I'm sorry. Dan Dunleavy.

[Stoner]

This isn't another Dan is Bad rant.

It's a I Don't Get Dan rant.

His calls of Colorado's tying and go ahead goals featured among the most excitable "score" deliveries of his time in Buffalo. I mean, he really felt those goals. He came off as the Avs' announcer. Of course he wasn't going to follow "score" with any crazy Avs word play or expressions, but if he had, it would have fit right in.

This is the guy who has no problem literally not calling many Sabres goals.

The team doesn't bleed blue and gold. Neither does Dan. They are a match made in heaven.

Edited December 4 by Stoner

[That Aud Smell]

Post the clip(s), you hoser.

[#freejame]

3 hours ago, Stoner said:

The team doesn't bleed blue and gold. Neither does Dan. They are a match made in heaven.

It’s an organization thing through and through. During the three game win streak I put in a request for information on season tickets. I finally got contacted on Monday. The phone rang two times and then stopped, no voicemail. I called it back and it rang out to no machine. Then I got a call back again from an abomination of a sales person. It was embarrassing. It’s a loser culture throughout the building. On my way out of the arena last night there was an employee bitching loudly to himself about another loss. It’s a joke.

Edited December 4 by #freejame

[LabattBlue]

Last night Dehaan touches the puck. While play continues Dumbleavy is talking about this being 651 games for DeHaan at the NHL level.  WTF Dan.  How is this f***ing relevant?

[Pimlach]

he often talks about the other teams trivia, and then he stops calling play by for long periods of time.  He misses big plays by the Sabres too.  

He stinks at the job.  He is a poster boy for the level of expectations the Sabres management sets for its employees.

I get that we had Rick and Ted, and that was great, but Dan is not even  average at PBP.  

4 hours ago, #freejame said:

It’s an organization thing through and through. During the three game win streak I put in a request for information on season tickets. I finally got contacted on Monday. The phone rang two times and then stopped, no voicemail. I called it back and it rang out to no machine. Then I got a call back again from an abomination of a sales person. It was embarrassing. It’s a loser culture throughout the building. On my way out of the arena last night there was an employee bitching loudly to himself about another loss. It’s a joke.

It was not like that under the Knox's.  The pride is gone but then again, everything has changed.  

[PerreaultForever]

Rob Ray's a bigger problem imo. The play by play guy calls the play. It's the "color commentary" guy's job to give you the actual insights and analysis. Ray just makes excuses and pokes fun at Marty for some unknown irrelevant reason. 

[JoeSchmoe]

6 minutes ago, PerreaultForever said:

Ray just makes excuses and pokes fun at Marty for some unknown irrelevant reason.

I like Rob Ray and this just made me smile.

[SwampD]

I agree. It was weird.

I had stopped watching and was doing other stuff. It was still on, though. On both the tying and go-ahead goal, I thought it was the Sabres who had scored by his call.

Edited December 4 by SwampD

[PerreaultForever]

16 minutes ago, JoeSchmoe said:

I like Rob Ray and this just made me smile.

I don't hate him, I just think he's a lousy analyst. 

[Alaska John]

I miss RJ but I'm glad he's not here to see this.

[Two or less]

10 hours ago, Stoner said:

This isn't another Dan is Bad rant.

It's a I Don't Get Dan rant.

His calls of Colorado's tying and go ahead goals featured among the most excitable "score" deliveries of his time in Buffalo. I mean, he really felt those goals. He came off as the Avs' announcer. Of course he wasn't going to follow "score" with any crazy Avs word play or expressions, but if he had, it would have fit right in.

This is the guy who has no problem literally not calling many Sabres goals.

The team doesn't bleed blue and gold. Neither does Dan. They are a match made in heaven.

 

Dunleavy is terrible.

[Stoner]

I'm not sure he's terrible. He can be very good for stretches, but like the Sabres, he can't or won't sustain it.

He sounds like he's always auditioning for HNIC.

[JoeSchmoe]

21 minutes ago, Stoner said:

He sounds like he's always auditioning for HNIC

This is 100% the case.

Give us Duff... He's not RJ, but he's more than serviceable and he's a fan like us.

[skaught]

Can we pull up the guy from the AHL? I've heard him in some clips from Amerks games and he sounds way better.

[gomper]

Dunleavy is not good but perfect for this team. Everyone here knows what I mean.

His fundamental approach is wrong and that's where the problems start. He thinks he should pick out the high points of the action, squeeze in usless info, and banter with Ray. In actuality, his job is to CALL THE GAME. The game has no feel of an NHL event. Even in RJ's last year, he brought through that energy that made it feel a Tuesday against Columbus was bigger than it was. That's an entertainer. DD pacing sucks and his total ineptitude in play description is appalling. Anyone listening on radio is screwed.

I know Ray is beloved. Fine. Enjoy him at an alumni function. He adds nothing to the broadcast except the obvious and bro-talk.

