| Alt Name: | ABC Hockey Saturday |
| Genre: | Hockey telecasts |
| Presenter: | Sean McDonough Ray Ferraro Emily Kaplan Bob Wischusen Ryan Callahan Leah Hextall Mike Monaco A. J. Mleczko Blake Bolden Dave Jackson Steve Levy John Buccigross Mark Messier P. K. Subban Arda Ocal Kevin Weekes |
| Theme Music Composer: | Bob Christianson |
| Country: | United States |
| Language: | English |
| Num Seasons: | 2 (1993–1994 version) 5 (2000–2004 version) 7 (2021 version) 14 (total) |
| Location: | Various NHL arenas ESPN's Bristol, CT studios |
| Camera: | Multi-camera |
| Runtime: | 180 minutes or until the end of the game |
The NHL on ABC is an American presentation of National Hockey League (NHL) games produced by ESPN, and televised on ABC in the United States.
The network first broadcast NHL games during the 1993 Stanley Cup playoffs on April 18, 1993, under a two-year time-buy agreement with ESPN. After two years, the NHL left ABC for newcomer Fox, while remaining with ESPN.
As part of a joint contract with ESPN, which was reached right before the 1998–99 season, the NHL returned to ABC on February 6, 2000, with their coverage of the 2000 NHL All-Star Game in Toronto. Regular season game telecasts returned to ABC on March 18, 2000. ABC also gained the rights to select weekend games from each round of the Stanley Cup playoffs and the last five games of the Stanley Cup Finals.[1] After the 2004 Stanley Cup Finals, the NHL left ABC again, this time for NBC because Disney executives admitted that they overpaid for the 1999–2004 deal. ESPN, who was set to continue with the NHL, later dropped it from their schedules after the 2004–05 lockout.
On March 10, 2021, ESPN announced a new contract to hold half of the NHL's media rights beginning in the 2021–22 season. In this deal, ABC will broadcast up to 10 regular season games per season, primarily late-season games of the week (branded as ABC Hockey Saturday presented by Expedia for sponsorship purposes), and the All-Star Game. ABC exclusively televises the Stanley Cup Finals in even-numbered years. All games carried by ABC are streamed on ESPN+.
After being dropped by NBC after the season,[2] [3] [4] the NHL had no national television contract in the United States.[5] [6] [7] In response to this, the league put together a network of independent stations covering approximately 55% of the country.[8] [9] [10]
Games typically aired on Monday nights[11] (beginning at 8 p.m. Eastern Time) or Saturday afternoons. The package was offered to local stations without a rights fee.[12] Profits would instead be derived from the advertising, which was about evenly split between the network and the local station. The Monday night games were often billed as "The NHL Game of the Week."[13]
Initially, the Monday night package was marketed to ABC affiliates; the idea being that ABC carried NFL football games on Monday nights in the fall and (starting in May) Major League Baseball games on Monday nights in the spring and summer, stations would want the hockey telecasts to create a year-round Monday night sports block; however, very few ABC stations chose to pick up the package.
In, ABC was contracted to televise Game 7 of the Stanley Cup Finals.[14] [15] Since the Finals ended in five games, the contract was void.[16] Had there been a seventh game, then Al Michaels would have called play-by-play alongside Bobby Clarke (color commentator). Jim McKay would host the seventh game in the studio and Frank Gifford (reporter) would have been in the winning team's dressing room to interview players and coaches as well as hand the phone to the winning team's coach that would have allowed him to talk to both President Jimmy Carter and Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau). This would give Michaels the honor of being the first to provide the play-by-play in four of the five major professional sports, having called the Super Bowl, the World Series, and NBA Finals. The game would have started at 4 p.m. Eastern Daylight Time on a Saturday, replacing Wide World of Sports and local news shows that typically followed it on ABC stations in the Eastern and Central time zones.
It was also around this time that ABC offered the NHL a limited deal (splitting the network and showing the NHL in the Northeast and Midwest and NASCAR in the South on Sunday afternoons) that NHL president John Ziegler Jr.[17] quickly rejected.
Even though ABC didn't yet televise National Hockey League games, they were the American network broadcast home of the Winter Olympic Games beginning in 1964 and continuing through the 1988 Winter Games in Calgary. For the ice hockey events, they employed Curt Gowdy for play-by-play duties during their 1968 and 1976 Winter Games broadcasts (NBC had the broadcasting rights for the 1972 Games in the interim). Gowdy worked with Brian Conacher for the 1976 ice hockey events.
Four years later, at the 1980 Winter Olympics in Lake Placid, ABC was on hand for a medal-round men's ice hockey game that would soon become known the "Miracle on Ice." On February 22, 1980, the United States team, made up of amateur and collegiate players and led by coach Herb Brooks, defeated the heavily-favored Soviet team, which consisted of veteran professional players with significant experience in international play. The rest of the United States (except those who watched the game live on Canadian television) had to wait to see the game, as ABC decided to broadcast the late-afternoon game on tape delay in prime time.[18] Sportscaster Al Michaels, who was calling the game on ABC along with former Montreal Canadiens goalie Ken Dryden, picked up on the countdown in his broadcast and delivered his famous call:[19]
Al Michaels continued serving as ABC's lead play-by-play announcer for their ice hockey coverage for their next two Winter Olympics, both with lead color commentator Ken Dryden. For their coverage of the ice hockey events at the 1984 Winter Olympics in Sarajevo, Mike Eruzione (the captain of the gold medal-winning United States ice hockey team from 1980) worked with Don Chevrier. Four years later, for ABC's final Winter Olympics, Eruzione was this time paired with Jiggs McDonald.
