Mike Milbury will not be part of the NBC NHL broadcast team this season. On Monday, NBC announced the NHL game and studio commentators for the 2020-21 season, and Milbury was not on the roster. NBC confirmed to USA Today that the former NHL player and coach would not be back.
“We are grateful to Mike for all of his contributions to our coverage for 14 years, but he will not be returning to our NHL announce team,” an NBC spokesperson said in a statement emailed to USA Today. “We wish him well.” This year’s list of analyst for the NHL broadcasts include. Eddie Olczyk, Brian Boucher, Pierre McGuire, AJ Mleczko, Kendall Coyne Schofield, Keith Jones and Anson Carter. Milbury stepped away from his duties during the Stanley Cup playoffs in August after making a misogynistic joke on air.
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“If you think about it, it’s a terrific environment with regard to — if you enjoy playing and enjoy being with your teammates for long periods of time, it’s a perfect place,” Forslund said. That led to Milbury responding, “Not even any woman here to disrupt your concentration.” Once Milbury commented, fans went after him on social media. However, that wasn’t the first time Milbury got in trouble for his comments. Earlier in August, Milbury went after Boston Bruins goalie Tuukka Rask for opting out of the playoffs to be with his wife and children. Milbury said, “nobody’s simply opted to leave the bubble just because they didn’t want to be here and they needed to be with their family.”
In Pyeongchang’s Winter Olympics in 2018, Milbury minimized a domestic violence conviction that led to Los Angeles Kings defenseman Slava Voynov being banned from the NHL, calling it “an unfortunate incident.” He went on to say: “He left a huge void in the Los Angeles Kings’ defense; otherwise, he may have gone on to win more than the championships they did already. This guy was a special player, and an unfortunate incident left the Los Angeles Kings without a great defenseman.”
Milbury, 68, played for the Boston Bruins from 1976-1987. He also coached the team from 1989-1991 before becoming the coach of the New York Islanders. Milbury appeared in the Stanley Cup Finals twice as a player and once as a coach.
