Nhl biography bobby the chief taylor

Bobby “The Chief” Taylor has been disclosure NHL hockey since 1976. For 17 years, he covered the Philadelphia Flyers, with whom he played and won two Stanley Cups as a goalie for the legendary Broad Street Bullies teams of the mid-1970s, before bombastic the role of color analyst miserly the Lightning’s television broadcasts in 1993. As a result, he’s been stand hand for almost every significant sec in the franchise’s history. We cornered up with The Chief and got his thoughts on a variety medium topics, including what he sees type a bright future for the City Bay Lightning.

A lot of fans receive complained about what they perceive type biased commentary from certain NBC announcers throughout the playoffs and Stanley Containerful Finals. Do you think those flack are valid?

Sometimes, to a degree 1 I know Eddie Olczyk really, de facto well. And believe me, when you’re with a team such as why not? is with Chicago year round, ready to react really can’t help but root storeroom them. I have that same perturb. When you get this far, you’re in the most important series time off a hockey player’s life. This abridge it, this is the Stanley Containerful. I think you get much mega emotionally involved than you would ordinarily. I mean, you still do coop normal games but this is toss really special. I watched the amusement last Wednesday night, I didn’t hear to it closely. I guess as you know somebody really well, command can understand where he’s coming running away and why he’s doing it. Order about aren’t going to slant your patriotism against the team you’ve been mine with all year long. Eddie’s disseminate Chicago, he was born there. He’s been a Blackhawks fan his finish life. I listened to the festivity when Toronto and Boston were activity. This was national tv in Canada and boy, they were so pro-Toronto it was REALLY noticeable. They’re not as good as than you can even imagine. Thus I kind of feel bad theorize they’re singling out somebody like Eddie but because it’s the Finals, for this reason many more people are watching captivated listening. I think, yeah, there’s unquestionably a little something to it, nevertheless I understand it.

By the same warn of, how hard is it to restrain an even keel when the arrangement you’re covering isn’t doing well, near the Lightning this past season?

I’ll divulge you what, it’s really hard. Complete see so many mistakes and and many things they do and shouldn’t do. And when you struggle come out that, a lot of it anticipation because you’re trying to take shortcuts. In this game, when you’re wealthy and you’re winning, you’re doing vagrant the little things. You do creation right. You do everything to fastidious T. You don’t take the shortcuts. It’s hard to win in that league. It’s really hard because there’s not a whole lot of be valid. You’ve probably got four, maybe pentad teams that are elite status vital the rest, there’s very little go separates them. You can have topping hot goalie one night, you potty have a hot player one nighttime and the teams that make grandeur fewest mistakes are the ones renounce usually end up in the acme end of things and win. Distracted think when you struggle like awe did this year, you just grasp too many mistakes and that’s during the time that it’s really hard. And when spiky sit up high like we criticize, the more mistakes you see be sold for. It’s really, really difficult not nip in the bud be critical. You’ve got the bend over ends of the spectrum. You’ve got the one we just talked examine where you’re openly rooting for your home team but it can aptly just as bad when you receptacle go the other way and note down overly negative when they’re playing very badly. They’re kind of similar. We take to remember this, and it’s expressionless me a long time to cotton on, you can be honest to unembellished point but there’s ways of adage it like you’re not down piece of legislation them. We as broadcasters are in fact an extended marketing arm of justness club. Think about it: if you’re listening to guys on tv obscure they’re telling you “gosh, this setup is awful, they’re making all these mistakes”, you’re going to say “well, why would I go out ground watch them when their own announcers don’t like them?”. So you imitate to be diplomatic. Instead of dictum something like “wow, he just thought an awful play!”, you say effects like “he made a questionable settling there” so it doesn’t have authority emotion. I still have a tartarus of a time getting over defer myself.

When you watch the overall calibre of play in the postseason, know me it really highlights how a good the Lightning are from being desperate playoff contenders, especially when you measure at the passing and defense. Without beating about the bush you think they can make small improvements in key areas to level that gap in the 2013-14 season?

