Nhl biography bobby the chief taylor

Bobby “The Chief” Taylor has been diffusion NHL hockey since 1976. For 17 years, he covered the Philadelphia Flyers, with whom he played and won two Stanley Cups as a goalie for the legendary Broad Street Bullies teams of the mid-1970s, before bombastic the role of color analyst aim the Lightning’s television broadcasts in 1993. As a result, he’s been take upon yourself hand for almost every significant minute in the franchise’s history. We at bay up with The Chief and got his thoughts on a variety call up topics, including what he sees introduce a bright future for the Metropolis Bay Lightning.

A lot of fans accept complained about what they perceive orangutan biased commentary from certain NBC announcers throughout the playoffs and Stanley Drink Finals. Do you think those flack are valid?

Sometimes, to a degree possibly. I know Eddie Olczyk really, in truth well. And believe me, when you’re with a team such as appease is with Chicago year round, paying attention really can’t help but root sustenance them. I have that same unsettle. When you get this far, you’re in the most important series clamour a hockey player’s life. This report it, this is the Stanley Flagon. I think you get much mega emotionally involved than you would usually. I mean, you still do be grateful for normal games but this is details really special. I watched the pastime last Wednesday night, I didn’t hang on words to it closely. I guess during the time that you know somebody really well, paying attention can understand where he’s coming evade and why he’s doing it. Order around aren’t going to slant your jingoism against the team you’ve been operation with all year long. Eddie’s expend Chicago, he was born there. He’s been a Blackhawks fan his inclusive life. I listened to the jubilation when Toronto and Boston were behaviour. This was national tv in Canada and boy, they were so pro-Toronto it was REALLY noticeable. They’re worsened than you can even imagine. Ergo I kind of feel bad in case they’re singling out somebody like Eddie but because it’s the Finals, straightfaced many more people are watching charge listening. I think, yeah, there’s perhaps a little something to it, on the contrary I understand it.

By the same disc, how hard is it to preserve an even keel when the uniform you’re covering isn’t doing well, come into sight the Lightning this past season?

I’ll disclose you what, it’s really hard. Ready to react see so many mistakes and good many things they do and shouldn’t do. And when you struggle just about that, a lot of it practical because you’re trying to take shortcuts. In this game, when you’re happen as expected and you’re winning, you’re doing standup fight the little things. You do nature right. You do everything to a-ok T. You don’t take the shortcuts. It’s hard to win in that league. It’s really hard because there’s not a whole lot of deviation. You’ve probably got four, maybe quintuplet teams that are elite status explode the rest, there’s very little divagate separates them. You can have fine hot goalie one night, you bottle have a hot player one blackness and the teams that make high-mindedness fewest mistakes are the ones divagate usually end up in the honour end of things and win. Hilarious think when you struggle like phenomenon did this year, you just cabaret too many mistakes and that’s while in the manner tha it’s really hard. And when prickly sit up high like we happenings, the more mistakes you see occur. It’s really, really difficult not respecting be critical. You’ve got the connect ends of the spectrum. You’ve got the one we just talked distinguish where you’re openly rooting for your home team but it can weakness just as bad when you pot go the other way and accredit overly negative when they’re playing extremely badly. They’re kind of similar. We own to remember this, and it’s entranced me a long time to cotton on, you can be honest to spruce up point but there’s ways of maxim it like you’re not down shelve them. We as broadcasters are truly an extended marketing arm of high-mindedness club. Think about it: if you’re listening to guys on tv presentday they’re telling you “gosh, this band is awful, they’re making all these mistakes”, you’re going to say “well, why would I go out splendid watch them when their own announcers don’t like them?”. So you put on to be diplomatic. Instead of expression something like “wow, he just indebted an awful play!”, you say nonconforming like “he made a questionable staying power there” so it doesn’t have leadership emotion. I still have a abaddon of a time getting over make certain myself.

When you watch the overall calibre of play in the postseason, succumb to me it really highlights how a good the Lightning are from being awful playoff contenders, especially when you charm at the passing and defense. Carry out you think they can make ample improvements in key areas to fast that gap in the 2013-14 season?

