NHL Announcer Mike Milbury Discusses Roles With NBC, CBC, NESN

Milbury Says Work At NESN Is Different From NBC, CBC

NHL announcer Mike Milbury has "ruffled a few feathers with his recent comments," but he said that the "fallout from his candor goes with the territory," according to Nancy Marrapese-Burrell of the BOSTON GLOBE. Milbury, who works for NESN, NBC and the CBC, said, "I've been spanked for a couple of things that I've said and I've had to back off. Everybody's got a boss, right?" He said he is "not trying to appeal to anybody" during his commentary. Milbury: "I'm just trying to be myself most of the time. It sometimes gets me into trouble, sometimes fairly and sometimes not." Milbury last month during a CBC broadcast used the term "pansification," which "generated criticism from gay rights groups." Milbury said the term has been "banned on the continent." Milbury: "It wasn't intended as anything other than the softening of the standard. But I'd been using it for over a year before finally some other passionate person decided they didn't like it." Marrapese-Burrell notes Milbury these days is "juggling his time" between the three nets. Milbury: "Each set of circumstances is a little bit different. NBC and CBC and NESN all do a pretty good job of accomplishing what they set out to do, which is cover a hockey game." He said working for NESN "is a little different" than the two national networks. Milbury: "We are working for the home team, basically. People might disagree but I don't think I'm quite as cutting as I might be. I'm not really neutral on NESN broadcasts." Milbury also serves as a co-host on NESN's "The Instigators," and he said, "It's great we're doing a show in Boston that's talking hockey because it's been a long time coming. Hockey went through a dormant period and now it's back" (BOSTON GLOBE, 2/20).