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National Hockey League The National Hockey League (NHL; , ''LNH'') is a professional ice hockey league in North America composed of 32 teams25 in the United States and 7 in Canada. The NHL is one of the major professional sports leagues in the United States and Cana ...
(NHL) games produced by
ESPN ESPN (an initialism of their original name, which was the Entertainment and Sports Programming Network) is an American international basic cable sports channel owned by the Walt Disney Company (80% and operational control) and Hearst Commu ...
have been shown on its various platforms in the United States, including ESPN itself, ABC,
ESPN+ ESPN+ is an American over-the-top subscription video streaming service available in the United States, owned by ESPN Inc., which is a joint venture between the Walt Disney Company (which owns a controlling 80% stake) and Hearst Communicati ...
,
ESPN2 ESPN2 is an American multinational pay television network owned by ESPN Inc., a joint venture between the Walt Disney Company (which owns a controlling 80% stake) and Hearst Communications (which owns the remaining 20%). ESPN2 was initially ...
,
ESPNEWS ESPNews (pronounced "ESPN News," stylized ESPNEWS) is an American multinational digital cable and satellite television network owned by ESPN Inc., a joint venture between The Walt Disney Company (which owns a controlling 80% stake) and Hear ...
,
ESPNU ESPNU is an American multinational digital cable and satellite sports television channel owned by ESPN Inc., a joint venture between the Walt Disney Company (which owns a controlling 80% stake) and Hearst Communications (which owns the remain ...
,
Hulu Hulu (, ) is an American Subscription business model, subscription streaming media service owned by Disney Streaming, a subsidiary of the Disney Entertainment segment of the Walt Disney Company. It was launched on October 29, 2007, initially as ...
, and
Disney+ The Walt Disney Company, commonly referred to as simply Disney, is an American multinational mass media and entertainment industry, entertainment conglomerate (company), conglomerate headquartered at the Walt Disney Studios (Burbank), Walt Di ...
. Since 2021, games have been broadcast under the ''ESPN Hockey Night'' branding, while those on ESPN+ have used the ''ESPN+ Hockey Night'' branding. ESPN first televised NHL games in the season, initially by sub-contracting rights from individual franchises. After the NHL shifted to only having one exclusive rightsholder, ESPN acquired the NHL's national television rights in
1985 The year 1985 was designated as the International Youth Year by the United Nations. Events January * January 1 ** The Internet's Domain Name System is created. ** Greenland withdraws from the European Economic Community as a result of a n ...
to replace
USA Network USA Network (or simply USA) is an American basic cable television channel owned by the NBCUniversal Media Group division of Comcast's NBCUniversal. It was launched in 1977 as Madison Square Garden Sports Network, one of the first national sports ...
(which had previously aired NHL games in parallel with ESPN). ESPN lost the rights to SportsChannel America in 1988. ESPN regained the NHL's U.S. television rights from
1992 1992 was designated as International Space Year by the United Nations. Events January * January 1 – Boutros Boutros-Ghali of Egypt replaces Javier Pérez de Cuéllar of Peru as United Nations Secretary-General. * January 6 ** The Republ ...
through the 1999–2000 season, with the coverage branded under the blanket title ''ESPN National Hockey Night.'' ESPN also sub-licensed a package of network television broadcasts to ABC (sister via ESPN parent
The Walt Disney Company The Walt Disney Company, commonly referred to as simply Disney, is an American multinational mass media and entertainment conglomerate headquartered at the Walt Disney Studios complex in Burbank, California. Disney was founded on October 16 ...
) under the ''
NHL on ABC The National Hockey League (NHL; , ''LNH'') is a professional ice hockey league in North America composed of 32 teams25 in the United States and 7 in Canada. The NHL is one of the major professional sports leagues in the United States and Cana ...
'' branding until
1994 The year 1994 was designated as the " International Year of the Family" and the "International Year of Sport and the Olympic Ideal" by the United Nations. In the Line Islands and Phoenix Islands of Kiribati, 1994 had only 364 days, omitti ...
, when the NHL sold a broadcast television package to
Fox Sports Fox Sports is the brand name for a number of sports channels, broadcast divisions, programming, and other media around the world. The name originates from Fox Broadcasting Company in the United States, which in turn derives its name from Fox Fi ...
. In
1999 1999 was designated as the International Year of Older Persons. Events January * January 1 – The euro currency is established and the European Central Bank assumes its full powers. * January 3 – The Mars Polar Lander is launc ...
, ESPN renewed its contract through the 2004–05 NHL season, with ABC returning as broadcast television rightsholder to replace Fox. The 2004–05 season was canceled due to a lockout of the NHL Players Association. ESPN had reached a two-year agreement to serve as cable rightsholder in a reduced capacity beginning in the 2005–06 season (with a smaller package of regular season games and playoff coverage primarily on
ESPN2 ESPN2 is an American multinational pay television network owned by ESPN Inc., a joint venture between the Walt Disney Company (which owns a controlling 80% stake) and Hearst Communications (which owns the remaining 20%). ESPN2 was initially ...
, and the first two games of the Stanley Cup Finals), alongside new broadcast rightsholder NBC. After the lockout, ESPN opted out of the contract. They were instead acquired by
Comcast Comcast Corporation, formerly known as Comcast Holdings,Before the AT&T Broadband, AT&T merger in 2001, the parent company was Comcast Holdings Corporation. Comcast Holdings Corporation now refers to a subsidiary of Comcast Corporation, not th ...
, with telecasts moving to Versus (later renamed NBCSN); it held the cable rights (which were later unified with NBC's broadcast television rights after Comcast's
purchase Purchasing is the procurement process a business or organization uses to acquire goods or services to accomplish its goals. Although there are several organizations that attempt to set standards in the purchasing process, processes can vary g ...
of
NBC Universal NBCUniversal Media, LLC (abbreviated as NBCU and doing business as NBCUniversal or Comcast NBCUniversal since 2013) is an American multinational mass media and entertainment conglomerate that is a subsidiary of Comcast and headquartered at 30 ...
) through the 2020–21 season. On March 10, 2021, the NHL announced that it would return to ESPN networks under a seven-year contract beginning in the 2021–22 season. ESPN's subscription streaming service
ESPN+ ESPN+ is an American over-the-top subscription video streaming service available in the United States, owned by ESPN Inc., which is a joint venture between the Walt Disney Company (which owns a controlling 80% stake) and Hearst Communicati ...
provides the majority of the network's regular season NHL coverage, carrying a package of exclusive national games, and holding streaming rights to all out-of-market games (replacing the NHL.tv service). ESPN also broadcasts a package of games. ESPN and ESPN2 share coverage of the Stanley Cup playoffs with TNT and TBS — which also includes exclusive rights to the Stanley Cup Finals for ABC in even-numbered years. Like other U.S. national NHL broadcasts, ''NHL on ESPN'' games may be available in Canada on
Sportsnet Sportsnet is a Television in Canada, Canadian English-language Discretionary service, discretionary sports broadcasting, sports specialty channel owned by Rogers Sports & Media. It was established in 1998 as CTV Sportsnet, a joint venture betw ...
or streamed on Sportsnet+ as part of a 12-year agreement with the NHL that lasts to the end of the 2025–26 season, subject to blackout restrictions.


