NHL Playoffs 2025: With 16 Games in First Six Days, ESPN Deploys Variety of Remote-Production Models in U.S., Canada With two countries and multiple broadcasters involved, the effort requires precise planning By Jason Dachman, Editorial Director, U.S.
Friday, April 18, 2025 - 11:00 am
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ESPN jumps out of the gate for this year's NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs, with 16 first-round games over the first six days on ESPN and ESPN2 beginning on Sunday. That means plenty of planning and cooperation by ESPN's operations team - both within the company and with other broadcasters.
ESPN's NHL studio show, The Point, will air regularly as a lead-in to games throughout the Stanley Cup Playoffs. Steve Levy, Mark Messier, and PK Subban - shown here prior to the season opener - will be among the rotating on-air talent featured. (Photo: Al Powers/ESPN Images)
Round 1 of NHL Playoffs is always a time of meticulous planning and cooperation, says Brock Wetherbee, remote productions operations specialist, ESPN. This round is a full market share - or side-by-side - for all invested broadcasters. Not only are we working across teams internally to line up execution models with dates and game series, but we're also having simultaneous collaboration calls with the other local and international rightsholders on logistics and equipment shares.
First Round Madness: All About Cooperation - Both Within and Without Depending on matchups, as many as four broadcasters may cover a single game of any seven-game series, and all parties must be aware of each other's trucks, camera positions, and production priorities.
Several dedicated REMI production-control rooms in Bristol will serve as home to ESPN's NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs first-round productions. (credit: Jaime Ramirez)
ESPN will deploy a mix of three main models during Round 1: REMCO, REMI, and EWF (enhanced world feed, which will be used for games played in Canada). ESPN's remote-production and REMI Operations teams work hand in hand to ensure that the onsite facilities are fully in sync with the REMI production teams in Bristol.
I would be remiss if I did not mention the amount of communication and planning that has helped every aspect of our production, says Jaime Ramirez, technical operations manager, REMI Operations, ESPN. Working on an almost daily basis with our onsite operations team as well as our partners in Toronto has been outstanding. I have all the confidence in the world that, when the puck drops, this team can handle whatever may be on the horizon. It is very evident that our goal is a shared goal to deliver the best product we can to our NHL fans.
ESPN will roll a mix of NEP and Game Creek Video mobile units for its NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs productions. (Credit: Danny Chi)
Given the complications of regional play across North America and the cadence of the schedule, both NEP and Game Creek Video provide a cascading supply of trucks to meet the needs of ESPN and the other broadcast partners. NEP has made available EN2 A and B, Supershooter 6 A and B, Supershooter 63, and Supershooter 62; GCV has provided 79 A and B, Victory A and B, Larkspur, Justice, and Gemini.
ESPN has made a concerted effort to level-set the look and feel across all its NHL coverage, regardless of the production model being used. Although the bells and whistles may vary, The standard first-round complement will comprise five hard cameras, five handhelds, two robos, and four to six POV cams. In addition, ESPN will be sharing feeds with/from the other broadcasters, potentially doubling the camera count once the puck drops.
It's a collaborative effort from all to share and make the coverage feel as big as possible for all the entities, says Wetherbee.
Aside from camera sharing, ESPN and local broadcasters also work closely together to reserve compound parking space for all the trucks and divide arena-supplied power connections and transmission equipment, along with other onsite resources/services.
Looking Ahead: Big Plans for Conference Finals After the first round, ESPN will enhance its shows with each subsequent round, increasing the player iso cams, robos, and specialty cameras. Super-slo-mo in-net cams, RF skate cams, SkyCam, and virtual-graphics elements will be among the highlights.
ESPN's NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs coverage will culminate iin the Conference Finals. (Photo: Al Powers/ESPN Images)
Although ESPN won't have the Stanley Cup Finals this year, its Conference Finals productions will be plenty massive, with upwards of 24 cams, seven super-slo-mos, and six POV cameras; a full audio submix suite; and upgraded microphone coverage around the ice.
Playoffs are exciting by definition, Ramirez notes. Not only is the play on ice raised, but so too is our approach and execution amongst partners.
The last-minute nature can add a bit of intrigue too, he continues. Last minute is the name of the game come playoff time. Sometimes we stage truck/equipment halfway between cities. Sometimes folks board planes and land in one city to find that team has won/lost and changed the landscape of [the production]. It's all part of the adventure and excitement that is any playoff race.
Looking Back: Another Regular Season in the Books With the puck dropping on the playoffs on Sunday, it's a perfect time for ESPN's remote and REMI Operations teams to reflect on their fourth NHL regular-season campaign. With five technical-production models - mixing REMI and onsite workflows -- in the arsenal for NHL productions, ESPN Remote Production Operations Manager Paul Horrell believes ESPN has truly hit its stride: The five technical-production models deployed throughout the season and the sheer volume of games speak to the level of efficiency, experience, and capabilities
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