Embarrassing. Just like the team.

[SHAAAUGHT!!!]

I typically watch the other teams feeds and most have better announcers than the Sabres.  Better play-by-play, better analysis in between plays, better tidbits of information.  Dunleavy seems like a great guy, but he needs a new job.  Ray took so many punches in the head for this team he gets a pass from me.  At least he has an excuse...

[nucci]

and it goes in. That's his goal call. If you're not sure how to do play by play , watch and listen to old HNIC broadcasts. The analyst never talks when play is going on.

[LTS]

What I've come up with is:

Dan Dunleavy is a commentator and what we need is a play by play person.  If you've ever tried to experience a Sabres game on radio it'll become painfully clear what the difference is.

Sadly, today's sports seems to be 100% geared towards the fan watching and understanding what's happening while two people tell stories. I've no doubt it's why the ManningCast was even attempted and certainly why it's become incredibly popular (although, to be honest, I prefer the ManningCast as well).

 

[bob_sauve28]

53 minutes ago, LTS said:

 

Sadly, today's sports seems to be 100% geared towards the fan watching and understanding what's happening while two people tell stories. I've no doubt it's why the ManningCast was even attempted and certainly why it's become incredibly popular (although, to be honest, I prefer the ManningCast as well).

 

I remember back in the 80's NBC experimented with having games with no broadcasters at all. Did not last, but I was fine with it. I actually don't listen to Rob and Dan. I turn the volume down. I'm a hockey guy, I know what is going on. They are both not good.

Terry P just does not fire people. He is just happy being the owner, which is fine. I'm glad he kept the team in Buffalo. I'll take him over an owner like Jerry Jones, who is successful, but kind of maniacal.

In Sabreland there is a lack of passion for winning. The Avs game was lost when it went to 4-1 and there wasn't really any desperation at all. It was like, "Oh well, let's move on and maybe try to win next game." If there was a serious winning culture here there would of been some fall out from that pretty horrible, and embarrassing loss, but it seem there was no embarrassment.

The broadcast team is just a manifestation of the lack of caring. Why rock the boat when everything is going so well?

 

 

[elijah]

Brian Duff is a bigger problem than Dunleavy

[Pimlach]

7 minutes ago, elijah said:

Brian Duff is a bigger problem than Dunleavy

How is Duff a problem.  
 

Listen to a game on the radio.  It’s impossible to follow.  That is bad play by play.   Add in that he gets more excited for big plays by the opponents.  His calls on Sabres goals are usually duds. 

[bob_sauve28]

Dunleavy is currently the play by play voice for the Buffalo Sabres on MSG Western New York and WGR 550 radio in Buffalo. From 2016 until 2022, Dunleavy rotated with Hall of Fame announcer Rick Jeanneret, who was to retire after the 2016–17 season. Rick changed his mind about retiring despite the agreement he and the Sabres signed with Dunleavy, leaving Dunleavy to work on a year by year time table with the hope of eventually taking over as was offered by the NHL franchise. To partially compensate, Dunleavy's role was also expanded to include filling in as studio host for Brian Duff when not substituting for Jeanneret.

Dan was about to call his third season of Toronto Maple Leaf radio play by play on The FAN590 and TSN1050 in the 2013-14 NHL season, when Buffalo approached him about taking over for Jeanneret. Dunleavy accepted, mainly because of his concerns about being split between the two Toronto stations, each owned by two of Canada's biggest multimedia conglomerates (Bell Media and Rogers Communications), both of whom also held ownership stakes in the Leafs.[3] The Sabres signed Dunleavy to a five-year contract that expires in 2018; Dunleavy has turned down other offers during his time with Buffalo and remains in negotiations for a contract extension.[4] On May 9, 2021, unsure of whether or not he would return to the Sabres, he posted a potential farewell message in the event that he did not renew his contract.[5] The Sabres publicly stated that they were interested in renewing Dunleavy's agreement.[6]

Since the last update, Dan has renewed once again as the voice of the Buffalo Sabres indefinitely.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dan_Dunleavy

Dunleavy was born in Toronto and grew up in Georgetown, Ontario. His radio career started in Welland, Ontario in 1985 at CHOW country radio. He is an alumnus of Niagara College, where he was classmates with Rick Jeanneret's son, Chris Jeanneret.

Dan adopted 2 rescue dogs, Bandit & Timmy, and resides in Eden, New York. He met his wife, Brenda during a Sabres broadcast where she was the graphics coordinator/operator for MSG Network.

[Billznut]

22 hours ago, Alaska John said:

I miss RJ but I'm glad he's not here to see this.

RJ saw 12 years of this crap on his way out. That in itself is unforgivable and why this franchise is beyond embarrassing with zero hope of it ending anytime soon. The Sabres eclipsing the Bills 17 seasons of futility is very very much on the table. 

[OverPowerYou]

Somewhere around the 2012 lockout I feel the Sabres died