Today we’ll focus on Jack Edwards, who just finished up his first full-time season doing play-by-play game for the Bruins on NESN.
Edward has had a long and varied career, working at places like WMUR-TV in Manchester, NH, WRKO radio, WCVB-TV and WHDH-TV in Boston, as well as doing work for ABC’s Wide World of Sports in the late 1980’s.
In 1991 he joined ESPN and remained there until 2003, where he was a SportsCenter anchor, and did play-by-play for the Little League World Series, NHL games and soccer.
He joined NESN in 2005 and primarily did the Bruins road games for the network. Last summer the network pushed Dale Arnold out and made Edwards the full time announcer for all the games.
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Jack Edwards Approval Ratings
Popularity: 34% [?]
If the results of this poll don’t turn out well for Jack that bitterness will be stored up and expelled as rocket fuel at a later date.
I really appreciate this feature of being able to rank Boston’s mediots, but for the love of God, get to the morons at WEEI! I want to see the 5% approval for the likes of Dennis, Callahan, Meterperel, Dale Arnold, Craig Mustard, Big O, etc…I could care less about Jack Edwards or Kevin Paul Dupont…
Approve, because he is neither Dale Arnold nor Bob Neumeier.
We want WEEI!
I’ll “saucer pass” over a big dissaprove. I’m only a marginally hockey viewer, but his terminology leaves me scratching my head. He also went on a wild PR rant for the Jacobs family after the game 7 loss the other night. Something about “a nightmare in the form of a spoked-B.”
Just call the game goofy.
I’m all Edwards’d out by this point. What should be a 2500 word rant will condensed into a saucered, spooned, windshield wipered, long diagonaled, half-walled, through the paint, cycled “DISAPPROVE” from 200′.
Despite all the “saucers”, I would have been on the fence about him until Monday night’s game.
That speech he gave at the end of the game was flat out embarassing. Even Dale “another ice cube, Mr. Sinden?” has more shame.
It was just SO over the top. “This loss will come back as rocket fuel for the Bruins”?? “The Canadiens have seen the future and it is in the form of an eight-spoked B!” WTF?
Yeah, he sucks. Doesn’t shut up, his enthusiasm comes across as contrived, shrieks like a ninny and uses more fake hockey lingo than needed. The windshield wiper a couple of weeks ago sealed it. Disapproval, stapled to the boards!
I wished something like a puck flying up and nailing Edwards in the head ala the organist in Slapshot. He’s a total homer without adequate knowledge of the game of hockey. That voice has got to go. He’s like the Marv Albert of NES> Please get rid of him, it’s obvious Brickley cannot tolerate him. Listen to Brick’s humoring laughs to Jack’s lame insights.
DISAPPROVE. The jargon irritates me, but his shouting homerism is even worse. Watch some old tapes of Fred Cusick, Jack, or listen to Bob “Always the Leader” Wilson. They could convey excitement about Bruins’ wins without being shills. (BTW, both Dale and Noomie were awful hockey announcers, too.)
Edwards is a solid PBP guy who has a good NHL pedigree, knows and obviously likes the game, and recognizes the subtle things that occur on the ice. He is too fast and loose with terms like “saucer” that seem to have been published in some sort of “Broadcasting Hockey Games for Dummies” book this season, as other announcers seem to be picking up some of those terms as well.
I think he is trying to carve out an identity as a pro-Bruins announcer of the kind we grew up with. Someone like Bob Wilson or Fred Cusick who clearly called the game pro-Bruin. That’s what most home team announcers are, for better or worse. He takes on a different persona when he does the games on VS.
I was comfortable with Dale’s safe middle of the road Bruins call, but I’ve come to like Edwards throw back Gene Hart like approach.
Approved in this corner.
i had a neighbor growing up that looked just like edwards. this neighbor washed his trans am every day, i never liked my neighbor and i don’t like edwards. there is something contrived and unsettling about him.i think he may be partially thetan or 1/2 vampire.
The results of this poll as of this moment should be sent up the river.
Not only did he use the words “impetus” and “duality” in a hockey broadcast, he used them incorrectly.
Dumb and pompous is no way to go through life.
Would have been an enthusiastic “Approve” until his painful game-ending, season-ending, Jacobs Crime Family-approved sales pitch turned my stomach as Game 7 drew to a close.
