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
Most recent headlines
11/12/2025
Dalet, a leading provider of cloud-native, end-to-end media workflow solutions, ...
06/12/2025
In a live broadcast from the Reagan National Defense Forum, L3Harris Chair and CEO Christopher Kubasik joined Morgan Brennan on CNBCs Closing Bell: Overtime. Ku...
06/12/2025
FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. A new survey from Pixitmedia by Datacore revealed a major shift in the Media & Entertainment industry in media archiving, with 85% of resp...
06/12/2025
HACKENSACK, N.J. LiveU has announced that the national public broadcaster Czech Television has completed one of the largest LiveU live production deployments fo...
06/12/2025
NEW YORK The National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences (NATAS) presented the Excellence in Production Technology Emmy Award to NASA+ and Dr. Tom Leight...
05/12/2025
2025 Sports Broadcasting Hall of Fame: Curt Gowdy Jr. - Master Storyteller, Nati...
05/12/2025
SVG Sit-Down: Veritone's Sean King on the Power of Mining Video, Audio DataThe company's Data Refinery offers users total control and governance over da...
05/12/2025
Platinum White Paper: Inside the Nashville Predators' Unified, Flexible, Sca...
05/12/2025
Netflix Reaches Agreement To Acquire Warner Bros. Following Planned WBD SplitThe deal does not include WBDs sports assets like TNT Sports (US, UK, LatAm), Euros...
05/12/2025
FOX Sports Returns to Indianapolis for Primetime Broadcast of Big Ten Championsh...
05/12/2025
SVG Summit 2025 Preview: Digital Engagement & Monetization Workshop Tackles the ...
05/12/2025
Atlanta United Lights Up New Emory Healthcare Studio With First Live Broadcast f...
05/12/2025
As Messi Takes the Pitch, MLS, Apple, NEP Roll Out Largest MLS Cup Production Ev...
05/12/2025
ESPN Enters College Football's Most Intense Month With Elevated Workflows fo...
05/12/2025
It's about that time! Awards season is in full swing, and the Film Independe...
05/12/2025
Every year, Spotify Wrapped offers a personalized look back at the audio that defined your year. It's a snapshot of your listening habits, designed to tell ...
05/12/2025
In 2025, Spotify's EQUAL, GLOW, and RADAR programs celebrated women, LGBTQIA , and emerging artists who turned moments into milestones. From breaking record...
05/12/2025
In our latest blog, we explain how Wi-Fi 7 rollouts can drive consumer loyalty with value-add services such as consumer cybersecurity. We also explore how this ...
05/12/2025
LOS ANGELES Netflix announced it has entered into an agreement to acquire the assets of Warner Bros. for $82.7 billion....
05/12/2025
NEW YORK Nielsens Gracenote has launched Gracenote Content Connect, a new ad platform that provides agencies, brands, supply-side platforms (SSPs) and demand-si...
05/12/2025
NEW YORK In an most important update to the workings of deal-based programmatic advertising, IAB Tech Lab has released version 1.0 of its Deals API for public c...
05/12/2025
NEW YORK Pass the turkey. Pass the stuffing. Pass the cranberry sauce. All are common requests of Americans celebrating Thanksgiving Day with family and f...
05/12/2025
NEW YORK Iris, the new cloud-connected camera control platform, has officially launched with features that turn virtually any PTZ camera into a software-connect...
05/12/2025
HOLLYWOOD, Calif. Netflix announced today that it has entered into an agreement to acquire the assets of Warner Bros. for $82.7 billion....
05/12/2025
NEW YORK Iris, the new cloud-connected camera control platform, has officially launched with features that turn virtually any PTZ camera into a software-connect...
05/12/2025
WASHINGTON The Federal Communications Commission has approved AT&T's $1.02 billion acquisition of spectrum from UScellular in a decision that was issued sho...
05/12/2025
The Best Coldplay Songs: 21 Tracks That Shoot for the Stars From Yellow to Viva La Vida, Fix You to Paradise, this playlist goes back to the start.
December ...
05/12/2025
Zafris Lecture Series Brings Nabil Ayers to Berklee The 32nd annual James G. Zafris Distinguished Lecture series was held on Thursday, November 13, with guest...
05/12/2025
Introducing New Perks to Help You Get Even More from LinkedIn Premium Published on Dec 5, 2025 Categories: Company News, Product News
LinkedIn Corporate Co...
05/12/2025
Friday 5 December 2025
A new Game of Thrones Tale: Official trailer for Sky Exc...
05/12/2025
Back to All News
Don Lee, Lee Jin-uk, and Lalisa Manobal to Star in Netflix Act...
05/12/2025
Tis the season of giving once again and this year we've taken our Give Back Fridays' concept and turned it on its head.
In the autumn we were approach...
05/12/2025
Brayden Gogis doesn't remember a time when he wasn't completely fixated on games in all forms. In preschool, when they asked us to dress up as what we ...
05/12/2025
The Grinch steals the spotlight as the theme for The Late Late Toy Show 2025
Tune in tonight at 9:35pm on RT One and worldwide on RT Player
#LateLateToyShow...
05/12/2025
RT Announces New Presenters of Flagship News Programmes
New RT Six One News co-presenter Tommy Meskill
Sarah McInerney & Justin McCarthy join Morning Ir...
04/12/2025
ToolsOnAir Blackmagic Design HyperDeck Event Presets for just:in mac pro 2025 & ...
04/12/2025
ToolsOnAir AJA Ki Pro Event Presets for just:in mac pro 2025 & just:in linux
More Details:Starting with version 5.5, both just:in mac pro and just:in linux sol...
04/12/2025
Wangu Kanuri from Kenya and Godwin Asediba from Ghana are two of this years finalists for Thomsons Young Journalist of the Year Award. The pair are runners-up i...
04/12/2025
SVG Sit-Down: ProximaVision's Claudio Lisman on Why Tethered Drones Could Be...
04/12/2025
SVG Campus Shot Callers: Imry Halevi, Senior Associate Director of Athletics, Co...
04/12/2025
Platinum White Paper: LiveU Lightweight Sports Production: A Step Change in Spor...
04/12/2025
London to Riyadh: DAZN brings the boxing glamour to new production levels for Be...
04/12/2025
Analysis: Paramount bets on the battering ram' with Champions League play By Callum McCarthy, Editor-at-Large
Tuesday, December 2, 2025 - 10:12
Print ...
04/12/2025
Space City Home Network Launches SCHN DTC App for Astros and RocketsThe Rockets and Astros were previously the lone NBA and MLB teams without a DTC appBy Jason...
04/12/2025
SVG Summit 2025 Preview: Content Workflows Workshop Spotlights Evolution of Spor...
04/12/2025
New Sponsor Spotlight: Geotech's Patrick Wambold On the Unreal Engine Revolu...
04/12/2025
Curt Gowdy Jr. - Master Storyteller, Nationally and RegionallyBy Jason Dachman, Editorial Director, U.S.
Thursday, December 4, 2025 - 1:52 pm
Print This Sto...
04/12/2025
(L-R) Rebecca Lichtenfeld, Mohammadreza Eyni, Sara Khaki, and Judith Helfand att...
04/12/2025
SBS launches Future Frames initiative to support emerging First Nations video ed...
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 
