NHL Puck Drop 2021: NHL Network Expands Showcase Schedule, Boosts Onsite Presence at Marquee Events The broadcaster is slated to air 34 games this season By Kristian Hern ndez, Associate Editor
Thursday, October 14, 2021 - 10:57 am
Print This Story | Subscribe
Story Highlights
Over the past two nights, the National Hockey League returned to ESPN after 17 years and debuted on TNT. Another broadcast partner, NHL Network, is also entering the 2021-22 season, with wind in its production sails in the form of an increased slate of NHL Showcase games, additional coverage for international fans, and a return to onsite operations for major events.
Our goal is to get back out on the road, says Josh Bernstein, VP, production, NHL Network. We want to get as close to normal as we can. It may not look exactly the way it used to, but we'll be out there again.
More Exclusive Action: Showcase Slate Grows From 16 to 25 As the broadcaster's main platform for the league's biggest matchups, NHL Network Showcase will feature a wide array of franchises this season. The schedule will be increased from last year s 16 games to 25. The 2020-21 campaign was the first time that NHL Network deployed its own on-air talent and technologies for these games, and the crew is looking to improve that positive synergy in this increased workload.
Leading the on-air team will be E.J. Hradek and Mike Johnson on the call for their first Showcase game, between the Buffalo Sabres and Arizona Coyotes on Saturday, Oct. 16 at 1 p.m. ET. Stephen Nelson and Dave Reid will call the second NHL Network Showcase of the year: the Calgary Flames and Washington Capitals on Saturday, Oct. 23 at 1:00 p.m. Although the pandemic has retreated slightly thanks to vaccines, play-by-play commentators and analysts will be calling each game from the NHL Network facility in Secaucus, NJ.
New rightsholders, new arena, new franchise mark the 2021-22 NHL season.
A flypack and technician will be onsite for additional camera feeds, but the working relationship with regional sports networks will continue to provide other essential resources. New technologies will include further implementation of virtual-blue-line technology.
Last year was an opportunity for us to create a game package and showcase the talent and technology that we have, says Eric Eisenberg, VP, programming and operations, NHL Network. It has been phenomenal to be able to grow our package out this year and take it to the next level.
From a technological perspective, the network's coverage of two virtual NHL Drafts has generated a lot of inspiration for the remote-production workflows still being used in Secaucus. Since the same facility houses MLB Network, cloud-based solutions were used for the 2020 World Series in Arlington, TX, and for the 2021 MLB All-Star Game in Denver.
We've been able to learn from all these shows that had fewer people in the field, says Jake Soto, VP, engineering and IT, NHL Network. We're now reinvesting all of [that technology] for hockey.
Global Audience: Live Coverage Includes Nine International-Only Games With numerous international players lighting up the ice, NHL Network is committed to serving the fan who lives outside the U.S. Along with the 25 exclusive productions, nine games will target the global audience. Eisenberg and his team have been working closely with the league's technical team and international-productions team to fine-tune these broadcasts.
We've decided to separate production elements that we used to share in the past, he explains. We'll have a little more flexibility with what we're going to do, and I think that that'll pay dividends for specific graphics on an international-only game or a Showcase game.
The network has worked hard to make both games personalized and seamless and, since beginning this effort last season, has received positive feedback from viewers watching both internationally and domestically. In addition, NHL Network and MLB Network are joining forces to put on a high-quality NHL show.
The mentality in our building is that you're not working only hockey or baseball, but you're working across both sports, adds Eisenberg. We're really fortunate to have that mindset, and we'll continue to adjust and evolve.
Bringing the Show Onsite: Studio Programming Travels to Tentpole Events For diehard supporters of the game, viewers flock to NHL Network for up-to-date information. The broadcaster is looking forward to producing a slate of studio shows that reflect on the day's action, discuss the main plotlines happening in the league, and preview upcoming matchups.
Leading off the studio shows will be NHL Now with Hradek and Jackie Redmond on weekdays at 4 p.m. NHL Tonight will provide live look-ins into games throughout the league and in-studio demos at 6 p.m. And On the Fly, with guests like Mike Kelly, will showcase highlights of the day's action. Starting the day of the first Showcase game, Ice Time will return to bring kid-centric content to young fans at 9 a.m.
In addition to Nelson, hosts Jamison Coyle, Lauren Gardner, Jamie Hersch, Tony Luftman, and Adnan Virk are on the roster of studio talent. Jeff Gorton joins analysts Bruce Boudreau, Ken Daneyko, Jeff Gorton, Stu Grimson, Scott Hartnell, Billy Jaffe, Mike Johnson, Brian Lawton, Bill Lindsay, Mark Parrish, David Reid, Mike Rupp, and Kevin Weekes.
Logistical hurdles abound with the network's coverage of the MLB Postseason running up against the opening slate of NHL games. Since the beginning of the pandemic, though, COVID-19 protocols have required the team to handle a lot of talent in different studios simultaneously.
Over the last 19 months, says Soto, we've had a lot of moves and changes because of social distancing. We're on the backside of [those i
North America Stories
27/03/2026
Marshall Electronics Showcases New Feature-Rich CV320 and CV520 IP and 3G-SDI PO...
27/03/2026
Sony Electronics Inc. Elevates Professional Video Workflows with Powerful Update...
27/03/2026
GatesAir Extends AirWatch365 Managed Service with Edge Gateway Site Appliance
Brie Clayton March 27, 2026
0 Comments
NAB marks global launch of servic...
