On the news front, disappointing stuff kudos of MSG. But what would you expect from a network that couldn't be bothered to air the Ilya Kovalchuk press conference (even if preliminary). Today, comes the latest disappointment with Islander TV color analyst Billy Jaffe not returning to the booth.
UPDATE: Per Chris Botta's tweet:
ChrisBottaNHL: Multiple sources confirm: MSG had contract done for Billy Jaffe, Islanders shot it down. Reason: not positive enough.
If that really is the reason, it's just pathetic. Does every broadcast have to always use rose colored glasses?!?!?!?!?! Between the mishandling of Bryan Trottier, firing their head scout and this, the Islanders yet again have egg on their face. Guess Charles Wang has a bit of Dolan in him too...
What a farce. At least in this blogger's eyes, Jaffe and Howie Rose formed the best broadcast duo among the Battle clubs, demonstrating superb chemistry while educating and entertaining Islander fans. Even if you weren't, it was easy to admire the style Jaffe brought from Atlanta to the telecasts- giving a no-nonsense approach that we rarely get from company man Joe Micheletti and Martin Brodeur loyalist extraordinaire Chico Resch.
With one of the best play-by-play men in Rose and one of the rising analysts in Jaffe who did solid work for Versus, the Islanders were not only a fun watch for John Tavares but for the back and forth banter we got from Howie and Billy. What we admired most about the tandem was that they knew when to turn it on, often getting into good discussions on the game. Whether it was taking a referee to task for a questionable call or debating rules or even telling cool stories, they always had the fans' best interest.
So, how do you think they reacted to this? Close friend Angelica Rodriguez summed it up best:
ReinaDeLaIsla @BattleOfNewYork absolutely ridiculous. Howie and Billy's broadcasts were my favorite part of Isles games most of the time. Ugh.
ReinaDeLaIsla @BattleOfNewYork seriously considering starting SOMETHING to try and bring him back... ahaha.We second that notion! Some more reaction on Twitter echoed her sentiment:
NHLArenaNYIsles Looking@ all the comments on Botta's page. #Isles fans keep saying Jaffe gone is cost cutting by NYI. But NYI aren't the ones who pay him!
JeffMarek Sad day for NYI hockey: Billy Jaffe not renewed as Islanders TV analyst. Charles Wang to take over? He does everything else so why not?
ChrisBottaNHL In 90 minutes, 262 comments about the departure of Billy Jaffe - running about 95% pro Jaffe
BDGallof when I was in Philly, Billy Jaffe was hanging with the ESPN boys. He is well-respected & liked. Don't expect him to be out of work for long
PuckCentral @ChrisBottaNHL I don't get it, Jaffe was a good analyst & seemed like a good guy (not that being a good guy guarantees you a job)
ChrisBottaNHL Now the Islanders willingly say goodbye to a popular TV analyst who sold their rebuild on many outlets and did volunteer work for them.
You get the point. Jaffe is well liked/respected in the hockey community. You can bet your bottom dollar that the 41 year-old will land on his feet. A tough loss for local puckers but a gain for other fans.
3 comments:
lol, nice shoutout. I like! :D
Seriously, though, this is ridiculous. I can't believe the Islanders would do that. I mean, this is NOT Communist Russia. Commentators will have negative opinions of the team from time to time. It's your job to improve the on-ice product so that the negatives turn into positives- not to fire them on the spot. They have some nerve.
James Dolan did this, not the New York Islanders, these are all Cablevision's hockey announcers, like Marv Albert used to be before he said things Dolan did not like about his teams.
Charles Wang could not even get his pre-game on television or Metro Ice Money from Dolan's a few years ago.
anytime Ang :D
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