AWFUL ANNOUNCING’s Chris Novak wrote the NHL and ESPN+ “produced a fun broadcast" for the "Big City Green Classic" between the Penguins and Bruins on Saturday that earned the league and network "some rave reviews.” The alternate broadcast was "animated, goofy, and, most importantly, fun.” Viewers at home were “impressed by the broadcast, which is clearly designed to encourage more kids to watch sports” (AWFUL ANNOUNCING, 3/9). Bruins RW David Pastrnak, who scored the first goal of the game, said, it was "fun to watch" and if "every game is like that I might start watching my shifts to get better." Pastrnak: "Obviously growing up, it’s amazing to watch cartoons, so it’s awesome that ESPN started doing that for the kids that can’t make it to the game, and hopefully they enjoy at home” (BOSTON.com, 3/9).
WHY NOT BOTH? In N.Y., Bob Raissman wrote there is “plenty of room for both” former NFLer Jason Kelce and former Patriots coach Bill Belichick on TV, as they bring "two distinctly different personalities and skill sets to the microphone.” One will “not cancel the other out.” Some producer must be “capable of creating a format for Belichick that gives him a chance to combine the history of the game, and its evolution, with a break-down of what’s working on the field today” (N.Y. DAILY NEWS, 3/9).
