The New York Islanders surrendered a 2-0 third period lead to fall to the Detroit Red Wings 4-3 in overtime on Monday night.
But following the heartbreaking defeat, the ire of Islanders fans wasn’t directed at the team’s defense or head coach Lane Lambert, but rather MSG broadcaster Brendan Burke.
Why? Shortly before Red Wings forward Daniel Sprong scored Detroit’s first goal of the game seven minutes and 55 seconds into the third period, Burke made the unforgivable decision to actually reference that New York was in the midst of a two-game shutout. As one might imagine, his social media mentions quickly filled with fans legitimately upset that he had “jinxed” the team.
Whereas some broadcasters might have gotten defensive, Burke took the chiding in stride. That’s not to say he accepted fault, however. Rather, the Islanders broadcaster passed the buck to a fan in Massapequa who made the even more egregious mistake of switching his seating position midway through the game.
“Wasn’t me,” Burke posted to the social media platform X (formerly Twitter) after the game. “I have it on good authority some guy in Massapequa was sitting on the wrong couch cushion in the third period.”
Burke’s humorous response prompted other fans to weigh in with their own versions of breaking superstition.
One of Burke’s colleagues, Quinnipiac University play-by-play announcer Phil Giubileo, also chimed it, making it clear where he stands on the idea of jinxes.
“To my PxP and non-sportscaster friends – no such thing as an announcer jinx,” he wrote. “The players cannot hear you on the ice! Some announcers choose to have fun with it or not, but fans should never take that out on the PxP’er.”
https://twitter.com/philgpbp/status/1719214650405888226
Giubileo is absolutely right. That fan in Massapequa, on the other hand, clearly has some explaining to do.
About Ben Axelrod
Ben Axelrod is a veteran of the sports media landscape, having most recently worked for NBC's Cleveland affiliate, WKYC. Prior to his time in Cleveland, he covered Ohio State football and the Big Ten for outlets including Cox Media Group, Bleacher Report, Scout and Rivals.