NHL's National TV Coverage Is Concerning

In 2021, the NHL agreed on a new split broadcasting rights deal with ESPN and Turner Sports. It was ushering in a new era for the relationship between the National Hockey League and television after the league's deal with NBC ran out shortly before. This broadcasting partnership is worth $4.5 billion over a seven-year span.

This deal was supposed to be the best U.S. television deal the league had made in a long time. It's no secret that the NHL has struggled to compete with the other major North American sports leagues for attention and exposure. They have especially been behind in the popularity department when compared to the NBA, the biggest business rival of the NHL.

Remember, the NBA season begins and ends around the same time as the NHL. Coming together with ESPN and Turner seemed to be the biggest blessing the league has received in a while. Partnering with a legendary brand like ESPN and a company that created the iconic 'Inside the NBA' show seemed to be the best way to go.

Unfortunately, things haven't been as amazing as everyone thought. More importantly, the overall coverage that both ESPN and Turner have been giving to the NHL has had their flaws and issues. Firstly, let's discuss TNT's coverage because they have been on a heater as of late. There is also one person in the network who stands out above the rest.

TNT's coverage of this year's Stanley Cup Playoffs can be summed up in one word: biased. It's a shame, as TNT has been a better network for sports coverage over the last decade when compared to ESPN, and Turner doesn't even cover all sports the way that ESPN does. From the pregame hosts to the commentators broadcasting the games, TNT has stained itself to an extent since the start of these playoffs.

This has especially been the case whenever the network has shown Florida Panthers games. Florida has been on TNT a lot this season, especially since they are in the Stanley Cup Final, which is the big event the network offers for the calendar year of 2025. Let's get the elephant out of the way. Paul Bissonnette has been a fixture for the NHL on TNT since the beginning.

For those who don't know, the now 40-year-old 'analyst' was once an NHL player. He was drafted by the Pittsburgh Penguins in the fourth round of the legendary 2003 NHL Entry Draft. 'Biz' appeared in 202 career games across six NHL seasons, mostly with the then Phoenix Coyotes. He wasn't an amazing player, usually being a fourth-line grinder and a notoriously consistent healthy scratch.

His NHL career ended after 39 games in the 2013-14 season. He spent the next few years in the AHL and officially hung up the skates after 18 games with the Ontario Reign in 2016-17. He quickly delved into a media career, which is easy to do when examining his personality. Some find it entertaining while others find it obnoxious. He first began with the Spittin' Chiclets podcast by Barstool Sports.

His behavior and antics during these playoffs have been annoying and an absolute joke. Whether you are a Panthers fan or a supporter of the NHL in general, there is no reason that anyone should be fine with how he's doing his job. The only people who are fine with his ridiculousness are Panthers haters, fans of the Oilers, or partisans of a team Florida eliminated on their way to the Cup Final.

You might ask, what has he done that's so wrong? Well, for one, he's been a homer for the Toronto Maple Leafs. During the second round, Florida and Toronto met for the second time in the last three postseasons. Throughout the entire series, Biz was seen wearing a Leafs tie, a suit with the Leafs logo on the pocket, as well as an actual leaf inside the pocket.

He was also seen live in the TNT studio doing this:

Now, you can claim that his wearing of Toronto attire, along with the prayer candles shown above, are just examples of light-hearted humor. You would be right. However, that still goes against the media codes that have been implemented and followed for a long time.

When you are a professional, credentialed media member, either in the press, on the radio, or television, you must be unbiased. This is the case for everyone, and it should be followed. This is one of the first lessons given to college students who are majoring in media across the country. However, that goes out the window for some special folks, for whatever reason.

Stephen A. Smith is notorious for this at ESPN when talking about the New York Knicks. However, we're not done with Bissonnette. He has progressively gotten worse as Florida's playoff run has continued. On the early morning of May 29, 'Biz' had this to say following the Panthers' win over the Carolina Hurricanes in Game 5 of the Eastern Conference Final.

Yes, you heard that correctly. A former NHL player who is an 'analyst' for a national television show covering and selling the NHL to the masses dared to give a take that's weaker than a two-day-old kitten. The state of Florida indeed has very little state income tax. That is a fact. However, why would that be a reason as to why players would sign with the Panthers or Tampa Bay Lightning?

