What hockey TV play-by-play guys do you like most/least? What about the analysts and in-studio panelists?

The playoffs are obviously a time with a lot of emotion, and those emotions are running particularly high this spring.  One of the reasons, seemingly the most prominent factor, is the sometimes over-the-top (in the eyes of some observers, at least) physicality of many of these playoff series this spring.  Almost every night brings another thundering hit, and the debate begins:  Was it a clean hit?  Was it legal?  Will there be a suspension?  Should there be? (Sometimes this discussion seems to take on more importance than the games themselves…) Wherever you sit on broader issue of "violence" and player safety, it seems clear to me that one thing that has definitely changed is that the game is being officiated differently nowadays.  And because we also know more about concussions, for example, we are reacting differently today than when Scott Stevens was running over guys with regularity.  Back then, most of his "head shots" weren't even a penalty, much less up for suspension.

But another thing that raises the ire and the emotional fervour of many fans watching the games on television at this time of year is the "performance", if we can call it that, of the play-by-play (and other) voices on television. I realize that “homerism”, or at least fan perceptions of the phenomenon, has been around for generations- probably since games were first broadcast on radio decades and decades ago.

Hey, home team announcers are expected to have a certain bias, and emote a hometown joy when the good guys score—and win.  That's a given.  It has always been this way.  But when we’re talking about national broadcasts, here or in the United States, I guess we sometimes expect a higher standard of overall quality and yes, impartiality.

After I raised the issue on Twitter yesterday, one of the people I chat with there ("Toronto Peter" @torontopeter), suggested this might be a worthwhile post topic to gauge reader reaction.  So here we are.

I’ll make the judging criteria very simple:  for you, who are the best play-by-play voices in terms of simply doing that job well?  You know, they describe the play without giving us more than we need, they get excited at the right time, bring the game to the right pitch at the right moment, etc.

Conversely, who disappoints you?  Who maybe lacks the professionalism you’d like to see? Maybe they are indeed a “homer” in your eyes, even though they are doing national games.  Maybe they are over the top in some way.

At the same time, chime in with your thoughts about the "colour commentators", the radio and TV sidekicks who provide their insightful (?) views on the game as it happens.  While we're at it, we'll throw in those seemingly countless in-studio analysts that we see every night, for hours on end.  Who do you love?  Who can't you stand listening to for another minute?

While I've included only very basic criteria above, I realize that, sometimes, there are just commentators we like, and some we can't stand.  There doesn't have to be a ton of reasons.  We just do or don't like the way someone comes across.  And for the purposes of this discussion today, that's fair.

So in the different "categories" let’s include (and send along any names that I’m missing here, I know I’m not remembering everyone…):

Play-by-play

CBC

Bob Cole

Jim Hughson

Dean Brown

Mark Lee

TSN/NBC

Gord Miller

Chris Cuthbert

Mike Emrick

Color analysts (various)

Ray Ferraro

Pierre McGuire

Mike Johnson

Craig Simpson

Darren Pang
Glenn Healy
Greg Millen
Kevin Weekes
Gary Galley

Studio analysts

Sportsnet

Darren Dreger

John Shannon

Nick Kypreos

Denis Potvin

Doug MacLean

Pierre LeBrun
Brad May
Scott Morrison

CBC

Ron MaClean

Don Cherry

P.J. Stock

Eric Francis

Mike Milbury

Elliot Friedman
Kelly Hrudey

TSN/NHL Network

James Duthie

Aaron Ward

Marc Crawford

Bob McKenzie

Darren Millard

NBC

Jeremy Roenick

Eddie Olczyk
**Mike Milbury (see CBC above as well)

Send your thoughts along…"Write-in" ballots are acceptable!

I was thinking about setting this up as a poll where you can just click on names, but let's try it this way for now.  I’ll  tabulate any "results" we get here and report back if enough people comment.