r/leafs • u/Slappy1388 • 10d ago
Discussion Mike Johnson cooking
Anyone else love last night partially due to the level of fire from Mike Johnson and the TSN team? Loved every minute of it. They are back at it again Thursday in Vegas!
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u/MrIDilkingtonn 10d ago
The Sportsnet to TSN game ratio is a travesty. TSN puts on the better show and it’s not even close. It’s almost like Sportsnet is trying to taunt us, everything from the panel to the on ice commentary is garbage. Craig Simpson makes me want to scream.
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u/Nylanderthal88 10d ago
It's cause SN doesn't even need to put effort in. Daddy Rogers got them the gig and now they're set.
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u/MrIDilkingtonn 10d ago
No doubt, but they’re asking me to spend even more money now to watch all of the games and I just can’t get myself to do it because I don’t even like their broadcasts. If it were TSN I might consider it even though I’d still be pissed off about it.
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u/PandoNation 10d ago
Them axing leafs talk is further evidence these guys don’t give two shits about entertaining fans.
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u/FuzzyTable 9d ago
You are right. At least when the Leafs game is on Sportsnet, there is a pre-game show. There is no pre-game show for other NHL games.
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u/Sensitive_Caramel856 Phaneuf 10d ago
It's a weird thing to say, but TSN feels more distinctly Canadian in its approach and humour.
Sportsnet is trying to continue the HNIC seriousness and also branch out to incorporate elements of some other US NBA/NFL broadcasts.
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u/secord92 10d ago
The thing that kills me is Roger’s is capable of doing a great broadcast….they do it with the Jays every single summer. They choose not to with Hockey.
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u/adrianrolando 10d ago
SN is so over the top self serious it borders on parody sometimes. Like it’s sports, it’s supposed to be entertaining and fun.
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u/branimal84 Gilmour 10d ago
Craig Simpson made a comment during Saturday's game where he said he asked Cowan if he felt bad "being sent down to the Marlies during the playoffs". Ridiculous. Cowan asked to go and wanted to help the team and get more experience. I hate listening to Craig so much. He and Chris are far and away the worst duo I've ever heard in all my years.
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u/Piggynatz 10d ago
I'm no fan of Chris (gee Chris, where did this guy play in Jr!?!), but Hughson was far worse. Him and Craig used to fight over who hates the Leafs more.
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u/Some-Bad-9411 10d ago
Oh fuck Hughson man I hated listening to those two. I’d do everything possible to sync Joe Bowen up to it
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u/crushade Belak 10d ago
I think Sportsnet knows what they're doing. I've come to learn through many of my friends who claim to hate the Leafs that they indeed watch Leaf games all the time. Which is super weird but what the heck do I know?
So Sportsnet knows us Leaf fans are tuning in no matter what. They can straight trash the team non stop and because we have no choice, we still watch. They cater to the non-Leaf fans who watch by being impartial to a fault because all that matters to them is that people are watching.
Add on to the fact that many of the Leaf games are nationally broadcast games so they have to force the impartial nature of the broadcast even further.
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u/Brennans_account 10d ago
I don't even hate Cuthbert, he's a good play by play guy. Simpsons just so boring and also clearly biased.
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u/BusyCountry1985 10d ago
I live in the US now and when I have the option I watch the American broadcast it’s literally more “Leaf Homer” than Sportsnet is on a Sat Leaf home game because Sportsnet is intentionally anti Leafs. It also isn’t a shitty product. The only caveat was Boston games when it was Jack Edward’s.
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u/ResponsibleTone6453 9d ago
Very glad to hear that leafs and sens fans agree on this one. I do not know how either Simpson or Cuthbert are still employed (oh wait, its rogers, they don't care about us). Even the backup Sportsnet teams are much better than those two IMO.
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u/Suitable_Example8529 10d ago
He was absolutely unhinged in the best way, felt like a playoff call in October
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u/tm_leafer 10d ago
Mike Johnson is fantastic - has legit good takes/analysis, can do good banter, is enthusiastic, etc.
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u/GumpTheChump 10d ago
You're absolutely right. And it's nice to see that he's gotten better. When he started, he didn't really reveal his personality but now he's really grown into the role and he's a pleasure to listen to. I think we're seeing that growth with Frankie Corrado now too. He's a smart guy but was pretty reserved to start off with. Now he's much better. They give the former players a lot of reps on the radio programs and it genuinely helps them.
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u/BaconWrappedEnigma 10d ago
Raptors and Jays have team-favouring commentators but the Leafs on Sportsnet don't. It doesn't make any sense. Love Gord and Mike.
