Milbury was scheduled to work Friday's Flyers-Canadiens game before being pulled off the air by NBCGetty Images
NBC hockey analyst Mike Milbury is "stepping away from broadcasting" the rest of the Stanley Cup Playoffs after an on-air comment last week drew "widespread criticism," according to Stephen Whyno of the AP. During Islanders-Capitals on Thursday night, broadcasters were discussing the environment inside the bubbles in Toronto and Edmonton, and Milbury said there are “not even any women here to disrupt your concentration.” The NHL said that it "condemned the 'insensitive and insulting' comment that 'did not reflect the NHL’s values and commitment to making our game inclusive and welcoming to all.'" NBC Sports said that it was "disappointed and addressed the situation with Milbury." Milbury apologized by saying, "It was not my intention to disrespect anyone. I was trying to be irreverent and took it a step too far. It was a regrettable mistake that I take seriously." An NBC Sports spokesperson "confirmed it was Milbury's decision to leave and that the analyst remains employed by the network" (AP, 8/22). Milbury was scheduled to work Friday night's Flyers-Canadiens game before being pulled off the air by NBC. ESPN.com's Emily Kaplan noted Milbury also made "disparaging comments about women's hockey on a broadcast earlier this month," saying that "playing in an empty arena was like being at a college women's hockey game" (ESPN.com, 8/22).
QUESTIONABLE COMMENT: In L.A., Helene Elliott wrote Milbury's remark was of "questionable taste, one that added no insight or value" to the "otherwise fine NHL coverage." Elliott: "Aside from being sexist, it’s insulting to the female employees who are working at both sites to help the NHL pull off its playoffs during a pandemic" (L.A. TIMES, 8/23). THE ATHLETIC's Richard Deitsch asks NHL viewers, "When is the last time you learned something from Mike Milbury? When has he made you a smarter hockey fan?" (THEATHLETIC.com, 8/24). However, in Pittsburgh, John Steigerwald wrote Milbury "has been canceled because of a completely innocuous remark." Only someone who wakes up every morning with the "fervent hope that somebody will offend them could be offended by that" (TRIBLIVE.com, 8/23). WWEI's Andy Hart writes Milbury "said something rather obvious, which many honest-minded people agree with." Hart: "Yet somehow he’s being painted as the face of current embodiment of sexism and misogyny" (WEEI.RADIO.com, 8/24).
NOT THE FIRST, UNFORTUNATELY: In Toronto, Catherine Silverman wrote, "As a woman, being called a 'disruption' in a sports environment is nothing new." For "every leap and bound taken, there are still so many men in the sport who continue to think women are stealing those table seats." There are "still Mike Milburys, who think that having women around is disruptive, or that women have to be a certain level of quiet or professional in order to be deemed acceptable." Silverman: "And frankly, it’s exhausting" (TORONTO STAR, 8/22). Also in Toronto, Dave Feschuk wrote the NHL, which has "rightly been accused of dragging its feet on so many issues of inclusivity, smartly hopped to attention to issue a stern rebuke." There are those "who would frame those responses as an overreaction." Feschuk: "To those people I’d suggest a perusal of the Twitter feeds of the scores of women connected to the sports business who levelled eloquent takedowns of Milbury’s dinosaur viewpoint" (TORONTO STAR, 8/22)
AT A CROSSROADS? THE ATHLETIC's Ryan Clark wrote hockey over the last few years "has worked to become more inclusive, especially when it comes to broadcasting." The Islanders have "two women analysts in Jennifer Botterill and A.J. Mleczko, while the Sharks added Kendall Coyne Schofield to their broadcasts." The Kraken earlier this month hired ECHL Cincinnati Cyclones play-by-play announcer Everett Fitzhugh, which "will make him the first Black team broadcaster in league history." All this "puts the sport at a crossroads because how do you show the strides the sport is making only to then have a broadcaster make sexist comments?" Former Devils analyst Sherry Ross said, "A comment like (Milbury's) comes up and everyone's ears perk up. The attention is a lot more focused. I think that is why it has gotten a much bigger reaction" (THEATHLETIC.com, 8/23).
