NHL Puck Drop 2024: ESPN's Remote Operations Team Ramps Up for Another Stanley Cup Run By Jason Dachman, Editorial Director, U.S.
Tuesday, October 8, 2024 - 5:51 pm
Print This Story | Subscribe
Story Highlights
The puck drops on the NHL 2024-25 season tonight with tripleheader headlined by the debut of the Utah Hockey Club and ESPN's operations team is raring to go. ESPN coverage of the opening night tripleheader will be centered in Salt Lake City, where ESPN's NHL studio show, The Point, is emanating live from the Delta Center with a College GameDay-style atmosphere celebrating the highly-anticipated franchise debut of the Utah Hockey Club.
ESPN's NHL studio show, The Point, is emanating live from the Delta Center with a College GameDay-style atmosphere
ESPN's NHL coverage this season will be comprised of multiple different show levels throughout the season, including a variety of REMI and REMCO production models. According to Senior Manager, Remote Operations, Erin Orr, this flexible strategy ensures ESPN can deliver the best possible viewing experience, regardless of the game's profile. In addition, ESPN will roll out a host of unique cameras for its coverage this year, starting tonight with a MindFly bodycam on Utah's backup goalie during the morning skate and warm-ups.
NEP trucks on hand at the Delta Center production compound
For high-profile NHL games, ESPN's average camera complement will include around 10+ cameras. Senior Remote Operations Specialist Jeff Werner says this can vary based on the specific event and production needs. The standard broadcast has the primary cameras used for main coverage along with 2-3 robotic cameras positioned for unique angles and automated movements. In addition, some broadcasts will feature an RF Skate Cam (with operator on skates), shallow depth of field cameras, and a variety of super-slo-mo cameras.
Werner says this combination of standard and specialty cameras helps create a comprehensive and engaging viewing experience, capturing the fast-paced action of NHL games from multiple angles.
The team is always exploring ways to use technological enhancements to elevate our NHL broadcasts whether it be new camera technologies, enhancing audio placement, various data integrations, and so forth, adds Orr. The innovations are designed to create a more engaging and informative viewing experience, making this season particularly exciting for fans and audiences alike.
ESPN's production team is pulling out all the stops for the debut of the Utah Hockey Club on opening night
Since ESPN regained the NHL broadcast rights in 2021, its production operations for NHL coverage have evolved significantly. For example, ESPN has leaned heavily into remote production and cloud-based workflows. This approach was partly driven by the pandemic but has continued as a cost-effective and flexible solution for live events. It also allows the integration of real-time graphics and replays.
ESPN's NHL coverage now extends well beyond live games. The network has also invested in creating more digital and social content around the NHL, with highlights, analysis, and original programming available on ESPN+ and across social media platforms.
This has created a more consistent presence for the NHL on ESPN's platforms, ensuring fan engagement even when games aren't on, says Orr. These innovations reflect ESPN's commitment to adapting its operations to new technologies and building a comprehensive NHL brand that resonates with a diverse fan base.
The excitement around the debut of the latest NHL franchise is palpable in Salt Lake City.
Along with Werner and Orr, the NHL on ESPN operations team this year consists of Jon Winders (Operations Specialist), David Walker (Operations Producer), Katy Abbott (Operations Producer), Andrew Schneider (Operations Producer), Matt Pecarovich (Operations Producer), Jake Mankin (Operations Specialist), Phil Erwin (Operations Producer), Jen Vanderbilt (Operations Producer), Lisa Hartley (Operations Producer), and Seth Shore (Operations Producer).
I am particularly proud of my team, whose hard work and commitment to excellence have driven our progress, continues Orr. Their ability to adapt and innovate has been instrumental in enhancing our coverage, and I look forward to seeing how we can build on our achievements from the previous seasons. Their dedication, creativity, and collaboration have truly set them apart. Each member has contributed to our growth and development, and it's inspiring to see how everyone's hard work pays off. Together, we aim to deliver a compelling and engaging product that resonates with fans and showcases the excitement of the NHL.
Most recent headlines
05/01/2027
Worlds first 802.15.4ab-UWB chip verified by Calterah and Rohde & Schwarz to be ...
04/08/2026
Dalet, a leading technology and service provider for media-rich organizations, t...
04/07/2026
April 7 2026, 19:00 (PDT) Detective Conan: Fallen Angel of the Highway Opens in...
01/06/2026
In its sixth year, the broadcaster's coverage has become a global brand and ...
01/06/2026
Designed to solve a common problem in broadcasting, the automated workflow detects, identifies, removes, and documents copyrighted music
AudioShake has introdu...
01/06/2026
The sports-analytics company combines its data with proprietary AI to help leagu...
01/06/2026
Category line-up & sponsors announced
Photo: Paul Clarke
The Production Music Awards (PMA) have announced that submissions are now officially open ahead of...
