Blues Fans Never Saw It Coming

by Brad Lee on Jul 10, 2009 9:00 AM CDT

If you do an image search for former figure skater Scott Hamilton, you might find this same picture.

Darren Pang is a good broadcaster. He has built a strong resume working for ESPN then NBC, TSN and NBC on the national level while also working on Chicago Blackhawk and Phoenix Coyote local telecasts. He has more than 20 years of broadcast experience. Players seem to like him. Fans for the most part accept and respect him. But that doesn't change the fact that he played four years with the Hawks and no other team. He got his start broadcasting in Chicago. And now he's forced out of the booth into a smaller role the only Hockey Hall of Fame player the Blues organization has adopted as its own. And yet...this is a good thing.

Bernie Federko was a great player who gave Blues fans enjoyment and excitement for more than a decade. Despite finishing his career with that one hockey team in Detroit, his retired number and statue serve as reminders for his place in the frachise's history. But none of that makes him a good broadcaster. If you've seen any of our game threads, you know that Federko relies on the same descriptions and frankly excuses for players, especially goaltending. "He never saw it coming" and "He never had a chance" were two of his greatest hits.

While the man could do great things with the puck on the ice, he's not the most gifted person to describe what's happening. And his repeated admittals to not knowing what was happening with official rulings got old. The few times team president John Davidson has stepped into the booth to participate, it was clear who the progessional broadcaster was and who was still learning on the job.

Our friend OdinMercer at Five For Howling said the departure of Pang from Coyote broadcasts has more to do with the financial troubles of the team and the sale issues than the team not wanting the diminutive talker to return. From an e-mail from OdinMercer:

I’m really sad to see him leaving the Coyotes. He’s been great as part of the announce team here, but with the bankruptcy making it impossible to get the TV deal done he had to go somewhere that could pay him. He’s very knowledgeable about the game and he can be a little excitable. He’s also a big homer so expect him to be on your team’s side about pretty much everything. He’s also great with all the fans. He shows up at all the fan events and remembers the people he talked to from last time.

Sounds like Ken Wilson to me without the added dose of ego.

What's a little depressing is knowing what the first interaction between Pang and Federko will be. I can see it now. John Kelly will throw it down to Federko who will say something about welcoming Pang to the team and how he's thrilled to be back close to the action down at ice level. He'll say something about the speed of the game and the skill of the players. And when he throws it back upstairs, he'll talk about a game he played in against Pang and make a joke about how small he was in net. Pang will laugh because short jokes don't bother him anymore. And then he'll offer to bury the hatchet so to speak with his ties to the Hawks and that he's ready to be part of the team and a true Blue. It'll be witty as hell.

It's an interesting move that shows there are few sacred cows in the organization. And if you look at the retired numbers in the rafters, other than the guys who got banners after they died, Brian Sutter had a bitter divorce from the team, Brett Hull was allowed to walk away and went to work for Dallas and now Federko is getting what amounts to a demotion on the broadcasts. That leaves only Al MacInnis who still works in the front office. For now.

So Blues fans, any other thoughts on Federko or Pang or even Wilson? Tell us in the comments. And we'll have more reaction from around the league with thoughts on Pang in another post. Because I have to work instead of attending the prospect puberty camp. And this is easier than writing about 19-year-olds I know nothing about.

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Comments

This is the first time Brad

Has decided not to watch teenage boys. I’m impressed at the progress.

Sorry Bro but I couldn’t resist. I tease because I love.

You are spot on about how they will interact and it will be “witty as hell”. So well put.

I refuse to call this dude “Panger”. He’s a goalie and stupid. That is about all I know.

North Co! North Co! North Co!

by Answer Man on Jul 10, 2009 9:48 AM CDT reply actions

My thoughts...

Who cares…
Ok, I do a little. and here is why, JD is active in improving the team in all areas.
Why do I not care otherwise?
I don’t listen…ever…except on radio when I am either not at the game or can’t watch it in HD.
(And no, if it is on tv, I either watch it in HD, or listen to the radio, I will not watch hockey on standard definition anymore.)

When I do watch it on tv, I have the volume “just” loud enough to hear the action on the ice and do NOT listen to the announcers unless there is a play I want to hear about, or a call, or injury.

