ESPN’s NHL coverage this season will include on-ice camera operators to film more footage during shootouts and coming out of commercials, particularly near the teams' nets. The network will also place microphones on players and on the goals to capture substantial pregame audio.
Additional aerial shots will come from a Four-point SupraCam system that will be suspended from cables above the rink. Data from SMT's puck and player tracking system will also be shown on broadcasts across ESPN, ESPN+, Hulu and ABC.
ESPN's broadcast crew will also gain locker room access to capture coaches' pre-game remarks. The crews will also be allowed inside the NHL's replay review room during referee decisions, with former NHL ref Dave Jackson providing rules analysis during games.
The Drop, a new 30-minute digital pregame show, will also livestream on ESPN's digital platform before marquee games this season. The NHL campaign begins tonight with the Pittsburgh Penguins playing the Tampa Bay Lightning at 7:30 p.m. ET, followed by the Seattle Kraken taking on the Las Vegas Knights at 10 p.m. ET. The matchups are the first NHL games to air on ESPN since 2004.