Players will go to the best organizations in the league. Players want to play for franchises that have a winning culture, great owners, a great front office, a great coaching staff, and great players already on the roster. Both of the teams in Florida were irrelevant and bad for a long time. The Panthers once held the NHL record for the longest playoff drought, missing the postseason for 10 straight seasons from 2000-01 to 2010-11.

In 2025, the Cats are now a franchise that has all the important elements that attracts players. If the lack of state income tax has been an 'unfair advantage', then why have the Panthers failed at attracting big players to arrive when the franchise was in shambles? Anson Carter, another former NHL player, immediately corrected him on the air, and for good reason.

The video above is from the Canadian broadcast of Game 3 of the Final. So, it's expected that they would be biased towards the Oilers. However, the reply below fits that of Paul Bissonnette as well. On the TNT broadcast of Game 3, the crew had league commissioner Gary Bettman come on during the first intermission. Of course, 'Biz' had to bring up this terrible take again. That was a mistake.

To add the cherry on top of the ice cream sundae, Bettman also questioned the "journalistic objectivity" of Bissonnette. Now, enough of him. How about the broadcasters? Well, throughout the series, Turner has had Kenny Albert as the play-by-play man. Former players Ed Olczyk and Brian Boucher have provided the color commentary. They have also been biased.

Their delivery shows that. The biggest example of their bias towards the Oilers is best heard through the voice of Kenny Albert when goals occur. Look at Game 2 as an example. For those who aren't aware, Florida held onto a one-goal lead until the late stages of the third period. After an eternity of threatening, Edmonton tied the contest up with 18 seconds left in regulation. Listen to how thrilled Albert sounds when the goal occurred.

Now, compare that to his delivery of the goal Brad Marchand scored to win the Panthers the game in double overtime. He still raised his voice. The call had some emotion. However, it wasn't as impactful as the Corey Perry goal. He didn't sound as excited, and it felt as if he was speechless. His delivery was more flat.

That might be a bit of a reach to some. However, the difference in his voice when comparing the two goals is noticeable. Why is that the case? Anyone who has watched televised sports for years knows when a broadcaster isn't showing any signs of bias. Does Jim Nantz raise his voice louder when the Kansas City Chiefs score a touchdown in a game against the Buffalo Bills on CBS? No.

Does Kevin Harlan become more animated on the mic when a big-market NBA team makes a crazy play against a smaller-market team? Not. He gives the same delivery all the time, whether the Indiana Pacers make a game-winning shot or the L.A. Lakers pull off a crazy dunk. This is how the NHL broadcasting team for TNT should be. Unfortunately, it's not at the moment.

Also, any time the Panthers have played at home during playoff games, the broadcast always shows a live shot of a watch party that's being held in the city of the away team. After every goal is scored, they show the fans going crazy. However, whenever Florida scores a goal on the road, they never show live shots of the Panther watch parties in Sunrise. Could you get any more biased?

Now, let's talk about ESPN. There isn't that much more to discuss about ESPN's coverage of the NHL when comparing it to TNT. However, there are still issues, mainly in the accessibility of how they broadcast their games, as well as the announcers. First, let's talk about the broadcasters.

Now, ESPN has a decent collection of personalities that broadcast for the NHL, whether it's being an analyst for the pre- and postgame shows, or those who are commentating the game. When keeping a close eye on them, you can tell that there is a lack of passion from the main individuals who cover the league.

For the pre- and postgame shows, you'll usually see a revolving door of hosts and analysts, depending on the game. Sometimes John Buccigross is the host with Kevin Weekes. However, for the top games, especially in the postseason, you'll usually see Steve Levy being the host with NHL legends P.K. Subban and Mark Messier by his side. The latter is in the Hockey Hall of Fame.

Even former defenseman and fellow Hockey Hall of Famer Chris Pronger has been seen with them these playoffs as well. To some, Subban is annoying. However, the personality you see on TV is the same one you saw when he was lacing up the skates as a player. Whether you like him or not, he can be entertaining to listen to at times and has a personality made for TV.

