Jack Edwards...Love em or Hate em?

Jack Edwards -- Love em or Hate em? The Commish gives his take...


Since the surge of the Boston Bruins, more and more people are tuning into Bruins play-by-play. For those of you who remember Jack Edwards, he was a contemporary of John Dennis at Channel 7. Bob Neumeier, Bob Lobel, Mike Lynch, Mike Dowling, John Dennis, and yes, Jack Edwards. That's who I remembered -- so when he shifted over to ESPN while I was in college, I remember rooting for him to succeed. That was the big time of sports journalism. And Edwards got in there early -- spending 12 years there.

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So while people want to blast Edwards for his over the top soliloquies of Bruins hockey, bear with him.

Is he trying too much sometimes? It seems like it -- which is unfortunate, because he calls a good game. He knows the game much better than the average fan. And therefore, the Howard Cosell-ian dramatics are unecessary. Are the dramatics all bad? No. And people over-react far too much to that.

Did he go over the top last playoffs with the American Revolution analogy in the first round of the playoffs -- yes -- it was like watching one of those uncomfortable scenes in The Office where Michael Scott says or does something and you're watching a train wreck...

Was Monday night's conclusion bad? No -- I didn't think so -- the Edmund Fitzgerald reference was obscure enough to be cool. People only know the song by Canadian Gordon Lightfoot. But it's a true story about a ship that was used to transport iron from Superior, Wisconsin to Buffalo, NY.

Snowball - 1

Hell - 0

Ok - that was corny --

But it's OK -- Edwards knows hockey. He's a local guy having gone to UNH, having worked in New England pretty much his whole life, and has enough of that homer-ism that you believe he genuinely roots for the Bs.

Does he try too hard? Ok -- sometimes.

Is that terrible? What would you rather have -- someone who knows enough about hockey to understand icing or offsides, but barely understands the roots of the Bruins? Someone who does nothing to impress you? I guess the big issue I can see is Edwards doesn't need the corny calls. He doesn't need the dramatics. He's good enough without them. He's good enough just calling the game. And the monologues end up being those 10 minute drum solos that send you leaving your seat at a concert to use the bathroom...

Why is it Heinsohn is revered for his green-colored lenses or the way Johnny Most called the C's game. Derek Sanderson was loved for his lopsided opinions.

Give Edwards time. He's 53 yrs old and I think if all played itself out, this could be his last job that carries him into his mid-late 60's. If he does, people will look back at his play-calling days with fond rememberance.

The Commish is a contributor to the Bingo Bar Blog and aspiring journalist. He's made his bones covering the MVFFL as a beat writer and now enjoys a freelance career.


The Jack Edwards laughing box!