01/06/2026
New hybrid sample/synthesis instrument revealed
Excite Audio have just released the latest instalment in their Evolve series, which has been developed in co...
01/06/2026
Latest TONEX expansion captures three rare vintage amps
The newest addition to IK Multimedia's ever-growing TONEX line-up introduces a set of three incr...
01/06/2026
Musically intelligent soft synth gets upgraded
Scaler Music will be probably be best known to many for their music theory tools, but their product range al...
01/06/2026
SBS confirms its broadcast sponsors for FIFA World Cup 2026
1 June, 2026
Media releases
SBS has secured Hyundai, Hisense, Macca's, Rexona, bet365, Com...
01/06/2026
Rohde & Schwarz Satellite Industry Days 2026 guided by the motto From Earth to ...
01/06/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
01/06/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
01/06/2026
Marshall Electronics is showcasing a comprehensive lineup of next-generation POV cameras, purpose-built to power today's connected AV environments, at InfoC...
01/06/2026
Adobe Announces Concept to Vector
Deepa Subramaniam June 1, 2026
0 Comments
One of the biggest frustrations we hear from designers is how difficult it...
01/06/2026
Vampire Feature Night Patrol Graded with DaVinci Resolve Studio
Brie Clayton June 1, 2026
0 Comments
Colorist shapes dark, gritty tone for horror thri...
01/06/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
01/06/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
01/06/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
01/06/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
01/06/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
01/06/2026
Mardi 2 juin 14h00
FilmLight (ARRI), 10 rue Ren Boulanger, 75010 Paris
Rejoignez-nous pour d couvrir comment FLAPI (l'API FilmLight) peut transformer e...
01/06/2026
January 6 2026, 05:30 (PST) Dolby Sets the New Standard for Premium Entertainment at CES 2026
Throughout the week, Dolby brings to life the latest innovatio...
31/05/2026
Olivia P rez-Collellmir to Premiere Original Work at Gaud Centennial in Barcelona The Berklee graduate and faculty member will debut her choral symphony with...
31/05/2026
Back to All News
Netflix Wins 15 Awards at the Canadian Screen Awards - See Pho...
31/05/2026
Taiwan is home to more than 500 NVIDIA ecosystem partners. More than 1 million N...
31/05/2026
As factories move from isolated automation to plant-wide intelligence, manufacturers need AI systems that can connect live machine signals, quality systems, wor...
31/05/2026
The NVIDIA AI Cloud ecosystem is accelerating the global buildout of AI factory infrastructure. Partners are expanding capacity to meet growing demand from ente...
30/05/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
30/05/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
30/05/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
30/05/2026
Zero in on one that says yes (and no)
Andy Marken May 29, 2026
0 Comments
Hero image courtesy of Deposit Photos
For content creators the most difficu...
29/05/2026
With InfoComm 2026 just weeks away, NDI is giving attendees plenty of reasons to...
29/05/2026
Reaffirming a partnership that has defined Canadian sports broadcasting since 19...
29/05/2026
Mobile/tablet is No. 2 device for watching TV, suggesting that the sports-production industry needs to take another look at the format
Ring Digital's Sprin...
29/05/2026
Berliner Ensemble, one of Berlin's five major theater companies, has expande...
29/05/2026
Solid State Logic will showcase its new compact, fly-away TCA Tour audio product...
29/05/2026
Gerald (Jerry) Pierce, a pioneering technologist who helped shape the digital transformation of the motion picture industry, passed away last month on April 12 ...
29/05/2026
Paramount+ will be the English-language U.S. home for Barclays Women's Super...
29/05/2026
Further strengthening its virtualisation strategy to fully support broadcasters ...
29/05/2026
Swiss broadcaster Canal Alpha has deployed Harmonic's award-winning, software-based XOS Advanced Media Processor to modernize playout operations across cant...
29/05/2026
PTZOptics will showcase a new generation of intelligent video workflows at InfoComm 2026, June 17-19, Las Vegas. Visitors to booth N8227 will see how PTZOptics ...
29/05/2026
Arizona's Family has launched the Arizona's Family Sports (AZFS) streaming app, a new direct-to-consumer destination for live, local sports. The app is ...
29/05/2026
Starting in 2027, DAZN will be the exclusive home of The Canadian Football Leagu...
29/05/2026
Comcast Business has detailed the advanced network infrastructure it has deploye...
29/05/2026
In two-day event, leaders from academia and industry explored solutions to chall...
29/05/2026
The Basketball Tournament (TBT), now entering their 13th year of competition, ha...
29/05/2026
Roku has launched FOX One as a Premium Subscription on The Roku Channel in the U.S. Roku customers can now subscribe to FOX One using their Roku account for liv...
NHL Puck Drop 2024: ESPN's Remote Operations Team Ramps Up for Another Stanley Cup Run By Jason Dachman, Editorial Director, U.S. 