Those are my thoughts, as requested.
DanGNR

by DanGNR on Jul 10, 2009 9:49 AM CDT reply actions

"YOU CAN CLEARLY SEE" ..... "I HAVE NO IDEA" .... "WOULD LIKE TO HAVE THAT ONE BACK"

….sorry, just wanted to throw in some of my favorite Federko lines.

"Brad Winchester playing on a line with Perron and Berglund is like the fat kid who you invite to play one day because you didn't have enough skaters, yet you don't have the heart to tell them to leave the next few times you play. Damn you Andy Murray." -Author Unknown

by -DJ- on Jul 10, 2009 9:53 AM CDT reply actions

Cabinets Flooring and More

“thats just a case of being stronger than the other guy” “good outlet passes”
who the hell dressed him for that commercial, bernie should wear a lime green polo . . well . . .never. stick to the suit and sweater
“now why is that a penalty?”, whatever, panger looks line a boner, could be worse though, al hrabosky could have something to do with the blues

Fuck Detroit

by DasBlues74 on Jul 10, 2009 3:30 PM CDT up reply actions

I think we can all agree that Kerber and Chase are still the best broadcasting combo. I wish they could broadcast for both radio and TV. I thought that is what Ken Wilson used to do, I may be wrong. Kerber brings so much energy to the calls and can paint a picture like no other. Chase is the perfect analyst for our fans as well. Chase has
great knowledge of the game and also knows how to call someone out tactfully.

Both Bernie and John are far from good broadcasters. They both make terrible mistakes which can lead to awkward moments on the air. If I had my pick of who to let go, it would have been John Kelly. His father was an icon in St. Louis, but as Joe Buck shows, you still have to prove that you’ve got the skills too. He has become more experienced over the past few seasons, but he continues to sound like he does not know the game of hockey well. From the listeners side, you should never have to question that about your broadcasters. I find myself doing it almost every time I listen to him.

Wilson was fun to listen to, although a bit to campy like John Rooney. Joe Micheletti is still my favorite analyst from the past years. Rob Ramage was great for a laugh with his on the ice coverage because he was just terrible at it. That’s my two
cents.

by NaJaKwa on Jul 10, 2009 10:02 AM CDT via mobile reply actions

TV and radio

did used to be simulcast when Wilson was doing it. And it invariably led to awkward times when they would watch a replay and have to say “if you’re watching on TV, you can see that Brett Hull showed no respect to Darren Puppa by going glove side.”

At some point they split it up, leading to Ron Jacober groaning and moaning on the air on top of the play-by-play announcer.

www.stlouisgametime.com

by Brad Lee on Jul 10, 2009 10:16 AM CDT up reply actions

nice darren puppa reference.

by averagejoe on Jul 10, 2009 11:21 AM CDT up reply actions

leading to Ron Jacober groaning and moaning on the air on top of the play-by-play announcer.

Hilarious and true.

Lighthouse Hockey: Side effects may include Weight gain and frequent game loss.

by Dominik on Jul 10, 2009 1:27 PM CDT up reply actions

Agreed

I also believe that Kerber and Chase are the best combo the Blues have. And I’m glad to see I’m not the only one who doesn’t like John Kelly. He is nowhere near the broadcaster his father was, hell he isn’t even in the ballpark with his brother Dan Jr. I personally believe that while overworked Dan McLaughlin (He’s freaking everywhere.) and Darren Pang would make a better broadcast team. Let Bernie do some ice-level stuff…hell let him do the intermission interviews, I think giving him a limited role is the right way to go.

by Cornfed on Jul 10, 2009 12:17 PM CDT up reply actions

Kerber/Chase definitely the best combo.

It’s weird, with JK I swear he was much better the first time around and with Colorado. Now … hmmm. I agree I’d put Jr. above him at this point. Where is Jr. now, anyway? I think he went from Columbus to Chicago, then who knows. [lazily avoids Internet search]

Lighthouse Hockey: Side effects may include Weight gain and frequent game loss.

by Dominik on Jul 10, 2009 1:29 PM CDT up reply actions

joe buck can eat a fat spoon full of shit

he disrespects st.louis often and jumps at the chance to praise someone playing against or competing for a spot with any of our teams
Kelly Chase and Kerber in the booth, Twist down on the ice, and bernie shooting another commercial

Fuck Detroit

by DasBlues74 on Jul 10, 2009 3:33 PM CDT up reply actions

You do realize . . .

that you ARE disparaging a Blues season ticket holder.

