Leah Hextall Got Called Out By Eddie Olczyk For Copying a John Forslund Goal Call — At What Point Do The TV People Pull The Plug?

Leah Hextall’s subpar performance as an NHL broadcaster has become a perennial certainty alongside death and taxes, as she has been widely regarded as the worst commentator in the league’s history. Skeptical? Recent reports indicate that even industry insiders have grown weary of her ineptitude.

Leah Hextall used John Forslund's famous "hey hey what do you say" without attribution on Thursday and and Edzo called her out for it on the next broadcast.

ESPN NHL's coverage leaves some…room for improvement pic.twitter.com/B1VuT9Pttr

— x – Davy Jones' Locker Room (@DavyJonesLR) April 10, 2023

It’s widely accepted that ESPN’s coverage of the NHL has been a complete disaster. What began as a promising initiative has resulted in frequent television blackouts for hockey enthusiasts, limited coverage on Sportscenter, and retired players Messier and Chelios reminiscing about the good old days. In addition, PK Subban appears to be clinging to any remaining shred of relevance he can find.

This really can’t be that hard right?

Hire the correct people, showcase the right players and grow the game. Let me ask you something:

TNT is going to ragdog ESPN in this poll. They’ve brought in guys like Biz and Liam McHugh which make the intermission something to look forward to. I wish we could run the numbers of people who watch intermissions on TNT vs. ESPN.

Take a second and ask yourself this:

Why do we have to keep listening to Leah Hextall?

I think at some point the ‘Hextall‘ name has to lose its luster right?

The fact remains that if any of us had that job and announced a shootout like this, we’d be in the unemployment line the next day.

Trevor Zegras and Troy Terry came up BIG time for the shootout win 😤 @AnaheimDucks pic.twitter.com/sf1HVWS91Y

— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) November 2, 2022

Leah Hextall's calls during an NHL shootout pic.twitter.com/oBz9hQdWc0

— Alex B. Smith (@axsmithsports) November 4, 2022

AJ Mleczko deserves an opportunity to prove herself as a consistent voice of hockey, while it’s high time to put an end to the Hextall experiment. I know some might accuse me of gender bias, so allow me to clarify some points before I sign off.

Firstly, a broadcaster must possess a pleasant voice, which is something she lacks, making me want to smash my truck window with my head. Secondly, an announcer should have a sense of style and flair, but her shootout calls resemble the passion of my 7th grade Language Arts teacher. Lastly, a broadcaster needs to maintain their own unique style, while she seems to copy other announcers’ goal calls. Hm, makes you think.

Thank you and have a good day!