Penguins still getting crushed on feedback at low end of TV broadcasts

NHL fans don’t rate the Penguin local broadcast very highly, but what else is new

Public perception is very slow to change when it comes to NHL broadcasting teams. The Penguins’ local team on SportsNet Pittsburgh did not fare very well in Awful Announcing’s recent rankings, which is nothing new since they never have done well in any type of widespread polling across the sport.

The Pittsburgh related blurb on AA:

Most common grade: C (38.4% of votes)
Percentage of A/B/C grades: 74.4%

This team saw some recent change, with Getzoff (who had previously worked in their radio booth) taking over as the lead play-by-play voice in 2023 and this trio of analysts also joining then. That followed a six-year run for Steve Mears on play-by-play and a 19-year-run for Bob Errey on analysis. Mears and Errey finished 30th of 31 teams in our 2020 rankings with a 1.48, while Paul Steigerwald and Errey placed 30th of 30 in 2016 with a 1.27. Thus, while the numerical grade for the newer booth is higher, the relative placement is similar.

In the comments, one of the most notable criticisms was for Armstrong. “Every time I hear Colby Armstrong, I wonder whether he is the inspiration for every Letterkenny joke making fun of hockey players. He rarely analyzes and mostly just reacts to the play like a fan watching from his living room.” One critic did find him “the most lively one of the bunch,” but that respondent also found the overall announcing lineup here “dull and boring and lifeless and utterly impersonal.” Other overall criticisms of this booth included ” too many tangents from the commentary on this specific team” and “Homers. And sure, all these crews are in the bag for their teams. But you can be in the bag and fair.”

Getzoff drew more individual kudos. That included “Replacing Mears with Getzoff is one of the best choices in Penguins broadcasting.” And there were some somewhat-positive comments overall as well, including “competent” and “the best.” But the general tone of the comments was in line with this group’s low ranking.

It should be noted that a decent percentage (74.4%) gave a good grade to the Pittsburgh crew, giving them an amount of good grades than some of the broadcasts that averaged out to a better score. But that tracks, local fans and ones who often watch the broadcast generally think it’s at least OK. But the reputation of the broadcast and quality has (and probably always will) be low from those who have it stuck in their minds about the Pittsburgh perspective being slanted or poor from earlier crews.

Another question will be just how much the Pens care about this. It was reported the team has had a 38% decline in local TV ratings — the club no longer puts out press releases about being the top NHL market like they did as recently as 2021 — but that likely has more to do with the product on the ice slipping more than the voices calling it. Markets like Pittsburgh and Buffalo have almost always drawn steady and strong audiences, so from the team perspective. negative feedback like this might not be a big deal in the broader scope of more important areas.

Otherwise, the Armstrong crack and critique is very funny. Good ol “Army” definitely leans into the folksy hockey boy persona. His style can work better in a panel for intermissions — a role he also has nationally occasionally.

Beyond that, personal preference will be what it will be across the board. The Pens’ TV broadcast has never really gotten any love or admiration from the hockey world ever since Mike Lange moved from TV to radio in 2006, and that likely isn’t going to change no matter the broadcasters in the near future.