Leah Hextall doesn't even know the score, absolutely blows the game winning call

I know that NHL broadcaster Leah Hextall has been the victim of some pretty brutal online remarks and I realize that I'm probably not about to help her out in that department but... well... I just don't think she's cut out for her job as an play-by-play broadcaster.

Hextall's voice and delivery certainly isn't for everyone, but personally that's not what irks me about her. Rather, it's just that oftentimes she doesn't even know what's happening in the game. Male, female, talking potato I don't care what gender you are, but if you can't call the game properly you shouldn't be calling the game at all. And that's coming from someone who has been pretty critical of some of the most revered male broadcasters in the sport. To me, you can either do the job or you can't and Hextall has proven again and again that she can't.

Her latest example of this came the other night when she botched the game-winning call between the Anaheim Ducks and San Jose Sharks, mistakenly stating that Sharks defenseman Erik Karlsson could win the game, despite the fact that the Sharks were down 2-1 in the shootout. As it was Karlsson was stopped and the Ducks won the game... but you'd barely realize what was happening from this horrendous call.

Check it out:

Yeesh... that's a cringeworthy call.

What Hextall needed was for another analyst to pipe in and correct her before Karlsson took the shot. But again, that speaks more to Hextall's abilities than anything.

Anyone who has ever tried their hand at calling a game, whether in a professional setting or just at home for fun, can tell you that it's a job that's FAR more difficult than it looks or seems. Again, I don't mean to pile on Hextall because she's clearly a talented broadcaster who deserves a career in the game, I just don't think she's cut out for play by play broadcasting. Or, maybe she is? What do I know? But, I think she could use more seasoning in lower levels before calling the play on an NHL broadcast. A cursory review of her resume shows that she has called WHL games for the Brandon Wheat Kings and women's games in the former CWHL, but both of those leagues are a world away from the NHL.