This is Year 3 of the new U.S. TV deal. ESPN has the Stanley Cup finals this season.
There is one major change at TNT. Good news for ESPN viewers, bad news for TNT viewers: Brian Boucher somehow retains employment. Boucher replaces Keith Jones, who jumped to the Philadelphia Flyers on the management side. Jones was a better asset on games than as a studio analyst for NBC.
Patrick Sharp worked as a fill-in analyst on the playoffs on TNT as well as working in Chicago. The Philadelphia Flyers hired Sharp to be a special advisor to hockey operations.
As a reminder: Kenny Albert, Eddie Olczyk, and Boucher are the primary team with Brendan Burke, Darren Pang, and Jennifer Botterill (Rogers Sportsnet) as the backup team. Liam McHugh leads the studio crew with Anson Carter, Paul Bissonnette, and Henrik Lundqvist and sometimes Wayne Gretzky. Tarik El-Bashir, and Jackie Redmond (Canadian) also contribute to the TNT package. Alex Faust may get some games for TNT.
Most of the TNT telecasts with Canadian teams will involve the secondary teams, so less of Boucher is always a good thing.
Here is the TNT schedule involving Canadian teams. Schedule is subject to change. The original TNT release didn't mention the Heritage Classic, which will somehow air on TBS, a regular season first for the U.S. channel.
October 29 Calgary @ Edmonton, 7p (Heritage Classic) TBS
November 15 NY Islanders @ Vancouver, 10p
December 6 Carolina @ Edmonton, 9:30p
February 21 Boston @ Edmonton, 10p
February 28 St. Louis @ Edmonton, 8:30p
March 6 Buffalo @ Toronto, 7p
March 10 Edmonton @ Pittsburgh, 1p (Sunday)
March 13 Washington @ Edmonton, 10p
March 20 Toronto @ Washington, 7:30p
March 31 Anaheim @ Vancouver, 3:30p (Sunday)
April 10 Las Vegas @ Edmonton, 8:30p
Edmonton gets 7 games, 5 of them at home, 6 if you count Commonwealth Stadium. Vancouver gets 2 home games. Toronto only gets 2 games, home and road. Calgary only gets in because of the Heritage Classic. There are only 5 games before March 1.
Montréal, Winnipeg, and Ottawa are shut out. The TNT schedule has mostly Wednesday doubleheaders with some Sunday games.
ESPN acquires primary U.S. NHL package in new 7-year deal
ESPN will have the Stanley Cup finals in 2024. As we noted up top, Brian Boucher jumped from ESPN to TNT. Good for ESPN.
The ESPN lineups are pretty much the same. ESPN let go Chris Chelios as part of the many budget cuts at ESPN. Great player but didn't add much in the studio.
The regular season package is on ESPN and ABC. ESPN is taking stronger anxiety pills and will allow its crews to go places in Canada other than Alberta. ESPN refused to touch Canada in Year 1 and only offered 2 Alberta home games in January 2023.
Edmonton does have an ABC game, though in Dallas.
The ESPN group did carry Winnipeg and Calgary last year. Only Toronto and Edmonton get to play within the ESPN group.
The March 30 game is a Hockey Night in Canada game. We are hoping that is a mistake.
The ESPN+/Hulu games are exclusive within the local markets. The ESPN play-by-play people are Sean McDonough, Steve Levy, John Buccigross, Bob Wischusen, and Leah Hextall (Canadian). Colour analysts include Ray Ferraro, Cassie Campbell-Pascall, Kevin Weekes, A.J. Mleczko, Hilary Knight, and Ryan Callahan. Studio analysts include Mark Messier and Rick DiPietro.
ESPN has reporters: Blake Bolden, Emily Kaplan, and Greg Wyshynski. Linda Cohn will host In the Crease for ESPN+ and contribute to NHL coverage.
Barry Melrose announced his retirement from ESPN due to being diagnosed with Parkinson's disease. Melrose was a lone light in the darkness that was ESPN's NHL coverage for a very long time. A good guy and a huge loss to the NHL coverage in the United States.
Here is the ESPN and ESPN+/Hulu schedule involving Canadian teams. Schedule is subject to change.
