TV: Official Petition To Bring Back Bobby "The Chief" Taylor / Fire Brian Engblom

[LightningStrikes]

Added a poll

 

[The Macho King]

Boy I'll tell ya what...

Chief clearly didn't prepare anymore. He messed up player names and facts and most of the time knew nothing about the opponents. Sure it was fun to listen to his rants but it was not a professional analysis of the game. I mean compare him to the color guy San Jose has (or most of the other teams), they were worlds apart.

Engblom on the other hand is a bit too unbiased. That sounds like I'm an idiot but let me explain. It's a local broadcast and you'd expect some of the guys to at least root for the home team. It's pretty apparent that he was doing national coverage on ESPN, VS and NBCSN. I think before the Lightning he did one season as the color guy for the Jackets and other than that he always had to be the impartial color analyst on national TV.

Rick rarely shows that he's rooting for the Bolts in his heart so with Chief gone the broadcast feels a little bit too impartial and "clean". In the end Chief didn't provide much depth regarding the game but he was the entertaining factor. The guy has character, no doubt, and we all loved his cringy comments and were playing the Chief Drinking Game during games (man the hangovers were bad). But if I had the choice I'd go with Engblom over Chief, just because I want to hear them discuss the game, the strategic aspects, what is said on the benches and on the ice and not listen to a guy who half-way into his sentence stops talking while Rick awkwardly tries to cover for it.

I miss the audible groans when someone made a defensive turnover.

Meh - I don't care much about the analysis I guess. I know enough by the game to figure out that if a Dman pinches a forward needs to cover the point.

 

[MattM92]

I miss the audible groans when someone made a defensive turnover.

Meh - I don't care much about the analysis I guess. I know enough by the game to figure out that if a Dman pinches a forward needs to cover the point.

But casual viewers don't. And there are far more casual viewers than us hardcore guys. I still hear Lightning fans around me at games that lack a pre-K understanding of hockey. Having a great color guy is so crucial for that.

 

[Hoek]

I do think a guy like Engblom can bring the fanbase to another level. That was probably part of the thinking. I'm sure Vinik had some input.

 

[HoseEmDown]

Is that bum Andreychuck still doing studio work? That's the real crime getting rid of Dinger for that clown.

 

[BoltSTH]

I dislike Englebore. He must be paid by the word.
I, like I expect many here, do not need long quotes from Hockey 101 for Dummies.

He was fine for VESUS/NBCSN/NBC, but where you are meant to be impartial (unless it the the Flyers that are owned by the same company), and have more casual fans.

 

[Kramerica Industries]

I suspect the only reason earlier this season why Engblom sentiment was so negative was because the team was playing like utter crap, and there wasn't that voice on TV that could justify any of our extreme reactions; Engblom is even-keel as it is, plays it straight, and he wasn't as adjusted to working with the Lightning then as he is now.

Engblom is aces at what he does. It's just easier to like him now, because the Lightning have finally, to some extent, gotten their act together.

 

[chasespace]

Engblom is by far the better analyst but Chief will always have a place in my heart.

The real worry for me is NBC may try to steal Peckham from us, he's probably one of the best play-by-play guys currently working in the NHL on any channel

 

[The Gongshow]

Chief wasn't exactly good, but boy was he fun. I miss the homerism so much. I've really been noticing a lot of other teams who just constantly s*** all over the other team and only talk about their teams players, I miss that with us

 

[Kramerica Industries]

Engblom is by far the better analyst but Chief will always have a place in my heart.

The real worry for me is NBC may try to steal Peckham from us, he's probably one of the best play-by-play guys currently working in the NHL on any channel

They tried this with Dave Strader a few years back, and he ended up being so under-utilized that he is back doing team work with the Stars, and the occasional NBCSN spot. Doc and Pierre are the only guys in the U.S. who work exclusively for NBC.

 

[dechire]

I watch a lot of hockey with a lot of different announcers and therefore I have no particular opinion on any commentators except the very bad or the very good ones. Engblom isn't the best but he's definitely not the worst. He does his job well enough. I have no complaints.

 

[These Are The Days]

In the end, I think we all want to hear knowledgeable dissection of the play by play that Rick gives us. I think we all acknowledge that fewer do it better than Engblom. I agree about vanilla and vanilla but I can deal with it. I feel like after 10 years of Engblom the Lightning fanbase will be come impartial and quite frankly more intelligent.