In 1989,[20] the NHL signed a two-year contract (lasting through the season) with ABC Radio for the broadcast rights to the All-Star Game and Stanley Cup Finals.[21] [22] ABC Radio named Don Chevrier and Phil Esposito as their main commentating crew.[23] [24] [25]
In the season, ABC televised five weekly playoff telecasts[26] [27] (the first three weeks were regional coverage of various games and two national games)[28] [29] on Sunday afternoons starting on April 18 and ending on May 16.[30] [31] [32] This marked the first time that playoff National Hockey League games were broadcast on American network television[33] since 1975 (when NBC was the NHL's American broadcast television partner[34] [35] [36] [37] [38] [39] [40] [41] [42]).
In the season, ABC televised six[43] weekly regional telecasts[28] on the last three Sunday afternoons beginning on March 27, 1994, marking the first time that regular season National Hockey League games were broadcast on American network television since NBC did it in .[44] [45] [46] This marked the first time that regular season National Hockey League games were broadcast on American network television[47] since (again when NBC was the NHL's American broadcast television partner). ABC then televised three weeks worth of playoff games on first three Sundays[48] – the final game was Game 1 of the Eastern Conference Semifinals between the Boston Bruins and the New Jersey Devils, a game that was aired nationally. The network did not televise the Stanley Cup Finals, which instead, were televised nationally by ESPN and by Prime Ticket in Los Angeles and MSG Network in New York . Games televised on ABC were not subject to blackout.
These broadcasts (just as was the case with the 2000–2004 package) were essentially, time-buys[49] by ESPN.[50] [51] In other words, ABC would sell three-hour blocks of airtime to ESPN,[52] who in return, would produce and distribute the telecasts. Overall, ABC averaged a 1.7 rating for those two seasons.[53] [54] [55]
When the NHL television contract went up for negotiation in early 1994, Fox (which was in the process of launching its sports division after acquiring the rights to the National Football Conference of the NFL) and CBS (which was hoping to land a major sports contract to replace the NFL rights that they lost to Fox and Major League Baseball rights that they lost to ABC and NBC) competed heavily for the package. On September 9, 1994, the National Hockey League reached a five-year, US$155 million contract with Fox[56] for the broadcast television rights to the league's games, beginning with the 1994–95 season.[57]
See main article: 1993–94 NHL season.
| Date | Teams | Start times (All times Eastern) | Commentator crews | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| March 27[59] [60] [61] [62] | Boston at Washington Detroit at Chicago[63] New York Rangers at Winnipeg Los Angeles at Vancouver | 1 p.m. 1 p.m. 1 p.m. 3 p.m. | Sam Rosen, Joe Micheletti, and Brenda Brenon Tom Mees, Darren Pang, and Bob Neumeier Gary Thorne, Bill Clement, and Al Morganti Bob Miller and John Davidson | |
| April 3[64] | Boston at Pittsburgh Dallas at Washington St. Louis at Detroit[65] Edmonton at Los Angeles | 1 p.m. 1 p.m. 1 p.m. 4 p.m. | Gary Thorne, Bill Clement, and Al Morganti Sam Rosen, John Davidson, and Brenda Brenon Tom Mees, Darren Pang, and Bob Neumeier Bob Miller and Joe Micheletti | |
| April 10 | New York Rangers at New York Islanders Boston at Philadelphia Los Angeles at Chicago Dallas at St. Louis | 1 p.m. 1 p.m. 1 p.m. 1 p.m. | Gary Thorne, Bill Clement, and Al Morganti Sam Rosen, Joe Micheletti, and Brenda Brenon Al Michaels[66] and John Davidson Tom Mees, Darren Pang, and Bob Neumeier |
| Round | Series | Games covered | Play-by-play | Color commentator(s) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division semifinals | Pittsburgh vs. New Jersey | Games 1, 4[70] [71] [72] [73] [74] | Gary Thorne | Bill Clement | |
| Chicago vs. St. Louis | Games 1, 4[75] [76] [77] [78] [79] | Mike Emrick | Jim Schoenfeld | ||
| Calgary vs. Los Angeles | Games 1, 4[80] [81] | Al Michaels | John Davidson | ||
| Division finals | Pittsburgh vs. New York Islanders | Game 1[82] | Gary Thorne | Bill Clement | |
| Toronto vs. St. Louis | Game 4 | Gary Thorne | Bill Clement | ||
| Vancouver vs. Los Angeles | Game 1 | Mike Emrick | John Davidson | ||
| Conference finals | Montreal vs. New York Islanders | Game 1[83] [84] [85] | Gary Thorne | Bill Clement |
| Round | Series | Games covered | Play-by-play | Color commentator(s) | Ice level reporter(s) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| First round | New York Rangers vs. New York Islanders | Games 1, 4[86] | Gary Thorne | Bill Clement | Al Morganti | |
| Dallas vs. St. Louis | Games 1, 4 | Tom Mees | Darren Pang (Game 1) John Davidson (Game 4) | Bob Neumeier (Game 1) | ||
| Conference semifinals | New Jersey vs. Boston | Game 1[87] [88] | Gary Thorne | Bill Clement | Al Morganti |
In August 1998, ABC, ESPN, and ESPN2 signed a five-year television deal with the NHL, worth a total of approximately US$600 million[89] [90] [91] [92] [93] [94] [95] (or $120 million per year), beginning with the league's 1999–2000 season. The $120 million per year that ABC and ESPN paid for rights dwarfed the $5.5 million that the NHL received from American national broadcasts in the 1991–92 season.[96] ABC's terms of this deal included: rights to the NHL All-Star Game, 4 to 5 weeks of regular season action,[97] with three games a week, weekend Stanley Cup Playoff games, and Games 3 to 7 of the Stanley Cup Finals.
