PAST DEVILS PODCASTS
SPEAK OF THE DEVILS PODCAST
Special broadcasters episode
Walsh and Smith talk development and more
NHL's Davis and Scott discuss social justice and HBSE
TSN's Craig Button discusses 2020 NHL Draft propsects
Former Devil Jamie Langenbrunner talks about his playing days
NHL.com's Mike Morreale discusses the 2020 Draft and prospects
Former Devils player Brian Gionta discusses playing days
Devils GM Tom Fitzgerald talks about promotion from Interim GM
Devils New Head Coach Lindy Ruff discusses his hiring
Binghamton Head Coach Mark Dennehy discusses off-season
1995 Cup Team Reflects on 25-year Anniversary
On this double dose of broadcasting, Matt and Chris are first joined by Hockey Night in Canada's Louie DeBrusk. DeBrusk is a former NHL player and now works as the main color commentator for HNIC. His job has changed with the new reality of covering a game, and just like the rest of us, he is getting used to new best practices. "It's just the emotion…You know, when you're in the building as a broadcaster, we feed off the fans too, not just the players," DeBrusk told the podcast, "We feed off the emotion in the building, the vibe in the building, what's happening in a game and not having that there is a little different."
"I feed off of that," he continued, "I'm kind of one of those analysts that I really feed off that emotion in the building. So, I do miss that."
Later in the podcast, Matt and Amanda catch up with MSG Devils broadcast crew Steve Cangialosi and Ken Daneyko.
Neither were in the NHL bubble, but there's still plenty they miss with their season abruptly cut short. For Daneyko, he has an appreciation for how great the hockey has been, despite everyone working in far different circumstances.
"I had a really ominous feeling when we walked out of the building on that Tuesday night when the Penguins were in town," Cangialosi said, "And they played what would be the last game that would count in the standings. We had our production meeting that afternoon at four, and our producer Roland Dratch had already started to go over scenarios with us potentially, for the coming days. There was one scenario where we would get on the plane after the Carolina game or maybe the day after what was going to be a three-game road trip. But the feeling was we would not get on the plane, we would not mix with the players, that we would call games off the monitor from MSG, all of that was in play. And for me the cold reality that we weren't going to go to the rink."
Cangialosi was right, that was it for the Devils and MSG's broadcasting season, uncertain what a return will eventually look like.
"When do we experience that again?," Cangy asked, "We're going to be back, but how are we going to be back? Are we going to be at the arena itself? And are we calling games off a monitor? We don't know. We don't know what December is going to bring, but the time will tell, I just hope we all do the right thing."
Cangy and Dano offer more of their insight on broadcasting through this time, what the future may hold, and how they have spent their sudden free time. They share what they're doing when not watching the Return to Play NHL playoffs.
"The National Hockey League has done a terrific job," Daneyko said on the podcast, "Under the circumstances of putting this bubble together and actually pulling this off, the hockey has been terrific. I know it's a lot different than we would have seen in the past with no fans, and everybody loves their fans, but these players have played their hearts out."
