Ranking of local broadcasts around the NHL

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Dorin Canaday
December 4, 2022 (1:01)

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Which NHL team has the best local broadcast?

NESN play-by-play man Jack Edwards has gained a reputation over the years for being notoriously biased toward the Boston Bruins (but that's kind of his job too).

Edwards has certainly gotten his share of criticism for not only how he calls the game but for some of his in-game comments that have gone viral in the hockey world. Most notably, the very recent one in which he was making fun of Lightning forward Patrick Maroon.

But where do he and Andy Brickley rank in the entire league of local broadcasts? Well, according to a recent poll of hockey fans taken by The Athletic, it doesn't look great for the NESN crew.

Here is The Athletic's reasoning:

"The results: We expected the Bruins to finish last in this ranking since that's where they've landed in prior years, but Boston actually moved up two spots thanks to support from local viewers, while the Ducks and Coyotes were tanked by their respective home fanbases.

The Bruins broadcast is historically the most notorious one in the league. Edwards is an attention-grabbing play-by-play voice who sprinkles in his opinions more than most in his role.

As we've written in past years, it's hard to truly judge the Bruins broadcast because of its reputation. One respondent filled out their ballot stating, «I don't know how to pick the best, but I know the Bruins are the worst.»
There really isn't a middle ground on the Bruins broadcast or Edwards' approach. You either hate it, or you are a Bruins fan who loves it.

The bottom line: As surprising as it was that the Bruins didn't finish last, it'll be interesting to see what happens next season we do this exercise again."