History


Early years: 1979–1982 and 1985–1988

ESPN initially covered the NHL during the , and seasons by making deals with individual teams. This included eleven Hartford Whalers home broadcasts in 1980–81 and 25 the following year. Branded as ''ESPN Hockey'', Sam Rosen, Barry Landers, and Joe Boyle were employed as play-by-play announcers. Pete Stemkowski was the lead color commentator. During the opening round of the 1982 playoffs, ESPN broadcast Game 4 of the series between the
New York Islanders The New York Islanders (colloquially known as the Isles) are a professional ice hockey team based in Elmont, New York. The Islanders compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Metropolitan Division in the Eastern Conference (N ...
and
Pittsburgh Penguins The Pittsburgh Penguins (colloquially known as the Pens) are a professional ice hockey team based in Pittsburgh. The Penguins compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Metropolitan Division in the Eastern Conference (NHL), E ...
and Game 2 of the series between Minnesota North Stars-
Chicago Black Hawks Chicago is the List of municipalities in Illinois, most populous city in the U.S. state of Illinois and in the Midwestern United States. With a population of 2,746,388, as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is the List of Unite ...
, with Sam Rosen and Pete Stemkowski on the call. In the season prior, the pair called Games 3 and 4 of the playoff series between the St. Louis Blues and
Pittsburgh Penguins The Pittsburgh Penguins (colloquially known as the Pens) are a professional ice hockey team based in Pittsburgh. The Penguins compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Metropolitan Division in the Eastern Conference (NHL), E ...
. During this time, USA also broadcast National Hockey League games. To prevent overexposure, the NHL decided to grant only one network exclusive rights. In April 1982, USA outbid ESPN for the NHL's American national television cable package ($8 million for two years). In 1984, the NHL asked ESPN for a bid, but then gave USA the right to match it, which it did. After the 1984–85 season, the NHL Board of Governors chose to have USA Network and ESPN submit sealed bids. ESPN won by bidding nearly $25 million for three years, about twice as much as the USA had been paying. The contract called for ESPN to air up to 33 regular season games each season as well as the NHL All-Star Game and the Stanley Cup playoffs. The network chose Dan Kelly and Sam Rosen to be the network's first play-by-play announcers, Mickey Redmond and Brad Park were selected to be the analysts, and Tom Mees and Jim Kelly were chosen to serve as studio hosts. ESPN designated Sundays as ''ESPN Hockey Night in America'', but also aired select midweek telecasts. ESPN aired its first game, an opening-night matchup between the
Washington Capitals The Washington Capitals (colloquially known as the Caps) are a professional ice hockey team based in Washington, D.C. The Capitals compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Metropolitan Division in the Eastern Conference (NH ...
and
New York Rangers The New York Rangers are a professional ice hockey team based in New York City. The Rangers compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Metropolitan Division in the Eastern Conference (NHL), Eastern Conference. The team plays ...
, on October 10, 1985. At the end of the season, ESPN lost the NHL television rights to SportsChannel America, who paid $51 million ($17 million per year) over three years, more than double what ESPN had paid ($24 million) for the previous three years. SportsChannel America managed to get a fourth NHL season for just $5 million. SportsChannel America was only available in a few major markets (notably absent though were
Detroit Detroit ( , ) is the List of municipalities in Michigan, most populous city in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is situated on the bank of the Detroit River across from Windsor, Ontario. It had a population of 639,111 at the 2020 United State ...
,
Pittsburgh Pittsburgh ( ) is a city in Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, United States, and its county seat. It is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania#Municipalities, second-most populous city in Pennsylvania (after Philadelphia) and the List of Un ...
and St. Louis) and reached only a 1/3 of the households that
ESPN ESPN (an initialism of their original name, which was the Entertainment and Sports Programming Network) is an American international basic cable sports channel owned by the Walt Disney Company (80% and operational control) and Hearst Commu ...
did at the time. In the first year of the deal (), SportsChannel America was available in only 7 million homes, compared to ESPN's reach of 50 million. By the 1991–92 season, ESPN was available in 60.5 million homes, whereas SportsChannel America was available in only 25 million.


