[Hipcheck]

Just read this quote and reminding of something I said a couple of years ago-why doesnt the NHL mic everyone and have this as a secondary audio option?

Was not the Laracque/Ivanans prefight conversation the talk of the town when it happened?

How about Avery's "Hows your head Cookie?" comments? When you love to hear 99% of what Avery says?

Did anyone catch Ruutu's constant yapping at Jagr at every faceoff during the Pens-Rangers series?

There is nothing more compelling then on ice audio. At the same time it also helps people understand the game. ive got a fight tape in which after a scrum you can hear the Refs sorting out penalties. With no audio you have no idea how the refs sort these things out-with the audio it actually makes much more sense and you get a much better idea of how good some of the refs are as opposed to simply thinking theyre all idiots.

I know the NHL markets itself horribly and all but this IMO would be one of the greatest things the NHL can do not to mention really be a trailblazer when its comes to broadcasting sports. Thoughts?

“ Vs. leaving the audio open so we could listen to Mike Rupp call Paul Mara a “#$% #$%” and a “little #$”: Seriously, why doesn’t every non-network hockey telecast do this? Do they really think toddlers are watching? We’re all adults here: let us listen to other adults swearing at each other in the heat of the moment. As much as I love the NHL, I’d divorce my wife and marry the NHL if they hung ninety microphones over the ice so we could hear every desperate blasphemy and vulgarity that escapes these guys’ lips when they get into it. They always let us see them beat the snot out of each other; why can’t we always listen to them call each other % suckers, too? I don’t wanna have to strain to hear it or read lips, either; I want that in 5.1 stereo sound. THX, even. The audience is listening… and we wanna hear some nasty cuss words hurled around like we’re listening to “Eddie Murphy: Raw.”
- Kevin Smith