Sony Pixel Power calrec Sony

Stanley Cup Final Preview: New Faces on the Ice, at the Front Bench Make 2023 a Series of Firsts

02/06/2023

Stanley Cup Final Preview: New Faces on the Ice, at the Front Bench Make 2023 a Series of Firsts Lead Producer Kevin Brown, Lead Director Paul Hemming, TD Paul Harvath make their Stanley Cup Final debuts in those roles By Brandon Costa, Director of Digital

Friday, June 2, 2023 - 2:16 pm

Print This Story | Subscribe

Story Highlights

You never forget your first.

Never in the prestigious history of Warner Bros. Discovery Sports (formerly Turner Sports) has a major U.S. professional-sports champion been crowned on its air. That all changes when TNT becomes the exclusive home of the 2023 Stanley Cup Final, in the second year of the broadcaster's seven-year rights deal with the NHL.

Game 1 of the 2023 Stanley Cup Final begins at 8 p.m. ET on Saturday.

In fact, with Game 1 set for Saturday at 8 p.m. ET (pregame coverage starting at 7 p.m.), this entire Stanley Cup Final has new-ness in the air. Not only will either the Vegas Golden Knights (the second-youngest franchise in the NHL) or the Florida Panthers hoist the Cup for the first time in the franchise's history, but the entire front bench - Lead Producer Kevin Brown, Lead Director Paul Hemming, and Technical Director Paul Harvath - is working their first Stanley Cup Final.

Brown, a veteran of NBC Sports, worked on the studio side during the NHL's run with NBC and moved to what became WBD Sports in 2021. He has spent essentially his whole career working on the NHL in some capacity including helping produce the NHL's Bubble in Toronto in 2020 since graduating from Quinnipiac University in 2007.

This is a nice culmination of a couple of longtime partnerships, he says. My first day in the studio at OLN [which carried the NHL in 2005 before rebranding to Versus and then NBCSN], both [TNT game analyst] Keith Jones [also working on his first Stanley Cup Final] and Edzo [analyst Eddie Olczyk, entering his 16th Stanley Cup Final as lead analyst] were there. They were there for day one in my career, and now we're here for the biggest moment. One of our EVS operators was in the studio that night at OLN, too, and now here we are working the Stanley Cup together. It's great to get the chance to grow and have such awesome teammates around you.

Hemming, meanwhile, directed NHL games (including Stanley Cup Playoffs) for TSN and Sportsnet in Canada before moving to the RSN side in the U.S. and directing games for the San Jose Sharks on NBC Sports California and the Carolina Hurricanes at Fox Sports Carolinas/Bally Sports South. Harvath is no stranger to TDing on the big stage, having sat at the switcher on such events as the College Football Playoff National Championship and the Rose Bowl for ESPN and the World Series and MLB All-Star Game for Fox Sports.

For a Canadian, hockey is life, right? says Hemming. You put on skates just about as soon as you can walk. Growing up, I was a sports fan, I liked all sports, but hockey was nearest and dearest to my heart. Everything I did growing up was about hockey: playing ball hockey with your friends, it was always Game Seven. Pond hockey: it was Game Seven. I collected jerseys and hockey cards, went to games with my Dad. I directed my first NHL game in 1999, and, 24 years later, I feel like a kid again, with the opportunity to sit in the front bench for Stanley Cup. It's a dream assignment for me, and I am extremely grateful to have the opportunity.

The front bench will be working alongside other industry vets: A1 Tim Dunn; Graphics Lead Nico Gomez; Lead Replay Operator Jesse Radford; Lead Video Bob Gray; a corps of camera operators in Mike Pigeon, Matt Bachman, Carl Alaimo, Ryan Scott; and Lead Tech Manager Eric Grossman.

Although the personal milestones are impossible to ignore, none of the event's crew members are losing sight of the event's importance to the Warner Bros. Discovery Sports brand and the longstanding legacy of the former Turner Sports. Yes, the network has a storied history of carrying dramatic NBA and MLB Playoff games, UEFA Champions League matches, and the NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament (carrying the Final Four and National Championship Game multiple times), but this is a special first for the company and an NHL production and operations team assembled when Turner Sports struck its deal with the NHL in 2021.

