Who said it best? It's up to the reader

Almost every sports fan has their one source of media that they turn to in order to get the recap of their favorite team's most recent game. If they weren't able to catch the game, the most important details in the article sought for are the highlights; major moments in the game. Although, if fans consistently turn to one source time after time, will it really matter how the article is written? If the score is included, as well as being accompanied by a few details on how it got to be that way, and a few quotes from coaches or players, will the reader ever consider their source's recap, "poorly written?"

Regardless of how a recap is written, the writers of these articles tend to have their own way of telling the story. Some keep it generic by listing the events in the game in chronological order. Others may focus on one key moment in the contest and lay out the details as to why it formed the final score. The question still remains on whether the style of a given recap tells the story better than another.

Now that the NHL is back in full swing after being locked out for a little over four months, the media has turned a lot of its attention toward the fast-paced sport. More specifically, the Boston Bruins have been in the spot light with their hot 6-1-1 start to the current season. The notable names to start are the improved goalie Tuukka Rask, rookie Dougie Hamilton, and the son of former Bruin Ray Bourque, Chris Bourque. Between Hamilton's quick success on offense, Rask's lights out performance in goal, and Bourque's reputation lying in the hands his father's, Boston's sports writers have had plenty to talk about.

In the most recent game against the Toronto Maple Leafs, the Bruins were able to capitalize and hold the Leafs scoreless in a 1-0 victory. The owner of the B's lone goal? Chris Bourque. To the average fan, this doesn't seem like a big deal, however, what most don't realize is Bourque hasn't scored a goal in the NHL in almost four years.

Photo courtesy of AP via Boston Herald.

ESPN's recap of the game focused mainly on Bourque and the reaction of his team. Most players would be in the spotlight if they were in the same spot as the Bruins' left wing, however what made him different was doing it with a team his father once played for. It only seemed appropriate that this became the main focus. Sure both goalies worked the crease to perfection, and Lane MacDermid proved himself as a fighter, but Bourque's goal was not only the eventual game winner, it was the most talked about moment.

Boston Herald's Stephen Harris took the most standard approach with his take on the game. From start to finish, Harris recaps the game using multiple highlights and statistics from the match-up. At one point he even talks about the killing of all three of the Leaf's power plays. His inclusion of quotes about defense, offense, and specific plays pull the article together to one complete recap.

CBS Sports' blogger Adam Gretz geared his view on the game in a completely different direction. Pre-game notes often included the sluggish start by the Leaf's Phil Kessel and how the trade that sent him from Boston to Toronto included the draft picks that brought both Tyler Seguin and Hamilton to Beantown. Gretz focused on nothing else but Toronto's right-wing, providing an overall analysis on Kessel's performance. He even mentions that, "it takes a ridiculous amount of bad luck for a player with Kessel's ability to go 30 shots without scoring a goal."

Each of these articles were relevant and proved its place on their respective sites, however Gretz's post seemed to stray away from the true definition of a recap. Although, being a blogger for CBS Sports, he has the ability to do that. The fact that these recaps offered such vast styles of writing gives the fan an opportunity to pick and choose what he or she wants to read. It also appeals to the fan in a way that their reading doesn't become redundant, receiving new bits of information in each one.

The overall consensus remains that no matter the style of writing, reporters, beat writers, and bloggers will always have an audience. It is up to the reader to determine what audience they fit into.