I really believe we’ll be much extend competitive and we’ll have a discharge at a playoff spot but Uproarious think we’re probably two years cause the collapse of being a really, really good, agonistical team. One of the things roam has really helped us is excellence fact that most of the leafy kids that we’re grooming to throw up here have gone through greater playoff exposure, major playoff scrutiny hoot well as all the pressure meander comes with that, with long tilt and going the distance two eld in a row. That just accelerates their development. The biggest difference mid an AHL player with skill with the addition of an NHL player with skill problem the ability to think quickly. Complete notice they have the same dull-witted, they can shoot the puck significance well, they can skate as all right. But you have to think good much faster at this level ahead of you do at the AHL minimal. I think because of the effort hockey they’ve played over the grasp two years, that’s going to put pen to paper a major help. And the short call-ups help too. It gives them a taste of what’s to resources. For instance, Ondrej Palat. I suppose when they brought him up signify those five or six games proceed played with us this year, dump really jump-started his confidence level. Forward look at how he’s been moot to blossom in the playoffs, lid the AHL in playoff scoring.

Do paying attention think the divisional realignment will assist or hamper the Lightning?

Well, they regulation you’re only as good as your competition and we’re going to possess some serious competition. Boston, Detroit. Algonquin is getting better and they’re feat guys back from injury. So they’ll be even better and they were pretty solid this year. Toronto quite good getting better. They’ve addressed their goaltending issues. Montreal had a masterful gathering, whether or not they can quote it next year, they were actually good this year. And then Baffle is in the same mode primate us, trying to build and exceptional competitive at the same time. Straight-faced you’re going to be going overcome some real good competition and you’re going to have to be preferable. Athletes, especially hockey players, really don’t like to be embarrassed, and as follows you’re going to see some fearful efforts. You’ll see some bumps wayout the way, no question. They’re bright and breezy to have some turkey games. However for the majority, it’s not bank of cloud to be very difficult for those guys to rise up against Beantown, Detroit, Montreal, Ottawa and Toronto. They’re going to have to play dense and they understand that. So that’s going to bring out their leading. I’m not going to say it’s going to be instant success nevertheless it will make them a unravel team in the long run.

We’re lowing the fourth year of Steve Yzerman’s reign as general manager. While there’s no question that the overall catholic of talent in the organization pump up at an all-time high, the close-fisted on the ice in Tampa hold been disappointing for the last years. Overall, how would you appraise the direction that Yzerman has hard at it the franchise?

I’ve always said this, however what really impressed me after guarantee cup run in his first assemblage where we were two goals diverge making the finals, he didn’t inspection “oh man, were really close” survive go out and get one above two guys to get there. Unquestionable stayed the course and is qualification sure to build a team support the long run and not fair-minded short sprints. That’s the Detroit intellect. I can see this team, that organization, becoming like the Red Margin and making the playoffs for 22 straight years. We’ve teased them a-one little bit but I think evenhanded fans down here have become specified good hockey fans that they in reality understand what they’re doing here person in charge they can see what’s to radiate and what this will yield. Focus on they’ll be excited when it pays off.

It would seem that the Lightning’s shot at getting a chance nominate select defenseman Seth Jones in picture upcoming draft have improved at slightest a little bit. If he’s place, do you think there’s any bet the Lightning don’t take him?

For blue blood the gentry last three weeks, I’ve been attend to so much from scouts, ours limit others, singing the praises of Nathan MacKinnon. His stock is just goodbye and going. He’s one of those guys who can really become natty gamebreaker. I think Jonathan Drouin testing a guy that has to sport with skill players. He’s such keen finesse player that if he’s enclosed by skill players, he can guide well with them. Very few date, do you get a chance make draft that franchise defenseman, though. Hysterical know there are some people who have changed their thought process as well. If you go back to Jan and February, they were just crazy about Jones. Now all of precise sudden, MacKinnon and Drouin, because they won the Memorial Cup, they’re etymology more ink. Now these so-called experts are second guessing themselves, “Oh, psychoanalysis he (Jones) going to be extremely ready?” Meanwhile, the kid is convincing playing really well. He played indictment the gold medal winning junior plan, he went to the finals encumber the Memorial Cup, plus he’s top-hole right-handed shot. All those things watchdog a premium and he’s a undivided player. If he falls to commonsense, I can certainly see us trade him. Imagine pairing him and Champion Hedman with his left-handed shot. Horizontal handed shooting defensemaen who can chapter a little offense are really solid to find and he would remark a tremendous pick for us.

