I’m not much of a hockey fan during the regular season, but there’s something about the last five minutes of an NHL playoff game that makes me stop channel surfing and start watching – even if it happens to be Nashville and Winnipeg in a Western Conference second-round series.
My knowledge about those teams is on par with my understanding of algebra.
I recognized a couple of players from the Predators, one of whom, Mike Fisher, is married to Carrie Underwood, who was shown in a luxury box.
As for the Jets, well, I pretty much came up empty.
Same with the announcers. One was unknown; the other was completely unexpected.
The play-by-play voice belonged to Chris Cuthbert. The analyst was AJ Mleczko.
The AJ stands for Allison Jaime.
Yes, a woman.
No, Gordie Howe need not be spinning in his grave.
Mleczko is a two-time Olympic medal winner – gold in 1998, silver in 2002 – as a member of the U.S. women’s hockey team and led Harvard to the 1999 national championship.
She has been on air for NBC during the last four Winter Olympics and made history last month when she became the first female to serve as an in-booth analyst for an NHL playoff game. She worked the first-round series between Colorado and Nashville with Kenny Albert.
Hearing a woman broadcast a hockey game was odd at first, but only because it was so unusual.
Based on the small sample size, those last five minutes, Mleczko was knowledgeable and insightful, all substance and no schtick. She meshed well with Cuthbert and on-ice analyst Brian Boucher, the former Flyers goalie, and she wasn’t in love with the sound of her own voice, which is the highest praise you can bestow on anyone who talks for a living.
And here’s the most amazing thing: Mleczko wasn’t savaged on Twitter by those enlightened guys, whose not-so-open minds shut down as soon as they hear a woman filling a broadcast role traditionally held by a man.
Do you think we might be making progress?
(And if we are, I hope I didn’t jinx it by asking the question.)
Mleczko seems to have escaped the abuse that was – continues to be? – heaped on ESPN’s Beth Mowins, who had the chops to be assigned a “Monday Night Football” game last season and is a college football regular, and Jessica Mendoza, who is in her third season as part of the “Sunday Night Baseball” booth.
Mleczko may have been spared the wrath of the trolls, but, unfortunately, she wasn’t rewarded by the suits at her network.
When the Predators and Jets faced off for Game 7, NBC replaced her with Eddie Olczyk.
Baby steps.
Women have been involved in major sports broadcasts, but primarily doing the thankless job of a sideline reporter – Michele Tafoya, Lisa Salters, Allie LaForce, Erin Andrews, Tracy Wolfson, Holly Rowe, etc.
But, slowly, more women have earned themselves seats with better views and considerably more air time.
In addition to the law firm of Mowins, Mendoza and Mleczko, Kara Lawson and Rebecca Lobo were outstanding as analysts during the NCAA women’s Final Four, and it was just announced that Rowe will do play-by-play for a WNBA game.
And is there a better basketball analyst, regardless of gender, than Doris Burke?
Burke just completed her first season as an NBA game analyst on ESPN’s No. 2 team, and she’ll work the sidelines for the Eastern Conference and NBA finals.
Should Mark Jackson or Jeff Van Gundy, ESPN’s lead NBA analysts, get a head coaching job, Burke should be the only name on the short list to replace him.
Not because she’s a woman broadcaster and checks the diversity box, but because she’s really good at what she does, and checks the “I deserve to be there, because I earned it” box.
Here’s how Mleczko put it in an interview on ESPN.com: “I hope I’m not just remembered for being a woman in the booth in a Round 2 NHL playoff game.
“I hope that people listen to the game and they’re not constantly reminded that a woman is calling this game. It’s hockey people in the booth talking hockey.”
And seeing how it’s 2018, that’s really all that should matter.
Contact Mike McGovern: 610-371-5068 or mmcgovern@readingeagle.com.
