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Puck Daddy

Tue May 27, 2008 3:20 pm EDT

Mark Messier's revolutionary approach to hockey commentary

By Greg Wyshynski

On our Game 2 live blog last night, the resident puckheads weren't all that impressed with NHL legend Mark Messier as a talking (bald) head on the Versus pundit panel last night. The reviews ranged from cruel ("Messier looks like a rock ‘em sock ‘em robot.") to unusually cruel  ("Messier's lovechild with Madonna would look like the original ‘Alien' from the movie, but with worse teeth.")

We imagine some of this vitriol is based on the fact that Messier is, in fact, a television commentator who has absolutely nothing to say; a blithering mass of former glory and name recognition whose mission last night was to make Keith Jones sound smarter than Scotty Bowman, and to present some dopey leadership award to a player who held his team hostage at the trade deadline.

Are we being too hard on him? Check out this fine Mess and decide for yourself:

H/T to our friends at Orland Kurtenblog, who claim this is an example of "what a lack of cue cards and deep fried potato goodness will do to a man."

Related: Stanley Cup Playoffs, Puck Videos

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37 Comments

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  1. JM
    1. Posted by JM Thu Sep 03, 2009 8:42 pm EDT

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    Some players ought to stay out of the broadcast booth.
    With that said, Mark Messier is a hockey legend - 6 cups to prove it. He showed others what it meant to be a leader. Cut the guy some slack.
  2. Joe
    2. Posted by Joe Thu Sep 03, 2009 8:42 pm EDT

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    I'm really surprised that Versus put him back on the show. His stint with the network during the regular season produced similiar results that were painful to watch.
    I listened to him earlier in the week on ESPN radio and he did really good job but TV commentary is not his strong suit.
    Joe
    The EmptyNetter
    http://theemptynetter.blogspot.com/
  3. Seedy
    3. Posted by Seedy Thu Sep 03, 2009 3:33 pm EDT

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    That video was a bit choppy, got another? Zing!
  4. William H
    4. Posted by William H Thu Sep 03, 2009 9:57 pm EDT

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    Mess was...a mess. Sounded a lot like Elmer Fudd with a hang-over. He is not good, but Versus pays its people in left-over Tour de France swag, so you can't expect much.
  5. Lucy
    5. Posted by Lucy Thu Sep 03, 2009 6:59 pm EDT

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    Hey, I think he's easy on the eyes - bald is sexy!! Yeah, he needs to join as many Toastmasters International clubs as he can find, but give him a chance-- he'll get there. No one knows the game more intimately than he does.
  6. Brian
    6. Posted by Brian Thu Sep 03, 2009 3:13 pm EDT

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    Keith Jones is great.
  7. .................................................!
    7. Posted by .................................................! Thu Sep 03, 2009 2:44 pm EDT

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    He needs to start making up words and botching famous phrases ala Emmit Smith for ESPN. I can see it now: "The Wings have the winnitude that you need. Vince Lombardo always said 'winning isn't everything it's all things' and that's what the Wings - you know, they, I-I-I - embodificate."
  8. Big H
    8. Posted by Big H Thu Sep 03, 2009 4:21 pm EDT

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    He is still better than any of the meatheads on it now. vs stay in tennis and out of hockey
  9. JasonV
    9. Posted by JasonV Thu Sep 03, 2009 4:21 pm EDT

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    Yeh give the guy a break its his first time. Everyone is a little weak at first
    For chistmas sakes
  10. betsyanne2000
    10. Posted by betsyanne2000 Thu Sep 03, 2009 3:05 pm EDT

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    b.reed : that is the funniest thing I've ever read! keep up the good work
  11. betsyanne2000
    11. Posted by betsyanne2000 Thu Sep 03, 2009 3:05 pm EDT

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    thing is it's not his first time......
  12. scott j
    12. Posted by scott j Thu Sep 03, 2009 9:08 pm EDT

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    Kudos to Keith Jones....as the play by play men were praising the pressure Pittsburgh was putting on Detroit midway through the first period, Jones chimed in with the comment of the night " they may want to start with a shot on goal" Announcers bias was nauseating...shots on goal 12-0 score 2-0 and they praise the Pens....get a clue
  13. Senior
    13. Posted by Senior Thu Sep 03, 2009 8:40 pm EDT

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    These commentators on VS need to really read the book on Hockey before announcing any games. Read the rules before making
    vegue remarks, worst announcers I have ever listened to, bias is to nice a word to explain their inability to broadcast any game.
  14. Jim M
    14. Posted by Jim M Thu Sep 03, 2009 3:00 pm EDT

