There is one benefit to NHL on ESPN and that is significantly better international coverage. It is far easier for us not in the USA and Canada to get to watch hockey. I know this isn't a priority. But it is one benefit that most will not take into account.

I don't really know much about sports shows! I love hockey but have never been a I'm gonna watch a show on TV about it! That's what KZbin is for! But what I do love is more games I can watch! ESPN+ comes free with my Hulu and my Disney+ I get nearly every hockey game because of that! I'm an out of network fan! When I moved out of the Philadelphia range I couldn't see the flyers! The ESPN deal has brought me back to the sport!

The NHL has greed issues, as well. The finals only being shown on ABC, sucked.

Being a red wings fan I feel like our fanbase is spoiled by some of the best broadcasters in sports. In terms of national media I always liked Doc though

Bro watching on ESPN+ is unwatchable. It’s actually awful

Wow don’t even mention MLB on the top priority on ESPN. They treat that sport like shit too

Yea, the ABC games were abysmal. Please, please, please let Mark Messier go on his way. He's as stiff as a board on camera. P.K. Subbing & him seem to not like each other very much.

There aren't a lot of black hockey players. So, without a racial component, ESPN is at a loss.

WBD just does it better.

I think the final straw for me was when they missed Barkov lifting the cup on Monday. Like, this is a team and captain that have never won before a the first Finnish captain to win the cup and you miss the shot?! How do you screw it up that bad. The captain lifting the cup is such an iconic moment for so many teams, and if the biggest broadcasting network misses it, that’s a big problem

Worst play by play announcer. Showed no emotion. The TNT crew was soooo much better. ABC didn’t even have a pregame show for the playoffs

Well said.

I highly disagree with this, the Cup is back fully on a Network channel. They had 7.7mil for game 7, biggest numbers in over a decade. They are growing the game, network TV is always bigger than cable. NBC and Turner moved games to cable, they didn't get enough numbers.

This Stanley cup final graphic this year was absolute shit. And the announcers didn’t even care about the panthers they were all on McDavid, like damn hop off

Ferraro simping for McDavid gave me those creepy Pierre McGuire/Sidney Crosby vibes. Dude, you're a grown ass man lusting after a hockey player; you trying to get hired by the Blackhawks or something?

The worst was two years ago during the Cup final I was watching ESPN and they barely even mentioned it. They where still talking about NFL news even though football doesn't even start for another what? 2-3 months. They really don't care about hockey at all

Try being a panther fan otw to a cup win while they are gobbling on mcdavids pecker for 90 percent of the coverage

This makes me want to miss Grapes getting angry at Ron. I wish he yelled this out at him after his firing on Sportsnet. "I don't want you back at my house again! Ever! I said 'EVERYBODY should be wearin' a poppy!' Everybody in Canada! Understand?! EVERYBODY!!! You stood next to me like a USELESS!! PATHETIC!! ANNOYIN'!!! TALKIN' DONKEY!!!!"

NHL AND NBC needed to work harder to come to an extension. Instead NHL goes to the network that has, like you said, considered them an afterthought for years, ever since NHL left them for NBC back in 2005. Why couldn't they at least cut a full time deal with Turner instead? And I agree about McDonough, always liked him in college football but not hockey. And Bob Wischusen is pretty solid.

SOMEBODY had to say something! Thank you!!! ESPN is an embarrassment to hockey.

They do not do a good job with other sports there just as bad but what they have that tnt lacks a major network in abc the espn deal includes abc broadcasts that’s the only reason espn stays afloat well that and Disney money

Sean McDonough is either really into the game or he couldn't care less. Why can't they realize that they have Bob Wischusen and Steve Levy? their passion and love for hockey is obvious!!

the NHL has zero plans to grow the game. Their idea of "growth" is an increase in population and inflation.

Ray Ferraro is the worst! Thank god we don’t hear him as a colour commentator in Canada.

