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Pierre McGuire delivers another all-time awkward interview with Jonathan Toews

NBC’s Pierre McGuire provided us with another incredible, yet, uncomfortable post-game interview on Wednesday night. This time, Chicago’s Jonathan Toews was the victim. (NBC//inconsistent raker – Twitter)
NBC’s Pierre McGuire provided us with another incredible, yet, uncomfortable post-game interview on Wednesday night. This time, Chicago’s Jonathan Toews was the victim. (NBC//inconsistent raker – Twitter)

One of the most divisive broadcasters in the world of hockey is, without question, NBC’s Pierre McGuire. The former NHL coach turned analyst has a very unique, enthusiastic approach to his job that some love and others, well, do not.

Whichever side of the fence you fall on, you have to agree that there is no one better at orchestrating beautifully awkward post-game interviews. Watching him make grown men squirm is truly a gift that we all get to enjoy.

On Wednesday night, the struggling Chicago Blackhawks picked themselves up a nice 6-3 win over the Pittsburgh Penguins to snap an eight-game losing streak. That earned a member of the Blackhawks some one-on-one time with McGuire and Jonathan Toews, the team’s captain, must have pulled the short straw.

For a moment, please put yourself in the shoes (skates) of Toews. After entering the game last in the league’s standings and coming away on top in front of your home crowd, you’d probably be feeling good about yourself. Could you imagine having to endure whatever that was? My goodness.

With his microphone being fed into the broadcast truck and the in-house speaker system at the United Center simultaneously, watching McGuire put it in the face of the Hawks captain after the introduction is so uncomfortable.

What is Toews supposed to say? This isn’t daytime television, Mr. Double Dion. Ask the man a question!

His reactions throughout give us a good idea of what he’s thinking, but being the professional that he is, Toews does his best to handle it in stride.

It’s a funny coincidence that this happened on a night that the Blackhawks knocked off the Penguins because McGuire had a legendary interview with Pittsburgh’s Phil Kessel a couple of years ago.

Say what you want, it’s during these strange chats that McGuire somehow brings out the human side of players. We cringe along with the interview subjects and that provides some pretty good, relatable entertainment. In a league that desperately needs some personality, more of this may not be such a bad thing.

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