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    I stopped listening to Messier during pre-game, and didn't bother watching much of the intermission shows. I was so frustrated at Ed Olczyk, and his praise for the Penguins throughout both games (but it was much worse in game 2), that I actually stepped away from the TV to send an e-mail to both Versus and NBC telling them that he should not be involved in any Penguin broadcasts. Ryan Malone cheap-shots Zetterberg well after the whistle, and Eddie says it was "a good finish to a check, just as the whistle sounded." Malone, again, collides with Crosby and runs in to Osgood, and Edzo insists (even after the replay proved that it was Crosby and Malone only) that Malone was pushed into Osgood by a Red Wing player. I was sick of it. I couldn't enjoy the game. Edzo must go!
  15. terry l
    15. Posted by terry l Thu Sep 03, 2009 7:14 pm EDT

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    edzo is clearly bettmans mouthpiece. he is trying to sell the world of hockey the biggest pig in a poke ever- the penguins. they are clearly inferior and i hope that det drops 1 away game so the wings can lift the cup in the joe. teams that play like the pens in game 2 shouldnt even have the sacred cup in their building. there play was cheap to say the least and embarrassingly unsportsmanlike at best. cindy crosby(the diving diva) is the captain of the team. instead of leading, he looks like a spoiled child who wants to tell because he isnt getting his way. stop crying to the refs and play. every time the cams show him, he looks shaken. not a good quality in the guy who wears the C. if game 2 is the best the pens have, should be a quick series. GO WINGS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
  16. David
    16. Posted by David Thu Sep 03, 2009 4:20 pm EDT

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    Is hockey so fragile that they have to promote an inferior team with biased announcers? Makes hockey look like all-star wrestling.
  17. Cher
    17. Posted by Cher Thu Sep 03, 2009 7:25 pm EDT

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    Bring back Manny Legace he did an awesome job at the begining of the Playoffs and bring him back to Hockeytown.
    GO WINGS
  18. Robert W
    18. Posted by Robert W Thu Sep 03, 2009 9:34 pm EDT

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    babababut he wawawas a r r r eally g g good ppp player and has m m m my r r respect!
  19. terry l
    19. Posted by terry l Thu Sep 03, 2009 7:14 pm EDT

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    VS should bring manny legace back as guest commentator- nothing against messier. he was a GREAT player, and an exceptional man for his charity work- just a lousy commentator. i thought manny did good in his guest appearance and could give good insight to wings organization.
  20. wap
    20. Posted by wap Thu Sep 03, 2009 8:03 pm EDT

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    Too Fing funny! The great goal scorers don't think. Some should also try not to talk.
  21. whitepeople.tv
    21. Posted by whitepeople.tv Thu Sep 03, 2009 2:46 pm EDT

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    Can we quit with the leader crap? Yes, Messier is one of the greatest players in NHL history and he deserves everything he got including his 6 cups... but he's not the leader he's made out to be. He symbolized leadership in 94 by making a prediction and making good on it. He was a punk for the first half of his career and a locker room cancer in the latter part of his career (Ask Canuck fans about mighty Messier's leadership). But he was... one of the greatest players ever. Let's leave it at that.
    You want leadership. No one exhibited it more in the last 30 years than Stephen Gregory Yzerman.
  22. ChuckFromDetroit
    22. Posted by ChuckFromDetroit Thu Sep 03, 2009 3:27 pm EDT

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    Keith Jones looks like Jabba the Hut, eh? He's horrible. They should come out with the best CAPTAIN award and name it after Yzerman, eh?
  23. Joseph
    23. Posted by Joseph Thu Sep 03, 2009 7:43 pm EDT

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    Love the comments about Stevie Y. He brought us three cups and everything else from now on is just frosting on the cake. As an air traffic controller I sometimes ask Northwest pilots if they've heard when the people of Detroit will rename Metro Airport to Yzerman Int'l....I'm hoping that if I start the rumour that it will stick! Go Wings!
  24. lawdy_frickin_da
    24. Posted by lawdy_frickin_da Thu Sep 03, 2009 4:57 pm EDT

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    let's face it - hockey makes millions and the almighty dollar tries to sway the Bettman NHL into manipulating the on-air call or even the on ice calls in order to try and market the golden boy...they think that crosby can bring ion the $$ - so they are trying their best to get him a cup or to make people think that he shoulda woulda got the cup if it were not for all those "non-calls" and the diving on Detroit's behalf..
    total bs and it is good to see that the Wings can not only defeat the Pens but the refs and the NHL management, too
    ~
  25. Paul R
    25. Posted by Paul R Thu Sep 03, 2009 8:08 pm EDT

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    I think he was a bit hung-over.

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