Second return to ESPN and ABC's involvement: 1992–1999

When the SportsChannel deal ended in
1992 1992 was designated as International Space Year by the United Nations. Events January * January 1 – Boutros Boutros-Ghali of Egypt replaces Javier Pérez de Cuéllar of Peru as United Nations Secretary-General. * January 6 ** The Republ ...
, the league returned to ESPN for another contract that would pay US$80 million over five years. Until the 2001–02 NHL season, weekly regular season games were broadcast on Sundays (between NFL and
baseball Baseball is a bat-and-ball games, bat-and-ball sport played between two team sport, teams of nine players each, taking turns batting (baseball), batting and Fielding (baseball), fielding. The game occurs over the course of several Pitch ...
seasons), Wednesdays, and Fridays, and were titled ''Sunday/Wednesday/Friday Night Hockey''. Before 1999, these telecasts were non-exclusive, meaning they were blacked out in the regions of the competing teams, and an alternate game was shown in these affected areas. During the Stanley Cup playoffs, ESPN and ESPN2 provided almost nightly coverage, often carrying games on both channels concurrently. Games in the first two rounds were non-exclusive, while telecasts in the Conference Finals and Stanley Cup Finals were exclusive (except in 1993 and 1994). Beginning in the 1993–94 season, up to five games per week were also shown on
ESPN2 ESPN2 is an American multinational pay television network owned by ESPN Inc., a joint venture between the Walt Disney Company (which owns a controlling 80% stake) and Hearst Communications (which owns the remaining 20%). ESPN2 was initially ...
, branded as ''NHL Fire on Ice''. Sister broadcast network ABC also aired NHL games during the first two seasons of the contract, in the league's first network television broadcasts since NBC's previous contract in the 1970s. In the first season, this included selected playoff games, and later expanded to include a package of regular season games in the second season. These telecasts were produced by ESPN and were officially considered to be time-buys on ABC by ESPN Inc. This arrangement ended in the 1994–95 season, when the NHL began a new contract with Fox as its broadcast television partner.


Final years, and including ABC full-time: 1999–2004

In 1998, ESPN renewed its contract through 2004 for $600 million, beginning in the 1999–2000 season. Under the new contract, ESPN was permitted two exclusive telecasts per team per season, while ABC would also return as broadcast television rightsholder to replace Fox. ESPN's terms of the deal included: up to 200 games a year split between ESPN and ESPN2, the All-Star Skills Challenge, the majority of the Stanley Cup Playoffs, and the first two games of the Stanley Cup Finals, while ABC's terms included: rights to the NHL All-Star Game, 4 to 5 weeks of regular season action, with three games a week, 6 weekends of Stanley Cup Playoff action, and the rest of the Stanley Cup Finals. Beginning in 1999–2000 season, ESPN was permitted two exclusive telecasts per team per season. When ESPN started broadcasting NBA games on Wednesday and Friday nights in
2002 The effects of the September 11 attacks of the previous year had a significant impact on the affairs of 2002. The war on terror was a major political focus. Without settled international law, several nations engaged in anti-terror operation ...
, the weekly hockey broadcasts were moved to Thursday and the broadcasts were renamed to ''ESPN Thursday Night Hockey''. Following the 2003–04 season, ESPN was only willing to renew its contract for two additional years at $60 million per year. ABC refused to televise the Stanley Cup Finals in prime time, suggesting that the Finals games it would telecast be played on weekend afternoons (including a potential Game 7).
Disney The Walt Disney Company, commonly referred to as simply Disney, is an American multinational mass media and entertainment industry, entertainment conglomerate (company), conglomerate headquartered at the Walt Disney Studios (Burbank), Walt Di ...
executives later conceded that they overpaid for the 1999–2004 deal, so the company's offer to renew the television rights was lower in 2004. Before the 2004–05 lockout, the NHL had reached two separate deals with NBC (who would replace ABC as the NHL's national U.S. broadcast television partner) and ESPN. ESPN offered the NHL $60 million to renew its contract, carrying about 40 games (only fifteen of which would be during the regular season), mostly on ESPN2. However, ESPN opted out of the contract following the lockout, and the NHL reopened negotiations;
Comcast Comcast Corporation, formerly known as Comcast Holdings,Before the AT&T Broadband, AT&T merger in 2001, the parent company was Comcast Holdings Corporation. Comcast Holdings Corporation now refers to a subsidiary of Comcast Corporation, not th ...
offered over $200 million for a three-season deal to air games on OLN (a channel that was later rebranded as Versus to reflect its expansion from an outdoor recreation format to mainstream sports), which ESPN declined to match. After Comcast acquired a majority stake in
NBC Universal NBCUniversal Media, LLC (abbreviated as NBCU and doing business as NBCUniversal or Comcast NBCUniversal since 2013) is an American multinational mass media and entertainment conglomerate that is a subsidiary of Comcast and headquartered at 30 ...
in 2011, it renewed both the broadcast television and cable rights to the league via
NBC Sports NBC Sports is an American programming division for NBCUniversal, a division of Comcast, that is responsible for sports broadcasts on their broadcast network NBC, the Cable television, cable channels NBC owns, and on Peacock (streaming service) ...
through the 2020–21 season.


World Cup of Hockey: 2016

Long after losing their broadcasting rights to the NHL, ESPN served as the U.S. broadcaster of the NHL-backed 2016 World Cup of Hockey, as NBC declined due to programming conflicts. For the tournament, ESPN named Steve Levy and Barry Melrose as the lead broadcast team, while adding Kevin Weekes from NHL Network, Leah Hextall from
Sportsnet Sportsnet is a Television in Canada, Canadian English-language Discretionary service, discretionary sports broadcasting, sports specialty channel owned by Rogers Sports & Media. It was established in 1998 as CTV Sportsnet, a joint venture betw ...
, NHL Hall of Famers Chris Chelios and
Brett Hull Brett Andrew Hull (born August 9, 1964) is a Canadians, Canadian–Americans, American former ice hockey player and general manager, and currently an executive vice president of the St. Louis Blues of the National Hockey League (NHL). He played f ...
to their roster. ESPN also named NHL Hall of Famers Chris Chelios and
Brett Hull Brett Andrew Hull (born August 9, 1964) is a Canadians, Canadian–Americans, American former ice hockey player and general manager, and currently an executive vice president of the St. Louis Blues of the National Hockey League (NHL). He played f ...
as their studio analyst. Additionally, ESPN brought back current St. Louis Blues color commentator Darren Pang, who was the network's secondary color commentator from 1999 to 2004, for their coverage, as an ice-level reporter for select games. John Saunders, who had hosted ESPN and ABC's NHL coverage from 1987 to 1988 and again from 1992 to 2004, was tapped to lead the studio coverage, however, due to his unexpected death a month after ESPN announced their complete roster, Cohn, who was originally going to do features for ESPN, was tapped to replace Saunders.


