Hockey without Bob McKenzie (MacKenzie to retire after this season) UPD - SIGNS NEW 5YR CONTRACT!!!

[Kamiccolo]

We all know he is the golden standard of hockey insiders, and we all value him a lot. However what I don't see talked a lot about is that next year is his last year before retirement.



It doesn't look like the plan has changed, given that he has mentioned it in various podcasts as offhanded comments.

My question is, who replaces him, and how does the landscape shift? Is there even another insider with as much credibility?

Recent proof he is still considering this

Click to read more...

 

[Stewie Griffin]

I think Elliot Friedman has made a good name for himself with Sportsnet.

Maybe Woj will start becoming a hockey insider.

 

[Damisoph]

Would be great if Commie replaced him and hashtagged 'pack your shit' on every trade he broke.

 

[Burke the Legend]

He is just a journalist who reads a script. Doesn't take much to impress some people here.

 

[Flipwon]

He is just a journalist who reads a script. Doesn't take much to impress some people here.

Well that's just not true

 

[robsenz]

He is just a journalist who reads a script. Doesn't take much to impress some people here.

Lol not quite. Bobby Mac was #1 for a long time without some weird tv act and good inside info / opinions.

 

[Esq]

No one else close in terms of credibility. Bobby Mac could have broken 1000 stories but chose not to because he actually verifies twice before reporting.

 

[TheBloodyNine]

Will leave a gigantic hole in the hockey media community. I don't think there is one guy out there who could take on his mantle. Dreger and Freidman are more speculators than insiders at this point.

 

[Kamiccolo]

He is just a journalist who reads a script. Doesn't take much to impress some people here.

Disagree. He is one of, if not the most connected insiders, and he just reported facts. Right now, it seems that every insider has to take the information they were given and twist their opinion into it.

You knew if Bobby Mac reported something, it was just what he heard, and if he was giving his opinion, he was very clear about it being an opinion and not inside info.

Not only will it be a massive loss to the community (many use Bob as a definitive "it's happening" for some more outlandish trades), but a massive loss to the Canadian broadcasts.

He is usually one of the few on the panels not trying to "one up" the others with a hot take to get noticed. He is happy to just say a boring response.

His loss will be felt. Only other insider that comes close is Chris Johnston IMO

 

[Kamiccolo]

Will leave a gigantic hole in the hockey media community. I don't think there is one guy out there who could take on his mantle. Dreger and Freidman are more speculators than insiders at this point.

Dreger has lost a lot of credibility for me over the past few years. He is without a doubt connected, but his blatant selling out to be a mouth piece of agents was just something I can't ever forget. He claimed Marner had 14M x 5 offersheets lined up and all of this and nothing even came through.

Friedman is still really good, but as I said above, he is guilty of twisting what he hears in with his opinion often. It's hard to find guys who have credibility and just give you the facts without dressing it all up for TV.

 

[Koivu11]

I don't see why he would go away completely considering his passion for hockey. He just won't appear on television.

 

[joe dirte]

He is just a journalist who reads a script. Doesn't take much to impress some people here.

Think so? Odd because for a group of people that are easy to impress, BobbyMac is the exception, in that almost all broadcasters/analysts/insiders get very little respect. Mac is possibly the only one that is rspected by the majority of hockey fans. Every other one may have their fans, but are probably disliked by the majority of fans.

 

[TheBloodyNine]

Dreger has lost a lot of credibility for me over the past few years. He is without a doubt connected, but his blatant selling out to be a mouth piece of agents was just something I can't ever forget. He claimed Marner had 14M x 5 offersheets lined up and all of this and nothing even came through.

Friedman is still really good, but as I said above, he is guilty of twisting what he hears in with his opinion often. It's hard to find guys who have credibility and just give you the facts without dressing it all up for TV.

This is why Bob is the legend that he is. It's facts before opinions.

 

[tacogeoff]

He had a great career and was a decent personality for TV but will be replicable.

 

[Voight]

Gonna miss Bobby Mac. Still remember when he and Dreger broke the news that the last lockout was ending, I had never been happier to be woken up in the middle of the night.

Not that you can replace such a connected and informed individual, but I think Friedman is going to be the new "top guy."

Dreger has lost a lot of credibility for me over the past few years. He is without a doubt connected, but his blatant selling out to be a mouth piece of agents was just something I can't ever forget. He claimed Marner had 14M x 5 offersheets lined up and all of this and nothing even came through.

Friedman is still really good, but as I said above, he is guilty of twisting what he hears in with his opinion often. It's hard to find guys who have credibility and just give you the facts without dressing it all up for TV.

That's because he' a glorified mouthpiece for Paul Marner.

But yea, I sued to enjoy hearing what he had to say + his articles and honestly the last couple years I haven't even paid attention to what he says.

 

[DannyGallivan]

We all know he is the golden standard of hockey insiders, and we all value him a lot. However what I don't see talked a lot about is that next year is his last year before retirement.



It doesn't look like the plan has changed, given that he has mentioned it in various podcasts as offhanded comments.

My question is, who replaces him, and how does the landscape shift? Is there even another insider with as much credibility?

Always a big fan of MacKenzie, going back to his editor days at the print version of The Hockey News (when it looked like a newspaper tabloid instead of a magazine). When he says something, I listen.

 

[Beauner]

might as well just shut down the league tbh

 

[izzy]

fs lets just hope he's changed his mind

 

[jetsforever]

Too bad - let's enjoy this last year then

 

[qwerty]

Bob is legend, but he's been showing his age as of late. Lebrun will be the next Bobby Mac and Friedman has picked up his game the last few years. I'll never forget the time when he posted on HFBoards then proceeded to call everyone a bunch of asshats and left.

 

[Burke the Legend]

Not only will it be a massive loss to the community (many use Bob as a definitive "it's happening" for some more outlandish trades), but a massive loss to the Canadian broadcasts.

No it won't, I'm so tired of these reporters being on panels. Just have real hockey people, ex-players, coaches and GMs, then a presenter to move things along. No spots for these pieces of hair media people who can't even skate, they are just noise. Only there because they are brand tools for the networks.

 

[Five Alarm Fire]

He'll never be fully gone from the game. Retirement will simply remove him from his obligations to do daily radio hits, panel segments, and maybe the podcast. He's too connected to the hockey universe to go away completely, and will still be active on Twitter and make occasional TV spots.

 

[MMC]

If he wants to retire, he has to permanently change his twitter name to Bobby Margarita

 

[rfournier103]

Bob is legend, but he's been showing his age as of late. Lebrun will be the next Bobby Mac and Friedman has picked up his game the last few years. I'll never forget the time when he posted on HFBoards then proceeded to call everyone a bunch of asshats and left.

Link?

I’d love to read that.

 

[Warden of the North]

He is just a journalist who reads a script. Doesn't take much to impress some people here.

This is some terrible opinion.