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| NHL on ESPN | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Also known as | ESPN Hockey Night ESPN+ Hockey Night ESPN National Hockey Night (1992–2004) |
| Genre | NHL hockey telecasts |
| Starring | Sean McDonough Ray Ferraro Emily Kaplan Bob Wischusen A. J. Mleczko Leah Hextall Mike Monaco Kevin Weekes Blake Bolden Dave Jackson Steve Levy Mark Messier P. K. Subban John Buccigross Cassie Campbell-Pascall Roxy Bernstein Stormy Buonantony Arda Ocal John Kelly T. J. Oshie John Tortorella Erik Johnson |
| Theme music composer | Bob Christianson[1] |
| Country of origin | United States |
| Original language | English |
| No. of seasons | 18 |
| Production | |
| Production locations | Various NHL arenas(game telecasts and some pregame, intermission segments, and occasional postgame) ESPN'sBristol, CT studios(pregame, intermission segments, and occasional postgame) |
| Camera setup | Multi-camera |
| Running time | 180 minutes or until the end of the game |
| Production company | ESPN |
| Original release | |
| Network | ESPN (1979–1982, 1985–1988, 1992–2004, 2021–present) ABC (1993–1994, 2000–2004, 2021–present) ESPN2 (1993–2004, 2022–present) ESPN+ (2018–present) Hulu (2021–present) Disney+ (2024–present) ESPNU (2022–present) (overflow) ESPNEWS (2022–present) (overflow) |
| Release | December 19, 1979 (1979-12-19) – April 11, 1982 (1982-04-11) |
| Release | October 10, 1985 (1985-10-10) – May 26, 1988 (1988-05-26) |
| Release | October 6, 1992 (1992-10-06) – May 27, 2004 (2004-05-27) |
| Release | October 12, 2021 (2021-10-12) – present |
| Related | |
| NHL on ABC The Point In the Crease NHL on TNT (concurrent American rights holders from 2021 to 2028) TSN Hockey (in Canada, partly owned) NHL on Sportsnet/Hockey Night in Canada (concurrent Canadian rights holders from 2021 to 2026) | |
The broadcasts ofNational Hockey League (NHL) games produced byESPN have been shown on its various platforms in the United States, including ESPN itself,ABC,ESPN+,ESPN2,ESPNEWS,ESPNU,Hulu, andDisney+. Since 2021, games have been broadcast under theESPN Hockey Night branding, while those on ESPN+ have used theESPN+ Hockey Night branding.
ESPN first televised NHL games in the1979–80 season, initially by sub-contracting rights from individual franchises. After the NHL shifted to only having one exclusive rights holder, ESPN acquired the NHL's national television rights in1985 to replaceUSA Network (which hadpreviously aired NHL games in parallel with ESPN). ESPN lost the rights toSportsChannel America in1988.
ESPN regained the NHL's U.S. television rights from1992 through the1999–2000 season, with the coverage branded under the blanket titleESPN National Hockey Night. ESPN also sub-licensed a package of network television broadcasts toABC (sister via ESPN parentThe Walt Disney Company) under theNHL on ABC branding until1994, when the NHL sold a broadcast television package toFox Sports. In1999, ESPN renewed its contract through the2004–05 NHL season, with ABC returning as the broadcast television rights holder to replace Fox.
The 2004–05 season was canceled due to alockout of the NHL Players Association. ESPN had reached a two-year agreement to serve as cable rights holder in a reduced capacity beginning in the2005–06 season (with a smaller package of regular season games and playoff coverage primarily onESPN2, and the first two games of the Stanley Cup Finals), alongside new broadcast rights holderNBC. After the lockout, ESPN opted out of the contract. They were instead acquired byComcast, with telecasts moving to Versus (later renamedNBCSN); it held thecable rights (which were later unified with NBC's broadcast television rights after Comcast'spurchase ofNBC Universal) through the2020–21 season.[2]
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+, 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 theStanley Cup playoffs withTNT 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 onSportsnet or streamed onSportsnet+ as part of a 12-year agreement with the NHL that lasts to the end of the 2025–26 season, subject to blackout restrictions.