ESPN+ involvement: 2018–present

After its 2018 launch, ESPN's subscription streaming service
ESPN+ ESPN+ is an American over-the-top subscription video streaming service available in the United States, owned by ESPN Inc., which is a joint venture between the Walt Disney Company (which owns a controlling 80% stake) and Hearst Communicati ...
added an NHL studio program, a free daily regular season game courtesy of NHL.tv (which is operated by Disney subsidiary BAMTech), and a Stanley Cup Playoffs documentary series (replacing one produced as part of Showtime's ''All Access'' franchise). As part of the NHL.tv deal, ESPN+ started a nightly hockey show, ''In the Crease'', hosted by Linda Cohn and Barry Melrose.


Third return to ESPN and ABC: 2021–present

In the years before the end of NBC's latest contract with the NHL, the league explored options for splitting its national broadcast rights, similar to the television deals of the NFL, NBA and MLB. This included selling packages to streaming services, aiming to maximize the value of its broadcast rights. On March 10, 2021, Disney, ESPN, and the NHL announced that a seven-year agreement was reached for ESPN to hold the first half of its new media rights beginning in the 2021–22 season; * ESPN holds rights to at least 25 exclusive national games per season, which can air on either ESPN, ESPN2, or ABC, including exclusive rights to opening night games. All ABC games and select ESPN games stream on
ESPN+ ESPN+ is an American over-the-top subscription video streaming service available in the United States, owned by ESPN Inc., which is a joint venture between the Walt Disney Company (which owns a controlling 80% stake) and Hearst Communicati ...
and, since 2025,
Disney+ The Walt Disney Company, commonly referred to as simply Disney, is an American multinational mass media and entertainment industry, entertainment conglomerate (company), conglomerate headquartered at the Walt Disney Studios (Burbank), Walt Di ...
. * ABC aired the Thanksgiving Showdown in 2021. *Up to 75 exclusive national games per season are streamed exclusively on ESPN+, and are not carried on linear television. These games are also available to
Hulu Hulu (, ) is an American Subscription business model, subscription streaming media service owned by Disney Streaming, a subsidiary of the Disney Entertainment segment of the Walt Disney Company. It was launched on October 29, 2007, initially as ...
subscribers. These games also became available for Disney+ subscribers on December 5, 2024. *ESPN+ streams all out-of-market games, as well as on-demand versions of all nationally televised games. These games also became available for Disney+ subscribers on December 4, 2024. * ESPN holds rights to All-Star Weekend, with the Skills Competition airing on ESPN, and the All-Star Game airing on ABC. * ESPN holds rights to the NHL Stadium Series, since
2023 Catastrophic natural disasters in 2023 included the Lists of 21st-century earthquakes, 5th-deadliest earthquake of the 21st century 2023 Turkey–Syria earthquakes, striking Turkey and Syria, leaving up to 62,000 people dead; Cyclone Freddy ...
depending on scheduling logistics with TNT. * ESPN holds rights to the NHL entry draft. * ESPN, ESPN2, and ABC share in coverage of the Stanley Cup playoffs, holding rights to "half" of the games in the first two rounds, and one conference final per season. ESPN/ABC has the first choice of which conference final series to air. The remaining half airs on TNT and TBS. To date, ESPN has chosen the Eastern Conference Final in even-numbered years, and the Western Conference Final in odd-numbered years, mirroring that of its NBA counterpart. * Exclusive rights to the Stanley Cup Finals alternate between ABC and TNT; ESPN has the ability to air simulcast coverage with alternate feeds on its other channels and platforms. * ESPN2 airs a weekly studio program dedicated to the NHL, ''The Point'' (which is hosted by John Buccigross), and ESPN holds various highlights and international rights. On May 10, 2021, TSN's Ray Ferraro (who previously worked for ESPN from 2002 to 2004), and NBC's Brian Boucher signed with ESPN/ABC to become their top hockey analysts. On May 17, ESPN hired former
Calgary Flames The Calgary Flames are a professional ice hockey team based in Calgary. The Flames compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Pacific Division (NHL), Pacific Division in the Western Conference (NHL), Western Conference. The ...
studio host Leah Hextall to be a regular play-by-play announcer on NHL broadcasts. She is the first woman in league history to hold that role. Hextall previously worked the 2016 World Cup of Hockey, and has worked the NCAA Division I Men's Ice Hockey Tournament for ESPN. On June 9, 2021, ESPN announced that current
New Jersey Devils The New Jersey Devils are a professional ice hockey team based in Newark, New Jersey. The Devils compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Metropolitan Division in the Eastern Conference (NHL), Eastern Conference. The club w ...
defenseman Defence or defense (in American English) in ice hockey is a player position that is primarily responsible for preventing the opposing team from Goal (ice hockey), scoring. They are often referred to as defencemen, D, D-men or blueliners (the l ...
P. K. Subban Pernell-Karl Sylvester Subban ( ; born May 13, 1989) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey defenceman. Between 2009 and 2022, he played 13 seasons in the National Hockey League (NHL) with the Montreal Canadiens, Nashville Predators, and ...
would be a studio analyst for the remainder of the 2021 Stanley Cup Playoffs, making his debut on '' SportsCenter'' that day. The same day, Craig Morgan, Arizona-based reporter on the
Arizona Coyotes The Arizona Coyotes are an inactive professional ice hockey team based in the Phoenix metropolitan area. They competed in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Central Division (NHL), Central Division (1996–1998, 2021–2024) and ...
and NHL Network correspondent, reported that ESPN had added NBC's Ryan Callahan and A. J. Mleczko to their analyst roster, and that NHL Network's Kevin Weekes, who also worked for ESPN during the 2016 World Cup of Hockey, was in talks to return to ESPN in an analyst/reporter role. On June 24, ESPN/ABC officially announced that six-time Stanley Cup Champion Mark Messier had signed a multi-year deal to join ESPN in a studio analyst role. Messier's signing was the first announced signing made by ESPN, and potentially was made as a counter to TNT signing Messier's former teammate Wayne Gretzky, who was also recruited by ESPN. On June 28, Marchand reported that three-time Stanley Cup Champion Chris Chelios would also join ESPN/ABC as a studio analyst. The same day, ''
The Athletic ''The Athletic'' is a subscription-based sports journalism department of ''The New York Times''. It provides national and local coverage in 47 North American cities as well as the United Kingdom. ''The Athletic'' also covers national stories ...
'' reported that current ''
Hockey Night in Canada ''Hockey Night in Canada'' (often abbreviated ''Hockey Night'' or ''HNiC'') is a long-running program of broadcast ice hockey play-by-play coverage in Canada. With roots in pioneering hockey coverage on private radio stations as early as 1923, ...
'' color commentator/reporter Cassie Campbell-Pascall would also join the network. ESPN formally confirmed its commentator teams on June 29, 2021. ESPN's
college football College football is gridiron football that is played by teams of amateur Student athlete, student-athletes at universities and colleges. It was through collegiate competition that gridiron football American football in the United States, firs ...
#2 play-by-play man
Sean McDonough Sean McDonough (born May 13, 1962) is an American sportscaster, currently employed by ESPN and the WEEI Boston Red Sox Radio Network. McDonough has play-by-play experience for all four major professional sports leagues in the United States an ...