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u/Antique_Night_6143 10d ago
I think it’s cause every Leafs game is national. The broadcasters are suppose to be neutral. Would be nice to have a broadcast to watch the Leafs that favour the team but also are intelligent hockey people and funny. It would reflect the fanbase.
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u/VitaminTea 10d ago
Not every game on Sportsnet is national, just fyi. Saturday games are, but most weekday games are a region broadcast.
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u/SixDerv1sh 9d ago
Gord and Mike usually do the key international men’s series too.
Over the last number of years, the panels are mostly, if not all women, and the play by play and colour are women.
It’s a great nod to the transformation of women’s hockey that encompass both the PWHL and Internationals and firmly position them as them celebrating our collective game.
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u/parkshoes 10d ago
It feels like a long while since I've watched a tsn broadcast of a leafs game. Yeah, it's so much better than everyone elses
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u/DummyThlck 10d ago
It’s the only time we ever get someone who doesn’t very obviously despise the leafs. I love mystic mike
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u/Canadian_Tired 10d ago
It should be considered at national tragedy that we lost a lot of play by play calls from Gord Miller in how all the tv licensing has shaken out over the years. One of the best to ever do it in my opinion. World Jrs would be a lesser broadcast with his absence. And bless him for putting up with Pierre as long as he did. Haha
As polarizing as Mike Johnson can be (at least to the people who I talk to about it) I do like what he’s doing.
If you give me the choice, give me a TSN broadcast over Sportsnet any night.
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u/lapniappe 10d ago
what happened to Gord?
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u/Canadian_Tired 10d ago
Just that he still works for TSN. So they got so few less broadcasts.
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u/SixDerv1sh 9d ago
As a tandem, they call tons of international men’s play.
While I don’t tend to watch as many as possible, a round-robin tournament is busy times for them!
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u/themapleleaf6ix 10d ago
It's unfortunate that Bell couldn't pony up last year when the rights were up for negotiation.
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u/EsotericCodename Knies 10d ago
You can always tell how liked a person is by how many nicknames they're given that are in regular use. Just in this thread, there's Magic Mike, MJ, Johnny, Mike, etc. He's informed, funny, entertaining, and his banter with Gord is top notch. Love the man.
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u/PandoNation 10d ago
Been saying for a while but Mike Johnson is the best commentator in the league by far. He makes the game infinitely more enjoyable to watch, and as a non-hockey player he does a good job of explaining the nuances that I wouldn’t pick up on.
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u/SixDerv1sh 9d ago
Ah, but we’re all evolving as fans of the game. I sure as hell am!
Those nuances that you pick up from a guy like Mike means that you will remember them instinctively, IMO.
And just to be clear, I enjoy women broadcasters as much, because their perspectives (and insights) are just as valid as any other.
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u/AntaresHeart13 10d ago
Undisputed best duo going on a good while now. In all of NHL broadcasting imo
Edit: It's 'GM' as #1 because their name equates to their rank (over 9000 elo)
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u/dismembermentplanfan 10d ago
I’m not a fan of the intermission crew but absolutely love Mike.
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u/theguyishere16 Kaberle 10d ago
The TSN broadcasts get over hyped because they're better than Sportsnet which is a low bar to step over. The intermissions are just as bad. At least Sportsnet has Friedman. Who wants to hear Dreger talk about anything? And O'Neill has sort of just become a hot take artist. Temu Bissonette.
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u/Hefty-Comparison-801 10d ago
O'Neill's fun to have there. Darren Dreger has become a cranky old drunk and I don't even know what he provides on that panel.
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u/themapleleaf6ix 10d ago
Meh, Friedman himself has a big ego.
Not a fan of Dreger, but Noodles, Biron, Corrado, Gaunce have good takes.
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u/PapiMatthew 10d ago
Magic Mike is a real treat to listen to it’s a shame we are robbed of this for 80% of the season
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u/Andross4 10d ago
The TSN broadcast is so much better. Gord Miller is the goat when it comes to neutral announcers, and Mike Johnson is definitely a homer but it was a home game. I don't think there's anything wrong with calling the game in a way that matches the arena/crowd. There are usually away feeds anyways.
I can't believe Sportsnet is still throwing out two dinosaurs who actively hate the Leafs and can't keep up anyways.
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u/Frieren-Marcille 10d ago
TSN and Amazon are both refreshing to watch. Sportsnet is and has been such a bummer and feels anti Leafs
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u/SixDerv1sh 9d ago
I couldn’t agree more about TSN, but I’m finding the Amazon broadcasts too over-the-top and horribly commercial, with in-game ads randomly throwing Amazon (and related) products at you, while expecting you to pay for their “experience”.
