Sony Pixel Power calrec Sony

NHL Faceoff 2025: Entering Its Fifth Year as League Partner, ESPN Captures the Sport's Speed, Subtlety

08/10/2025

NHL Faceoff 2025: Entering Its Fifth Year as League Partner, ESPN Captures the Sport's Speed, SubtletyNew tools, refined workflows bring hockey's breakneck pace closer to the fanBy Brandon Costa, Director of Digital

Tuesday, October 7, 2025 - 4:00 pm

Print This Story | Subscribe

Story Highlights

Few sports move as fast - or demand as much precision - as ice hockey. For ESPN's production and operations teams, the challenge is not only to keep up with the puck but also to help fans see what their eyes can't always catch in real time.

Enter a new season of NHL on ESPN, where slow-motion replays, low-angle cameras, on-ice rigs, and dynamic audio mixes converge to bring the sport's speed and skill into sharper focus than ever before.

Our athletes are some of the fastest, strongest, most impressive athletes in the world, says Linda Schulz, VP, production, NHL, ESPN. We're always looking for ways to help people who didn't grow up strapping on skates understand that - and to make it feel as close to being in the arena as possible.

This year, ESPN's NHL coverage - which begins with a tripleheader tonight, starting with the Florida Panthers' Stanley Cup banner-raising at 5 p.m. ET - takes another stride toward that immersive experience. From new behind-the-net camera angles to skate-mounted shots and enhanced sound design, the production team is emphasizing intimacy, clarity, and analysis - all in the pursuit of showing the speed of the game in a way that's both beautiful and intelligible.

New Perspectives: The Camera Behind the GoalAt the heart of ESPN's visual upgrade is a new low camera position, just behind the goal and slightly above the glass, a spot developed in collaboration with the NHL over the past year. Outfitted with a small-format POV camera from PROTON Camera Innovations, the position captures the chaos and creativity behind the net like never before: wraparounds, quick passes, and goalie scrambles that often decide games but can be difficult to follow from traditional broadcast angles.

That position speaks to how to bring the fan closer and make them feel like they're in the arena, Schulz explains. It's similar to a handheld on the corner but, with the goal centered in the frame, gives you a new spatial context. Whether you're taking it live or using it in replay, it feels like the view from the seats; it instantly connects you to the game.

The behind-the-net camera also aligns with ESPN's broader push toward high-frame-rate imaging. Through a new exclusive partnership with Game Creek Video, the broadcaster has outfitted its NHL trucks with PROTON's HFR small-form cameras, providing crisp, super-slow-motion detail on shots, deflections, and saves - those blink-and-you'll-miss-it moments that fans and analysts crave.

We've replaced all our POV cameras with a new PROTON series, says Brock Wetherbee, senior remote operations technical specialist, ESPN. We're also experimenting with a high-frame-rate model that lets us see plays develop in a more cinematic way. When you pair that with our new goal-line position, you're not just covering the game; you're explaining it visually.

Skate Cam, MindFly, and On-Ice AccessIf the goal-line camera puts viewers at ice level, the Skate Cam takes them directly onto it. The rig returns this season with expanded access, including post-goal celebrations and bench interactions. The result is a perspective that feels personal and spontaneous, offering flashes of joy, frustration, and energy that typically only players experience.

ESPN is working with NHL to expand the access of Skate Cam. Here, the camera was used by ESPN at Amerant Bank Arena in Sunrise, FL, during the 2024 Stanley Cup Final. (Photos: Phil Ellsworth/ESPN Images)

During the Four Nations Face-Off tournament earlier this year, ESPN and the NHL tested new parameters for Skate Cam deployment. The results were electric.

After a goal, getting that Skate Cam onto the ice gave us a view of the celebration that was really special, Schulz recalls. It was one of those moments when everyone in the truck went, Ooh, what's that?' You don't get many of those anymore, that surprise. We're bringing that back for Opening Night and for our major tentpole events.

The broadcaster is also working closely with the NHL to integrate MindFly, a body-mounted camera system that records stabilized, first-person video and audio. It has been used in the past during pregame moments at the Stanley Cup Final.

MindFly's best use might actually be hockey, Schulz points out. Because players are on skates, the movement is so smooth. During Four Nations, we put it on referees, and the experience was outstanding. It's something we're aiming to expand into regular-season and special-event coverage.

