What's Happening in the Press Box?

by Bryan Wright

There is a new trend in hockey broadcasts that really, really bothers me.  One that makes my blood boil.  It bothers me for several reasons, but mostly because I can’t figure out the reason it is done.  I’m talking about when a broadcast shows the GM after a goal.  This seems to be a pointless camera shot meant to…well to…well that’s the problem, I don’t understand why this is done.

Don't pay for the whole seat,
you'll only need the edge!!

If my memory serves me correctly, this trend really took off when Brian Burke became the GM of the Toronto Maple Leafs.  The team was terrible and Burke had a reputation for being a curmudgeon; a combination that meant the Leafs would surrender a lot of goals causing Burke to blow his top.  Of course the only thing that we ever saw was Burke sitting in his press box, hands folded in front of his face, grimacing.  Great stuff!  It quickly expanded to include times when the Leafs scored, as if we might get to see Burke jumping out of his seat, high-fiving the people around him and maybe even shaking his hand at the camera, yelling ‘we’re number one!!’

Jay Feaster: "Acting" to be or not to be?

Jay Feaster, or Harry Jay Feaster to his mother, is primed to be the next general manger of the Calgary Flames.


Feaster’s history with the game of hockey began in 1988 when he was a lawyer with McNees, Wallace, & Nurrick. He was assigned to deal with Hershey Entertainment and Resorts Company who, by chance, owned the Hershey Bears of the AHL. To make a long story short, he joined the team soon after as the assistant to the team president and in 1990 was named the general manager.

He was with the Bears for eight years and won AHL Executive of the Year in 1997 after the Bears won the Calder Cup.

He joined the Tampa Bay Lightning as the assistant GM in 1998 behind Jacques Demers taking over the contracts and legal matters for the team.

In 2002, he was promoted to GM of the team. In 2004, they won the Stanley Cup.

He was with the Lightning until 2008 when he was sick of the new owners Len Barrie and Oren Koules and resigned with three years left on his contract.

In 2010 he was hired as the Assistant GM of the Flames. On December 28th, 2010, he was named acting GM of the team.

This brings us to now. No decision has been made on whether or not to strip the “Acting” tag off his name. Flames brass says they are going to wait until the Stanley Cup is awarded. I think this is crock of you know what as the decision has already been made in my mind.