Just making you aware.

"The world is getting to be such a dangerous place, a man is lucky to get out of it alive." -- W.C. Fields

by Donut King on Jul 10, 2009 3:40 PM CDT up reply actions

maybe it was a little harsh

i just dont like his fake hair and buck teeth, no pun intended
i didnt know hes a season ticket holder, that does indeed give me more respect for him, or give him more respect for me, however that works
learn something new every day

Fuck Detroit

by DasBlues74 on Jul 10, 2009 5:48 PM CDT up reply actions

*from me, not for me

Fuck Detroit

by DasBlues74 on Jul 10, 2009 5:48 PM CDT up reply actions

You do realize that joe buck can’t win right? On national broadcasts of St. Louis teams, he is criticized on both sides for being biased. He throws bones both ways, but most people only hear the love for the other team.

You and I both know bias, its any national broadcaster broadcasting any red wings game. red wing fellatios abound.

by NaJaKwa on Jul 10, 2009 3:59 PM CDT up reply actions

The Slam Man’s take on Joe Buck and his monotone call of the Giants Super Bowl win was hilarious. It was on Rome’s show last week. Anybody hear it.

Dum spiramus tuebimur

by spectr17 on Jul 10, 2009 9:37 PM CDT up reply actions

chase

i totally agree about Chaser. i learn stuff about strategy and behind the scenes explanations every time i listen to the radio broadcast. i hope he and kerber stick around for a long time. i listen online to their broadcasts from school. and even if i had tv i would prefer to listen because they are quick and interesting.

mark

by holtonmark on Jul 10, 2009 5:50 PM CDT up reply actions

I embrace the move.

For the first time since Joe Micheletti, we have a national broadcaster in the booth. We have quite a tradition with that, if you all haven’t noticed . . . from JK’s father on down.

And if he’s going to be a homer . . . at least he’ll be OUR homer.

Also, as stated in another thread . . . my guess is that this ends Dan McLaughlin’s involvement with Blues broadcasts. One word for that, if it’s true . . . “HALLE-FUCKING-LUJAH!!!!”

"The world is getting to be such a dangerous place, a man is lucky to get out of it alive." -- W.C. Fields

by Donut King on Jul 10, 2009 10:18 AM CDT reply actions

micheletti became national after us though, didnt he?

by bzgea2 on Jul 10, 2009 4:44 PM CDT up reply actions

I thought he became national shortly before he left.

Which, in retrospect, might have been WHY he left.

I really can’t remember all the details, it was so long ago. Plus I would’ve been a kid back then.

"The world is getting to be such a dangerous place, a man is lucky to get out of it alive." -- W.C. Fields

by Donut King on Jul 10, 2009 9:34 PM CDT up reply actions

My Blues Broadcast Dream Team

PBP – Doug Flanders – used to call a lot of motorcyle races for ESPN and speedway races in SoCal.20 mins into the broadcast he’d be trashed from the beer and ogling women in the stands. Slurred worse then Haray Caray but funny as hell. “Would ya look at those twins in turn 1”

Color – That crazy Finn Esa Tikkanen. Dude could give a woodpecker a headache. Imagine the taunts and insults he could inject into a game. Just make sure and install an on/off switch on his azz.

Ice Level – ??? Let me get back to you on this one

Dum spiramus tuebimur

by spectr17 on Jul 10, 2009 10:44 AM CDT reply actions

Esa Tikkanen

Awesome. Pair him with Noel Pichard and you’d have half the audience laughing and the other half saying, “What the fuck did he just say?”

www.stlouisgametime.com

by Brad Lee on Jul 10, 2009 11:11 AM CDT up reply actions

Check that

I’ll take Jay Moore (the Slam Man) for PBP. He’s about the only guy now that can crack me up for 3 hours straight.

