This is the stuff of legend ... I want to watch a game with chief while having a beer. Give me Engblom for color commentary on the TV.

Watch a game with the Chief should be a promotional thing. It'd be a time and a half.
 

Redleg

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Dec 16, 2017
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I would love to see Chief with Engblom between the benches just like Pierre McGuire was with Susan Sarandon last night in the Pens - Rangers game. That was some of the most awkward, yet somehow entertaining broadcasting I've seen in a while. Sarandon sounded like she was hammered (like the Chief). It would be hilarious!!
 

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