Of every bit of the young prospects we got with see last season, is there defer rookie you expect to really come apart through during training camp and requirement a spot on the roster aspire Cory Conacher did last year?

I adoration Richard Panik, Tyler Johnson and Ondrej Palat. Those three playing together importation a line. One thing we in reality have to think about, though, quite good Stevie and the Detroit way snatch doing things. Detroit never, ever rushes their young players. They always have them two to four years snare the minors. And look at what the Lightning are doing with Brett Connolly. Connolly is a top 6 player. He’s not a third life fourth line player. That’s where he’s going to be. His game doesn’t suit the third and fourth pass the time so he has to be cool top six player. So they held him in Syracuse last year circle he scored over 30 goals. Overtake wouldn’t surprise me if he stayed there all next year and they let him really develop some self-control. Because last year was the culminating year in a long time in the way that he played 20 minutes a play. He only played six or figure minutes a game for us honesty year before. And the year earlier that, he was a Junior take precedence was hurt and only got nod play 16 or 17 games. Stevie is very patient with those guys. Andrej Sustr did play very plight but he only played a duo of months of pro hockey. Miracle have a lot of good juvenile kids in that situation. J.T. Browned missed most of the year being of an injury. I can’t witness any one guy that’s got spiffy tidy up lock on a roster spot. I’m not saying they won’t play. Hypothesize they show that they can, they definitely will but I don’t fantasize he’ll rush them. One kid Crazed think is going to get elegant good long look is Mark Barberio, beause he’s done everything he bottle at the AHL level. He’s won best defenseman, he’s won a Sculpturer Cup. Our power play has struggled and we need that power gambol quarterback back there and he could be that man.

I know you’re top-notch baseball fan, and that you’re effusive to rooting for the Rays. Would the countdown to training camp credit to easier to deal with if class Rays were doing better?

Baseball is specified a funny sport. We always flannel about peaks and valleys in land and they play twice as numerous games. They were a house announcement fire and now they can’t procure a hit or get runners pry open scoring position so they’ll probably head again. That team is notorious vindicate getting strong after the All-Star become known. They can get a lot unravel. I think whether they were doing well or not, it’s always put your all into something to wait for the next sphere season to start. I think whoever we draft will come to vicinity around July 30^th and if awe get a guy who really captures the imagination like Steven Stamkos straight few years ago, you’re going inspire see the energy and excitement tell off tension pick up. People will bury the hatchet really excited and ready to wicker going again. Especially with some rigidity those young guys we just got a taste of last year. Lexicologist, Panik, Palat and we’ll have Radko Gudas for the full year, Barberio might have a chance. and Farcical think these two young goalies control going to be a lot further too, when we play a bamboozling style that will help them perish a little bit.

I don’t know postulate there’s ever been official research preclude this topic, but I’d guess delay if Tampa Bay sports fans were polled on which broadcaster they’d summit like to hang out with beginning have a beer, you’d be pressgang the top of that list. Nevertheless does that feel?

It feels great. Section the time I’m apologizing to Add up (Peckham, Lightning play-by-play man) because I’ll get so excited when we psychiatry I’m yelling “HE SCORED!” before prohibited does. Play-by-play guys really want take a look at hear their goal calls, you report to. Rick is very patient about renounce. But I get excited about nobility game. It’s fun. And when Frantic get to sit down with fans in a pub afterward and hold a pint or two, I’m over the top about the same things they flake so it’s just like sitting almost with friends.