He also worked at WJAR in Providence before heading over to WCVB. He was very nice to me when was I interning at WJAR.
Some of his rants are over the top, but he’s not as offensive as other hockey play-by-play men in Canada and the US. I approve.
This is Jack Edwards the Bruins announcer we’re voting on, right?
DISAPPROVE!
Dale arnold was far and away better, and more knowledgeable. This guy constantly tells us how many frigin feet the puck has to go. Bring back dale!!!!
Voted Approve soley due to the fact that he pushed Dale “Okeley Dokeley” out of there.
He is unnaturally attached to Saucer, dish and spoon. I wouldn’t leave this guy alone in my kitchen cupboard if you know what I mean.
Also what is up with all the Half Walls, is he trying to build a prison for Chris Collinsworth and Jason Wolfe?
p.s. if he is building that prison, I change my vote to approve
I find Edwards vocabulary amusing. Whenever I watch road games (I go to all the home games) I find myself counting the key “Jack” words, and am sadly disappointed when they are not used. It’s an amusing tick that I don’t find too distracting. He’s also thrown in words, that as a writer, make my heart flutter, like when he described the effort of a Dave Lewis team, “sonambulatory”
Vocabulary aside, he’s solid with the play-by-play, makes interesting points, and provides a perfect foil for Brickley’s analysis. When he and brick do games nationally on Versus, his skills are even more apparent.
Yeah, he may be over the top, but I think his enthusiasm is an attempt to reach out to some of the disenfranchised fans or even the more casual fans. I find his take on the game to be a welcome change from the usual “puck dumped in, chase to the corner” monotone babble. He’s not Doc Emerick or Jim Hughson, but he’s passable.
He sucks. All he does is yell which, as with John Meterperel, comes across awkward and not enthusiastic. He’s not ready for prime time and is much better suited flying under the radar calling soccer games and other crappy events on ESPN2. He couldn’t carry Andy Brickley’s jock and should not be the lead hockey announcer for an original 6 franchise.
I agree with john’s comment…enough already with these lesser known hockey writers and broadcasters…
lets get to the weei guys and some of the herald writers….
Don’t you realize Bruce is saving the EEIdiots for the end? Think of them as the sweet dessert after a satisfying Boston sports media meal.
Or another way of looking at it is if he does them all now there would be nothing to look forward to. The ratings-driven May sweeps are coming up, perhaps a few of the 850ites will find their way onto the page by then.
This is pretty much what I’m thinking here.
WEEI guys have been showing up on Monday. If you’ve noticed there’s been something of a pattern to the postings each week.
There’s been a number of hockey guys lately so that we can get them out of the way while the hockey season is still fresh in people’s minds. If people right now are asking who Fluto Shinzawa and Stephen Harris are, imagine if I did their ratings in the middle of July…
Just trying to spread things out and keep this going for a while, mixing in both big and small names, and keeping some consistency in posting according to the sports seasons.
With the emphasis on “get them out of the way.” Gotta include the hockey guys at some point, I suppose.
I like Dale. He seems like a nice family man.
But - I couldn’t stand his call of Bruins games. NAILS ON A CHALKBOARD
I’m voting approve but mostly because I want to see the results.
Edwards has looked EXACTLY the same for 20 years, so maybe there’s something to the vampire theory. Any reports/video on his series-ending rant?
First off, Bruce your doing a hell of a job with these appoval rating polls. They are very entertaining. I think your doing it right by saving the “big names” for last. …..as far as Jack Edwards, I’ll give him a lukewarm approve. I think he’s better than Dale Arnold but he’s NO Fred Cusick. Fred “Cue-stick” was THE MAN….spent damn near 30 years listening to him call Bruins games and the broadcasts haven’t beemn the same since.
His profile on tv was what made me disapprove! How the hell can he get on the tube with a “schnozz” like that?
You could park a HUMMER in his nostril and STILL have room for the Sunday papers!!!
he is brutal . just call the game and stop telling stories about unh or whatever. the cliches dont annoy me as much as the lack of a pro call of the game ; just tell me who has the puck etc.
He’s definitely over the top, but I don’t feel like the passion is fake. He seems to enjoy his job, and fortunately Brick evens out the craziness a little bit. Approve slightly.
