Behind The Tampa Bay Lightning With Dave Mishkin

In this week’s behind the scenes installment of theneilshow Neil Bristow delves into the mind of Tampa Bay Lightning play by play personality Dave Mishkin.

Neil Bristow – Recently Former Tampa coach Barry Melrose said on a Toronto Radio Station that he didn’t think rookie Steven Stamkos (3-8-11 minus 11) wasn’t “ready” for the NHL.

What are your thoughts on the statements Melrose made?

Dave Mishkin – Like most of the people who have responded to Melrose’s comments, both within and outside the organization (I heard Bobby Clarke and former Lightning coach John Tortorella express their objections to his statements), I disagree with his assessment.

Stamkos is a tremendous skater and has an “NHL shot”.  Like a lot of young players, he is learning to play the game at the NHL level.  He has made mistakes, but his mistakes have been no more egregious than any other mistakes a young, talented player might make.

Furthermore, he is showing improvement from game to game, especially as his ice time has increased.  Specifically, I disagree with Barry’s comment about how Steven wasn’t “strong” enough”.  I’ve seen Stamkos fearlessly go into the corners and win pucks from opposing defensemen.  He will get stronger, no doubt, but I don’t think his size prohibits him from playing in the NHL.

Neil Bristow – With the recent economy talk at the GM meetings, there were reports that the Coyotes could lose up to 35 million this season. In your mind, will the Lightning be ok?

Dave Mishkin – Obviously, I don’t deal with the financial side of things with the team, but I can state that the fan base in the Tampa Bay area is quite strong.  New owners Oren Koules and Len Barrie (and six other minority owners) were drawn to the Tampa Bay area in large part because of that strong fan base.

Neil Bristow – Since the Lightning let Barry Melrose walk, the Tampa Bay Lightning were 5-7-4.With new coach Rick Tocchet has only one win since taking over the reins. Where do the problems begin with this once Juggernaut Tampa Bay Lightning team?

Dave Mishkin – The interesting part about the last few weeks is that the record somewhat belies how the guys are playing.  Lightning coaches have commented that the players are starting to learn the team concept and are improving in certain areas that needed work.  For instance, the Lightning has cut down on scoring chances against in recent games and that was a big problem earlier in the year.  Still, the Bolts hadn’t been able to translate better play into victories, at least until last night’s win in Montreal.

Neil Bristow – If the season keeps going the way it’s going for Tampa Bay, Do you see them asking Marty St.Louis to waive his no trade clause and move him and get some younger kids and go at it again next season?

Dave Mishkin – I don’t see that happening.  Marty, along with Vinny Lecavalier, is one of the faces of the franchise, and the organization recognizes that.  Furthermore, he is a very productive player — with two goals last night, he now has points in 10 of his last 11 games.  The Lightning has struggled to score goals this year so Marty’s hot streak is certainly welcomed!

Neil Bristow – Who has been the biggest bright spot on the Tampa roster this far? How Come?

Dave Mishkin – From the start of the season, Mike Smith has been the Lightning’s most consistent player.  He was facing a lot of shots early in the season and his stellar play kept those games close.  I am hard-pressed to recall even one “bad goal”, so to speak, that he has allowed this year.

Neil Bristow – Zenon Konopka has been recalled to help out Tampa and their injury problems.

What should Lightning fans expect out of Konopka?

Dave Mishkin – To be honest, I haven’t seen Konopka play more than just a handful of games.  We didn’t see much of him when he was with Anaheim and Columbus.  So I may not be the best source for an in-depth scouting report.  But I do know that he is a consummate team player (he is the captain of Norfolk) and plays with an edge.  He will fight anybody (we saw that in training camp) and he also is capable of providing some offense.  I think the Lightning fans will enjoy watching him play.

Neil Bristow – With what has happened with Sean Avery this last little while, do you think the 6 games he was suspended is justice for his actions? Any thoughts on the Avery issue?

Dave Mishkin – To me, it sounded as if Avery knew he crossed the line and now he wants to make amends.  As far as the six-game suspension is concerned, I’m not sure the league had a lot of precedent to draw on for a situation like that one.  From what I heard, nobody around the league seemed to have a problem with the number of games, though.

Neil Bristow – Still with Avery…. Do you think the Lightning would have any interest in Mr.Avery?

Dave Mishkin – Right now, it seems that no teams, even minor league clubs, want to bring Sean Avery on board.

Neil Bristow – I was watching the game between the Lightning and the Sabres the other night and I saw Lecavalier exchanging punches with Jochen Hecht. What are your thoughts on superstars fighting risking injury? Should they or shouldn’t they be allowed?

Dave Mishkin – Of course, superstars can be “allowed” (to use your word) to fight.  Frankly, I don’t know how anyone could stop a willing player from dropping the gloves.  Hockey is an emotional and passionate game.  That’s a good thing!  Sometimes, the by-product of that emotion and passion is a fight.

