Fansided

Islanders: Former GM Mike Milbury Will Not Return To NBC

By Matt O'Leary |
INGLEWOOD, CA - NOVEMBER 16: Head coach Mike Milbury of the New York Islanders looks on during a game against the Los Angeles Kings on November 16, 1995 at the Great Western Forum in Inglewood, California. The Kings won the game, 9-2. (Photo by Glenn Cratty/Getty Images)
INGLEWOOD, CA - NOVEMBER 16: Head coach Mike Milbury of the New York Islanders looks on during a game against the Los Angeles Kings on November 16, 1995 at the Great Western Forum in Inglewood, California. The Kings won the game, 9-2. (Photo by Glenn Cratty/Getty Images)

Former Islanders GM and Coach, Mike Milbury will not be brought back by NBC to broadcast games for them.

These are the things you just hate to see. If you’re not sensing my tone, I mean that in a sarcastic way as Mike Milbury, the former Islanders GM and Coach was a controversy machine during his time with NBC.

Milbury was officially let go by NBC, at least we received the news today, and it was likely due to these insensitive comments that he made back during the bubble in August.

When discussing the bubble during an Islanders and Capitals broadcast, he said “Not even any women here to disrupt your concentration,” in response to John Forslund talking about teammates bonding in the bubble.

This isn’t the first offense from Milbury, just days previously to these comments he questioned Tuukka Rask’s decision to leave the bubble. We found out this past week that Rask decided to leave because his daughter had to be taken to the hospital in an ambulance due to health concerns.

How about in 2017, when he called PK Subban “a clown” for dancing during warmups:

“He’s got a tremendous personality and sometimes you’ve got to keep it under control. I know it’s a new day and age and everybody wants to be on Instagram or Twitter. But you’ve got to keep focus. This is a tough game. When I see this I start to think maybe (Predators coach) Peter Laviolette ought to give him a rap on the head and say, ‘Hey P.K. focus in, we’ve got a game tonight and you don’t have to be a clown out there.’And he will. He’s been a clown in the past and we’ve seen him act like a clown but when he’s serious and focused he’s one hell of a player.”

This has been a long time coming and frankly, I’m not sure there’s a more deserving person on television to lose their job. He was a bad executive for many years, and then a bad and out of touch on-air personality for many years after that.

It’s time for some fresh blood and NBC decided to make that call today. Unfortunately, this one was long overdue.

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