would be the network's lead play-by-play announcer; Monday Night Football's Steve Levy would lead studio coverage and contribute to occasional play-by-play commentary. Hextall and Wischusen were officially named as play-by-play commentators, as well as SportsCenter's John Buccigross, who would also contribute as an alternate studio host, and serve as the host for ''The Point''. ESPN legend Barry Melrose, Messier, and Chelios were named strictly as studio analysts while Ferraro, Boucher, Weekes, Campbell-Pascall, Callahan, Mleczko, ESPN New York's Rick DiPietro, and 2018 gold medalist Hilary Knight would contribute as booth, ice-level, and studio analysts. 2016 Isobel Cup champion Blake Bolden was added to join insiders Emily Kaplan and Greg Wyshynski as insiders and rinkside reporters. Linda Cohn continued her duties hosting ''In the Crease'', while also gaining roles as a rinkside reporter, backup studio, and game break host. On August 4, 2021, ESPN announced that they added the most recent Blue Jackets head coach and Stanley Cup-winning head coach John Tortorella as an extra studio analyst. On September 16, after ESPN released their slate of games for the 2021–22 season, SportsCenter anchor and ESPN Social host Arda Ocal announced that he too would host select game broadcasts. On October 2, former referee Dave Jackson joined the network as a rules analyst, an NHL first. Early into the 2021–22 season, ESPN added former NBC analyst Dominic Moore, who had hosted the
expansion draft An expansion draft, in professional sports, occurs when a sports league decides to create one or more new expansion teams or sports franchising, franchises. This occurs mainly in Sports in North America, North American sports and closed leagues. O ...
with Weekes and ''ESPN College Football'' personality Chris Fowler. Laura Rutledge, host of NFL Live and SEC Nation, joined the NHL on ESPN team for their coverage of the
2022 NHL All-Star Game The 2022 National Hockey League All-Star Game was held on February 5, 2022, at T-Mobile Arena in Paradise, Nevada, the home of the Vegas Golden Knights. For the sixth consecutive All-Star Game, a three-on-three format was used, with teams represe ...
, in a celebrity interviewer role. After preparing for and playing in the
2022 Winter Olympics The 2022 Winter Olympics, officially called the XXIV Olympic Winter Games () and commonly known as Beijing 2022 (2022), were an international winter multi-sport event held from 4 to 20 February 2022 in Beijing, China, and surrounding areas wit ...
in
Beijing Beijing, Chinese postal romanization, previously romanized as Peking, is the capital city of China. With more than 22 million residents, it is the world's List of national capitals by population, most populous national capital city as well as ...
, Knight made her ESPN debut on the March 10, 2022, episode of "The Point", coincidentally on the first anniversary of ESPN regaining the rights to broadcast the NHL. Bolden, who has been working as a pro scout for the
Los Angeles Kings The Los Angeles Kings are a professional ice hockey team based in Los Angeles. The Kings compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Pacific Division (NHL), Pacific Division in the Western Conference (NHL), Western Conference. ...
since 2020, made her official ESPN on-air debut a week later. After the regular season kicked into high gear, Knight and Bolden were the only two who still had to make their on-air debuts with ESPN. Occasionally, other well-known ESPN personalities like Jeremy Schaap, Kevin Connors, Michael Eaves, and Max McGee will be added in fill-in roles on The Point and In the Crease. Mike Monaco, Roxy Bernstein, and Caley Chelios, daughter of Chris, have also filled in on game coverage. Subban and TSN's Gord Miller, Ferraro's broadcast partner for Maple Leafs games on TSN, joined ESPN for the Stanley Cup Playoffs. Tortorella left ESPN after their first season to become the new head coach of the
Philadelphia Flyers The Philadelphia Flyers are a professional ice hockey team based in Philadelphia. The Flyers compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Metropolitan Division in the Eastern Conference (NHL), Eastern Conference. The team play ...
. After holding two stints with ESPN during the playoffs, the network announced that Subban would be joining their coverage full-time beginning with the 2022–23 season, holding both studio analyst and color commentator roles. This came after his most recent retirement announcement. ESPN also confirmed that
Spanish language Spanish () or Castilian () is a Romance languages, Romance language of the Indo-European languages, Indo-European language family that evolved from the Vulgar Latin spoken on the Iberian Peninsula of Europe. Today, it is a world language, gl ...
coverage of the NHL would air on ESPN Deportes and ESPN Latin America. Kenneth Garay and Eitán Benezra would be the main play-by-play commentators, while Carlos Rossell and Antonio Valle contribute analysis and color commentary. Rigoberto Plascencia was later added as another play-by-play announcer. For the 2021–22 season, ESPN aired 18 games (billed as ''ESPN Hockey Night''),'''' while 75 exclusive national games per season would be streamed exclusively on ESPN+. For the 2021–22 season, most of these games (billed as ''ESPN+ Hockey Night'')'''' aired on Tuesday and Thursday nights, with selected games on Friday nights. These games were also available to
Hulu Hulu (, ) is an American Subscription business model, subscription streaming media service owned by Disney Streaming, a subsidiary of the Disney Entertainment segment of the Walt Disney Company. It was launched on October 29, 2007, initially as ...
subscribers. ESPN's first broadcasts were an opening night doubleheader, with the
Pittsburgh Penguins The Pittsburgh Penguins (colloquially known as the Pens) are a professional ice hockey team based in Pittsburgh. The Penguins compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Metropolitan Division in the Eastern Conference (NHL), E ...
at the defending Stanley Cup champions
Tampa Bay Lightning The Tampa Bay Lightning (colloquially known as the Bolts) are a professional ice hockey team based in Tampa, Florida. The Lightning compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Atlantic Division (NHL), Atlantic Division in the ...
, and the
Seattle Kraken The Seattle Kraken are a professional ice hockey team based in Seattle. The Kraken compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Pacific Division (NHL), Pacific Division in the Western Conference (NHL), Western Conference. The t ...
at the
Vegas Golden Knights The Vegas Golden Knights are a professional ice hockey team based in the Las Vegas Valley, Las Vegas metropolitan area. The Golden Knights compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Pacific Division (NHL), Pacific Division ...
in the Kraken's first regular-season game in franchise history. Typically, games aired on ESPN, excluding ESPN+ games, are simulcast in Canada on the
Sportsnet Sportsnet is a Television in Canada, Canadian English-language Discretionary service, discretionary sports broadcasting, sports specialty channel owned by Rogers Sports & Media. It was established in 1998 as CTV Sportsnet, a joint venture betw ...
channels, using the ESPN feed. However, on January 17, 2022, TSN, which is partly owned by ESPN, simulcast the ESPN+ feed of the
Arizona Coyotes The Arizona Coyotes are an inactive professional ice hockey team based in the Phoenix metropolitan area. They competed in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Central Division (NHL), Central Division (1996–1998, 2021–2024) and ...
Montreal Canadiens The Montreal Canadiens (), officially ' ( Canadian Hockey Club) and colloquially known as the Habs, are a professional ice hockey team based in Montreal. The Canadiens compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Atlantic D ...
