Panthers GM Dale Tallon has it out with NESN’s Jack Edwards over Panthers-to-Quebec City rant

If you’re not familiar with NESN’s Jack Edwards, you’re really missing out on one of the most unique play-by-play men in the league. Chances are you remember better for his work with ESPN, but now he’s the voice of the Boston Bruins and if you’ve heard him call a game there you either love him or hate him for his extremely pro-Boston take on things. Recently on NESN’s program “Instigators” Edwards debated with his broadcast partner Andy Brickley (with NBC’s Mike Milbury mediating) over whether or not the Panthers have any hope.

The key line from what Edwards had to say on this rather fun and entertaining segment was this:

“Quebec deserves a team that’s on the verge of winning. Let’s let Florida build it up and then move the team.”

Hardy hardy har har. Everyone’s laughing and having a good time at the expense of the Panthers. That is, except for Panthers GM Dale Tallon. Tallon met up with Edwards during the game and had a few terse words with the feisty play-by-play man/history aficionado. Harvey Fialkov of the Sun Sentinel tells the tale.

When Panthers GM Dale Tallon was informed that NESN sportscaster Jack Edwards has been bad-mouthing the Panthers’ franchise and urging the NHL to relocate them to Quebec City, Tallon took umbrage and confronted him in between periods.

The two exchanged a lively debate and apparently agreed to disagree with a handshake at the end.

All’s well that ends well, it seems. It’s funny to see that Tallon would get so worked up by what would appear to be just a goofy segment not unlike what we’d see on a Sunday NFL pregame show. George Richards of On Frozen Pond gets the straight dirt from Tallon and it sounds like it’s a situation where a guy is just sticking up for his team.

“I think our fans have been through quite a bit over the years,’' Tallon said. “We have very loyal fans. And we’ll get more of them, you watch. We have an up-and-coming team. We’re fine.’'

No one is urging the Panthers out of town at all here, but when a team doesn’t do well for such a long time and the attendance is almost always an issue, people are going to make comments and jokes. For once here I think we can cut Jack Edwards a little bit of slack. Someone had to be the bad cop in this debate, we’re just disappointed that Edwards didn’t find a way to work in a reference to the Battle of Quebec during the Revolutionary War into his take somehow. He’s pretty good with the old time war references you know.