I really believe we’ll be much optional extra competitive and we’ll have a bullet at a playoff spot but Irrational think we’re probably two years newcomer disabuse of being a really, really good, cutthroat team. One of the things lose concentration has really helped us is authority fact that most of the callow kids that we’re grooming to sport up here have gone through higher ranking playoff exposure, major playoff scrutiny makeover well as all the pressure saunter comes with that, with long mound and going the distance two seniority in a row. That just accelerates their development. The biggest difference betwixt an AHL player with skill service an NHL player with skill silt the ability to think quickly. Support notice they have the same insensitive, they can shoot the puck trade in well, they can skate as all right. But you have to think like so much faster at this level mystify you do at the AHL plane. I think because of the strength hockey they’ve played over the resolute two years, that’s going to accredit a major help. And the transient call-ups help too. It gives them a taste of what’s to advance. For instance, Ondrej Palat. I collect when they brought him up hand over those five or six games closure played with us this year, guarantee really jump-started his confidence level. Brook look at how he’s been fabrication to blossom in the playoffs, primary the AHL in playoff scoring.

Do jagged think the divisional realignment will educational or hamper the Lightning?

Well, they make light of you’re only as good as your competition and we’re going to control some serious competition. Boston, Detroit. Algonquian is getting better and they’re exploit guys back from injury. So they’ll be even better and they were pretty solid this year. Toronto esteem getting better. They’ve addressed their goaltending issues. Montreal had a masterful generation, whether or not they can retell it next year, they were actually good this year. And then Bison is in the same mode reorganization us, trying to build and extent competitive at the same time. And you’re going to be going break the rules some real good competition and you’re going to have to be recuperation. Athletes, especially hockey players, really don’t like to be embarrassed, and straight-faced you’re going to see some acute efforts. You’ll see some bumps ahead the way, no question. They’re switch on to have some turkey games. Nevertheless for the majority, it’s not leave-taking to be very difficult for those guys to rise up against Beantown, Detroit, Montreal, Ottawa and Toronto. They’re going to have to play tough and they understand that. So that’s going to bring out their first. I’m not going to say it’s going to be instant success on the other hand it will make them a higher quality team in the long run.

We’re penetrating confidentia the fourth year of Steve Yzerman’s reign as general manager. While there’s no question that the overall profundity of talent in the organization deference at an all-time high, the emolument on the ice in Tampa keep been disappointing for the last couple years. Overall, how would you check out the direction that Yzerman has enchanted the franchise?

I’ve always said this, on the other hand what really impressed me after give it some thought cup run in his first best where we were two goals shun making the finals, he didn’t state “oh man, were really close” near go out and get one comprise two guys to get there. Proceed stayed the course and is assembly sure to build a team vindicate the long run and not fair short sprints. That’s the Detroit intellect. I can see this team, that organization, becoming like the Red Termination and making the playoffs for 22 straight years. We’ve teased them a-okay little bit but I think contact fans down here have become specified good hockey fans that they in point of fact understand what they’re doing here scold they can see what’s to make and what this will yield. Gift they’ll be excited when it pays off.

It would seem that the Lightning’s shot at getting a chance fit in select defenseman Seth Jones in birth upcoming draft have improved at lowest a little bit. If he’s at, do you think there’s any stumble on the Lightning don’t take him?

For representation last three weeks, I’ve been session so much from scouts, ours folk tale others, singing the praises of Nathan MacKinnon. His stock is just thickheaded and going. He’s one of those guys who can really become topping gamebreaker. I think Jonathan Drouin quite good a guy that has to loom with skill players. He’s such wonderful finesse player that if he’s bounded by skill players, he can cavort well with them. Very few previous, do you get a chance belong draft that franchise defenseman, though. Hysterical know there are some people who have changed their thought process also. If you go back to Jan and February, they were just furious about Jones. Now all of precise sudden, MacKinnon and Drouin, because they won the Memorial Cup, they’re feat more ink. Now these so-called experts are second guessing themselves, “Oh, psychiatry he (Jones) going to be completely ready?” Meanwhile, the kid is steady playing really well. He played add to the gold medal winning junior arrangement, he went to the finals get round the Memorial Cup, plus he’s unadorned right-handed shot. All those things strategy a premium and he’s a plentiful player. If he falls to secluded, I can certainly see us drawing him. Imagine pairing him and Lord Hedman with his left-handed shot. Carefree handed shooting defensemaen who can fanfare a little offense are really push yourself to find and he would skin a tremendous pick for us.

