Let's start with this: Jack Edwards is an excellent play-by-play man. His passion for hockey is unmatched, and if you've ever listened to him call a game, it's obvious he knows his stuff. That being said, he is the biggest homer for the team he calls in all of professional sports.
Edwards is not alone. There are homers in every sport, on both radio and TV. One of the great homers ever is former Chicago White Sock and White Sox announcer Hawk Harrelson, who produced some hilarious calls and catchphrases over the years. My New York Yankees have one of the all-time homers in history on the radio in John Sterling, who literally screams "THEEEEEE YANKEEESSSSSS....WIN!" after each Bronx Bombers victory. All the sports with local broadcasts, basketball, baseball and hockey, have homers left and right. But you cannot tell me anyone is worse than Edwards, as he displayed Tuesday night when the Bruins defeated the Carolina Hurricanes in OT:
When Pete Blackburn, a CBS sports writer who doesn't hide his Bruins fandom, is calling Edwards' call "aggressive," you know it's a bit much. "STRIP THE WHALE OF ITS BLUBBER!" Good lord, somebody call PETA. It's just a hockey game, Jack. We all hate the fact that the Carolina Hurricanes are spitting in the face of former fans of the Hartford Whalers by wearing those FIRE jerseys, but relax guy.
Here's the thing: Edwards is perfect for Boston. That's exactly what their fans want, a guy with the same fiery passion as them who will defend their team to the death (even when one of their owners is caught up in a prostitution ring). But there's a line, one that Edwards often crosses. As someone who went to college in New England and was friends with Massholes during the Bruins 2011 Stanley Cup run, I know this all too well. We watched many a Bruins game in the dorms of the University of Rhode Island, and that's when I was introduced to Edwards' wrath. Some of his classics include crying like a small child when play was stopped due to an opposing player's injury:
Literally cheering harder than a fan that's eight beers deep in section 320 when the Bruins scored a playoff series game-winner:
Laughing at the fact a penalty wasn't called on a nearly CTE-inducing play by scumbag-of-the-century Milan Lucic:
And who could forget the oddest post-game rant in history after his beloved Bruins beat the rival Canadiens in Game 7 back in the 2011 playoffs:
In a way, you can't help but respect a guy like Jack Edwards. He's the type of announcer that makes sports great, no matter how insufferable he seems. Dare I say, he's a legend? Barf.
The best of Golf Digest delivered daily
Sign UpWill be used in accordance with our PRIVACY POLICY