game because of a huge snowstorm in Canada, which prevented the Canadiens' broadcast team from traveling south to Glendale to broadcast the game. For the 2022–23 season, out-of-market games on ESPN+ – which did not carry any specific branding in the inaugural season – were branded as "NHL Power Play on ESPN+". ESPN (34) and ESPN2 (1) aired a combined at least 35 games (billed as ''ESPN Hockey Night''),'''' while ABC aired 15 games under the ''ABC Hockey Saturday'' package, which consisted of 4 doubleheaders, the 2023 NHL Stadium Series, and one late-season tripleheader beginning the weekend after the All-Star break.'''' On May 14, 2023, ESPN was widely criticized for its decision to implement a split screen between its coverage of Game 6 of the Stanley Cup Playoff series between the
Vegas Golden Knights The Vegas Golden Knights are a professional ice hockey team based in the Las Vegas Valley, Las Vegas metropolitan area. The Golden Knights compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Pacific Division (NHL), Pacific Division ...
and
Edmonton Oilers The Edmonton Oilers are a professional ice hockey team based in Edmonton. The Oilers compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Pacific Division (NHL), Pacific Division in the Western Conference (NHL), Western Conference. Th ...
and a '' Sunday Night Baseball'' telecast between the St. Louis Cardinals and
Boston Red Sox The Boston Red Sox are an American professional baseball team based in Boston. The Red Sox compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League East, East Division. Founded in as one of the Ameri ...
, which was being played at the same time and was ultimately won by St. Louis by the score of 9–1. For the 2023–24 season, ESPN+/Hulu airs at least 50 exclusive games. Among linear broadcasts, 19 games aired on ABC, featuring four double-headers, both NHL Stadium Series games, and two triple-headers on February 17 and April 13. ABC will also air the 2024 Stanley Cup Finals. ''ABC Hockey Saturday'' for this season began on January 13, preceding Super Wild Card Saturday of the
NFL playoffs The National Football League (NFL) playoffs is the annual single-elimination tournament held to determine the National Football League, league champion. The four-round tournament is held after the league's regular season. Since the 2020 NFL seaso ...
, unlike past years when its slate began after the NHL All-Star Game, and ESPN air the rest. On June 5, 2023, it was announced that Chelios' contract would not be renewed as part of Disney's $5.5 billion cost cutting. On September 12, 2023, TNT hired Boucher away from ESPN/ABC to serve as Keith Jones' replacement on the top team, thus reuniting with former NBC partners Kenny Albert and Eddie Olczyk. On October 10, 2023, ESPN announced that Barry Melrose would retire from the network to spend more time with his family after being diagnosed with
Parkinson's disease Parkinson's disease (PD), or simply Parkinson's, is a neurodegenerative disease primarily of the central nervous system, affecting both motor system, motor and non-motor systems. Symptoms typically develop gradually and non-motor issues become ...
. On December 19, 2023, Campbell-Pascall accepted a new position as a special advisor role with the
Professional Women's Hockey League The Professional Women's Hockey League (PWHL; , LPHF) is a women's professional ice hockey league in North America. The league comprises eight teams, four each from the United States and Canada. The teams play a Season (sports), regular season ...
(PWHL). Although she had left Sportsnet, she will remain with ESPN/ABC. The 2024–25 season will again have ESPN+/Hulu stream at least 50 exclusive games.
ESPN2 ESPN2 is an American multinational pay television network owned by ESPN Inc., a joint venture between the Walt Disney Company (which owns a controlling 80% stake) and Hearst Communications (which owns the remaining 20%). ESPN2 was initially ...
will have a doubleheader on December 27. ABC's 19-game schedule for this season will begin earlier than normal on January 4 during the last week of the 2024 NFL regular season. The 2025 Stadium Series will be on ESPN instead of ABC. With the NHL 4 Nations Face-Off tournament replacing the All-Star Game this season, the NHL decided to split it between TNT, ABC, and ESPN: TNT will have the round-robin games on February 12 and 17, ABC/ESPN+ will air the February 15 round-robin doubleheader, and ESPN will air the United States–Finland game on February 13 and the final on February 20. On October 8, color commentator Ray Ferraro called two games of an opening night tripleheader: the St. Louis Blues at the
Seattle Kraken The Seattle Kraken are a professional ice hockey team based in Seattle. The Kraken compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Pacific Division (NHL), Pacific Division in the Western Conference (NHL), Western Conference. The t ...
, and the
Chicago Blackhawks The Chicago Blackhawks (spelled Black Hawks until 1986, and known colloquially as the Hawks) are a professional ice hockey team based in Chicago. The Blackhawks compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Central Division (N ...
at the Utah Hockey Club. Two late-season
Washington Capitals The Washington Capitals (colloquially known as the Caps) are a professional ice hockey team based in Washington, D.C. The Capitals compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Metropolitan Division in the Eastern Conference (NH ...
games were later added to ESPN's schedule in anticipation of
Alexander Ovechkin Alexander Mikhailovich Ovechkin (, ; born 17September 1985) is a Russian professional ice hockey Winger (ice hockey), left winger and Captain (ice hockey), captain of the Washington Capitals of the National Hockey League (NHL). Nicknamed "the ...
breaking Wayne Gretzky's career goals record. While the April 12 road game at the
Columbus Blue Jackets The Columbus Blue Jackets (often simply referred to as the Jackets) are a professional ice hockey team based in Columbus, Ohio. The Blue Jackets compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Metropolitan Division in the Eastern C ...
would air exclusively on ABC, the March 27 road game at the
Minnesota Wild The Minnesota Wild are a professional ice hockey team based in Saint Paul, Minnesota. The Wild compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Central Division (NHL), Central Division in the Western Conference (NHL), Western Confer ...
would co-exist with the Capitals' own broadcast via the Monumental Sports Network in the
Washington metropolitan area The Washington metropolitan area, also referred to as the National Capital Region, Greater Washington, or locally as the DMV (short for Washington, D.C., District of Columbia, Maryland, and Virginia), is the metropolitan area comprising Washing ...
. Additionally, the April 17 road game at the
Pittsburgh Penguins The Pittsburgh Penguins (colloquially known as the Pens) are a professional ice hockey team based in Pittsburgh. The Penguins compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Metropolitan Division in the Eastern Conference (NHL), E ...
would now air on both ESPN and Monumental in the Capitals' market after it was initially an ESPN-exclusive broadcast. After Ovechkin broke the career goals record in the regular season, the April 17 road game at the
Pittsburgh Penguins The Pittsburgh Penguins (colloquially known as the Pens) are a professional ice hockey team based in Pittsburgh. The Penguins compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Metropolitan Division in the Eastern Conference (NHL), E ...
returned exclusively to ESPN and the April 15 road game at the
New York Islanders The New York Islanders (colloquially known as the Isles) are a professional ice hockey team based in Elmont, New York. The Islanders compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Metropolitan Division in the Eastern Conference (N ...
was flexed out in favor of the Florida at Tampa Bay game.