ESPN initially covered the NHL during the1979–80,1980–81[3] and1981–82[4] seasons by making deals with individual teams.[5][6] This included elevenHartford Whalers home broadcasts in 1980–81 and 25 the following year.[7] Branded asESPN Hockey,Sam Rosen,[8] Barry Landers, and Joe Boyle were employed as play-by-play announcers.[9]Pete Stemkowski was the lead color commentator.[10][11] During the opening round of the1982 playoffs, ESPN broadcast Game 4 of the series between theNew York Islanders andPittsburgh Penguins and Game 2 of the series between theMinnesota North Stars andChicago Black Hawks,[12] with Sam Rosen and Pete Stemkowski on the call. In theseason prior, the pair called Games 3 and 4 of the playoff series between theSt. Louis Blues andPittsburgh Penguins.
During this time, theUSA alsobroadcast 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).[13][14] In 1984, the NHL asked ESPN for a bid, but then gave USA the right to match it, which it did.[5]
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 theNHL All-Star Game and the Stanley Cup playoffs.[5][15] The network choseDan Kelly andSam Rosen to be the network's first play-by-play announcers,Mickey Redmond andBrad Park were selected to be the analysts, andTom Mees andJim Kelly were chosen to serve as studio hosts. ESPN designated Sundays asESPN Hockey Night in America, but also aired select midweek telecasts. ESPN aired its first game, an opening-night matchup between theWashington Capitals andNew York Rangers, on October 10, 1985.[16][17]
At the end of the1987–88 season, ESPN lost the NHL television rights toSportsChannel America, which paid $51 million ($17 million per year) over three years, more than double what ESPN had paid ($24 million) for the previous three years.[18][19][20][21] SportsChannel America managed to get a fourth NHL season for just $5 million.[22][23][24][25][26] SportsChannel America was only available in a few major markets (notably absent, though, wereDetroit,Pittsburgh andSt. Louis[27])[28][29][30] and reached only a 1/3 of the households thatESPN did at the time.[31][32][33] In the first year of the deal (1988–89), SportsChannel America was available in only 7 million homes, compared to ESPN's reach of 50 million.[34] By the1991–92 season, ESPN was available in 60.5 million homes, whereas SportsChannel America was available in only 25 million.[35][36][37]
When the SportsChannel deal ended in1992, the league returned to ESPN for another contract that would pay US$80 million over five years.[4][38][39] Until the2001–02 NHL season, weekly regular season games were broadcast on Sundays (betweenNFL andbaseball seasons), Wednesdays,[40] and Fridays,[26] and were titledSunday/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.[41] Games in the first two rounds were non-exclusive, while telecasts in the Conference Finals and Stanley Cup Finals[42][43][44] were exclusive (except in 1993[45] and 1994). Beginning in the1993–94 season, up to five games per week were also shown onESPN2, branded asNHL Fire on Ice.[46]
Sister broadcast networkABC alsoaired NHL games during the first two seasons of the contract, in the league's first network television broadcasts sinceNBC's previous contract in the 1970s.[47] In the first season, this included selected playoff games,[48][49] and later expanded to include a package of regular season games in the second season.[50] These telecasts were produced by ESPN and were officially considered to betime-buys on ABC byESPN Inc.[47] This arrangement ended in the1994–95 season, when the NHL began a new contract withFox as its broadcast television partner.[51]
In 1998, ESPN renewed its contract through 2004 for $600 million, beginning in the1999–2000 season. Under the new contract, ESPN was permitted two exclusive telecasts per team per season, while ABC would also return as broadcast television rights holder to replace Fox.[52][53][54][55]
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 theNHL 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 the1999–2000 season, ESPN was permitted two exclusive telecasts per team per season. When ESPN started broadcastingNBA games on Wednesday and Friday nights in2002, the weekly hockey broadcasts were moved to Thursday and the broadcasts were renamed toESPN 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.[56] 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 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.[57]
Before the2004–05 lockout, the NHL had reached two separate deals withNBC (which would replaceABC as the NHL's national U.S. broadcast television partner) and ESPN.[58][59][60] 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.[61][62][63][64][65] However, ESPN opted out of the contract following the lockout, and the NHL reopened negotiations;Comcast offered over $200 million for a three-season deal toair games onOLN (a channel that was later rebranded as Versus to reflect its expansion from an outdoor recreation format to mainstream sports),[66] which ESPN declined to match.[67][68] After Comcast acquired a majority stake inNBC Universal in 2011, it renewed both the broadcast television and cable rights to the league viaNBC Sports through the 2020–21 season.[69][66]
Long after losing their broadcasting rights to the NHL, ESPN served as the U.S. broadcaster of the NHL-backed2016 World Cup of Hockey, as NBC declined due to programming conflicts.[70][71] For the tournament, ESPN namedSteve Levy andBarry Melrose as the lead broadcast team, while addingKevin Weekes fromNHL Network,Leah Hextall fromSportsnet, NHL Hall of FamersChris Chelios andBrett Hull to their roster.[72] ESPN also named NHL Hall of FamersChris Chelios andBrett Hull as their studio analyst.[72]
