The Boston Bruins getting knocked out in the first round of the NHL playoffs was a brutal ending to their season, but it was not quite a Hindenburg-like ending.
After breaking the NHL’s record for most wins and points in a single regular season, anything less than a Stanley Cup Championship was going to be a disappointment for the Bruins. Some might even dare to call it a failure after Boston was upset by the Florida Panthers in the first round of the 2023 Stanley Cup Playoffs. But Bruins NESN play-by-play voice Jack Edwards went a step further in his attempt at quantifying the sports disaster.
“Verhaeghe WINS THE SERIES FOR FLORIDA! And this joyride ends in a Hindenburg-like ending!” Edwards said on the NESN broadcast. “The Bruins are the second record-setting team in a row to drop the series in the first round.”
Edwards was attempting to describe just how demoralizing the Game 7 loss was for the Bruins and their fanbase, but comparing it to a historically infamous disaster that took the lives of 35 people seems a bit much. However, the 66-year-old broadcaster is no stranger to making odd or controversial calls. Earlier this season, Edwards bizarrely body-shamed Tampa Bay Lightning forward Pat Maroon.
The Hindenburg analogy was the second strange reference used during a sports broadcast on Sunday. Hours before Edwards’ questionable decision, ABC aired stock footage of the Statue of Liberty featuring the Twin Towers in the background during the Knicks-Heat broadcast.
[NESN]
About Brandon Contes
Brandon Contes is a staff writer for Awful Announcing and The Comeback. He previously helped carve the sports vertical for Mediaite and spent more than three years with Barrett Sports Media. Send tips/comments/complaints to bcontes@thecomeback.com