NBC earned a 2.5 overnight Nielsen rating for Saturday night's Bruins-Canucks NHL Stanley Cup Final Game Two. Last year's comparable Blackhawks-Flyers Game Two earned a 4.1 overnight, but that game aired on a Monday night. Bruins-Canucks Game Two is also down from last year's Stanley Cup opener (2.8 overnight), which aired on a Saturday night, but up from Ducks-Senators Game Three in '07 (1.5 overnight), which also aired on a Saturday night and marked the last time a Canadian team played in the Stanley Cup Final (Austin Karp, THE DAILY).
MILBURY'S AT IT ONCE AGAIN: In St. Petersburg, Tom Jones writes NBC studio analyst Mike Milbury "has become the mouth that roars, America's version" of the CBC's Don Cherry. Jones: "No other analyst on television has viewers saying, 'Did you hear what he just said?' as much as Milbury. His commentary is emotional, occasionally absurd and not always even logical. Half the time, viewers are probably rolling their eyes. But it's interesting" (ST. PETERSBURG TIMES, 6/6). USA TODAY's Michael Hiestand notes Milbury during Game Two "used no uncertain terms to address" the controversy surrounding Canucks LW Alex Burrows not being suspended for biting the finger of Bruins C Patrice Bergeron in the opening game. Milbury said, "If I had known in the late '70's that it was OK to pig out on human flesh, I would have eaten Guy Lafleur. This is a disgraceful call by the league." Burrows scored the game-winning goal Saturday night just 11 seconds into overtime (USA TODAY, 6/6).
TAPPING INTO A NEW RESOURCE: ESPNW.com's John Molori profiled NESN's Kathryn Tappen and wrote her "meteoric rise in sports broadcasting" has been "swift and striking." Since joining NESN in '06, Tappen has "moved from reporter to lead Boston Bruins studio host and has thrived in the ever-boiling Boston sports cauldron." Tappen: "It's been a great run. I've seen people come into this market unprepared and get burned or even humiliated by a coach. Even people who come from cities like New York or Philadelphia don't know what it's like to work in Boston. The fans are so passionate. If you say something that is incorrect, they will definitely call you on it. When you cover people's favorite teams, it's like you're a part of their families" (ESPNW.com, 6/4).