As previously noted, much like ABC's initial contract with the NHL in the 1992–93 and 1993–94 seasons, ESPN essentially purchased time on ABC to air selected NHL games on the broadcast network. This was noted in copyright tags after the telecasts (i.e., "The preceding program has been paid for by ESPN, Inc."). ESPN later signed a similar television rights contract with the National Basketball Association in 2002, allowing it to produce and broadcast NBA games on ABC under a similar time buy arrangement on the broadcast network.[98]
In May 2004, NBC and ESPN reached an agreement to broadcast NHL games beginning in the 2004–05 season, which would end up being canceled as a result of the 2004–05 NHL lockout; ESPN later withdrew[99] from the deal in favor of OLN,[100] which wound up being rebranded as NBCSN in 2012. In the interval between the 2004 Stanley Cup Finals and the start of the 2005–06 season, several ABC affiliates, including WDTN in Dayton, Ohio (a secondary market for the Columbus Blue Jackets) and WAND in Springfield, Illinois (which is served by the Chicago Blackhawks and the St. Louis Blues), switched to NBC (in WDTN's case, they returned to the network after 24 years away).
As previously mentioned, ABC televised four to five weeks' worth of regional games on Saturday afternoons,[101] typically beginning in January or March for the first two seasons.
See main article: 1999–2000 NHL season. [110]
| Date | Teams | Start times (All times Eastern) | Commentator crews | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| March 18 | Pittsburgh at Boston New York Rangers at Philadelphia Detroit at Colorado | 3 p.m. 3 p.m. 3 p.m. | Mike Emrick and Barry Melrose Steve Levy and Darren Pang Gary Thorne, Bill Clement, and Brian Engblom | |
| March 26 | New York Rangers at Detroit Pittsburgh at Philadelphia Colorado at Dallas | 1 p.m. 1 p.m. 1 p.m. | Mike Emrick and Barry Melrose Steve Levy and Darren Pang Gary Thorne, Bill Clement, and Brian Engblom | |
| April 1 | Philadelphia at Pittsburgh Detroit at St. Louis Anaheim at Los Angeles | 1 p.m. 1 p.m. 6 p.m. | Mike Emrick and Barry Melrose Gary Thorne, Bill Clement, and Brian Engblom Steve Levy and Darren Pang | |
| April 9 | Phoenix at Dallas Detroit at Colorado Los Angeles at Anaheim | 3 p.m. 3 p.m. 3 p.m. | Mike Emrick and Barry Melrose Gary Thorne, Bill Clement, and Brian Engblom Steve Levy and Darren Pang |
See main article: 2000–01 NHL season. [111]
| Date | Teams | Start times (All times Eastern) | Commentator crews | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| March 10 | New Jersey at Philadelphia Detroit at St. Louis Colorado at Dallas | 3 p.m. 3 p.m. 3 p.m. | Mike Emrick and Barry Melrose Gary Thorne, Bill Clement, and Brian Engblom Steve Levy and Darren Pang | |
| March 17 | New York Rangers at Philadelphia Detroit at Colorado San Jose at Los Angeles | 3 p.m. 3 p.m. 3 p.m. | Mike Emrick and Barry Melrose Gary Thorne, Bill Clement, and Brian Engblom Steve Levy and Darren Pang | |
| March 24 | Detroit at New York Rangers Colorado at Boston Anaheim at Los Angeles | 1 p.m. 1 p.m. 6 p.m. | Mike Emrick and Barry Melrose Gary Thorne, Bill Clement, and Brian Engblom Steve Levy and Darren Pang | |
| March 31 | New York Rangers at New Jersey Detroit at Philadelphia St. Louis at Pittsburgh Colorado at Los Angeles | 3 p.m. 3 p.m. 3 p.m. 3 p.m. | Mike Emrick and Barry Melrose Steve Levy and Darren Pang Gary Thorne, Bill Clement, and Brian Engblom Dave Strader and Jim Schoenfeld | |
| April 7 | Pittsburgh at Philadelphia Colorado at Detroit Dallas at San Jose | 3 p.m. 3 p.m. 3 p.m. | Mike Emrick and Barry Melrose Gary Thorne, Bill Clement, and Brian Engblom Steve Levy and Darren Pang |
See main article: 2001–02 NHL season. [112]
| Date | Teams | Start times (All times Eastern) | Commentator crews | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| January 5 | Colorado at Detroit New York Rangers at Pittsburgh Washington at Boston | 3 p.m. 3 p.m. 3 p.m. | Gary Thorne, Bill Clement, and Brian Engblom Mike Emrick, Barry Melrose, and Dave Strader Steve Levy, Darren Pang, and Joe Micheletti | |
| January 12 | New York Rangers at Philadelphia St. Louis at Pittsburgh Dallas at Detroit | 1 p.m. 1 p.m. 1 p.m. | Gary Thorne, Bill Clement, and Brian Engblom Mike Emrick, Barry Melrose, and Christine Simpson Steve Levy, Darren Pang, and Joe Micheletti | |
| March 2[113] | Philadelphia at New York Rangers Detroit at Pittsburgh Dallas at Colorado | 3 p.m. 3 p.m. 3 p.m. | Mike Emrick, Barry Melrose, and Christine Simpson Steve Levy, Darren Pang, and Joe Micheletti Gary Thorne, Bill Clement, and Brian Engblom | |
