By scoring at least five goals in their victory over the Boston Bruins on Tuesday, the Seattle Kraken unlocked a special deal for their fans.
Not everybody in the Emerald City, however, was enthused by the prospect of a 32 percent discount on flights to California, as TV play-by-play man John Forslund took issue with the lengthy ad read that the promotion prompted.
“This means that all fans get 32 percent off Alaska Airlines flights to anywhere in California that Alaska flies,” Forslund said shortly after Kaapo Kakko’s goal midway through the third period. “Check out all the destinations you can — as Daccord comes up big — by visiting AlaskaAir.com/GetAwayGoals.”
As he returned to calling the action on the ice, Forslund added his own commentary.
“Now I’m done with ‘War and Peace,'” the play-by-play man said in reference to the 1,200-plus page novel. “Let’s make that one longer next time… the powers that be that control these things have never read something and watched a hockey game at the same time. That’s all I’ve got to say. It’s almost goodnight, folks.”
“The powers that be that control these things have never read something and watched a hockey game at the same time”
For what it’s worth, Forslund’s ad read lasted approximately 20 seconds of game action — a not insignificant amount of time in a fast-paced sport like hockey. Sure, the Kraken already held a 5-2 lead in what was ultimately a 7-4 victory. But it’s also understandable why a professional such as Forslund would prefer to be calling the action over hawking airline discounts.
But while his bosses may not have been happy with his on-air shots, give Forslund this much: his breaking of the fourth wall brought more attention to the ad read than it otherwise would have received. And if one more person takes Alaska Airlines up on its 32 percent discount on flights from Seattle to California, then his additional commentary will have been well worth it for all involved.
About Ben Axelrod
Ben Axelrod is a veteran of the sports media landscape, having most recently worked for NBC's Cleveland affiliate, WKYC. Prior to his time in Cleveland, he covered Ohio State football and the Big Ten for outlets including Cox Media Group, Bleacher Report, Scout and Rivals.