Goldstein, Lindsay display a side I'd rather not have seen

Goldstein

If you’ve followed this site for a while, you know quite well that I am a huge fan and supporter of Steve Goldstein, the Florida Panthers’ play-by-play voice on Fox Sportsnet Florida. In fact, when Doc Emrick retired from MSG, I wrote a piece, right here, where I said I’d hoped Goldie would somehow be the replacement for Doc.

Didn’t happen. He didn’t want to come here anyway.

Goldie’s a tremendous hockey voice. And he does a tremendous job on Panthers games. 

And yet, after yesterday’s game, I find myself scratching my head — and wondering if I’ll ever be able to listen to him and Billy Lindsay do a game ever again.

Two things happened in last night’s game that left me really perplexed.

First was the first time Adam Henrique touched the puck last night.

“Well, there he is. It’s hard to say his name, Adam Henrique, but I just said it,” Goldstein said.

Lindsay

Really, Goldie? Is a Game 7 from April — nearly 11 months ago — that difficult to say? It was almost as if he wanted to say “That fuck**g prick who won Game 7 for New Jersey last year is on the ice and he has the puck.”

It’s not just that he said this. It’s compounded by the notion that during the Eastern Conference Finals last year, when I asked Goldie if he was watching the series between the Rangers and Devils, he said: “No chance in hell.”

This is a man who makes a living calling NHL games. And a man who does national games. He called the last olympic hockey games on radio with John Vanbeisbrouck. 

Do the New Jersey Devils irk him that much?

I suppose it’s possible, though I’ve never asked. I am afraid of the response I might get. Goldie, after all, did grow up in New York City, so perhaps he doesn’t like the team having been a fan of one of the New York teams? Just a guess.

But it got worse last night.

In the third period last night, Panther Colby Robak was assessed a 5-minute cross-checking major after he cross-checked Tim Sestito into the boards. Shortly thereafter, Tom Kostopoulos threw a punch at someone on the Panthers after the viscous cross-check, and Lindsay and Goldstein weren’t concerned with what Robak did. They, instead, were worried over punch thrown.

Robak is confused as to why he got a game misconduct and major penalty.

Not once did either of them say the cross-check was bad. 

It was instead all about Kostopoulos. 

I understand, to a degree, being homers. After all, Chico Resch typifies what a homer is. And of course, Lindsay and Goldstein have to be homers at times. Lord knows their colleague Randy Moller is a homer on the radio side — and he doesn’t try to hide that.

But this — this is absurd.

Sestito after being viscously cross-checked by Robak.

To admit to having difficulty saying “Adam Henrique,” or to be more concerned about a simple punch when a Devils’ player was lying on the ice lucky to not be paralyzed is absurd.

I’m the first one to give credit where it’s due — and I’ve done it numerous times for Goldie.

But when it’s necessary to call someone out — no one’s immune. 

This was what concerned the Panthers' announcers — not the cross-checked that created this.

To say I am disappointed is an understatement. 

Then again, when Goldie stopped following me on Twitter a year ago — despite my being one of his biggest supporters outside the Miami market — I probably should have realized something was amuck.

Shame on me, perhaps.