| March 9[114] | New York Rangers at Pittsburgh Detroit at St. Louis Los Angeles at Colorado | 3 p.m. 3 p.m. 3 p.m. | Mike Emrick, Barry Melrose, and Christine Simpson Gary Thorne, Bill Clement, and Brian Engblom Steve Levy, Darren Pang, and Joe Micheletti | |
| March 16 | Detroit at Boston New York Rangers at New Jersey Colorado at Philadelphia | 3 p.m. 3 p.m. 3 p.m. | Gary Thorne, Bill Clement, and Brian Engblom Mike Emrick, Barry Melrose, and Christine Simpson Steve Levy, Darren Pang, and Joe Micheletti |
See main article: 2002–03 NHL season. [115]
| Date | Teams | Start times (All times Eastern) | Commentator crews | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| January 11 | Colorado at Dallas Detroit at Philadelphia New York Rangers at Pittsburgh | 1 p.m. 1 p.m. 1 p.m. | Steve Levy and Darren Pang Gary Thorne, Bill Clement, and John Davidson Mike Emrick and Brian Engblom | |
| February 8 | Pittsburgh at Boston Detroit at Colorado New York Rangers at Philadelphia | 3 p.m. 3 p.m. 3 p.m. | Steve Levy and Darren Pang Gary Thorne, Bill Clement, and John Davidson Mike Emrick and Brian Engblom | |
| March 15 | Colorado at Detroit New York Rangers at New Jersey Philadelphia at Pittsburgh | 3 p.m. 3 p.m. 3 p.m. | Gary Thorne, Bill Clement, and John Davidson Mike Emrick and Brian Engblom Steve Levy and Darren Pang | |
| March 22 | New York Rangers at Philadelphia Chicago at Colorado Detroit at St. Louis | 3 p.m. 3 p.m. 3 p.m. | Steve Levy and Darren Pang Mike Emrick and Brian Engblom Gary Thorne, Bill Clement, and John Davidson | |
| March 29 | Detroit at St. Louis New York Rangers at Boston Phoenix at Colorado | 1:30 p.m. 1:30 p.m. 6 p.m. | Gary Thorne, Bill Clement, and John Davidson Mike Emrick and Brian Engblom Steve Levy and Darren Pang |
See main article: 2003–04 NHL season.
| Date | Teams | Start times (All times Eastern) | Commentator crews | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| January 10 | Detroit at Boston Colorado at Dallas New York Rangers at New York Islanders | 1 p.m. 1 p.m. 1 p.m. | Gary Thorne, Bill Clement, and John Davidson Steve Levy and Darren Pang Mike Emrick and Brian Engblom | |
| February 14 | New York Rangers at Philadelphia Colorado at Detroit Boston at Chicago | 3 p.m. 3 p.m. 3 p.m. | Steve Levy and Darren Pang Gary Thorne, Bill Clement, and John Davidson Mike Emrick and Brian Engblom | |
| March 13 | Dallas at Detroit New Jersey at Philadelphia Los Angeles at San Jose | 3 p.m. 3 p.m. 3 p.m. | Steve Levy and Darren Pang Gary Thorne, Bill Clement, and John Davidson Mike Emrick and Brian Engblom | |
| March 20 | New York Rangers at Philadelphia St. Louis at Dallas | 3 p.m. 3 p.m. | Steve Levy and Darren Pang Gary Thorne, Bill Clement, and John Davidson | |
| March 27 | Colorado at Detroit New York Rangers at Philadelphia Los Angeles at Calgary | 1:30 p.m. 1:30 p.m. 6 p.m. | Gary Thorne, Bill Clement, and John Davidson Steve Levy and Darren Pang Mike Emrick and Brian Engblom |
Besides the National Hockey League All-Star Game,[116] ABC televised Games 3–7 of the Stanley Cup Finals[117] in prime time. In the league's previous broadcast television deal with Fox, the network split coverage of the Stanley Cup Finals with ESPN. Games 1, 5, and 7 were usually scheduled to be televised by Fox; Games 2, 3, 4, and 6 by ESPN. However, from to, the Finals were all four-game sweeps; ended in six games. The consequence was that – except for 1995 when Fox did televise Game 4 – the decisive game was never on network television.
2003 was the only year that ABC broadcast both the NBA and the Stanley Cup Finals that involved teams from one city in the same year, as both the New Jersey Nets and the New Jersey Devils were in their respective league's finals. During ABC's broadcast of Game 3 between the San Antonio Spurs and the Nets in New Jersey on June 8, Brad Nessler said that ABC was in a unique situation getting ready for both that game and Game 7 of the Stanley Cup Finals between the Devils and the Mighty Ducks of Anaheim the following night, also at Continental Airlines Arena. Gary Thorne mentioned this the following night, and thanked Nessler for promoting ABC's broadcast of Game 7 of the Stanley Cup Finals.[118]
Following the 2003–04 season, ESPN was only willing to renew its contract for two additional years at $60 million per year.[119] ABC wanted to televised the Stanley Cup Finals games 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.[120]
ABC ended their second run with the NHL with Game 7 of the 2004 Stanley Cup Finals on June 7. There, the Tampa Bay Lightning defeated the Calgary Flames 2–1 to clinch their first ever Stanley Cup.
ABC concluded their coverage of Game 7 with a montage of highlights from the 2004 Stanley Cup Finals that were set to the song "Shine" by Andy Stochansky.