WBD Sports' AnkleCam was deployed for TNT's coverage of the 2023 Eastern Conference Final. The angle is made possible by placing a robotic camera (shooting in shallow depth of field) behind glass in the bottom corner of the end boards of the rink. (Photo: WBD Sports)

When our group was put together two seasons ago, reflects Hemming, our marching orders from [EVP/Chief Content Officer] Craig Barry was to create the best NHL broadcast that anyone has ever seen. And they were not shy; they loaded us with an arsenal of production resources. I think, with the feedback that we've received over the past two seasons, it has been mission accomplished. We couldn't be more excited. Everybody on our crew is a diehard, passionate hockey fan. We all eat, sleep, and breathe it, and I do believe that you see that passion come through on our shows. Let's just say I'll probably have a tough time sleeping before Game 1.

How has WBD Sports lived up to its mission of creating the best NHL broadcast that anyone has ever seen ? Largely through the use of knowledgeable and passionate on-air talent on the game broadcast and in the studio, as well as through aggressive deployment of super-slow-motion cameras.

The TNT broadcast will have access to more than 40 camera angles in each Stanley Cup Final game, 33 of which are the broadcaster's own (resources are shared with the NHL and Canadian broadcast partner Sportsnet). Of those cameras, 12 are Sony 4300 super-slo-mos that will, in many cases, be shooting at 180
LINK: https://www.sportsvideo.org/2023/06/02/stanley-cup-final-preview-new-f...
See more stories from svg

Most recent headlines

04/12/2023

Dalet Releases Dalet Cut, the Fastest Web-based Editor

Dalet, a leading technology and service provider for media-rich organizations, announced the release of Dalet Cut, the cloud-native, lightning-fast multimedia a...

28/09/2023

Shortlist for Young Journalist Award 2023 revealed

An astonishing array of talented journalists from around the world have made it through to the shortlist for the Thomson Foundation Young Journalist Award 2023....

28/09/2023

Everything In Store for Podcast Listeners and Creators This International Podcast Day

At Spotify, you could say we think about podcasts 24/7. Spotify is now the most-...

28/09/2023

10 Years Later, HAIM Dishes on the Success of Debut Album Days Are Gone'

Ten years ago, L.A. trio HAIM announced its arrival to the world with the album Days Are Gone, an indie rock classic that has continued to resonate with fans ar...

28/09/2023

L3Harris Delivers Latest Anti-jam SATCOM at Northern Edge 2023

L3Harris Technologies successfully demonstrated the U.S. Department of Defense's (DOD) new anti-jam Satellite Communications (SATCOM) waveform at U.S. Indo-...

28/09/2023

Fox Television Stations Partner with Waymark on Generative AI Ads

NEW YORK Fox Television Stations (FTS) and Waymark have signed a groundbreaking local advertising deal that will see Waymark's Generative AI technology roll...

28/09/2023

Piecing together the jigsaw puzzle of Boiling Point

TVBEurope talks to editor Alex Fountain about his work on the BBCs new drama Boiling Point, and how hes followed the project from short to feature to TV By Jen...

28/09/2023

Calrec NAB NY 2023 Preview

Calrec will be showing its latest solutions to help broadcasters and OB suppliers to make a smooth transition to IP workflows and all the benefits they bring. T...

28/09/2023

Improved Website Creates More Streamlined and Engaging Ex...

Brightline, a leading manufacturer of lighting systems, has launched a dramatically enhanced website that includes an updated online store, easier navigation, a...

28/09/2023

Witbe to Bring Latest Automated Set-Top Box Testing and M...

At SCTE Cable-Tec Expo 2023, Witbe will showcase its powerful automated testing and proactive monitoring technology. In Booth 916, the company will demonstrate ...

28/09/2023

Marshall CV730 Enhances Live Streaming Experience at Cali...

NDI PTZ Camera's Unparalleled Video Quality and Versatility Deliver Fully Immersive Experience for Virtual Audience When the International House of Music ...

28/09/2023

Amagi Announces Strategic Alliance With TAG Video Systems...

Setting a new industry benchmark in digital channel monitoring, Amagi, the global leader in cloud-based SaaS technology for broadcast and connected TV, is proud...

28/09/2023

Accedo One Integrates with Hoopla Digital to Connect OTT...

Accedo has added out-of-the box integration for Accedo One with hoopla Digital. Integrated through hoopla's BingePass product, it instantly enables over-the...

28/09/2023

ViewNexa survey reveals dissatisfaction among subscribers...

Survey reveals that swathes of viewers are not properly catered for by the content on offer, creating an opportunity for new content services to build successfu...

28/09/2023

Quicklink Adds Support For SMPTE ST 2110

SWANSEA, U.K. Quicklink has begun supporting SMPTE ST 2110 with its Quicklink ST250 AI-enabled multicamera broadcast studio, ST150 studio-in-a-box, ST100, ST102...

