ESPN National Hockey Night
| ESPN National Hockey Night | |
|---|---|
| Starring | see below |
| Country of origin | United States |
| Production | |
| Running time | 180+ minutes |
| Release | |
| Original network |
ESPN (1992–2004) ESPN2 (1993–2004) |
| Chronology | |
| Related shows |
NHL on ABC NHL 2Night |
ESPN National Hockey Night was ESPN's weekly television broadcasts of National Hockey League regular season games and coverage of playoff games, broadcast from 1992 to 2004. ESPN had been slated to broadcast games for the 2004–05 NHL season, but the season's cancellation combined with the NHL reaching an agreement with OLN (now NBCSN) to broadcast games for the 2005–06 NHL season effectively ended National Hockey Night after the 2003–04 NHL season.
Coverage overview
1980–1982 and 1985–1988
ESPN initially and previously covered the NHL in the 1980–81 and 1981–82 seasons.[1] They had a rather limited slate of games, which were all broadcast from U.S. arenas: Hartford, Washington, Pittsburgh, Buffalo, Minnesota, St. Louis and Colorado in 1980–81 and the New York Islanders (while deleting Hartford) in 1981–82. ESPN covered a selected amount of playoff games in 1982. They covered Game 4 of the New York Islanders-Pittsburgh series and Game 2 of the Minnesota-Chicago series. Sam Rosen and Pete Stemkowski were the announcers for both games.
ESPN would next broadcast the NHL in 1985–86, taking over from the USA Network in the American national cable television rights. ESPN aired approximately 33 weekly (Sundays at 7:30 p.m. Eastern Time), nationally televised (albeit, subject to blackout) regular season games a year (as well as the All-Star Game and entire Stanley Cup Finals). Sam Rosen,[2] Mike Emrick[3] and Ken Wilson[4] served as the play-by-play men while Mickey Redmond[5] and Bill Clement[6] were the analysts. ESPN would ultimately go on another hiatus (lasting through the end of the 1991–92 season) from the National Hockey League following the 1987–88 season, when SportsChannel America outbid them.
1992–2004
From its debut in 1992 until the 2001–02 NHL season, weekly regular season games were broadcast on Sundays (between NFL and baseball seasons), Wednesdays, and Fridays, and were titled Sunday/Wednesday/Friday Night Hockey. Prior to 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. 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 weekly hockey broadcasts were moved to Thursday and the broadcasts renamed to Thursday Night Hockey. Beginning in 1993–94, up to five games per week were also shown on ESPN2 (dubbed "Fire on Ice").
During the Stanley Cup playoffs, ESPN and ESPN2 provided almost nightly coverage, often carrying games on both channels simultaneously. Games in the first two rounds were non-exclusive, while telecasts in the Conference Finals and Finals were exclusive (except in 1993 and 1994).
1994-95
| Date | Network | Teams | Start times (All times Eastern) | Commentator crews |
| 2/5/95 | ESPN | Pittsburgh at New Jersey | 7:30 p.m. | |
| 3/19/95 | ESPN | Boston at New Jersey | 8:00 p.m. | |
| 3/22/95 | ESPN2 | New Jersey at N.Y. Rangers | 7:30 p.m. | |
| 4/1/95 | ESPN2 | Montreal at New Jersey | 7:30 p.m. | |
| 4/26/95 | ESPN2 | Pittsburgh at New Jersey | 7:30 p.m. |
OLN/Versus replaces ESPN
Before the 2004–05 lockout, the NHL had reached two separate deals with NBC (who would replace ABC as the NHL's American national broadcast television partner) and ESPN. ESPN offered the NHL $60 million for about 40 games (only fifteen of which would be during the regular season), all on ESPN2, with presumably, only some midweek playoff games, the first two games of the Stanley Cup Final and the All-Star Game airing on ESPN.[7] The NBC deal stipulated that the network would pay the league no rights fees - an unheard of practice to that point. NBC's deal included six regular season windows, seven postseason broadcasts and Games 3–7 of the Stanley Cup Finals in primetime. The contracts were to commence when the lockout ended. The NBC deal expired after the 2006–07 season, and NBC had picked up the option to renew for the 2007–08 season (Just like the AFL/NBC agreement, which the network did not renew in 2006). The NHL and NBC shared in revenues from advertising.
