Best Snow Day Ever: NESN, Bruins Roll Out NHL's Latest Animated-Data-Visualization Altcast With a STEM Twist On-ice data will be used to produce science-, tech-, engineering-, and math-focused segments By Jason Dachman, Editorial Director, U.S.
Tuesday, March 11, 2025 - 3:30 pm
Print This Story | Subscribe
Story Highlights
Waking up on a cold winter morning and hearing the words snow day are music to any New England kid's ears. Tonight, the Boston Bruins, NESN, and the NHL are looking to bring that excitement to the Best Snow Day Ever, the latest animated data visualization in the NHL HOCKEYVERSE world. The Bruins-Panthers animated altcast, which airs tonight at 7 p.m. locally on NESN+ and the NESN 360 app, will take kids on an imaginary snow day off from school, following Blades, the Bruins' mascot, on an adventure as he's transported into a snow globe of an imaginary Boston.
All photos courtesy of NHL
We know that, in the ever-changing marketplace of sports-media content, especially within regional sports networks, there is a need to solidify the engagement and the expand our reach for younger fans, says Josh Jun, VP, content, NESN. Rarely do you have an opportunity like this: both the league and the team partner are fully committed to an innovative and fresh [concept] that also allows you to flex some of the creative muscles that you don't necessarily get to use very often within the traditional broadcast landscape. We couldn't be more excited.
Best Snow Day Ever is the first of four regional animated altcasts that the league has planned for the remainder of the season (along with a variety of other NHL HOCKEYVERSE activations), but NESN is looking to differentiate its coverage by mixing in STEM-focused lessons that use hockey as a vehicle to teach math, physics, and science concepts.
A big priority for the Bruins right from the start was to make it educational and STEM-focused so we jumped on board with that right away, says Jun. The thought was, even though you're missing school and watching the game, you still need to do your homework for the next day when you're back at school. In terms of that overall concept, we hit the mark very well.
From NYC to Watertown: NHL, NESN Team Up on Split Production Workflow As has been the case in the league's previous animated-data visualization efforts, the NESN altcast will be driven by Sony's Beyond Sports technology platform, NHL EDGE Positional Data (provided by SMT), and Sony's Hawk-Eye Innovations optical tracking.
The animated game feed will be produced by the NHL out of the league's studios in New York City. NESN reporter Adam Pellerin will call play-by-play and former Bruin Andrew Ference provide analysis via Apple Vision Pro headsets. NHL Studios VP/Coordinating Director Matt Celli and his team produce the show using nearly 60 virtual cameras available in the Beyond Sports platform.
Intermission content is being produced by the NESN original-content team and will emanate from the RSN's Watertown, MA, studios. NESN's original-content team collaborated closely with the Bruins marketing and comms teams and with league partner GameDay Creative to develop the Best Snow Day Ever on-air product.
We are providing our [on-air] talent and our creative to the league for the game action, says Jun. That will all be done in New York City by Matt Celli and his team, who are phenomenal and have a lot of experience in creating these [altcasts]. The intermissions are essentially our sandbox to play around in.
Building a STEMcast: Creating a Broadcast That Is Both Fun and Educational Justine Pouravelis, director, original content, NESN (and the network's lead on the project), and Fred Nutter, manager, long-form content, spearheaded development of the Best Snow Day Ever concept and led production of the variety of elements that fans will see during intermissions.
The genesis of the idea came from a member of our original-content team, notes Jun, but it was truly a team effort with the Bruins and the league. We knew we had to operate within the NHL's HOCKEYVERSE theme, but we also wanted to bring some wild and crazy ideas into this environment because the possibilities that animation provides you are endless.
In addition to the STEM lessons, the animated data visualization will feature intermission content in which Bruins players will participate in interactive segments designed to make learning fun. For example, one segment will focus on the freezing temperature of the ice and what the playing surface is actually made of (hint: it's a lot more than just water).