Additionally, ESPN brought back currentSt. Louis Blues color commentatorDarren Pang, who was the network's secondary color commentator from 1999 to 2004, for their coverage, as an ice-level reporter for select games.[73]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,[72] however, due to his unexpected death a month after ESPN announced their complete roster,[74] Cohn, who was originally going to do features for ESPN, was tapped to replace Saunders.[75]
After its 2018 launch, ESPN's subscription streaming serviceESPN+ added an NHL studio program. This program is a free daily regular season game courtesy of NHL.tv (which is operated by Disney subsidiaryBAMTech), and includes a Stanley Cup Playoffs documentary series (replacing one produced as part ofShowtime'sAll Access franchise).[76] As part of the NHL.tv deal, ESPN+ started a nighttime show,In the Crease, hosted byLinda Cohn andBarry Melrose.[77]
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 theNFL,NBA andMLB. This included selling packages to streaming services, aiming to maximize the value of its broadcast rights.[78] 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 the2021–22 season;[79][80][81][82][83][84][85][86]
On May 10, 2021,TSN'sRay Ferraro (who previously worked for ESPN from 2002 to 2004), andNBC'sBrian Boucher signed with ESPN/ABC to become their top hockey analysts.[95] On May 17, ESPN hired formerCalgary Flames studio hostLeah 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 the2016 World Cup of Hockey, and has worked theNCAA Division I Men's Ice Hockey Tournament for ESPN.[96]
On June 9, 2021, ESPN announced that currentNew Jersey DevilsdefensemanP. K. Subban would be a studio analyst for the remainder of the2021 Stanley Cup Playoffs, making his debut onSportsCenter that day.[97] The same day, Craig Morgan, Arizona-based reporter on theArizona Coyotes andNHL Network correspondent, reported that ESPN had added NBC'sRyan Callahan andA. J. Mleczko to their analyst roster, and that NHL Network'sKevin 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.[98]
On June 24, ESPN/ABC officially announced that six-timeStanley Cup ChampionMark Messier had signed a multi-year deal to join ESPN in a studio analyst role.[99][100][101] Messier's signing was the first announced signing made by ESPN, and potentially was made as a counter to TNT signing Messier's former teammateWayne Gretzky, who was also recruited by ESPN. On June 28, Marchand reported that three-time Stanley Cup ChampionChris Chelios would also join ESPN/ABC as a studio analyst.[102] The same day,The Athletic reported that currentHockey Night in Canada color commentator/reporterCassie Campbell-Pascall would also join the network.[103]
ESPN formally confirmed its commentator teams on June 29, 2021. ESPN'scollege football #2 play-by-play manSean McDonough would be the network's lead play-by-play announcer;Monday Night Football'sSteve 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 asSportsCenter'sJohn Buccigross, who would also contribute as an alternate studio host, and serve as the host forThe Point. ESPN legendBarry Melrose, Messier, and Chelios were named strictly as studio analysts, while Ferraro, Boucher,[102] Weekes, Campbell-Pascall, Callahan, Mleczko,ESPN New York'sRick DiPietro, and2018 gold medalistHilary Knight would contribute as booth, ice-level, and studio analysts. 2016Isobel Cup championBlake Bolden was added to join insidersEmily Kaplan andGreg Wyshynski as insiders and rinkside reporters.[104]Linda Cohn continued her duties hostingIn 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 coachJohn Tortorella as an extra studio analyst.[105][106]
On September 16, after ESPN released their slate of games for the 2021–22 season, SportsCenter anchor and ESPN Social hostArda Ocal announced that he too would host select game broadcasts.[107] On October 2, former refereeDave Jackson joined the network as a rules analyst, an NHL first.[108] Early into the 2021–22 season, ESPN added former NBC analystDominic Moore, who had hosted theexpansion draft with Weekes andESPN College Football personalityChris Fowler.Laura Rutledge, host ofNFL Live andSEC Nation, joined the NHL on ESPN team for their coverage of the2022 NHL All-Star Game, in a celebrity interviewer role. After preparing for and playing in the2022 Winter Olympics inBeijing, 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 theLos Angeles Kings 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 likeJeremy Schaap,Kevin Connors,Michael Eaves, andMax McGee will be added in fill-in roles on The Point and In the Crease.Mike Monaco,Roxy Bernstein, andCaley Chelios, daughter of Chris, have also filled in on game coverage. Subban and TSN'sGord 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 thePhiladelphia Flyers.[109] After holding two stints with ESPN during the playoffs, the network announced that Subban would be joining their coverage full-time beginning with the2022–23 season, holding both studio analyst and color commentator roles. This came after his most recent retirement announcement.[110][111][112]
ESPN also confirmed thatSpanish language coverage of the NHL would air onESPN Deportes andESPN 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.[104]Rigoberto Plascencia was later added as another play-by-play announcer.