Audio as AtmosphereHockey's energy is not only seen but heard: the slicing of skates, the rattle of boards, the smack of a slapshot. ESPN's audio team has worked to elevate that sensory experience into a storytelling tool.

Our sound design is about the experiential part of hockey, says Wetherbee. The puck moves so fast and the cuts are so quick that the sound has to follow the action dynamically.

Each broadcast now features multiple-layered audio mixes, crafted in real time by the A1 inside the truck. Every rinkside-glass microphone - three to six per goal for major events - feeds into a custom 5.1 submix that can pan and fade in sync with the camera cut. The result: a soundscape that tracks with the visuals, bringing the home viewer's ears right to the ice.

For Opening Night, that immersion will go a step further, with limited referee mics and new ambient configurations designed to highlight in-game communication: whistles, line calls, even snippets of player chatt
LINK: https://www.sportsvideo.org/2025/10/07/nhl-faceoff-2025-entering-the-f...
See more stories from svg

Most recent headlines

05/01/2027

Worlds first 802.15.4ab-UWB chip verified by Calterah and Rohde & Schwarz to be demoed at CES 2026

Worlds first 802.15.4ab-UWB chip verified by Calterah and Rohde & Schwarz to be ...

09/10/2026

Dolby Expands Dolby OptiView Platform with New Capabilities at IBC 2026

September 10 2026, 06:00 (PDT) Dolby Expands Dolby OptiView Platform with New Capabilities at IBC 2026 New Sports Intelligence helps providers better unders...

07/10/2026

Dalet Flex LTS Delivers Smarter Media Operations from Ingest to Distribution

Dalet, a leading technology and service provider for media-rich organizations, today announced the latest Long-Term Supported (LTS) release of Dalet Flex. Build...

20/09/2026

Casio Sessions returns for 2026

Piano-playing singer-songwriter competition returns for fourth year Casio have officially revealed the list of 16 finalists who have earned their place in t...

20/09/2026

COW Jobs: Video Editor, Motion Designer - Remote, PT, 6 Months

COW Jobs: Video Editor, Motion Designer - Remote, PT, 6 Months Brie Clayton September 20, 2026 0 Comments Video Editor + Motion Designer (Remote | PT ...

19/09/2026

ART Pro Audio reveal the RPC Series

Three new rackmount power conditioners introduced Yorkville Sound have announce the upcoming launch of three new RPC rackmount power conditioners from ART P...

19/09/2026

Colorfront Elevates Workflow Versatility at IBC 2026

September 15, 2026 AMSTERDAM, SEPTEMBER 2026 - Colorfront (colorfront.com), the Academy and Emmy Award-winning developer of high-performance cinema mastering, ...

19/09/2026

Two High Profile Professional Sports Franchises Renew cre...

Two High-Profile Professional Sports Franchises Renew creative.space Contracts with DigitalGlue NFL team and Major League Soccer Club cite ease of use, secure ...

19/09/2026

Limited Edition Audio releases VoxSplit Pro for overlapping dialogue separation and cleanup on macOS

Limited Edition Audio releases VoxSplit Pro for overlapping dialogue separation ...

18/09/2026

IBC 2026 Tech Moves Beyond the Gloss and Into the Rack

IBC 2026 Tech Moves Beyond the Gloss and Into the Rack If you spent any time in the halls of the RAI this year, you noticed a clear shift in conversation. The c...

18/09/2026

SVG GameDay, Ep. 31: Seattle Mariners Tim Walsh - Creative Content in the Emerald City

In-venue and creative video staffers at the professional and collegiate level ha...

18/09/2026

Qvest Appoints Jens Miedek as SVP Sales, Media and Entertainment

Qvest has appointed Jens Miedek as Senior Vice President Sales, Media and Entertainment. Before joining Qvest, Miedek spent 16 years at Riedel Communications an...

18/09/2026

Fonn Group Acquires everviz, Relaunches as Teikna Graphics Platform

Fonn Group has acquired full ownership of everviz, a cloud-native platform for interactive charts, maps, and data-driven graphics, and will rebrand it as Teikna...

