For five seasons now, the voice of the Boston Bruins has been none other than that of Jack Edwards. Edwards, the former SportsCenter and Winter Olympic sportscaster, has found himself to be a polarizing figure amongst Bruins fans. The diehard fans tend to be split into two factions: one that revels in his excitability and caustic wit, and the other that loathes him for his goody behavior and wild antics in the booth. Any objective fan, however, can see that he is one part lunatic and one part showman.

For what it’s worth, Edwards is quite the knowledgeable broadcaster. For every twenty times he breaks out an obscure statistical reference or sublime observation, he goes off the rails with rants comparing the Montreal Canadiens to dictatorial Monarchs from the Revolutionary War. It is hard to peg a man with those kinds of fluctuations down. One moment he’ll yell “Get up!” at Roman Hamrlik, and the next he’ll continue on with a seamless conversation with his broadcast partner, and resident “straight man” Andy Brickley.

Personally, I like the guy. Fans know that rarely does a broadcaster make a game watchable, but often they can ruin a game with their boring commentary or utter lack of personality. Edwards has a flair for the dramatic, with a voice that rises with the intensity of the game at hand. In the mold of Boston Celtics broadcaster Tommy Heinsohn, Edwards is one of the biggest homers you’ll find on a regional network in this country; he blatantly professes his love for the Bruins, while openly disparaging an opponent that irks him in any fashion. He never flat-lines, and any game he covers has the passion of a playoff game. I’ll take the good with the bad. Although Edwards can be a bit of a clown from time to time, he constantly entertains any viewer watching on NESN with both his comedic personality and his knowledge of the game.

Mark Bruso can be reached for comment at [email protected].