October 19 Edmonton @ Philadelphia, 7:30p ESPN+/Hulu
October 24 Toronto @ Washington, 6p ESPN
October 31 Los Angeles @ Toronto, 8p ESPN
November 2 Toronto @ Boston, 7:30p ESPN+/Hulu
November 9 Edmonton @ San Jose, 10:30p ESPN+/Hulu
December 12 Chicago @ Edmonton, 10p ESPN
December 19 Edmonton @ NY Islanders, 7:30p ESPN+/Hulu
December 21 Edmonton @ New Jersey, 7:30p ESPN+/Hulu
December 22 Edmonton @ NY Rangers, 7:30p ESPN+/Hulu
January 2 Toronto @ Los Angeles, 10:30p ESPN+/Hulu
January 9 Edmonton @ Chicago, 8:30p ESPN+/Hulu
January 11 Toronto @ NY Islanders, 7p ESPN
February 6 Edmonton @ Las Vegas, 10p ESPN+/Hulu
February 17 Edmonton @ Dallas, 3p ABC (Saturday)
February 19 Toronto @ St. Louis, 1p ESPN
March 5 Edmonton @ Boston, 7:30p ESPN+/Hulu
March 9 Edmonton @ Buffalo, 12:30p ESPN+/Hulu (Saturday)
March 26 New Jersey @ Toronto, 7:30p ESPN+/Hulu
March 30 Toronto @ Buffalo, 7p ESPN+/Hulu (HNIC)
April 16 Toronto @ Florida, 7:30p ESPN
April 18 Edmonton @ Colorado, 9:30p ESPN
— Dave Tomlinson (@HockeyDaveT) September 19, 2023
Dave Tomlinson replaces John Garrett on Canucks local TV on Rogers Sportsnet Pacific. Garrett retired as the Vancouver TV analyst this spring but will stay on as an analyst for Hockey Night in Canada.
Ray Ferraro will join select Canucks games as an analyst. Ferraro will continue to work for ESPN, so figure mostly home games that don't interfere with his ESPN workload.
Tomlinson called Canucks games on radio from 2010-2017 and was the Seattle Kraken radio analyst the last 2 seasons.
Ferraro worked for Canucks TV (separate from Rogers Sportsnet Pacific) in 2009-2010 as a rinkside reporter and studio analyst. Ferraro left TSN just about a year ago. What a journey!!
John Shorthouse and Garrett had amazing chemistry together and had fun, even during a bad Canucks game. This is about as good a solution as Vancouver and Rogers Sportsnet could find.
John Garrett retirement opens the door of opportunity for Vancouver Canucks TV colour analysis
Victor Findlay replaces Peter Ruttgaizer as the play-by-play voice for TSN 690 and the Montréal Canadiens game broadcasts. Findlay has filled in on Habs and Ottawa Senators telecasts on TSN. Findlay and Jon Abbott were essentially the replacements for Chris Cuthbert when Cuthbert left for Rogers Sportsnet in 2020.
Findlay also covered Champions Hockey League hockey. Findlay will likely fill in for Bryan Mudryk on Habs telecasts when Mudryk covers the Briar.
A combination of J.P. O'Connor (mainly weekday games) and Jon Goyens (weekend games) replaces Sergio Momesso as radio analysts on Habs games in English.
2-time Olympic gold medal winner Meaghan Mikkelson is the new radio analyst for the Calgary Flames. Mikkelson replaces Peter Loubardias, who left after 10 years of Calgary Flames colour radio analysis. You might remember that Loubardias was the TV play by play voice for the Flames from 2008-2011.
Toronto Maple Leafs fans will miss Leafs Lunch on TSN 1050 in Toronto, a casualty of the many Bell Media cuts. TSN 1050 replaced the segment with ESPN programming.
I will just say this: If cutting loose a broadcaster of @alex_faust’s caliber is the right decision than our business is in way worse shape than I even thought it was. https://t.co/i9nCARu5BG
— Brendan Burke (@brendanmburke) June 5, 2023
Alex Faust was one of the best assets for the Los Angeles Kings and he isn't on the ice. The Kings decided to be foolish and go to a TV-radio simulcast that doesn't include Faust.
Faust has spent the summer calling baseball games for Apple TV+ so he isn't starving. TNT would definitely use him for occasional West Coast games and the playoffs unless ESPN or someone else grabs him.
We don't give much praise to U.S. announcers but Faust is an exception. Maybe Rogers Sportsnet would give Faust some Hockey Night in Canada games on the West Coast.
Darren Pang has a Chicago connection, being a Hawks goalie in the 1980s. The Bally instability in St. Louis is likely the reason Pang jumped from the St. Louis Blues to Chicago. The Hawks had been juggling the analyst role since Eddie Olczyk left for the Seattle Kraken. Here's hoping Troy Murray is the fill-in when Pang has TNT duties.
Chicago let go Colby Cohen from the broadcast team. Jamie Rivers replaces Pang on the St. Louis telecasts.
Brian Boucher also replaces Keith Jones on Philadelphia Flyers telecasts on NBC Sports Philadelphia.
Pittsburgh made a bunch of changes to its broadcast team. On the play by play side, Steve Mears goes from TV to radio and Josh Getzoff from radio to TV. Longtime TV colour analyst Bob Errey is no longer on the telecasts.
Al Kinisky replaces Dave Tomlinson as the Seattle Kraken radio analyst to work with Everett Fitzhugh.
Our guide to the NHL Canadian teams coverage
2023 NHL preseason schedule
CanadianCrossing.com NHL coverage
We have our October preview tomorrow, the true start of the NHL regular season for the Canadian teams.
photo credits: NHL on TNT; NHL on ESPN
Twitter capture: @HockeyDaveT; @brendanmburke
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