| Year | Round | Teams | Games | Play-by-play | Color commentator(s) | Ice-level reporter(s) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | First round | Washington-Pittsburgh | Game 2 | Mike Emrick | Barry Melrose | Joe Micheletti |
| St. Louis-San Jose | Games 2, 6 | Dave Strader (Game 2) Gary Thorne (Game 6) | Brian Hayward (Game 2) Bill Clement (Game 6) | Brian Engblom (Game 6) | ||
| Colorado-Phoenix | Game 2 | Steve Levy | Darren Pang | Daryl Reaugh | ||
| Detroit-Los Angeles | Game 2 | Gary Thorne | Bill Clement | Brian Engblom | ||
| Conference semifinals | Games 2, 5 | Steve Levy (Game 2) Gary Thorne (Game 5) | Darren Pang (Game 2) Bill Clement (Game 5) | Daryl Reaugh (Game 2) Brian Engblom and Darren Pang (Game 5) | ||
| Colorado-Detroit | Game 2 | Gary Thorne | Bill Clement | Brian Engblom | ||
| Conference finals | Philadelphia-New Jersey | Game 1 | Gary Thorne | Bill Clement | Brian Engblom | |
| Dallas-Colorado | Game 4 | Gary Thorne | Bill Clement | Brian Engblom | ||
| 2001 | First round | Washington-Pittsburgh | Games 2, 5 | Gary Thorne | Bill Clement | Brian Engblom |
| Philadelphia-Buffalo | Games 2, 6 | Mike Emrick | Barry Melrose | Joe Micheletti | ||
| Detroit-Los Angeles | Games 2, 5 | Steve Levy | Darren Pang | Mickey Redmond | ||
| St. Louis-San Jose | Games 2, 6 | Dave Strader | Jim Schoenfeld | Christine Simpson | ||
| Conference semifinals | Buffalo-Pittsburgh | Games 2, 5[121] [122] | Steve Levy (Game 2) Gary Thorne (Game 5) | Darren Pang (Game 2) Bill Clement (Game 5) | Joe Micheletti (Game 2) Brian Engblom (Game 5) | |
| Colorado-Los Angeles | Game 2 | Gary Thorne | Bill Clement | Brian Engblom | ||
| Conference finals | New Jersey-Pittsburgh | Game 4 | Gary Thorne | Bill Clement | Brian Engblom | |
| Colorado-St. Louis | Game 1 | Gary Thorne | Bill Clement | Brian Engblom | ||
| 2002 | First round | Boston-Montreal | Game 5 | Gary Thorne | Bill Clement | Brian Engblom |
| Carolina-New Jersey | Game 6 | Mike Emrick | Barry Melrose | Christine Simpson | ||
| Toronto-New York Islanders | Game 2 | Mike Emrick | Barry Melrose | Christine Simpson | ||
| Colorado-Los Angeles | Games 2, 6 | Gary Thorne (Game 2) Steve Levy (Game 6) | Bill Clement (Game 2) Darren Pang (Game 6) | Brian Engblom (Game 2) Joe Micheletti (Game 6) | ||
| San Jose-Phoenix | Game 2 | Dave Strader | Jim Schoenfeld | Tony Granato | ||
| St. Louis-Chicago | Game 2 | Steve Levy | Darren Pang | Joe Micheletti | ||
| Conference semifinals | Detroit-St. Louis | Games 2, 5 | Gary Thorne | Bill Clement | Brian Engblom | |
| Colorado-San Jose | Games 2, 5 | Steve Levy | Darren Pang | Joe Micheletti | ||
| Conference finals | Detroit-Colorado | Games 1, 4 | Gary Thorne | Bill Clement | Brian Engblom | |
| 2003[123] | First round | Tampa Bay-Washington | Game 2 | Mike Emrick | Brian Engblom | |
| Game 5 | Gary Thorne | Bill Clement and John Davidson | Christine Simpson | |||
| Detroit-Anaheim | Game 2 | Gary Thorne | Bill Clement and John Davidson | Christine Simpson | ||
| Colorado-Minnesota | Games 2, 5 | Steve Levy | Darren Pang | |||
| Conference semifinals | Ottawa-Philadelphia | Game 5 | Steve Levy | Darren Pang | Joe Micheletti | |
| New Jersey-Tampa Bay | Game 2 | Gary Thorne | Bill Clement and John Davidson | Christine Simpson | ||
| Dallas-Anaheim | Games 2, 5 | Steve Levy (Game 2) Gary Thorne (Game 5) | Darren Pang (Game 2) Bill Clement and John Davidson (Game 5) | Joe Micheletti (Game 2) Christine Simpson (Game 5) | ||
| Conference finals | Ottawa-New Jersey | Game 4 | Steve Levy | Darren Pang and John Davidson | Joe Micheletti | |
| Minnesota-Anaheim | Game 1 | Gary Thorne | Bill Clement and John Davidson | Brian Engblom | ||
| First round | Tampa Bay-New York Islanders | Game 2 | Steve Levy | Darren Pang | Erin Andrews | |
| Philadelphia-New Jersey | Game 5 | Steve Levy | Darren Pang | Erin Andrews | ||
| Games 2, 6 | Gary Thorne | Bill Clement and John Davidson | ||||
| San Jose-St. Louis | Game 2 | Mike Emrick | Brian Engblom | |||
| Colorado-Dallas | Game 5 | Mike Emrick | Brian Engblom | |||
| Conference semifinals | Detroit-Calgary | Games 2, 5 | Gary Thorne | Bill Clement and John Davidson | ||
| San Jose-Colorado | Games 2, 5 | Mike Emrick (Game 2) Steve Levy (Game 5) | Brian Engblom (Game 2) Darren Pang (Game 5) | Erin Andrews | ||
| Conference finals | Tampa Bay-Philadelphia | Games 1, 4 | Gary Thorne | Bill Clement and John Davidson | Sam Ryan (Game 1) Joe Micheletti (Game 4) |
| Year | Teams | Games | Play-by-play | Color commentator(s) | Ice-level reporter(s) | Pregame host | Pregame analyst(s) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | New Jersey-Dallas | Game 3–6 | Gary Thorne | Bill Clement | Brian Engblom and Darren Pang | Al Michaels (Games 3–5) John Saunders (Game 6) | John Davidson and Barry Melrose | |
| 2001[124] | Colorado-New Jersey | Games 3–7[125] [126] | Gary Thorne | Bill Clement | Brian Engblom and Darren Pang | Al Michaels and John Saunders | John Davidson and Barry Melrose | |
| 2002 | Detroit-Carolina | Games 3–5 | Gary Thorne | Bill Clement | Brian Engblom and Darren Pang | Al Michaels and John Saunders | John Davidson and Barry Melrose | |
| 2003[127] [128] | New Jersey-Anaheim | Games 3–7[129] | Gary Thorne | Bill Clement and John Davidson | Brian Engblom, Darren Pang, and Sam Ryan | John Saunders and Chris Berman | Barry Melrose and Darren Pang | |
| 2004 | Tampa Bay-Calgary | Games 3–7 | Gary Thorne | Bill Clement and John Davidson | Darren Pang, Sam Ryan, Steve Levy, and Erin Andrews | John Saunders | Barry Melrose and Darren Pang |
On March 10, 2021, ESPN announced a new, seven-year broadcast deal with the NHL, which included games on ESPN, ABC, and ESPN+ beginning in the 2021–22 season.[130] [131] [132] [133] [134] [135] [136] [137] At least 25 regular-season games will be scheduled to air on ESPN or ABC, along with half of the first two rounds of the Stanley Cup Playoffs, and one conference final each year. Not only does ESPN/ABC have the first choice of which conference final series to air,[138] but also ABC will exclusively broadcast four Stanley Cup Finals[139] over the life of the contract, with the option to simulcast each game on ESPN+, as well as produce alternate broadcasts to air on other ESPN platforms.