I’ve heard he’s not too bright and will just not shut up about his mahogany deck.
Disapprove. Too much of a homer for the Bruins.
Two words: “NO!!!!!!!!!!! CALL!!!!!!!!!!!”
Edwards is from the same cookie-cutter mold that all Boston sports media hacks are from. They remind me of those eel-like Remoras or Sea Lampreys that suck onto a shark or a whale for their entire life and just ride around. That’s what Boston sports media hacks are like, and Jack is one of them. Reminds me, for some reason, of Opie Taylor.
80% of B’s games were painfully boring, so i give him credit for making an attempt at contrived enthusiasm.
However, his stomach-turning game 7 a** kiss to Jacobs was a disgrace. The Bruins were bounced in round one of the playoffs — ten years ago this would have been a disaster but now it’s considered some sort of accomplishment.
But, as Dale Arnold learned, you gotta a** kiss to make it in in the NHL. Dale was fired by both New Jersey and Boston and his NHL career is dead.
Jack has no marketable skills, and in a challenging job climate he needs to cling to this gig. Butt-smooching is his best bet.
Thumbs down.
The best thing about these Approval Ratings is that the media hacks we speak about come here and read the comments. By nature, they cannot stay away. You tell a kid not to touch a hot stove, and what do they do? Touch the hot stove. Same deal here. For them, it must be like witnessing a car crash and then realizing, “Hey, that’s ME in that car!”
i can’t stand looking at him when he talks (intermissions and postgame) because he stays in that nasal play-by-play over the top broadcaster guy voice, and he kind of seems like a bit of a tool and the kind of guy you wouldn’t be able to stand if you had to small talk with him at a bbq or something.
but during the games i thought he was excellent. just enough homerism to echo what you’re subconsciously thinking as the plays happen, but enough restraint on the calls to keep the action front and center. it’s easy for play by play guys to detract from watching games, but in his case i thought he added a lot. glad to have him on nesn…
Jack just does the best he can with a job nobody wants
Disapprove totally. Dale Arnold was a C+ announcer. Complete rumpswab for “Mr. Jacobs”, but at least he called the game accurately. A blind person listening to Edwards’s calls would think that the Bruin won every fight this year.
He also doesn’t seem to know the rules of hockey. Many times in the playoffs alone he would announce icing when it was actually a penalty or vice versa, only to be saved by Brickley (who actually knows whats going on). Memories of Dave Shea.
I don’t care about his opinions. He’s an average announcer at best, which means he sucks since he’s stuck with the Bruins.
Edwards’ passion for the sport of hockey is genuine. People who complain about his use of terminology during Bruins telecasts don’t understand the game; they should just stick to bouncy ball and any other sports they follow. And I don’t even root for the Bruins. Approve. Anyone who claims Dale Arnold was a better hockey announcer is on crack.
I agree with Brian. Edwards sometimes gets a little to over-the-top with his positive outlook. However, anyone who “disapproves” because of his hockey “lingo” is someone who jumped on the bandwagon of this team after Game 6. Those are the type that have no clue about the game or they’d realize there is no other way to describe a soft pass, laid out perfectly over a defender’s stick, other than “saucer pass.” You guys aren’t Bruins fans (except when they are heading into a Game 6 or 7) and you clearly don’t know much about hockey. Edwards is a very good announcer and works well with Brickley, who himself is by far the best color man in the business.
“Darcy Tucker on his way to the penalty box and he’s YAPPIN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!”
The only thing funnier than listening to Jack Edwards soccer PBP is listening to Jack Edwards hockey PBP. FACT.
APPROVE.
The following is a true Jack Edwards in game moment (make sure to imagine his loud inflection, and over-exaggerated, announcer guy voice)…….
“THAT PUCK WAS BOUNCING AROUND LIKE A MEXICAN JUMPING BEAN ON SPEED!”
I can’t get it out of my head, it’s like a bad dream…. please make it stop.
A complete idiot. He is the BRUINS announcer and should be biased for them ! Everytime he screams “He SCORES” when the Bruins are scored on I want to puke. It’s like he has never seen a goal before. Just is bad is him trying to create a catch phrase “Saved by (insert goalie name). Just shut up