In Lecavalier’s case, he has fought before, so it’s not as if he was in unchartered territory.  He even fought Jarome Iginla in the 2004 Finals.  It’s true that someone might get hurt in a fight, but nobody wants to take the passion and emotion away from a player, whether he’s a top line guy or a fourth-liner.

I don’t think a coach wants one of his top players regularly sitting in the penalty box for long periods of time, but if anyone understands how fights can happen, it’s Rick Tocchet!

Neil Bristow – Can the Lightning move forward and get back into the playoff picture in your eyes?

Dave Mishkin – The Lightning has a tall mountain to climb at this point, but there’s certainly still time for Tampa Bay to get back in the playoff race.  That’s a long-term vision, though.  The coaches and players are more concerned with their short-term goals: continuing to improve their play so that they start winning games more regularly.

Neil Bristow – Tampa Bay played the Flyers a little while ago and I seen something I have never witnessed before. Scotty Hartnell throwing his glove at Ryan Malone on a breakaway. Being a play by play announcer I am sure you have seen some whacky stuff. In your time as voice of the Tampa Bay Lightning what is the craziest thing you have witnessed during a Lightning game?

Dave Mishkin-That Hartnell play was one of the craziest, that’s for sure!  But the NHL game is so polished that wacky stuff doesn’t often occur.  Such things happen with more frequency at the minor league or college level.  For example, when I was in school, I was calling an ECAC playoff game between Yale and Colgate.  Colgate is located in upstate New York and is in a rural area.

After the first period, the zamboni broke down on the ice and was stuck there.  After a couple of hours, somebody found a tractor, brought it onto the ice, hitched the zamboni on and hauled it off.  The patch of ice underneath where the zamboni was stuck had essentially melted through though, so they postponed the game until the next day.

I would like to personally say thanks to Dave Mishkin for taking the time to talk with nhldigest.com

He is clearly one of the nicest guys in the business; not to mention one of the best play by play guys in the NHL.

To Hear Mr.Mishkin in action check this clip out:

If you have any questions or comments feel free to reach me at theneilshow (at) shaw (dot) ca

I encourage feedback on interviews in the comments section as well.

Till next time for nhldigest.com…I’m Neil Bristow

Interview With XM Radio’s Joe Thistel

Your pick for a player to watch from last year, Alex Ovechkin, was right on the money. While Ovechkin is currently struggling, who do you think will be the player to watch as this season unfolds?

I have a head start this season, so it would be too easy to point at Semin and Malkin and predict they’ll surpass their more famous teammates.

Instead I’ll turn my focus to the West and shine the light on Corey Perry in Anaheim.  Playing on that line, and with any kind of creative freedom, he’s capable of being a top 10 scorer this season and beyond.  I so wanted to say Jason Spezza, but the inconsistency is too consistent.

We’ve seen the Rangers actually get the on ice results from a team that looks fantastic on paper – what is the secret in NYC this year?

I suppose if you want to point at something, it would be that some distractions have disappeared, and the players can concentrate on hockey. Jaromir Jagr was their best player and still seemed to be a beacon of controversy.  Brendan Shanahan’s future was another story-line, and then of course there was Shawn Avery.  I’m not saying its addition by subtraction, but I will let you do the math.

Any chance we’ll see Mats Sundin in New York City for his retirement year a la Wayne Gretzky?

Naw.  There are 10 million reasons for Mats to take his hockey tack to Vancouver.  And now that it looks like the Canucks can be a playoff team, he can say it wasn’t for the money and actually keep a straight face.   And he’ll be good there too, so play-by-play broadcasters better take heed:  Sedin, Sundin and Sedin are coming to a barn near you.

With Brian Burke finished in Anaheim, where to you see him landing?  Any chance he’ll end up in Toronto?

Rumors have connected Brian Burke to a half dozen teams already, and all seem to have legitimate reasons for the hook-up, including family considerations, but none make as much sense as the Leafs.  It’s been talked about for too long and just fits on too many levels.  The confusing Toronto organization, who not too long ago allowed Pat Quinn to pick his own boss, has one shot to get it right.  It’s a six inch putt – even these guys can’t get the yips bad enough to miss this gimme.  Can they?

With Melrose being let go in Tampa Bay, do you think Rick Tocchet will complete the season as Head Coach of the Lightning?  If not, who is the most likely candidate?

Why not Tochett, a guy who has zero experience as a head coach to go along with everything else that’s happened in Tampa?  The team bus should be one of those miniature circus cars bursting with clowns.  Listen, Rick Tochett might be the best coach since Toe Blake, who knows, but this ownership has been an embarrassment of biblical proportions.  I could go on, but then you’d all miss dinner.