ESPN had a two year deal that they opted out of after the lockout, leaving the NHL without a cable partner. In August 2005, Comcast (who owns the Philadelphia Flyers) paid $70 million a year for three years to put games (54 or more NHL games each season under the agreement, generally on Monday and Tuesday nights) on the OLN network, which was later known as Versus, and finally became NBCSN. Due to the abbreviated off-season, the 2005–06 schedule did not offer OLN exclusivity, which they received in 2006–07. Versus would also cover the playoffs and exclusively air Games 1 and 2 of the Stanley Cup Finals.
ESPN has occasionally aired hockey in the years since losing the NHL contract, including occasional college hockey contests and the 2016 World Cup of Hockey (which ESPN acquired after NBCSN, citing conflicts with the 2016 Summer Paralympics among other events, declined to carry). The network has continued to use the National Hockey Night theme song for these broadcasts.
Personalities
Broadcast teams
ESPN did not have fixed broadcast teams during the 1985-86 season. Sam Rosen, Ken Wilson, Jim Hughson, Mike Lange, and Jiggs McDonald handled the play-by-play and Mickey Redmond, Mike Liut, Gary Green, Paul Steigerwald, and Peter McNab provided color commentary.
| Season | Broadcasters |
|---|---|
| 1986-87 | |
| 1987-88 | |
| 1992–93 | |
| 1993–94 | |
| 1994–95 | |
| 1995–96 | |
| 1996–97 | |
| 1997–98 | |
| 1998–99 | |
| 1999–2000 | |
| 2000–01 | |
| 2001–02 | |
| 2002–03 | |
| 2003–04 |
Stanley Cup playoffs
References
- ↑ Craig, Jack (June 27, 1982). "CABLE TIGHTROPE FOR SOX, BRUINS; TEAMS MUST BALANCE BROADCASTS TO KEEP AUDIENCE BUT MAKE MONEY". Boston Globe. p. 1.
- ↑ "Sam Rosen". MSG.com. Retrieved 2009-09-03.
- ↑ "Mike Emrick". MSG.com. Retrieved 2009-09-03.
- ↑ "WCCBL hires Ken Wilson. Former Mariners broadcaster to lead League". westcoastleague.com. March 24, 2008. Retrieved 2009-09-03.
- ↑ "Mickey Redmond". Retrieved 2009-09-03.
- ↑ "Many losses, big problems for Rangers". ESPN.com. December 3, 1999. Retrieved 2009-09-03.
- ↑ Lepore, Steve (4 August 2010). "The Suitor Tutor, Part 1: On VERSUS and NBC, How Have They Done, and Where the Merger Will Take Them". Puck The Media. WordPress.com. Retrieved 10 May 2011.
External links
- ESPN NHL Hockey Night MP3 theme
- Okay, Let’s Talk About This Like Adults: “How ESPN Nearly Destroyed the NHL on TV” or “Why the NHL Should Never Go Back to ESPN”
- Negative Press: Is ESPN Killing the National Hockey League by Influencing Public Attitudes?
- Jack Edwards says ESPN boosting NHL's fortunes is 'delusional'
- NHL on ESPN - Google Search (timeline)
- The Suitor Tutor, Part 2: The ESPN Question
- Sports Media Watch: How Disney outfoxed the NHL.
- NHL and ESPN: Paradise Found Or a Disneyfied Disaster?
- Fang's Bites: Five Myths About ESPN and The NHL
- Michael Eisner Tries to Improve the NHL, An Excerpt From “Those Guys Have All the Fun: Inside the World of ESPN”
- Was leaving ESPN a mistake for the NHL?