Viewers will also experience a Boston-centric narrative showcasing local landmarks, history, and culture and highlighting STEM lessons that tie back to the on-ice action between the Bruins and Panthers.
I'm excited about the fact that we're the first to add an educational element to this [animated-altcast] format, says Jun. Since this is an animated-data-visualization project, there is so much data that we can utilize for those elements, such as the speed of the player or the speed of the puck. We have all this information, so it's up to us to translate that data into compelling STEM lessons in the broadcast.
Jun adds that NESN is targeting a slightly older demographic compared with the NHL's previous animated altcasts, such as the Big City Green Classics in 2023 and 2024.
Where Big City Greens was targeting a very younger audience, he explains, we are targeting more of the late-grammar-school and early-middle-school crowd. We also wanted to make it so that, whether you're a parent or a child, you take something interesting away from it.
Serving younger audiences is nothing new for the Bruins and NESN, both of whom have ongoing commitments to engage with and educat
Most recent headlines
05/01/2027
Worlds first 802.15.4ab-UWB chip verified by Calterah and Rohde & Schwarz to be ...
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...
02/05/2026
Dalet, a leading technology and service provider for media-rich organizations, t...
01/05/2026
January 5 2026, 18:30 (PST) NBCUniversal's Peacock to Be First Streamer to ...
01/04/2026
January 4 2026, 18:00 (PST) DOLBY AND DOUYIN EMPOWER THE NEXT GENERATON OF CREATORS WITH DOLBY VISION
Douyin Users Can Now Create And Share Videos With Stun...
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
Spotify's partnership with NAVER, Korea's leading digital platform, is built around one simple goal: making it easier for listeners in Korea to discover...
26/03/2026
Exclusive to ComposerCloud for first month
Sample library and virtual instrument gurus EastWest have announced the upcoming release of a new virtual drum i...
26/03/2026
Friday 27 March
Friday 27 March will mark Dynamic Range Day 2026, the annual day of online activity that was started in 2010 by mastering engineer Ian Sheph...
26/03/2026
Includes four separate instruments
Max Richter's SRM Sounds venture have just announced their fifth release, ASMR Choir. Captured at the main live room ...
26/03/2026
The National Film and Video Foundation (NFVF), an agency of the Department of Sport, Arts and Culture (DSAC), has been tasked with administering the Sixth Presi...
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
Thursday 26 March 2026
HBO Max included for Sky and NOW customers from 26 March...
26/03/2026
Thursday 26 March 2026
Sky Sets Iconic Costumes Dancing Together Like Never Before' in Brand CampaignTurn on cookies to view this content. Go to Privacy o...
26/03/2026
Wuppertal March 26, 2026
CS live Builds Future-Ready OB Van With Riedel MediorNet and hi Control SystemRiedel Communications today announced that Czech-based ...
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
Enhancements to Harmonic's Sports Streaming Solution Introduce Server-Side Multiview, Contextual Metadata-Driven Advertising, Dynamic In-Stream Ads and Robu...
26/03/2026
Open the report
Our 2025 report brings together results from 79 business magazine titles across 22 market sectors, published by 49 media owners. Over the year,...
26/03/2026
Editor's note: This post is part of Into the Omniverse, a series focused on ...
26/03/2026
RT Commercial today announced Fiat as sponsor of The Louise Duffy Show on RT Radio 1, Weekdays 3pm 4pm.
The Louise Duffy Show is the home of daytime music...
26/03/2026
That gaming backlog won't clear itself - GeForce NOW is here to help. Stream the latest titles straight from the cloud across a variety of devices.
This we...
26/03/2026
Wayne, N.J., March 26, 2026 Phantom High-Speed announces the latest product li...
Best Snow Day Ever: NESN, Bruins Roll Out NHL's Latest Animated-Data-Visualization Altcast With a STEM Twist On-ice data will be used to produce science-, tech-, engineering-, and math-focused segments By Jason Dachman, Editorial Director, U.S. 