18/09/2026

OWC Acquires OpenDrives to Expand Enterprise Storage Portfolio

Other World Computing (OWC) has announced the acquisition of OpenDrives, a provider of software-defined video and rich media storage management solutions. The a...

18/09/2026

Kaltura and Verimatrix Partner on Content Security for OTT and Cloud TV

Kaltura and Verimatrix have announced a partnership integrating Verimatrix's Digital Rights Management and security capabilities into Kaltura's Cloud TV...

18/09/2026

Movicom's Robycam Aerial Cable System Deployed at World Nomad Games

The sixth edition of the World Nomad Games combined traditional sports, large-scale cultural performances, and some decidedly modern broadcast technology. Held ...

18/09/2026

DAZN and Super League Basketball Extend Partnership for 2026-27 Season

DAZN and Super League Basketball (SLB) have extended their partnership for the 2026-27 season. Every Championship, Cup, and Play-Off fixture will be available l...

18/09/2026

Nielsen Shifts Streaming Content Ratings to Daily Delivery Cadence

Nielsen has announced that its Streaming Content Ratings (SCR) product will move from weekly to daily data delivery, with clients now receiving viewership data ...

18/09/2026

ABC to Air LALIGAs ElClsico for First Time on October 25

ESPN will present LALIGA's ElCl sico on ABC for the first time, with FC Barcelona vs. Real Madrid airing Sunday, October 25 at 4 p.m. ET. A one-hour pre-mat...

18/09/2026

University of Pennsylvania and JMI Sports Extend Multimedia Rights Partnership Through 2035-36

The University of Pennsylvania's Division of Recreation and Intercollegiate ...

18/09/2026

Charlotte Hornets Name DAZN Exclusive Direct-to-Consumer Streaming Partner

The Charlotte Hornets have announced DAZN as their exclusive direct-to-consumer streaming partner for the 2026-27 NBA season. The service launches immediately, ...

18/09/2026

With New AM Radio Act, Live Sports Remain on the Air - and on the Road

Broadcast sports' original medium will let drivers keep on hearing the plays thanks to a new bill set to pass the Senate....

18/09/2026

Apple TV Expands iPhone Camera Deployment for Friday Night Baseball' Finale at Dodger Stadium

Fourteen iPhone 18 Pro devices - eight connected over a T-Mobile Private 5G Netw...

18/09/2026

Minnesota Lynx to Air Final Regular Season Local Broadcast on FOX 9+

The Minnesota Lynx have announced that their final local broadcast of the 2026 regular season will air free on FOX 9 following the shutdown of Victory . The Ly...

18/09/2026

Monumental+ Now Available on Prime Video

Monumental Sports Network (MNMT) has announced that its Monumental+ streaming service is now available as a subscription through Prime Video, giving Capitals an...

18/09/2026

WTGL Announces Inaugural Season Schedule on ESPN, ABC, and ION

WTGL, the women's team golf league created by TMRW Sports in partnership with the LPGA, has announced its inaugural season schedule. The season premieres Su...

18/09/2026

Ratings Roundup: NFL Week 1 Down 13% From Record 2025; ESPN Earns Its Best US Open Mens Final on Record

Ratings Roundup is a rundown of recent ratings news and is derived from press re...

18/09/2026

SNS Wins IAMT Award For Addressing What Video Editors Need In The AI Era

Studio Network Solutions (SNS) has won Best Journal Article at the 2026 IAMT Impact Awards for What Video Editors Need When Everything Is Changing Around Them, ...

18/09/2026

ReSing Voices Vol 2 from IK Multimedia

10 new voice models join line-up The latest expansion for IK Multimedia's AI-powered vocal-modelling software has arrived, delivering a set of 10 new vo...

18/09/2026

Museum of Synthesizers present the Arturia World Tour

A day of hands-on synthesis, sound design & performance On Saturday 26 September 2026, The Museum of Synthesisers will be hosting a full day of hands-on syn...

18/09/2026

Fix It or Risk It: recognize risk in ordinary moments

HPA is supporting Fix It or Risk It, a non-commercial, industry-wide public-service campaign helping organizations across the media and entertainment supply cha...

18/09/2026

AgileTV wraps up IBC 2026 with two industry awards

AgileTV has successfully wrapped up its participation at IBC 2026 in Amsterdam, following four days of conversations with customers, partners and industry profe...

