I had to stop listening to his show awhile back. He and his private groupies just seem to talk non stop about their opinions about the Canucks. He’s become a bit of a caricature, angry that he never got respect from the Canucks it seems. He seems so bitter and old.
I tuned in last night and his 180 minute Sports show actually mentioned the Lions for 5 minutes.
While he professed to love the game on Sunday I was shocked at his lack of knowledge. He was unknowing of the OT rules about the 2 point conversion necessity, about the Lions having to take the ball on the second OT session, said the CFL season was a dud while acknowledging that he never watches until November, mocks the CFL for being an 8 team league while waxing nostalgic about the original 6 team NHL league of his boyhood. It is beyond listening for me.
I guess it wouldn’t be so bad if he would peg his show as Hockey Talk 12 months.
He is embarrassing to me.
Don’t get me started on his groupies…especially that Blake guy.
Its my fault I guess for living in rural BC. No choice for sports radio. but hundreds have signed off in my area from him. shocking tho at how bad he’s gotten. and cynically one dimensional.
I guess they don’t believe that more people go to Lions Games and a comparable number watch them as do the Canucks on TV. No need to compare but…
Just call it Hockey Talk…least its honest
I listened to Dan Russell's Sports Talk show quite a bit during the early years on CJOR radio. Back then he was much more polite to callers than he has been in recent years. Perhaps he thought he was the heir apparent to legendary Canuck radio play by play broadcaster Jim Robson, since Russell did some minor hockey games on channel five TV here in Vancouver. He certainly has that classic nasally voice, like Foster Hewitt and Bill Hewitt had. But instead the radio job was given to Jim Hughson, and more recently to John Shorthouse. Maybe Dan is a bit bitter about that, or perhaps he is just tired of doing the same thing, every night. It seems that when people other than his cadre of regular callers phones in he cuts them off very fast unless they have an interesting or original take on whatever the topic is.
While I'm on that subject, has anyone else noticed that same sort of, well, prickly personality in some other guys in the sports business? One time I tried to ask a question of of Ed Willis at a Lions practice, and he looked at me like I was from outer space. Same thing when I asked Dan Murphy a question once. Another time back in the 1960s I was at an All Star Wrestling show in the PNE Forum. (Hey I was just a kid; back then I thought it was real). We though we had the winning ticket in some draw they had so I walked over to the booth where Bernie Pascall was sitting and showed him the ticket. He said some very nasty things to me, no class at all. J P McConnell always seemed rather unpleasant to me.
On the other hand, when I've spoken to Tommy Larscheid he was very nice and didn't mind talking sports at all. Same thing with Mike Beamish, Lowell Ullrich and especially Matt Sekeres. I met Bill Goode Jr. once when he was transitioning from Sports to hard news, and he was a very pleasant guy to talk with. John MacKeechie is also a good guy to talk sports with.
So be nicer Dan Russell, and don't be so quick to cut people off.
Could not agree more about this LOSER! Way back in 1985 I called his show on a Hot July day when The LIONS were on the way to Winning The GREY CUP and were getting 45 + in The Dome and this IDIOT was talking about Hockey. I told him on air that there was more to life than just Hockey. I said why don't you talk about Baseball or Lacrosse if not The LIONS? Instead of a semi - intelligent answer the GOOF just hung up and went back to talking about the Boston Bruins! A few Years later my Friend was listening to this MORON'S show and he was having a Trivia Contest. I phoned in, answered ALL the questions and was told my PRIZE would be in the Mail. I waited Nearly a YEAR to get my Prize and when it finally came after half a Dozen phone Calls to the Radio Station the Prize had EXPIRED! It was a Gift Certificate for a Sporting goods store and the Final Date to Redeem it was the Day BEFORE it came in the Mail! Dan Russell is a KNOW NOTHING JERK with a GRATING Voice!
whats really weird about this show now is how much he revels in the poor play of the Canucks. No matter how well they play he finds major flaws and obviously has an axe to grind with their management. He has that very strange,incessant talker guy named Brook at his side and they just go on under the guise of objectivity. Meanwhile I have to assume that the Canucks have made him off limits as there is never a Canuck member, staff or player who is interviewed. Yet even with all his vitriol he talks hockey 12 mos a year. Very strange that a station who used to broadcast the Canucks and Lions employ him. Maybe those are linked or maybe he has a lifetime contract.
Don't listen to that tool.
He's incredibly rude to his callers and knows very little about the NHL, let alone the CFL.
He's just a grumpy old man who has big hate on for the Canucks and really had no credibility IMO.
David Pratt may be an idiot, but at least he acknowledges it and isn't so (as) arrogant.
Tommy Larscheid is a class act :thup: :thup: . I never cared for his commentating and he kinda urked me a bit . then a friend of mine who works in the broadcast booth for Canucks games introduced my Son and I to Tommy and I gotta say Tommy was like a grandfather to him him he lifted him into his chair and put the headphones on him told him he was on the air, My son still talks about this to all his friends we even got some pics of him in the Chair. For the few Minutes he took out of his schedule for us really gave us something to talk about for a lifetime.
After that I will hold my opinions on people until I actually meet them in person. Unless your a Rider Fan. :lol: :lol: :lol:
I love the Canucks, Lions, and Whitecaps. I would prefer to see more variety on Russel's show, but I only listen to it one night a week, when I have to drive for an hour at that time. The problem for this type of show is it's only two hours long, and therefore he has to keep listeners tuned in. It's hard to do that if you cover tennis, baseball, etc; but I don't think it's too much to ask for more CFL and now MLS coverage.
And it is odd how little knowledge some sports media members have about all sports. If that was my job, I'd learn about the sports I don't currently follow, from baseball and basketball to curling and tennis. Cheers.
Have noticed the exact same thing. Its a wonder how some of these people got their jobs and who is hiring them. Its like a weather man not being good with reading temperatures.
Hockey, hockey, hockey and more hockey talk 24/7.
We have the same problem here in Toronto the wannabe US city and it’s sounds like you guys will copy same.
How sad indeed.