Still working on the on ice dude

Dum spiramus tuebimur

by spectr17 on Jul 10, 2009 9:34 PM CDT up reply actions

I like Pang.

I kind of marginally feels sorry for Bernie, but he was the weak link in all of the Blues’ broadcasters, and I’m not saying that to be disrespectful. It was obvious that he was, as Brad said, learning on the job, and we’ve gotten a chance to replace him with a consummate professional who has experience as a national broadcaster.

My big question here is to the ‘Yotes – what the hell is going on with their TV deal? Does anyone know? Are they actually going to even be broadcast? Because if they want to fix stuff, they HAVE to be on the air. Look at what happened to the Blackhawks, and then tell me everything’s ok when a team isn’t on TV. It doesn’t matter if 3 people a game watch them, they have to have a television presence, or else they’re really shot.

Reporter: There`s a "stamp out the Beatles movement" underway in Detroit. What are you going to do about it?

Paul McCartney: We`re going to start a campaign to stamp out Detroit.

by hildymac on Jul 10, 2009 1:38 PM CDT reply actions

Absolute troof.

If the league isn’t stepping in and taking care of broadcast negotiations, they might as well move the team now.
—
Or maybe the problem wasn’t one of broadcast rights. Maybe Panger’s contract didn’t coincide with the broadcast contract, and he was a free agent even though Kxxx has the TV rights until 20xx.

Either way, I’m okay with Panger being part of the Blues broadcast family. And hey, this will even put a local carpenter or two to work — gotta build the booster platform so he can see over the pressbox ledge, ya know.

by BleedBlue42 on Jul 10, 2009 6:41 PM CDT up reply actions

What's the over/under

On how long it takes Pang to yell at Kelly “Quit fucking staring at me!” or “Blink DAMMIT Blink!”

Suffering St. Louis Blues hockey withdrawl since April 22, 2009.

by Pagan on Jul 10, 2009 4:41 PM CDT reply actions

Blink Rate

I was going to ask about Pang’s blink rate, because both him and Kelly staring me down would probably make me skip the pre-game show and between-period analyses.

by Mr. Particle on Jul 10, 2009 5:00 PM CDT up reply actions

if kelly is still calling the game it doesnt matter who’s in the booth with him, its pretty much going to suck. i bet bernie was always too distracted by kelly’s weird doe eyed stare to keep up with the play anyway.

by bzgea2 on Jul 10, 2009 4:42 PM CDT reply actions

Naw, he’s used to that cardboard cutout of his wife from the tile commercial staring at him.

Suffering St. Louis Blues hockey withdrawl since April 22, 2009.

by Pagan on Jul 10, 2009 5:21 PM CDT up reply actions

What about the Coyotes' radio coverage?

I seem to recall that one-time STL fan-favorite Tyson Nash was in their radio booth.

.... formerly "Tim" of StLouisGameTime.com

by CrossCheckRaise on Jul 10, 2009 5:13 PM CDT via mobile reply actions

I like it...

I think Pang is very knowledgeable and a real pro…I think he can be root for the home team without foaming at the mouth, which is important.

I’m out of market, so I don’t catch the Blues’ broadcasters that often…I grew up with the first Kelly and Gus Kyle, so I’m very spoiled…I didn’t think Ken Wilson was that bad, but I wasn’t in town most of the time he worked in St. Louis.

by tbell61 on Jul 10, 2009 7:03 PM CDT reply actions

Ken Wilson was very good...

… and Ken Wilson knew it. Granted, it was the Laurie regime who canned him, and they didn’t know a hockey puck from a deflated, burnt-up basketball; but Wilson didn’t do himself any favors by refusing to participate in marketing activities and mailing in a fair number of regular-season games.

Here’s a thread from 2004 copying the P-D story at the time.

by BleedBlue42 on Jul 10, 2009 7:51 PM CDT up reply actions

woww did anyone check out second city hockey

they go so in depth . . . they MIGHT even have pictures from their prospect camp. come on guys, get your shit together over there
dont we have a live stream? chicago sucks

Fuck Detroit

by DasBlues74 on Jul 10, 2009 8:40 PM CDT reply actions