WELCOME TO THE MACHINE: REVIEWS OF THE FOX TRACK MIXED
Media reviews of the Fox's glowing puck in Saturday night's
All-Star Game drew mixed reviews. Many in the U.S. gave a thumbs
up, while Canadians were more critical.
WHAT THEY'RE SAYING: In Atlanta, Prentis Rogers calls the
puck "a boon to hockey coverage" (ATLANTA CONSTITUTION, 1/22).
In Chicago, Steve Nidetz notes it "didn't always work to
perfection," but it "made the game more fun to watch for the
curious fan" (CHICAGO TRIBUNE, 1/22). Phil Mushnick writes,
"Unlike other changes in sports, the computerized puck doesn't
alter the integrity of the game" (N.Y. POST, 1/22). A survey by
N.Y. POST's David Waldstein notes "casual hockey fans like it,
but serious fans hate it" (N.Y. POST, 1/22). In St. Louis,
Bernie Miklasz: "I watched a hockey game Saturday night and an
episode of 'Star Trek' broke out" (ST. LOUIS POST-DISPATCH,
1/22). In New York, Joe Lapointe writes with all the hype, the
"glowing puck scored for Fox" (N.Y. TIMES, 1/21). In Tampa, Tom
Jones calls the debut "stunning" (TAMPA TRIBUNE, 1/21). In
Detroit, Cynthia Lambert: "Cool? Sure. Hockey? No" (DETROIT
NEWS, 1/21). TIME notes "only the ratings" will tell if the puck
works (TIME, 1/29 issue). USA TODAY's Michael Hiestand found it
"distracting," but credits Fox for scoring "an undeniable
success: unprecedented national publicity for hockey" (USA
TODAY, 1/22). Mitch Albom, on ESPN's "Sports Reporters": "It
looked like one of the creatures in the movie Cocoon. I kept
waiting for it to turn into Brian Dennehy. ... Funny, Canadians
have been watching hockey for years without turning the puck into
Casper" (ESPN, 1/21). The puck was featured by Armen Keteyian on
ABC's "World News Tonight." Fox Sports President David Hill:
"We're looking at different colors for the tail, so that over a
period of time, when you see the color change from gold to red,
you'll know that that shot is traveling at over 82 mph" (ABC,
1/19).
NOT SO GREAT: In Montreal, long-time hockey writer Red
Fisher writes Fox and the NHL "simply don't get it. ... Fans who
don't like hockey won't watch it -- whether the puck is the size
of a basketball or a pea" (MONTREAL GAZETTE, 1/21). At a bar
north of Edmonton, the Fox telecast was on the big screen, but
viewer dissatisfaction grew so high they switched to CBC
(CP/KINGSTON WHIG-STANDARD, 1/22). In Toronto, Joe Warmington
writes hockey fans "roared with laughter" in a local bar (TORONTO
SUN, 1/21). The TORONTO SUN's Rob Longley: "FoxTrax was an insult
to Canadian hockey fans, but more than anything, it was a joke"
(TORONTO SUN, 1/22). Garth Woolsey of the TORONTO STAR say Fox
and the NHL deserve some credit for its work at the All-Star Game
but said the puck "needs work" (TORONTO STAR, 1/22). The GLOBE &
MAIL's Gare Joyce criticizes Fox' treatment of the sport and adds
the All-Star Game "turned out to be Opening Night of The Silly
Season" (Toronto GLOBE & MAIL, 1/22).
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