Alternate broadcasts

Since the beginning of ESPN's current NHL contract, the network has occasionally presented alternate broadcasts of games on ESPN+, including "Star Watch" (which featured camera angles focused on specific star players), "IceCast" (which featured a higher camera angle and on-screen statistics), and "All-12" (an alternate camera angle of the entire ice during the 2023 NHL Stadium Series game, inspired by ESPN's "All-22" feeds for college football). In a similar approach to the FoxTrax glowing puck from the '90s, ESPN produced a "Puck Possessor" visual identifier altcast for select ABC games. This broadcast, which takes the main feed and focuses on who has the puck during games, is broadcast on ESPN+, along with the traditional ABC broadcast. On March 14, 2023, ESPN presented an alternate youth-oriented broadcast of that night's Washington Capitals–New York Rangers game known as the ''NHL Big City Greens Classic'', simulcast on
Disney Channel Disney Channel is an American pay television television channel, channel that serves as the flagship (broadcasting), flagship property of Disney Branded Television, a unit of the Disney Entertainment business segment of the Walt Disney Company ...
,
Disney XD Disney XD is an American pay television television channel, channel owned by the Disney Branded Television and Disney Entertainment units of The Walt Disney Company. The channel is aimed primarily at older children ages six to eleven years old ...
,
Disney+ The Walt Disney Company, commonly referred to as simply Disney, is an American multinational mass media and entertainment industry, entertainment conglomerate (company), conglomerate headquartered at the Walt Disney Studios (Burbank), Walt Di ...
and
ESPN+ ESPN+ is an American over-the-top subscription video streaming service available in the United States, owned by ESPN Inc., which is a joint venture between the Walt Disney Company (which owns a controlling 80% stake) and Hearst Communicati ...
; the broadcast leveraged the league's player and puck tracking system to render a real-time 3D animated perspective of the game based on the Disney Channel animated series '' Big City Greens''. On October 24, 2023, ESPN+ and ESPN2 aired ''Frozen Frenzy'', a whiparound broadcast (similar to NFL RedZone) carrying live look-ins on all games occurring that night. All 32 NHL teams played games that night, with all games having staggered start times, and a tripleheader on ESPN. ESPN brought back the ''NHL Big City Greens Classic'' for the March 9, 2024 broadcast of that day's Pittsburgh Penguins-Boston Bruins game, the second half of an ABC Hockey Saturday doubleheader. Like the Capitals-Rangers game last year, this broadcast was simulcast on
Disney Channel Disney Channel is an American pay television television channel, channel that serves as the flagship (broadcasting), flagship property of Disney Branded Television, a unit of the Disney Entertainment business segment of the Walt Disney Company ...
,
Disney XD Disney XD is an American pay television television channel, channel owned by the Disney Branded Television and Disney Entertainment units of The Walt Disney Company. The channel is aimed primarily at older children ages six to eleven years old ...
,
Disney+ The Walt Disney Company, commonly referred to as simply Disney, is an American multinational mass media and entertainment industry, entertainment conglomerate (company), conglomerate headquartered at the Walt Disney Studios (Burbank), Walt Di ...
and
ESPN+ ESPN+ is an American over-the-top subscription video streaming service available in the United States, owned by ESPN Inc., which is a joint venture between the Walt Disney Company (which owns a controlling 80% stake) and Hearst Communicati ...
, and featured the same real-time 3D animated perspective based on ''Big City Greens''.