The 2022 Stanley Cup Finals marked the first to be broadcast in their entirety on over-the-air television since 1980, as the Finals had since either been partially or exclusively carried on cable.[140] [141] [142] Due to the current arrangement of ABC's sports programming being produced and co-branded by ESPN, the broadcasts carry the NHL on ESPN production and branding.
ABC's first game back featured the New York Rangers and the Boston Bruins in the annual Thanksgiving Showdown on November 26, 2021.[143] After ABC aired the 2022 NHL All-Star Game, the network aired a weekly game under the ABC Hockey Saturday branding, which began on February 26. The package primarily aired on Saturday afternoons, with one primetime game on March 19 to accommodate afternoon coverage of the 2022 NCAA Division I women's basketball tournament. All games broadcast by ABC are simulcast on ESPN+.[144]
ABC did not air a full 30-minute or hour-long pregame show before their games in 2021, instead opting for an abbreviated 15-minute pregame show presented by Verizon. However, ABC aired a full 30-minute pregame show on April 23, as a lead-out of their Bundesliga soccer coverage. They will air a 30-minute pregame show for games outside of the primetime slot. If time permits, ABC will also air a short postgame show until 6 or 11 p.m. ET respectfully, so most ABC affiliates on the East Coast can show their local news or ABC World News Tonight. For the Stanley Cup Finals, all broadcasts began at 8 p.m. ET, allowing for a short pre-game show before puck drop; this is in contrast to the NBA Finals, which had historically preferred a later, 9 p.m. ET window for games on weeknights, with ABC leading into the game with half-hour Jimmy Kimmel Live! specials followed by NBA Countdown (the 2023 Finals will move weeknight games ahead by 30 minutes to an 8:30 p.m. window).[145] [146]
In the 2022–23 season, ABC aired 15 games, including four double-headers, the NHL Stadium Series game,[147] [148] and a triple-header on April 8; the Thanksgiving Showdown moved to TNT, which also covered this season's Stanley Cup Finals.[149]
For the 2023–24 season, ABC's coverage included 19 regular season games (the largest number of games on a broadcast network in NHL history), featuring four double-headers, both NHL Stadium Series games, and two triple-headers on February 17 and April 13. ABC will also air the 2024 Stanley Cup Finals. ABC Hockey Saturday for this season began on January 13, preceding Super Wild Card Saturday of the NFL playoffs, unlike past years when its slate began after the NHL All-Star Game.[150] [151]
| Date | Teams | Start times (All times Eastern) | Play-by-play | Color commentator(s) | Ice-level analyst(s) | Rinkside reporter(s) | Rules analyst | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| November 26 | New York Rangers at Boston | 1 p.m. | Sean McDonough | Ray Ferraro | A. J. Mleczko | Dave Jackson | Bruins–Rangers rivalry 2021 NHL Thanksgiving Showdown Originally Blues-Blackhawks, which filled the vacant 3:30 ET slot on ESPN+, which Rangers-Bruins had occupied[166] | ||
| February 26 | New York Rangers at Pittsburgh | 3 p.m. | Sean McDonough | Ray Ferraro | Emily Kaplan | Dave Jackson | Penguins–Rangers rivalry | ||
| March 5 | Chicago at Philadelphia | 3 p.m. | Sean McDonough | Ray Ferraro | Emily Kaplan | Dave Jackson | 2010 Stanley Cup Finals rematch | ||
| March 12 | Philadelphia at Carolina | 3 p.m. | Sean McDonough | Ray Ferraro | Emily Kaplan | Dave Jackson | |||
| March 19 | New York Rangers at Tampa Bay | 8 p.m. | Sean McDonough | Ray Ferraro | Emily Kaplan | Dave Jackson | Potential 2022 Eastern Conference Finals preview First ever NHL regular season game on ABC to air in primetime | ||
| March 26 | Chicago at Vegas | 3 p.m. | Sean McDonough | Ray Ferraro | Emily Kaplan | Dave Jackson | |||
| April 2 | Pittsburgh at Colorado | 3 p.m. | Sean McDonough | Ray Ferraro | Emily Kaplan | Dave Jackson | |||
| April 9 | Washington at Pittsburgh | 3 p.m. | Sean McDonough | Ray Ferraro | Emily Kaplan | Dave Jackson | Capitals–Penguins rivalry Sidney Crosby vs. Alex Ovechkin | ||
| April 16 | Minnesota at St. Louis | 3 p.m. | Sean McDonough | Ray Ferraro | Emily Kaplan | Dave Jackson | 2022 Winter Classic rematch | ||
| April 23 | New York Rangers at Boston | 3 p.m. | Sean McDonough | Ray Ferraro | Emily Kaplan | Dave Jackson | Bruins–Rangers rivalry | ||
