Edmonton Oilers reporter Gene Principe reveals time he went too far with puns
Even Gene Principe has flown too close to the sun on one occasion, and we aren’t talking about his unfortunate sunburn.
The iconic Edmonton Oilers reporter has made a reputation for himself with his unique on-air personality and affinity for incorporating puns into Oilers broadcasts. For the most part, Principe has had no issue getting away with all sorts of zany activities and bits on camera, but there was one instance that got him into a bit of trouble.
Principe appeared on the latest edition of the Spittin’ Chiclets podcast this week, where he was asked if he had ever been reprimanded by Sportsnet for his shenanigans. Things have mostly been fine, according to the 58-year-old, but he did recall one time when he got a call from his bosses.
It involved a bit where Gene sprinkled all sorts of Drake-related puns after a big performance by former Oilers player Drake Caggiula.
“Drake had a couple of goals, and he got moved to the first line,” Principe said. “That next game, I did something on Drake, and I kinda dressed up as Drake [the rapper], no black-face or anything like that.
“I did something like ‘On the first line bling’ and ‘The coach used to call me on the cell phone’ … and it seemed okay.”
Principe went on to say that usually his antics on any given night are quickly forgotten as the Sportsnet teams move on to the next Oilers game. However, the highlight shows aired Gene’s Drake bit over and over the next morning. This is where it caused some problems, as some people started to misconstrue the bit as having some sort of racial aspects to it.
“That one got me in a little bit of hot water,” Principe said with a smile. “I felt really bad that anyone would have thought I was making any racial gestures or anything.
“Drake [Caggiula] thought it was great… but for a couple of days, I was kinda quiet, I felt really uncomfortable about it. It just wasn’t what I wanted to come out to people.”
Luckily, the incident didn’t get in the way of Principe continuing to be one of the most intriguing and entertaining reporters in the game.