Mr Paddock, as you may recall, made Bobby Nystrom's OT goal at 7:11 in Game 6 necessary. He scored the goal to send the game to extra time... and delay the inevitable (thankfully).
I've also known Doc for over 20 years and worked with him as recently as this year's playoffs.
He's an absolute gem and for many years the only question with him about this award was "When". Perhaps it's fitting that he wins the award the same week that the NHL is experiencing its best US ratings in years.
(Personal to Ken-- I umped a game tonight too -- my son's 12 yo game. Didn't have to call him out on strikes :) )
The circus has been in the Spectrum for the last two weeks. All games in this series were scheduled for the Wachovia Center prior to the start of the series.
I wasn't making excuses -- I was presenting a theory -- one that, as it turns out, was correct...
From Neil Best in Newsday:
<<While you were out clubbing Saturday night, I was sorting out what happened at Fox during the final at-bat of the Yankees-Red Sox tilt.
I included some of it in the early edition of the newspaper and more of it in the late edition, but WatchDog readers are the only ones who will get the entire story, via spokesman Dan Bell, who called at 11 p.m. to explain what happened and express Fox's apology to any fans who were confused or inconvenienced.
Toward the end of the rain delay, Fox was told the game would resume at 8:25. (In fact, it ended up starting at 8:30.)
Fox then asked NASCAR to delay the start of the Subway Fresh Fit 500 from 8:45 to 8:53, figuring that would give it enough of a window to get in the end of the baseball game, and NASCAR agreed.
(I think that's what the race was called. If not, sorry. As a New Yorker I have a God-given right to get NASCAR details wrong.)
Joe Buck alerted viewers that the baseball game would be simulcast on FX from the moment it resumed, and would be the sole place to find the game as of 8:53. It turns out Fox is obligated by contract to show the entire NASCAR race on its broadcast channel and in every market.
People watching in bars and offices (such as Newsday's sports department) with the sound off did not hear what Buck said. Fox could have done a better job of posting alerts on the screen for the benefit of such people.
Fox held on as long as it could, but when the race actually began at 8:55 it made the switch . . . alas, with two outs and a full count on Robinson Cano in the ninth!
Cano grounded out on FX while some viewers watched the beginning of the race and wondered what had happened.
There wasn't much more Fox could have done, given its contract, other than the aforementioned warnings on the screen.
I've mentioned this before, but I am just old enough to remember the "Heidi Game" in 1968, and just young enough so that I was happy NBC switched off Jets-Raiders to get to the movie on time.>>
I agree with Neil -- Fox needed to do a better job on-screen of letting viewers know what was happening. I had the game on while helping my kids and missed Buck telling people that it was moving.
Burkholder was RIT's All-American goalie in the early morning hours of St Patrick's Day, 1984 when Gill Egan scored in the 4th OT to give Union a victory in the national semi-finals, ending what (at the time) was the longest small college hockey game ever played. Hard to believe it's been 24 years!
Posted on November 10 at 6:07 p.m. (Suggest removal)
Great video, Ken!
That's a tough call against Harvard (but I'll live with that).
Loved the sponsored backdrop for the coach's interview. "Nico's Pizzeria?" I was always a Fireside guy myself.
On College hockey Monday musings