Sure we love homerism but it sometimes blinds you to what is actually happening out there. After years of drunken Chief rants, it's SO refreshing to hear something like, "Oh man Callahan just got away with a hook in the corner, the Lightning are very lucky they didn't get called there" instead of Chief completely ignoring it and then barking about a call a minute later. Most in particular, Engblom will say things like, "Yeah that's the kind of hit the NHL wants to do away with there. Boyle comes in hard into the play and meets his man on the boards. But (so and so) had his back turned and saw him last minute and could not get set and just goes head first into the glass." It's much better than "Aw geez. Look at him! HE TURNED INTO THE BOARDS! HE KNEW HE WAS COMING!!"

At times I still enjoy the flair of Phil Esposito because he's always gonna wear his heart on his sleeve, he'll never hold back and he is the Lightning's biggest fan but to a certain point it's detrimental. Either way I think hiring Brian Engblom is one of the best things the Lightning have ever done. Sure I can't stand the guy when we're getting our ***** beat 5-0 and we screw up and he calls us out on it but at the same time that's what makes me appreciate him.

He may be bland but damn it he calls things EXACTLY as they are and does it without earning a reputation as a maniac on the mic.

 

[berlin]

If you've watched this team since 92 you can't not love Chief, he gave us die hards a voice, and matched our enthusiasm. I wish the Bucs had a homer broadcaster.

 

[Tampabear]

T


J


Brooooooooooooooooooooooooooowwwwwwwn!

Rink announcer did that again a few weeks ago.

 

[Tampabear]

If you've watched this team since 92 you can't not love Chief, he gave us die hards a voice, and matched our enthusiasm. I wish the Bucs had a homer broadcaster.

Gene (fire the cannons) Deckerhoff isn't a homer?

 

[Sky04]

Is that bum Andreychuck still doing studio work? That's the real crime getting rid of Dinger for that clown.

There's the real issue, Dinger was awesome.

 

[Kramerica Industries]

I was just thinking a couple days ago that I'd realized I hadn't seen Dinger around in a real long time. He was a bit, umm, unpolished as a speaker on television, but he knew his stuff, and I'm disappointed that it appears that pushing Chief down to studio work left Dinger without a chair in the room. Because count me as part of the group that would rather have him than Andreychuk as well, if forced to choose.

Maybe he wanted the color job and didn't feel like returning once Engblom was named; we'll probably never know the full story.

 

[Iceman]

Wow... I didn't actually knew this but Engblom is actually commentating games in between. He was commentating Caps/Hawks game today. Like wtf?

 

[ThunderAlleyNomad]

RP does some play by play for NBC outside of Lightning games, or at least he used to. So what?

 

[berlin]

Gene (fire the cannons) Deckerhoff isn't a homer?

He's not on T.V.

 

[TampaBayLightning]

I would like to see Chief and Esposito doing the games with a bottle of jack between them.

 

[BohemianRhandomly]

It's apples and oranges. While I can appreciate Eng's in-depth analysis, it does come off rather clinical and sterile after listening to Chief for so many years. I'm close on this, but if I had my choice, I'd bring Chief back. He had his negative points to be sure, but he had some personality on him. His missteps were part of Lightning lore and I miss that.

And man, oh, man, can I get sick of Engblom gushing about the other team sometimes. That's my big sticking point with him. I swear, he wouldn't shut the ***** up about the Hawks players when they were in town. I was on the verge of breaking out the mute button on his ass. If he tones that down, I will come around. I don't need an out-and-out 100% homer for color commentary, but I don't want to have to hear about how amazing and wonderful the opposing team is all the time, either. Sheesh.

So as things stand now, I vote Chief. Feels like we sold our souls in getting Engblom.

 

[geezerpk]

Gene (fire the cannons) Deckerhoff isn't a homer?

Exactly what I was thinking. His calls routinely had little to do with what was happening on the field as best as I can remember when living in the TB area. BTW, I loved the Chief, but perhaps it was best to move on.

 

[Hoek]

I liked when Coburn interjected while Engblom was praising him last night. That was hilarious. Something you don't get without a guy between the benches.

 

[Coopers Gum]

I liked when Coburn interjected while Engblom was praising him last night. That was hilarious. Something you don't get without a guy between the benches.

I didn't catch this.