For the 2021–22 season, ESPN aired 18 games (billed asESPN Hockey Night),[87][113] while 75 exclusive national games per season would be streamed exclusively on ESPN+.[88] For the 2021–22 season, most of these games (billed asESPN+ Hockey Night)[113] aired on Tuesday and Thursday nights, with selected games on Friday nights.[87] These games were also available toHulu subscribers. ESPN's first broadcasts were an opening nightdoubleheader, with thePittsburgh Penguins at the defending Stanley Cup championsTampa Bay Lightning, and theSeattle Kraken at theVegas Golden Knights in theKraken's first regular-season game in franchise history.[114][87]
Typically, games aired on ESPN, excluding ESPN+ games, are simulcast in Canada on theSportsnet channels, using the ESPN feed. However, on January 17, 2022,TSN, which is partly owned by ESPN, simulcast the ESPN+ feed of theArizona Coyotes–Montreal Canadiens game because of a huge snowstorm in Canada, which prevented the Canadiens' broadcast team from traveling south to Glendale to broadcast the game.[115]
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+".[91] ESPN (34) and ESPN2 (1) aired a combined at least 35 games (billed asESPN Hockey Night),[113] while ABC aired 15 games under theABC Hockey Saturday package, which consisted of 4 doubleheaders, the2023 NHL Stadium Series, and one late-season tripleheader beginning the weekend after the All-Star break.[87][113][89]
On May 14, 2023, ESPN was widely criticized[116] for its decision to implement asplit screen between its coverage of Game 6 of theStanley Cup Playoff series between theVegas Golden Knights andEdmonton Oilers and aSunday Night Baseball telecast between theSt. Louis Cardinals andBoston Red Sox, which was being played at the same time and was ultimately won by St. Louis by the score of 9–1.[117]
For the 2023–24 season, ESPN+/Hulu airs at least 50 exclusive games. Among linear broadcasts, 19 games aired on ABC, featuring four doubleheaders, bothNHL Stadium Series games, and two tripleheaders on February 17 and April 13. ABC will also air the2024 Stanley Cup Final.ABC Hockey Saturday for this season began on January 13, precedingSuper Wild Card Saturday of theNFL playoffs, unlike past years when its slate began after the NHL All-Star Game, and ESPN airs the rest.[90]
On June 5, 2023, it was announced that Chelios' contract would not be renewed[118] as part of Disney's $5.5 billion cost-cutting.[119] On September 12, 2023, TNT hired Boucher away from ESPN/ABC to serve asKeith Jones' replacement on the top team, thus reuniting with former NBC partnersKenny Albert andEddie Olczyk.[120] On October 10, 2023, ESPN announced that Barry Melrose would retire from the network to spend more time with his family after being diagnosed withParkinson's disease.[121][122][123][124][125] On December 19, 2023, Campbell-Pascall accepted a new position as a special advisor with theProfessional Women's Hockey League (PWHL). Although she had left Sportsnet, she will remain with ESPN/ABC.[126]
The 2024–25 season will again have ESPN+/Hulu stream at least 50 exclusive games.ESPN2 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 the2024 NFL regular season. The2025 Stadium Series will be on ESPN instead of ABC. With theNHL 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.[127] On October 8, color commentator Ray Ferraro called two games of an opening night tripleheader: theSt. Louis Blues at theSeattle Kraken, and theChicago Blackhawks at theUtah Hockey Club.[128] Two late-seasonWashington Capitals games were later added to ESPN's schedule in anticipation ofAlexander Ovechkin breakingWayne Gretzky's career goals record. While the April 12 road game at theColumbus Blue Jackets would air exclusively on ABC, the March 27 road game at theMinnesota Wild would co-exist with the Capitals' own broadcast via theMonumental Sports Network in theWashington metropolitan area.[129] Additionally, the April 17 road game at thePittsburgh Penguins would now air on both ESPN and Monumental in the Capitals' market after it was initially an ESPN-exclusive broadcast.[130] After Ovechkin broke the career goals record in the regular season, the April 17 road game at thePittsburgh Penguins returned exclusively to ESPN and the April 15 road game at theNew York Islanders was flexed out in favor of theFlorida at Tampa Bay game.[131][132]
