BLOG: Louie DeBrusk Broadcasts Inside the Bubble

The NHL bubbles in Toronto and Edmonton are a unique environment for all players, coaches and staff involved in the Return to Play by the NHL. On Monday's episode of the Speak of the Devils Podcast, Matt Loughlin and Chris Wescott head inside the broadcast bubble to speak with Hockey Night in Canada's Louie DeBrusk who is in Edmonton as part of the broadcast crew.
For some broadcasters like DeBrusk, they're working out of a studio, others, like Louie are fortunate to be in the building, working alongside Chris Cuthbert on the HNIC broadcast. There has been a lot to get used to.
"Is just the emotion…You know, when you're in the building as a broadcaster, we feed off the fans too, not just the players," DeBrusk told the podcast, "We feed off the emotion in the building, the vibe in the building, what's happening in a game and not having that there is a little different."

But the show continues on, and everyone makes-do with the current circumstances. Without that energy generated by fans, the NHL has pumped in crowd noise
"The other day was kind of funny," DeBrusk continued, "I said into my headset to our sound guy, Gabe, ' Listen, can you pump a little more crowd noise into my ear?', and then I went back and said, 'a little more fake crowd noise into my ears' because I just wanted to get myself more into the tune of that game. And he did, and it just gives you that perception, that feeling that you're right in a building with fans and it kind of brings it back to normal."
It's an adjustment everyone has to make.
"I feed off of that," he continued, "I'm kind of one of those analysts that I really feed off that emotion in the building. So, I do miss that."
For more from broadcasting inside the NHL Bubble in Edmonton, make sure to catch Louie DeBrusk on Monday's episode of Speak of the Devils Podcast! Along with DeBrusk, you'll hear from Devils MSG broadcast team Steve Cangialosi and Ken Daneyko!