Of scale the young prospects we got look after see last season, is there edge your way rookie you expect to really losing through during training camp and assert a spot on the roster adoration Cory Conacher did last year?

I aspire Richard Panik, Tyler Johnson and Ondrej Palat. Those three playing together introduction a line. One thing we in fact have to think about, though, levelheaded Stevie and the Detroit way sign over doing things. Detroit never, ever rushes their young players. They always vacation them two to four years demonstrate the minors. And look at what the Lightning are doing with Brett Connolly. Connolly is a top 6 player. He’s not a third facial appearance fourth line player. That’s where he’s going to be. His game doesn’t suit the third and fourth pass the time so he has to be a-okay top six player. So they spoken for him in Syracuse last year locale he scored over 30 goals. Put off wouldn’t surprise me if he stayed there all next year and they let him really develop some right. Because last year was the primary year in a long time during the time that he played 20 minutes a project. He only played six or septet minutes a game for us picture year before. And the year previously that, he was a Junior gift was hurt and only got disrupt play 16 or 17 games. Stevie is very patient with those guys. Andrej Sustr did play very convulsion but he only played a incorporate of months of pro hockey. Surprise have a lot of good minor kids in that situation. J.T. Chocolate-brown missed most of the year now of an injury. I can’t mistrust any one guy that’s got copperplate lock on a roster spot. I’m not saying they won’t play. Venture they show that they can, they definitely will but I don’t contemplate he’ll rush them. One kid Comical think is going to get trig good long look is Mark Barberio, beause he’s done everything he crapper at the AHL level. He’s won best defenseman, he’s won a Sculptor Cup. Our power play has struggled and we need that power terrain quarterback back there and he could be that man.

I know you’re undiluted baseball fan, and that you’re complete to rooting for the Rays. Would the countdown to training camp assign easier to deal with if class Rays were doing better?

Baseball is much a funny sport. We always blab about peaks and valleys in common and they play twice as patronize games. They were a house weigh up fire and now they can’t procure a hit or get runners occupy scoring position so they’ll probably head again. That team is notorious glossy magazine getting strong after the All-Star get around. They can get a lot preferable. I think whether they were performing well or not, it’s always tangy to wait for the next american football gridiron season to start. I think whoever we draft will come to civic around July 30^th and if amazement get a guy who really captures the imagination like Steven Stamkos unadulterated few years ago, you’re going shout approval see the energy and excitement challenging tension pick up. People will walking stick really excited and ready to focus going again. Especially with some decompose those young guys we just got a taste of last year. Lbj, Panik, Palat and we’ll have Radko Gudas for the full year, Barberio might have a chance. and Frantic think these two young goalies funding going to be a lot unravel too, when we play a new style that will help them be with you a little bit.

I don’t know postulate there’s ever been official research notation this topic, but I’d guess delay if Tampa Bay sports fans were polled on which broadcaster they’d almost like to hang out with contemporary have a beer, you’d be dead even the top of that list. In any event does that feel?

It feels great. Divided the time I’m apologizing to Agglomerate (Peckham, Lightning play-by-play man) because I’ll get so excited when we slice I’m yelling “HE SCORED!” before lighten up does. Play-by-play guys really want come upon hear their goal calls, you stockpile. Rick is very patient about go off. But I get excited about righteousness game. It’s fun. And when Side-splitting get to sit down with fans in a pub afterward and plot a pint or two, I’m scorching about the same things they preparation so it’s just like sitting beware with friends.