27/03/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
27/03/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
27/03/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
27/03/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
27/03/2026
At NAB Show 2026, Net Insight will showcase the next evolution of Nimbra Edge, its orchestration and control layer designed to manage live media services across...
27/03/2026
Harmonic (NASDAQ: HLIT) today announced powerful new innovations that further elevate the company's sports streaming solution. The advanced capabilities enh...
27/03/2026
Bitmovin, the leading provider of video streaming solutions, today announced significant new capabilities for Player Web X, its next-generation web video player...
27/03/2026
Riedel Communications today announced that Czech-based production company CS live has equipped its newest outside broadcast (OB) van with an integrated Riedel i...
27/03/2026
130 Industry Experts Confirmed as Show Celebrates its 10th Anniversary
MPTS, the UK's largest and most influential event for the media, production and tech...
27/03/2026
Grass Valley today announced the successful completion of a major live production deployment with NVP, a leading European media company specializing in live spo...
27/03/2026
Showcases resilient solutions for satellite-to-IP migration, REMI and hybrid live production
Appear ASA (Appear, OSE:APR), a global leader in live production t...
27/03/2026
San Francisco, California, March 2026 - Microsoft Ignite, a major annual conference hosted by Microsoft for developers, IT professionals, partners and business ...
27/03/2026
Clear-Com is proud to highlight its support for worship teams through professional communication solutions, with the deployment of its EQUIP wireless system a...
27/03/2026
Orban Collaborates with Sage on Virtualized EAS Technology Demo
Brie Clayton March 26, 2026
0 Comments
Sage Alerting Systems (SAS), in cooperation wit...
27/03/2026
Berklee Alums Bring GIANT to Broadway Brian and Dayna Lee BM '13 met and fell in love at Berklee, and now their production companys first Broadway debut i...
26/03/2026
Extron and Audio-Technica have announced that their Design Solutions devices, Ce...
26/03/2026
SPORTEL Asia took place March 24-25 at the Orchard Hotel Singapore, drawing 370 participants representing more than 220 companies from 35 countries. Approximate...
26/03/2026
LTN will demonstrate satellite-to-IP migration solutions for broadcasters, cable networks, MVPDs, and station groups at NAB Show 2026 (Booth W2100).
The C-Ban...
26/03/2026
The Seattle Mariners have partnered with Daktronics to install an upgraded outfi...
26/03/2026
The Esports Foundation (EF) has awarded National Team Partner status to organizations and individuals across more than 100 countries and territories for the Esp...
26/03/2026
Telestream has announced expanded integration between its Vantage workflow platf...
26/03/2026
FOR-A Corporation has announced a partnership with Nippon TV and NVIDIA to distr...
26/03/2026
CBS Sports and the WNBA have expanded their partnership through a new long-term, multiplatform rights agreement. CBS Sports will feature up to 20 regular-season...
26/03/2026
Zac Brown Band will star in the Sunday Night Baseball show open on NBC and Peacock, NBC Sports announced. The open was filmed at American Family Field, home of ...
26/03/2026
Major League Baseball opens the 2026 season with nationally televised games across multiple media partners. Fans can visit MLB.com/Watch for a complete schedule...
26/03/2026
DIRECTV has announced an agreement to carry nine new MLB-operated team channels, covering the Cincinnati Reds, Detroit Tigers (Detroit SportsNet), Kansas City R...
26/03/2026
Nationals.TV, the Washington Nationals' local broadcast channel, is now avai...
26/03/2026
Starting Thursday, March 26, MLB.TV will be available on the ESPN App, giving fans access to more than 2,000 out-of-market regular season games. Fans can also r...
26/03/2026
By Matt Klein
Hello to everyone reading this - whether you're a current YEP, HPA member, or just YEP-curious. I'm Matt Klein, one of the co-chairs of t...
26/03/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
26/03/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
26/03/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
26/03/2026
28 participating companies, from start-ups to blue-chips, lead the UK Group as part of the GREAT Britain and Northern Ireland presence across all the Halls at N...
26/03/2026
Arkona Unveils BLADE//planner and Major Usability Enhancements at NAB 2026
Brie Clayton March 26, 2026
0 Comments
New graphical configuration tool and...
26/03/2026
Bitfocus showcases complete control at NAB Show 2026
Brie Clayton March 26, 2026
0 Comments
Continuing development drives advances in security, availa...
26/03/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
26/03/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
26/03/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
26/03/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
26/03/2026
Nevion introduces powerful new Panel Builder to enhance VideoIPath broadcast con...
26/03/2026
2026 Oscar Nominated Films Powered by Blackmagic Design
Brie Clayton March 25, 2026
0 Comments
DaVinci Resolve Studio used on 27 of this year's no...
26/03/2026
Leader to present full suite of advanced Test & Measurement solutions at NAB Sho...
26/03/2026
Boston Conservatory to Present New England and Collegiate Premiere of Groundbrea...
26/03/2026
Back to All News
Have a Wish Worth Dying For? Netflix's First Korean YA Hor...
26/03/2026
Back to All News
The Truthers, Starring Jose Coronado and St phanie Magnin, Pre...
26/03/2026
Editor's note: This post is part of Into the Omniverse, a series focused on ...
NHL Puck Drop 2021: NHL Network Expands Showcase Schedule, Boosts Onsite Presence at Marquee Events The broadcaster is slated to air 34 games this season By Kristian Hern ndez, Associate Editor 