A total of 86 games across ESPN (38) and ESPN+/Hulu (48) is slated for the 2025–26 season, with the remaining 16 games airing on ABC. ESPN's schedule has been modified due to the network having reduced rights in its new NBA deal, as well as ESPN opting-out of televisingSunday Night Baseball.[133][134] ESPN will continue to have the opening day tripleheader, but their select games for the rest of the regular season will now be on any day of the week except Wednesdays, including a Sunday night doubleheader on April 5 as aSunday Night Baseball replacement.[134] ESPN has two tripleheaders scheduled on October 7 and 28. ABC's schedule would begin during the last week of the2025 NFL regular season, with a game on Saturday, January 3 preceding ABC/ESPN's NFL doubleheader. This includes doubleheaders on January 31, February 28, March 7 and April 4, and a tripleheader on April 11. ABC will also have a game on January 10 that precedes the Wild Card Weekend of the NFL playoffs, and two primetime games on March 21 and 28. The2026 Stanley Cup Finals is slated to air on ABC. Like the previous season, the2026 NHL Stadium Series will air on ESPN instead of ABC.[135] After holding a stint during the playoffs the previous season, ESPN signed Stanley Cup championT. J. Oshie to their broadcast crew as a studio and game analyst for the 2025–26 season. In addition, ESPN hired newLos Angeles Kings play-by-play announcerJohn Kelly and brought back John Tortorella after his coaching stint with the Philadelphia Flyers. Despite the additions, ESPN also announced that Ryan Callahan, who had been with ESPN since they regained NHL rights, would not return for the 2025–26 season.
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),[136] "IceCast" (which featured a higher camera angle and on-screen statistics),[137] and "All-12" (an alternate camera angle of the entire ice during the2023 NHL Stadium Series game, inspired by ESPN's "All-22" feeds for college football).[138] In a similar approach to theFoxTrax glowing puck from the '90s, ESPN produced a "Puck Possessor" visual identifier altcast for select ABC games. This takes the main feed and focuses on who has the puck during games. It is broadcast on ESPN+, along with the traditional ABC broadcast.
On March 14, 2023, ESPN presented an alternate youth-oriented broadcast of that night'sWashington Capitals–New York Rangers game known as theNHL Big City Greens Classic, simulcast onDisney Channel,Disney XD,Disney+ andESPN+;[139][140] the broadcast leveraged the league's player and puck tracking system to render a real-time3D animated perspective of the game based on the Disney Channel animated seriesBig City Greens.[139][140]
On October 24, 2023, ESPN+ and ESPN2 airedFrozen Frenzy, a whip-around broadcast (similar toNFL RedZone) carrying live look-ins on all games occurring that night. All 32 NHL teams played games that night with games having staggered start times and a tripleheader on ESPN.[141][142]
ESPN brought back theNHL Big City Greens Classic for the March 9, 2024, broadcast of that day's Pittsburgh Penguins-Boston Bruins game, which was the second half of anABC Hockey Saturday doubleheader. Like the Capitals-Rangers game the prior year, this broadcast was simulcast onDisney Channel,Disney XD,Disney+ andESPN+, and featured the same real-time 3D animated perspective based onBig City Greens.[143][144][145]
[Y]ou'll not only need a cable or satellite subscription to access your team's RSN and ESPN, but you'll also need a subscription to ESPN+ or Hulu. 75 games will be streaming exclusively in this TV deal, and while you previously got everything you needed with the cable sub, you now will need to jump into the streaming waters to see every game.
| Preceded by | NHL pay television carrier in the United States 1985–1988 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | NHL pay television carrier in the United States 1992–2004 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | NHL pay television carrier (withTNT) in the United States 2021–present | Succeeded by incumbent |
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