| Date | Teams | Start times (All times Eastern) | Play-by-play | Color commentator(s) | Ice-level analyst(s) | Rinkside reporter(s) | Rules analyst | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| February 11 | Tampa Bay at Dallas | 1 p.m. | Bob Wischusen | Brian Boucher | Leah Hextall | Dave Jackson | 2020 Stanley Cup Finals rematch | |
| Washington at Boston | 3:30 p.m. | Sean McDonough | Ray Ferraro | Emily Kaplan | Dave Jackson | |||
| February 18 | Washington at Carolina | 8 p.m. | Sean McDonough | Ray Ferraro | Emily Kaplan, Kevin Weekes, and Marty Smith | Dave Jackson | 2023 NHL Stadium Series Game was originally scheduled to air on ESPN[167] | |
| February 25 | New York Rangers at Washington | 1 p.m. | Sean McDonough | Ray Ferraro | Emily Kaplan | Dave Jackson | Capitals–Rangers rivalry | |
| Pittsburgh at St. Louis | 3:30 p.m. | Bob Wischusen | Brian Boucher | Leah Hextall | Dave Jackson | |||
| March 4 | New York Rangers at Boston | 1 p.m. | Sean McDonough | Ray Ferraro | Emily Kaplan | Dave Jackson | Bruins–Rangers rivalry | |
| Colorado at Dallas | 3:30 p.m. | Bob Wischusen | Brian Boucher | Leah Hextall | Dave Jackson | |||
| March 11 | Detroit at Boston | 1 p.m. | Sean McDonough | Ray Ferraro | Emily Kaplan | Dave Jackson | Bruins can clinch a playoff spot with a win and could become the fastest team to 50 wins.[168] [169] [170] | |
| Philadelphia at Pittsburgh | 3:30 p.m. | Bob Wischusen | Brian Boucher | Leah Hextall | Dave Jackson | Flyers–Penguins rivalry | ||
| March 18 | Pittsburgh at New York Rangers | 8 p.m. | Sean McDonough | Ray Ferraro | Emily Kaplan | Dave Jackson | Penguins–Rangers rivalry 2022 First Round rematch | |
| March 25 | Washington at Pittsburgh | 8 p.m. | Sean McDonough | Ray Ferraro | Emily Kaplan | Dave Jackson | Capitals–Penguins rivalry Sidney Crosby vs. Alex Ovechkin | |
| April 1 | Boston at Pittsburgh | 3 p.m. | Sean McDonough | Ray Ferraro | Emily Kaplan | Dave Jackson | 2023 NHL Winter Classic rematch | |
| April 8 | Pittsburgh at Detroit | 1 p.m. | Bob Wischusen | Brian Boucher | Leah Hextall | Dave Jackson | Originally Blues-Wild 2008 and 2009 Stanley Cup Finals rematch | |
| Vegas at Dallas | 3:30 p.m. | Mike Monaco | A. J. Mleczko | Dave Jackson | Potential 2023 Western Conference Finals preview | |||
| New Jersey at Boston | 8 p.m. | Sean McDonough | Ray Ferraro | Emily Kaplan | Dave Jackson | Originally Penguins-Red Wings, which filled the 1 ET void left by Blues-Wild being flexed out[171] Bruins can tie NHL team record for most wins in a regular season.[172] [173] | ||
| Date | Teams | Start times (All times Eastern) | Play-by-play | Color commentator(s) | Ice-level analyst(s) | Rinkside reporter(s) | Rules analyst | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January 13 | New York Rangers at Washington | 1 p.m. | Sean McDonough | Ray Ferraro | Emily Kaplan | Dave Jackson | Capitals–Rangers rivalry | |
| February 10 | St. Louis at Buffalo | 1 p.m. | Bob Wischusen | A. J. Mleczko | Dave Jackson | |||
| Washington at Boston | 3:30 p.m. | Sean McDonough | Ray Ferraro | Emily Kaplan | Dave Jackson | |||
| February 17 | Los Angeles at Boston | 12:30 p.m. | Bob Wischusen | Ryan Callahan | Leah Hextall | Dave Jackson | Added to replace the Oilers-Bruins matchup for March 5th on ESPN+ and Hulu[174] | |
| Edmonton at Dallas | 3 p.m. | Mike Monaco | A. J. Mleczko | Dave Jackson | First game on ABC to feature Canadian team since the 2004 Stanley Cup Finals | |||
| Philadelphia at New Jersey | 8 p.m. | Sean McDonough | Ray Ferraro | Emily Kaplan and Kevin Weekes | Dave Jackson | Devils–Flyers rivalry 2024 NHL Stadium Series | ||
| February 18 | New York Rangers at New York Islanders | 3 p.m. | Sean McDonough | Ray Ferraro | Emily Kaplan and Kevin Weekes | Dave Jackson | Islanders–Rangers rivalry 2024 NHL Stadium Series | |
| February 24 | St. Louis at Detroit | noon. | Bob Wischusen | Kevin Weekes | Leah Hextall | Dave Jackson | ||
| New York Rangers at Philadelphia | 3 p.m. | Sean McDonough | Ray Ferraro | Emily Kaplan | Dave Jackson | Flyers–Rangers rivalry Originally scheduled to air on ESPN+ and Hulu | ||
| March 2 | Florida at Detroit | 3 p.m. | Sean McDonough | Ray Ferraro | Emily Kaplan | Dave Jackson | Originally Wild-Blues[175] | |
| March 9 | Carolina at New Jersey | 12:30 p.m. | John Buccigross | Ryan Callahan | Dave Jackson | Added to replace the Oilers-Sabres matchup scheduled to air on ESPN+ and Hulu that same day 2023 Conference Semifinals rematch | ||
