Gary Bettman said the new U.S. NHL contract would likely be more than a single partner. The good news for U.S. based NHL fans is that ESPN will be one of these partners.
ESPN has the A package in the new contract: 4 of the 7 Stanley Cup finals and the choice for which conference final to carry. The package includes 25 regular season games on ESPN and ABC and 75 exclusive games carried on ESPN+ and Hulu (both owned by Disney).
The key for U.S. fans is in the new structure where all available NHL games will air on ESPN+. So watching the Toronto Maple Leafs or Winnipeg Jets means subscribing to ESPN+. If the CFL starts playing again, the $59.99 yearly fee will seem reasonable.
This is only half the package. NBC and possibly Fox are bidding for the other half. NHL Network will still carry games.
The 25 games likely won't include too many Canadian teams. This isn't necessarily bad news. If you can watch the Montréal Canadiens on TSN2 or the Vancouver Canucks on Rogers Sportsnet Pacific on your computer or Roku type hookup to your TV, that is better than whether ESPN on cable says nice things about your team.
As to whether Canadian teams will be on the 75 games on ESPN+ and Hulu, ESPN gains power if they take a game away from a local market. Since Canada doesn't have local markets, ESPN isn't as likely to carry Canadian teams. Still, some Canadian teams will be on games produced by ESPN.
ESPN will carry half the playoffs, likely picking series along a similar path to what CBC and TSN did in the previous package in Canada. This means more practical starting times for games, especially in the middle of the continent, and better coverage for Canadian teams than what NBC has provided. The shenanigans NBC pulled to take coverage away from playoff games in the middle of the game in the summer bubbles was unprofessional.
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The ESPN+ deal allows virtually every single Hockey Night in Canada game into U.S. households at a reasonable price. We don't know if ESPN+ can carry games that air on the NHL Network and the other TV partner. Either way, a lot of NHL games with Canadian teams will be more readily available.
In the long ago past when ESPN had the NHL, they didn't treat Canadian teams like they had the plague, like NBC. ESPN+ wasn't afraid to show the Battle of Alberta or a random Ottawa-Edmonton game.
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If NBC does not get the B package, some NBC announcers could jump to ESPN or Fox. If NBC gets the B package, some NBC announcers could still jump to ESPN.
If NBC gets the B package, most of those games will air on USA since NBCSN will shut down at the end of the calendar year.
Steve Levy, John Buccigross, Linda Cohn, and Barry Melrose are current ESPN personalities who would definitely be involved in NHL coverage. They may incorporate freelancers such as Dave Randorf, Alex Faust, and Brendan Burke or similar announcers.
ESPN could also use current employees such as Sean McDonough and Toronto Blue Jays announcer Dan Shulman. Gary Thorne would be a sentimental favourite to return, but that is likely not practical.
ESPN has a 20% stake in TSN. This doesn't necessarily mean Gord Miller, Ray Ferraro, and Mike Johnson would jump to work for ESPN instead of NBCSN. They would be logical choices for Heritage Classics as well as playoff series.
The other NHL partner in the United States will be announced in the near future.
photo credit: ESPN/NHL
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