So this is what a Stanley Cup broadcast looks like. Not bad.
Other thoughts and observations from ESPN's broadcast of Game 1 of the Stanley Cup final Tuesday night.
WE LOVE JAROME: ESPN announcers Gary Thorne, Bill Clement and John Davidson were smitten with Calgary's Jarome Iginla from the beginning. But guess what? He deserved it.
POWER OUTAGE: All three announcers were critical of the Lightning's power play. Thorne said they looked like they had never scored a power-play goal. After one ineffective effort, Clement said: "The Lightning had one shot; Jarome Iginla had two shots."
HEE HEE: Chris Berman still can be funny sometimes, ending the pregame show with, "This will be higher scoring than the Pistons-Pacers series."
MEANIE: Studio host John Saunders said when it came to sports, "Tampa Bay has always been known as a town of losers." Ouch.
CUTE LINE: Davidson was proud of saying Calgary played "hospital hockey: lots of patience." Get it?
OOPS: There's only one thing worse than announcing on the way to a commercial that the Flyers led by two: trying to correct yourself by saying the Flames but only getting out "Fla . . ." HOCKEY 101: Nice job by Clement in explaining that Martin Gelinas' goal would stand because he is allowed to redirect a puck with his skate, just as long as he doesn't kick it in.
LAST WORD: "Tampa Bay still has to show they can skate with Calgary . . . this Calgary team is much better than I thought they were." - Davidson.