It still doesn't mean he's great because he isn't. He's just there for entertainment most of the time. That cannot be said about Messier, though. He is not made for television at all. He might have won several Stanley Cups, and he is one of the greatest players ever, but that doesn't make you a great fit for television. He sounds so lethargic, boring, and uninspired. His delivery is that of a college professor who gives a two-hour lecture to students.

How is anyone supposed to be entertained by what he has to say? It might be informative, but how good is that when you don't have people listening to you because you're flat? Messier doesn't have energy. He doesn't get the casual fans excited about the game they are waiting to watch. He doesn't have that special charisma. It's just a man talking for a while. However, we still have to discuss the announcers.

The main play-by-play voice for the NHL on ESPN is Sean McDonough. Yes, the very same Sean McDonough who is known for this:

Isn't that still brutal all these years later? Keep in mind that McDonough is primarily an announcer for college football. Yet, ESPN gave him the reins to be their lead play-by-play announcer. There have been many complaints from hockey fans about his announcing during games, and it's easy to understand why.

The problem with McDonough is that he doesn't feel qualified enough to broadcast NHL games. As stated before, he is a college football guy. Now, it's fine if an individual is talented enough to broadcast multiple sports. However, with McDonough, you can just tell he doesn't have the passion for the game that is needed to be a great broadcaster.

He's very flat on his delivery, and his 'excitement' for big moments feels forced. Listen to his calls when the Panthers miraculously got the lead late in Game Four against the Lightning in the first round. He sounds so boring, which is crushing for fans listening and watching at home.

Compare that to the calls of fellow ESPN NHL play-by-play man Bob Wischusen.

Wischusen gives you everything you want in an announcer. He's quick and always energetic. He says the right things at the right time. He has a voice that people want to hear. Anyone can notice the passion and love he has for the game through his voice. Fans want calls that will be remembered for years to come. You get that with Wischusen during big moments of games.

With McDonough, that's nowhere to be found. It also doesn't help that his voice cracks a lot. It's not his fault, but it's distracting and off-putting for a lot of people. Lastly, let's touch on how ESPN shows its exclusive games to the public. Here is a press release from the company about the 100 games they had the rights to air exclusively on their family of networks for this season.

The full list can be found at the bottom. Did you notice anything? Of the 100 games that ESPN had the rights to, 49 of them could only be viewed by subscribers of ESPN+. That means that nearly half of the games made available to ESPN could only be accessed if you purchase the company's streaming service.

Why is most of their hockey coverage trapped behind a pay wall? The reason is that the sport of hockey and the NHL aren't one of ESPN's top priorities. They don't care enough about the sport. They don't promote it. ESPN is just happy to have the right to live NHL broadcasts because it expands their overall coverage. However, they don't do much with it. ESPN just doesn't care much about hockey.

Chances are that most people aren't going to pay for a streaming service just for one part of exclusive content. Now, to be fair, one cool thing about having ESPN+ is that you get NHL Power Play with it, meaning that you can watch all out-of-market games on the service, even the regional broadcasts of games that aren't shown nationally.

Despite that, do you think an NHL fan who doesn't care much about football, baseball, basketball, or soccer would pay for an ESPN+ subscription simply to watch hockey? More likely than not, the answer will be a resounding 'no'. It's unfortunate that a large number of games that ESPN shows are only viewable if you have access to the streaming service.

At the end of the day, this television deal the NHL made with both Turner and ESPN had great potential. It still has great potential. However, it feels that both have already done things wrong that could make the league regret partnering with them. The casual fans and audience want honesty, excitement, credibility, and accessibility. They don't want to hear terrible takes that are said by a user on Reddit. They aren't getting much of that right now.

The diehard hockey fans will always be around. They will always turn on nationally televised broadcasts during the season. However, the NHL is still growing, and it needs as much positivity and good impressions as possible to get more people on board. These problems can only hinder that from happening. Both Turner and ESPN have been underwhelming in their unique ways. This can damage the league's reputation and credibility amongst sports fans who are new to the NHL experience. It's not a good look.