On-air staff


Current personalities


Studio hosts

# Steve Levy: studio host (1993–2004), lead studio host (2021–present), play-by-play (1993–2004, 2021–present) # John Buccigross: alternate studio host (1998–2004, 2021–present), play-by-play (2021–present) # Arda Ocal: alternate studio host (2021–present); rinkside reporter (2024–present) # Leah Hextall: #2 rinkside reporter (2021–present); alternate studio host (2024–present); play-by-play (2021–2023) # Kevin Weekes: color commentator, rinkside reporter, studio host/analyst, and insider (2021–present)


Studio analysts

# Mark Messier: lead studio analyst/color commentator (2021–present) #
P. K. Subban Pernell-Karl Sylvester Subban ( ; born May 13, 1989) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey defenceman. Between 2009 and 2022, he played 13 seasons in the National Hockey League (NHL) with the Montreal Canadiens, Nashville Predators, and ...
: lead studio analyst/color commentator (2022–present) # Chris Pronger: studio analyst (2025-present) # Kevin Weekes: color commentator, rinkside reporter, studio host/analyst, and insider (2021–present) # Ryan Callahan: color commentator/ice-level analyst/studio analyst (2021–present) # A. J. Mleczko: color commentator/ice-level analyst/studio analyst (2021–present) # Ray Ferraro: studio analyst (2002–2004, 2024–present), lead ice-level analyst (2021–present) # Meghan Chayka: analytics and draft expert (2022–present)


Play-by-play

#
Sean McDonough Sean McDonough (born May 13, 1962) is an American sportscaster, currently employed by ESPN and the WEEI Boston Red Sox Radio Network. McDonough has play-by-play experience for all four major professional sports leagues in the United States an ...
: play-by-play (1993–1994, 1999–2000, 2002–2004), lead play-by-play (2021–present) # Bob Wischusen: #2 play-by-play (2021–present) # Mike Monaco: #3 play-by-play (2022–present) # Steve Levy: studio host (1993–2004), lead studio host (2021–present), play-by-play (1993–2004, 2021–present) # John Buccigross: alternate studio host (1998–2004, 2021–present) and play-by-play (2021–present) # Roxy Bernstein: play-by-play (2022–present) # Drew Carter: NHL Big City Greens Classic play-by-play (2023–present)


Color commentators (booth and ice-level)

# Ray Ferraro: studio analyst (2002–2004, 2024–present), lead color commentator/ice-level analyst (2021–present) # Ryan Callahan: color commentator/ice-level analyst/studio analyst (2021–present); #2 color commentator (2024–present) # A. J. Mleczko: #3 color commentator/studio analyst (2021–present) # Kevin Weekes: color commentator, rinkside reporter, studio host/analyst, and insider (2021–present) # Cassie Campbell-Pascall: color commentator (2021–present) # Blake Bolden: contributor (2022–present); color commentator/ice-level analyst (2023–present) # Mark Messier: lead studio analyst/color commentator (2021–present) #
P. K. Subban Pernell-Karl Sylvester Subban ( ; born May 13, 1989) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey defenceman. Between 2009 and 2022, he played 13 seasons in the National Hockey League (NHL) with the Montreal Canadiens, Nashville Predators, and ...
: lead studio analyst/color commentator (2022–present)


Rinkside reporters

# Emily Kaplan: insider and lead rinkside reporter (2021–present) # Leah Hextall: #2 rinkside reporter (2021–present); alternate studio host (2024–present); play-by-play (2021–2023) # Kevin Weekes: color commentator, rinkside reporter, studio host/analyst, and insider (2021–present) # Arda Ocal: alternate studio and "The Point" host (2021–present); rinkside reporter (2024–present) # Stormy Buonantony: rinkside reporter (2024–present) # Marty Smith: Stadium Series reporter (
2023 Catastrophic natural disasters in 2023 included the Lists of 21st-century earthquakes, 5th-deadliest earthquake of the 21st century 2023 Turkey–Syria earthquakes, striking Turkey and Syria, leaving up to 62,000 people dead; Cyclone Freddy ...
;
2025 So far, the year has seen the continuation of major armed conflicts, including the Russian invasion of Ukraine, the Sudanese civil war (2023–present), Sudanese civil war, and the Gaza war. Internal crises in Bangladesh post-resignation v ...
)


Rules analyst

# Dave Jackson – rules analyst (2021–present)


Insiders

# Emily Kaplan: lead insider and lead rinkside reporter (2021–present) # Greg Wyshynski: insider (2021–present) # Kevin Weekes: color commentator, rinkside reporter, studio host/analyst, and insider (2021–present)


Ratings


References


External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Nhl On Espn 1980 American television series debuts 1982 American television series endings 1985 American television series debuts 1988 American television series endings 1992 American television series debuts 2004 American television series endings 2021 American television series debuts 1980s American sports television series 1990s American sports television series 2000s American sports television series 2020s American sports television series ESPN original programming National Hockey Night National Hockey League on television American television series revived after cancellation Sports telecast series