I watched the entire Stanley Cup final round on CBC (SportsNet). ESPN blows chunks.

Thank you!!! Was screaming more at the announcers on the TV than I was the actual game, absolutely god-awful,!!! And then there was the camera coverage ! Luckily I was able to do some quick finagling and watch the SportsNet feed out of Canada!!! espn…….you SUCK!!! And as usual, F Gary Bettman

Last night ESPN missed the shot of Barkov lifting the cup for the first time. Good job ESPN!

Its not espn; you know who it is. Its the goddamned rat.

ESPN has been horrible. They wanted nothing to do with it pre 2005 lockout and after Outdoor Life Network then VS and finally clawing back to real covers with NBC for full seasons and not just the playoffs and Sundays after the Super Bowl. NBC saved them and Bettman did what Bettman does. Most games are only again via streaming and the NBA takes priority.

ESPN is the equivalent in sports to MSNBC or CNN, which are simply gross. One highlight however is there is no more Pierre McGuire, which was so long overdue...

I completely agree about Bob Wischusen. I was so happy when he took over the playcalling duties for Game 2 of the Rangers-Panthers series because McDonough was sick. Wischusen gets excited, and is very animated and entertaining with his PBP. McDonough is about as dry as you can get. TNT, outside of that clown Biz, is the far superior broadcast.

Look it, unfortunately most of the US sees hockey and the NHL as 3rd rate sport. You have regional support for most teams. Unfortunately, that little weasel Bettman is not going to change that. He's afraid of takng ESPN to task!

They haven’t been good since the 80s and 90s

Gary Thorne one of the best hockey announcers in my opinion.

If it was available on my streaming service, I would have watched CBC coverage.

110% correct. Growing up watching NHL coverage it's hard to argue with any of your points. ESPN also messed up at least not talking to Gary Thorne. I was really expecting him to come back and be the lead man---and nothing against Sean he's a good announcer but he's just not the right kind of guy as a lead announcer. ESPN could have least reached out to Thorne!

When the 1st and 2nd ESPN intermissions come on, I mute the volume and use it as a bathroom break, get more drinks and snacks. When an NHL game is on TNT, I make sure I come back in time during the commercials and catch all the game analysis by Biz, Liam, Ace and Hank. Those guys are entertaining to watch and listen to.

Ray Ferraro is excellent and the studio crew are solid but not better than TNT…Emily Kaplan is not Jackie Redmond in any way

Most games where on espn+, so i had to watch it on other apps instead.

Glad this is a topic. You are correct the announcers and commentators on ESPN for NHL games are horrible. Almost as bad as TVA in French.

Just the fact that they don’t stay on after the game is an atrocity. Playoffs or not, the real hockey fan would like to hear more about the game played. ESPN also went dark with the NHL, during the season with college football men’s and women’s college basketball for 8-9 weeks.

Agreeeeeeed

It sucked when there was a game on ESPN you wanted to watch but you had ESPN+ being useless..

am i the only one who got mad that you couldnt see the full ice when the panthers won the cup? literally no view of the ice invasion by the players

It was so painfully obvious how biased the commentators were against the Panthers during the SCF. As a Panthers fan I just wanted to hear stats and play by play, but instead I got enthusiasm for the Oilers and just a “meh,” for Panthers. It was one of the most frustrating things to see. And then to top it all off ESPN manages to MISS BARKOV’S FIRST LIFT OF THE CUP?! What an absolute joke.

The NHL needs to diversify thier audience, NHL doesnt relate to alot of people here in the US

Its not ESPN job to promote Hockey or the NHL thats the NHL job

During the finals of both nhl and nba, they promoted the NBA finals like every 5 seconds and never once did they for NHL. I complained to ABC about the lack of promotion but no one got back to me.

The audio crapping out was very annoying.

I noticed that the other night. I had nothing to watch, so I put on the NHL network and watched the replay of G6 that ran on Sportsnet’s feed. I saw how much better the coverage was