Is, or could, the Kontinental Hockey League a legitimate threat to the National Hockey League and its position as the premiere hockey league in the world?

Nyet, nyet Soviet.  I was once sitting between two former players – one who had spent his career in the minors, and the other who had played for years in the NHL.  In the middle of some glory days chatter, the minor leaguer announced rather proudly that there were some “great places to play in the American Hockey League”.  The National Hockey Leaguer stayed silent for a moment, slowly took a sip of beer and then replied, with perfect timing,…”Yeah.  There are some great places to play in the NHL too.”   The National Hockey League – accept no substitutes.

What is one thing about XM Radio and your National Hockey League coverage that may surprise hockey fans?

Hell, we’re just like they are: hockey fans who are privileged to be able to shoot off our mouths.  Sure, some of us have extensive media backgrounds and are proud professionals of sports broadcasting, but guys like Mick Kern and Boomer Gordon, two of my more popular personalities, are doing this on-air nonsense for the first time.  Know your stuff, have a valid opinion, be passionate and don’t be intimidated by the microphone.  You’ll be fine.

How do you view XM Radio with regard to the company’s position in bringing NHL news and commentary to the fan base? ie. What is your unique value proposition?

30 teams, no waiting.  While radio stations still hang onto that ridiculous argument that sports is local, we’re serving listeners from San Jose to Halifax.  And we get as much positive feedback from players and management right across North America as we do from our subscriber base.  Sports is local.  Right!  And Gordie Howe was a flash in the pan.

Is there anything that XM Radio has found through your market research that would be surprising to the average hockey fan?

It surprised me.  Statistics show that over 80% of sports fans in a particular city actually cheer for an out-of-town team.  That’s why our play by play is so important.  If you’re a Philly fan living in Dallas, we’ve got you covered.  And vice versa.

Can you tell our readers a little bit about what you do and about upcoming programming or features on XM Radio and Home Ice Channel 204?

I’ve been with XM Canada since the very beginning and oversee all the sports, talk and comedy channels while Jeff Leake looks after the music.  NHL Home Ice is truly my baby though.  I even named it.  So if you have a beef, you can blame me (joe.thistel@xmradio.ca).

I have been in broadcasting 30 years now, and if I could write my own job description, I wouldn’t change a thing. We have some excellent programming on the horizon too, including the World Jr Championships over the holidays, plus an exciting new partnership agreement with The Hockey News to announce in the very near future.   For me, its the quintessential labor of love.

NHL Digest would like to thank Joe Thistel for taking time to provide us with this interview.  If you haven’t yet had a chance to check out what XM Radio has to offer hockey fans, please visit XM Radio’s Home Ice channel.  They are even offering a Free trial, so you really have no excuse not to check them out!

Barry Melrose Fired by Tampa Bay

One of the most interesting and controversial hockey stories from this past off season has come to an end even sooner than most had expected.

Tocchet To Replace Melrose

The Tampa Bay Lightning have announced the firing of head coach Barry Melrose and have replaced him for the interim with assistant Rick Tocchet. It is hard to say if the Lightning will take a “gamble” on Tocchet for the long term (couldn’t resist the pun).

Deputy commissioner Bill Daly said in an email to The Associated Press that the league is not concerned about Tocchet’s promotion.

“Rick is still bound by the terms of his reinstatement,” Daly said. “If he’s qualified to be an assistant coach on those terms, in our view, he’s just as qualified to be a head coach.”

Lightning general manager Brian Lawton referred to Tocchet as a very “straight forward individual” who has earned respect as a former player in the National Hockey league.  It is important to note that there has been no time table set by the Lightning to find a permanent replacement for Melrose.  In fact, with the following quote from Lawton, one might be led to believe that Tocchet is the “man” in Tampa Bay:

“We think this is a great opportunity for him and we believe he’s the type of coach who can take the team to the next level”…”Our players have a great deal of respect for him.”

Koules and Barrie Continue To Make Waves

Tampa Bay’s new ownership, Oren Koules and Len Barrie, were considered foolhardy by some to take over the reigns and make such wholesale changed to the team structure, management, and personnel.  What can be said is that the two upstart owners are quick and decisive which may or may not be fortuitous for the long term success of the franchise.

Just as five months ago when they quickly sought out the then Television Analyst, who had not coached in some 10 seasons, Melrose was swiftly removed from his duties after just 16 games behind the bench of the team who finished last season dead last in the league.

While there is little doubt that changes needed to be made in Tampa, the new ownership appears to be going “great guns” make sure their investment doesn’t tank.  It’s hard to say what they might do and maybe that is a good thing?

It appears that nobody’s job is safe in Tampa Bay…so Mr. Stamkos you had better start producing because you never know when that “Rookie benefit of the doubt” will wear thin with Oren and Len!