18/09/2026

aconnic AG invites to a Virtual Investor Conference

aconnic AG (ISIN: DE000A0LBKW6), Munich, invites its shareholders and investors to a Virtual Investor Conference on Tuesday, September 29th, 2026, at 11.00 am. ...

18/09/2026

DHD Demonstrates the Future of Broadcast Audio Production...

DHD reports a high level of interest in its range of audio production equipment on all four days of the September 11-14 International Broadcasting Convention in...

18/09/2026

Sonnet Announces Thunderbolt 5 eGPU With 850-Watt Power Supply and Integrated Dock for Windows 11 Computers

Sonnet Announces Thunderbolt 5 eGPU With 850-Watt Power Supply and Integrated Do...

18/09/2026

DeckBridge adds live Resolve playback and Fairlight controls to Stream Deck

DeckBridge adds live Resolve playback and Fairlight controls to Stream Deck Brie Clayton September 17, 2026 0 Comments DeckBridge starting profiles ac...

18/09/2026

Learn to arrange tracks using Color With Live's Free Stencil Pack

Learn to arrange tracks using Color With Live's Free Stencil Pack Brie Clayton September 17, 2026 0 Comments Stencils are Color With Live's or...

18/09/2026

Berklee Establishes Susan Tedeschi Scholarship in Honor of Grammy-Winning Alumna

Berklee Establishes Susan Tedeschi Scholarship in Honor of Grammy-Winning Alumna The scholarship is announced as Tedeschi returns to headline the Berklee Bloc...

18/09/2026

The inside scoop on attention-grabbing market assets from those in the know

The inside scoop on attention-grabbing market assets from those in the know 17 September 2026 (L-R): Sophie Green, Todd Brown and Edwina Waddy Find this episo...

18/09/2026

The Boys: Bringing a distinctly stylized visual identity to all five seasons of Prime Videos ambitious series

Senior Colorist Siggy Ferstl of Company 3 has been grading The Boys since the sh...

18/09/2026

The new iPhone 18 Pro, iPhone 18 Pro Max, Apple Watch Series 12, and AirPods 5 now available to buy on Sky Mobiles award-winning network

Friday 18 September 2026 The new iPhone 18 Pro, iPhone 18 Pro Max, Apple Watch ...

18/09/2026

Grand finale: Bringing a distinctly stylized visual identity to all five seasons of The Boys

Senior Colorist Siggy Ferstl of Company 3 has been grading The Boys since the sh...

17/09/2026

Prime Video Embarks on Fifth Exclusive Season of Thursday Night Football With Innovation, Experience in Tow

Lions vs. Bills will also be the first regular-season game at new Highmark Stadi...

17/09/2026

Teradek Launches Bolt 7 with Integrated 900MHz Data Pipeline

Teradek has announced Bolt 7, a wireless video and data system that adds an integrated 900MHz radio to the Bolt's zero-delay video pipeline. The 900MHz chan...

17/09/2026

DAZN Announces Three Executive Appointments

DAZN has announced three appointments to its executive leadership team, all reporting to CEO Shay Segev effective immediately. Patrick Delany has been appointe...

17/09/2026

Monumental Sports and Entertainment Announces Leadership Changes

Monumental Sports and Entertainment (MSE) has announced a leadership restructuring. Zach Leonsis has been named President and Vice Chairman, a newly created pos...

17/09/2026

CP Communications and Red House Streaming Named 2026 Best of Florida Winners

CP Communications has been named Best of Florida for Audio-Visual Services, and its subsidiary Red House Streaming has been named Best Movie and Recording Studi...

17/09/2026

Scripps Sports and ION to Broadcast Shriners Childrens East-West Bowl

Scripps Sports and ION have announced a broadcast partnership for the Shriners Children's East-West Bowl, the nation's oldest college all-star football ...

17/09/2026

espnW Announces Full Agenda for 2026 Women + Sports Summit

The 17th annual espnW: Women + Sports Summit, presented by Toyota, will take place October 14-16 at the Ojai Valley Inn in Ojai, California, with virtual attend...

17/09/2026

PAMA and Shure Announce 2026 Mark Brunner Professional Audio Scholarship Recipients

The Professional Audio Manufacturers Alliance (PAMA) and Shure Incorporated have...