| Pittsburgh at Boston | 3 p.m. | Sean McDonough | Ray Ferraro | Emily Kaplan | Dave Jackson | Alternate NHL Big City Greens Classic broadcast aired alongside ABC feed on Disney Channel, Disney XD, Disney+, and ESPN+[176] | ||
| March 16 | New York Rangers at Pittsburgh | 3 p.m. | Sean McDonough | Ray Ferraro | Emily Kaplan | Dave Jackson | Penguins–Rangers rivalry | |
| March 23 | Florida at New York Rangers | 8 p.m. | Sean McDonough | Ray Ferraro | Emily Kaplan | Dave Jackson | ||
| April 6 | Tampa Bay at Pittsburgh | 1 p.m. | Bob Wischusen | Ryan Callahan | Leah Hextall | Dave Jackson | ||
| Florida at Boston | 3:30 p.m. | Sean McDonough | Ray Ferraro | Emily Kaplan | Dave Jackson | 2023 First Round rematch | ||
| April 13 | New York Islanders at New York Rangers | 12:30 p.m. | Bob Wischusen | Ryan Callahan | Leah Hextall | Dave Jackson | Islanders–Rangers rivalry 2024 Stadium Series rematch | |
| Seattle at Dallas | 3 p.m. | Mike Monaco | A. J. Mleczko | Blake Bolden | Dave Jackson | 2023 Conference Semifinals rematch | ||
| Boston at Pittsburgh | 8 p.m. | Sean McDonough | Ray Ferraro | Emily Kaplan | Dave Jackson | |||
| Year | Play-by-play | Color commentator(s) | Ice-level reporter(s) | Rules analyst | Pregame host | Pregame analyst(s) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 | Sean McDonough | Ray Ferraro | Emily Kaplan and Laura Rutledge | Dave Jackson | Steve Levy | Mark Messier and Chris Chelios | |
| 2023 | Sean McDonough | Ray Ferraro | Emily Kaplan and Kevin Weekes | Dave Jackson | Steve Levy | Mark Messier, Chris Chelios, and P. K. Subban | |
| 2024 | Sean McDonough | Ray Ferraro | Emily Kaplan and Kevin Weekes | Dave Jackson | Steve Levy | Mark Messier and P. K. Subban |
As part of ESPN's new deal, ABC also gained rights to part of half of the Stanley Cup playoffs, and exclusive rights to the entire Stanley Cup Finals in even-numbered years, the first time the entire series will air on broadcast television since 1980, with games prominently airing on weekends. However, in 2022, ABC did not air any early-round playoff games on network television, including the Eastern Conference Finals. Had the series gone to Game 7, then ABC would have simulcast the game with ESPN.[177] Early-round playoff games have returned to ABC in 2023.[178] [179] [180] [181]
| Year | Round | Teams | Games | Start time (All times ET) | Play-by-play | Color commentator(s) | Ice-level analyst | Rinkside reporter(s) | Rules analyst | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 | colspan="10" align="center" | |||||||||
| 2023 | First round | New Jersey-New York Rangers | Games 3 and 6 | 8 ET | Sean McDonough | Ray Ferraro | Emily Kaplan | Dave Jackson | First playoff meeting between both teams since 2012 Eastern Conference Finals | |
| Western Conference Finals | Dallas-Vegas | Games 2 and 5 | 3 ET | Sean McDonough | Ray Ferraro | Emily Kaplan | Dave Jackson | 2020 Western Conference Finals rematch | ||
| 8 ET | Sean McDonough | Ray Ferraro | Emily Kaplan | Dave Jackson | ||||||
| 2024 | First round | Toronto-Boston | Game 7 | 8 ET | Sean McDonough | Ray Ferraro | Emily Kaplan | Dave Jackson | First playoff meeting between both teams since 2019 Maple Leafs' first game on ABC since 2003 First early-round Game 7 to be televised on ABC | |
| Eastern Conference Finals | Florida-New York Rangers | Games 3 and 6 | 3 ET | Sean McDonough | Ray Ferraro | Emily Kaplan | Dave Jackson | First playoff meeting between both teams since 1997 | ||
| 8 ET | Sean McDonough | Ray Ferraro | Emily Kaplan | Dave Jackson | ||||||
| Year | Teams | Games | Play-by-play | Color commentator(s) | Ice-level analyst(s) | Rinkside reporter(s) | Rules analyst | Pregame host | Pregame analysts | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 | Tampa Bay-Colorado | All games | Sean McDonough | Brian Boucher | Ray Ferraro | Emily Kaplan Kevin Weekes | Dave Jackson | Mark Messier, Chris Chelios, and Brian Boucher | ||
| 2024 | Edmonton-Florida | All games | Sean McDonough | Ray Ferraro | Emily Kaplan Kevin Weekes | Dave Jackson | Steve Levy | Mark Messier and P. K. Subban | ||
See main article: Ratings for The NHL on ABC.
See main article: ABC Owned Television Stations, Owned-and-operated television stations in the United States and Historical NHL over-the-air television broadcasters.
| Team | Stations | Years | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Philadelphia Flyers | WPVI-TV 6 | 1983 - 1986 | |
| San Jose Sharks | KGO-TV 7 | 1991 - 1994 |