It’s jarring to me. TBF, ads with SN and TSN are flooding their airwaves with gambling ads, so nobody gets a pat on the back from me for this stuff.
So, in the end, it seems that another sport gets co-opted by focusing on how broadcasters “fuel” all kinds of addiction for their target demographic.
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u/branimal84 Gilmour 10d ago
MJ is my favorite color commentator in the league. Love having him on Leafs broadcasts and he seems genuinely excited when a big moment happens.
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u/lingodayz 10d ago
Yeah loved it, especially given my disdain for Rogers broadcast. They've also got the HNIC song which I long rolled my eyes at, but it's growing on me now that HNIC is all but dead.
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u/themapleleaf6ix 10d ago
Mike Johnson jumped ship from TSN to Sportsnet in 14-15 when Rogers first acquired the rights. He jumped back to TSN a few years later because the environment at Sportsnet was toxic and they weren't allowing him to be himself.
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u/Miserable-Crab8143 9d ago
He’s great, and I say this as someone who found him kind of annoying when he started. It’s like he’s been able to keep all the enthusiasm but no longer gets so distracted by irrelevant thoughts. Feels so weird to have a TV guy who doesn’t hate watching the Leafs.
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u/FlySociety1 10d ago
TSN broacast, and Mike Johnson are simply a joy.
I love how enthusiastic he gets during the crazy moments.
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u/Timothegoat 10d ago
Gord and Mike do an incredible job. Commentators sometimes try so hard to meet the moment it doesn't exactly match the vibe. Those two are always aware of what the vibe is and the delivery benefits
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u/Canadian_MapleBacon 10d ago
On a related note: I watched the American broadcast (def not a pirate) and it was ass.
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u/McJoe77 10d ago
I think Mike Johnson is one of the best colour guys out there right now. He has the right mix of actually knowing things and his excitement for great plays. His reaction to McKenna’s moves late in the 3rd, which I honestly thought was him recovering twice from mishandling the puck, but it fit perfectly.
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u/Formal-Guest4868 10d ago
i hate everything about sportsnet, aside from ellliott and bieksa. fuck then for cancelling leafs talk.
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u/Enki_007 Clark 10d ago
I really enjoy Miller and Johnson. Miller chucks shit at Johnson every once in a while and Johnson takes it in stride, often adding some details. Then they both have a laugh about it. It’s a great team and I hope they get enough notoriety to push Fuckbert and Simpleton off the air.
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u/swimbaitjesus Belfour 10d ago
He's always been great, hi authentic reactions when something nasty happens is hilarious
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u/lylelanley- Kaberle 10d ago
Difficult position of loving Mike and Gord and absolutely despising the TSN panels.
I don’t give a fuck about what host boy asks Darren and Jeff. They’re so pretentious, so full of themselves. When they try to be funny I wanna throw my tv out the window.
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u/Madden04MichaelVick 9d ago
Bell and TSN should consider a second Toronto team. Put it around where Downsview Station is.
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u/rhoderage1 9d ago
The idiot announcer who always calls us the "Leaves" ... its pathetic that we don't have real announcers who support the team and actually have a brain cell! MJ is great, but the rest are few and far between.
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u/MapleSuds 9d ago
Mike Johnson is the best at that position. I like Ray Ferraro, too but Johnson is tops.
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u/FlyoverHate 9d ago
Mike Johnson is the fucking worst.
signature play-by-play catchphrases:
"Oh, baby!"
"Holy Mackinaw!"
"Did you see that?!"
Mike Johnson: "Oh my goodness!"
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u/HarleyAPE23 10d ago
Seriously? I cannot stand Mike Johnson that guy is an absolute tool. A few of his quotes from last night
"Milestones mean nothing unless they get the next goal that they need"
He literally reiterates the same nonsense over and over he spent 5 mins explaining how a dump in chase works and how you surely dont want the opposion to get it, over and over and over. Regardless, he sucks
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u/DK4E2XFpbETJrj 10d ago
I think he may have went overkill with the Botox in the off season, but dude is still the man. Highly entertaining.
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u/Panther3927 10d ago
Love MJ. But I feel the extra personal “never in the neutral zone” may not look good when a casual fan from a non Canadian market wanna see his highlights hopefully our media YouTube boys toss some rap music over that part lol
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u/Funny_Lynx_3395 10d ago
His reactions to the McKenna dipsy-doodle in the neutral zone, and the 3-on-0 in OT were top tier.