NHL analyst Mike Milbury left NBC after 14 years on the network. The news came on Monday when NBC revealed its game and studio commentary schedule for the 2021 NHL season, and Milbury was visibly absent.
“We are grateful to Mike for all of his contributions to our coverage for 14 years,” said NBC Sports in a statement. “But he will not be returning to our NHL advertising team. We wish him well.”
Milbury, the former coach and general manager of the Boston Bruins and New York Islanders, was pulled out of NBC’s Stanley Cup playoff coverage in August after his comments on the air about players not being so distracted in the league bubble because no women it was there in the league bubble.
Milbury and analyst Brian Boucher were discussing the benefits of the NHL playoff bubble during the broadcast of the Islanders’ decisive victory over Washington Capitals.
“If you think about it, it’s a fantastic environment when it comes to – if you like to play and be with your teammates for long periods of time, it’s a perfect place,” said Boucher.
“Not even a woman here to disturb your concentration,” Milbury replied.
The NHL condemned the comments as “insensitive and insulting”. The league said it had raised its concern with NBC, its TV partner in the United States.
In a statement released by NBC Sports shortly afterwards, Milbury apologized for the incident.
“It was not my intention to disrespect anyone,” Milbury said in the statement. “I was trying to be irreverent and I went too far. It was an unfortunate mistake that I take seriously.”
Milbury was signaled by insensitive comments several times during his tenure at NBC, including other instances last season. In a qualifying game between Pittsburgh and Montreal, Milbury said that playing in an empty arena was like being in a college women’s hockey game.
NBC’s broadcast schedule features other tweaks in 2021. Mike “Doc” Emrick, the prominent voice of NHL games on NBC and NBC Sports for 15 years, announced his retirement in October. Kenny Albert, Brendan Burke and John Forslund were all named at the top of the bill for roles dramatized in Emrick’s absence.
The network also announced that it would bring unemployed trainer Mike Babcock and retired NHL veterans Ryan Callahan and Dominic Moore to contribute to the studio’s coverage. Maple Leafs fired Babcock as head coach in November 2019 after a 9-10-4 start to the 2019-20 season.