28/09/2023

Study: FAST Revenues to Reach $17B in 2029

A new study from Digital TV Research is estimating that global FAST revenues for TV series and movies will reach $17 billion across 138 countries in 2029, up fr...

28/09/2023

CNN Max Launches in Beta on Max

NEW YORK Warner Bros. Discovery has announced that its streaming platform Max launched CNN Max on Sept. 27, making a 24/7 streaming news offering available to ...

28/09/2023

S&P Report: U.S. Cable Networks on a Downward Spiral

Cord cutting, a tougher TV ad market, competition from streaming services and lower ratings are cutting into cable TV network ad revenue, according to a new rep...

28/09/2023

Studio Technologies Enhances Broadcast Audio for Southern Methodist University

Studio Technologies Enhances Broadcast Audio for Southern Methodist University Brie Clayton September 27, 2023 0 Comments Announcer's Consoles and ...

28/09/2023

Midwest Film Co. Provides Still Photography and Motion Picture Scanning with Cintel Scanner

Midwest Film Co. Provides Still Photography and Motion Picture Scanning with Cin...

28/09/2023

V-Control Pro Now Supercharges Presonus FaderPort 8 and 16 Surfaces For Pro Tools

V-Control Pro Now Supercharges Presonus FaderPort 8 and 16 Surfaces For Pro Tool...

28/09/2023

Expanding VR Filmmaking: Canon's RF5.2mm F2.8 L Dual Fisheye VR Lens Adds Compatibility with EOS R6 Mark II

Expanding VR Filmmaking: Canon's RF5.2mm F2.8 L Dual Fisheye VR Lens Adds Co...

28/09/2023

The Ultimate Power in a Mobile Workstation

The Ultimate Power in a Mobile Workstation Colin Smith September 27, 2023 0 Comments Colin shows off his new Dell 7770 Precision Mobile Workstation and...

28/09/2023

Smoke Creation with Particle Playground in After Effects

Smoke Creation with Particle Playground in After Effects Andy Ford September 27, 2023 0 Comments One way to create smoke within After Effects is by usi...

28/09/2023

Durham Night Market Returns for Fall at American Tobacco

The Durham Night Market is back at American Tobacco! The open-air, family-friendly event returns for the fall on Thursday, September 28, 2023, running from 5-9p...

28/09/2023

WRAL-TV Finalist for 19 RTDNAC Awards, Including Outstanding News Operation for 2023

The Radio Television Digital News Association of the Carolinas (RTDNAC) has anno...

28/09/2023

Keeping Ukraine connected: Kyivstar CTO addresses GSMA Sec Con at MWC Las Vegas 2023

28 Sep 2023 Keeping Ukraine connected: Kyivstar CTO addresses GSMA Sec Con at M...

28/09/2023

Behind The Lens: SVG Europe Debuts New Video Series of Educational Videos to Inspire the Next Generation

Behind The Lens: SVG Europe Debuts New Video Series of Educational Videos to Ins...

28/09/2023

USFL, XFL Announce Intentions to Merge

USFL, XFL Announce Intentions to Merge Competing spring football leagues to join forces By Brandon Costa, Director of Digital Thursday, September 28, 2023 - ...

28/09/2023

U.S. Open Cup Final 2023: Telemundo Deportes Rolls Out New Mobile Unit for Local Production of Championship Match

U.S. Open Cup Final 2023: Telemundo Deportes Rolls Out New Mobile Unit for Local...

28/09/2023

Rubgy World Cup 2023: Host Broadcast Services, IMG Offer Look Behind the Scenes of Massive Production

Paris 2023: HBS and IMG go behind the scenes for the live and post production of...

28/09/2023

21/09/2023

*First look trailer here* *Preview episodes here* *Images here* *Interviews available* New horror anthology Night Bloomers sees stories from the Australian ...

28/09/2023

Trailer for Burning Betrayal features steamy scenes between co-stars Giovanna Lancellotti and Leandro Lima

Back to All News Trailer for Burning Betrayal features steamy scenes between co...

28/09/2023

Netflix Reveals Teaser & Date for 'Cocomelon Lane' and Unveils First Look at New Preschool Series

Back to All News Netflix Reveals Teaser & Date for Cocomelon Lane and Unveils F...

28/09/2023

Despite the Storm Clouds, IBC 2023 Had Energy, Direction and Pace

There seemed to be much trepidation ahead of this year's IBC. Would the Schiphol fiasco and train strike that blighted the escape from the RAI in 2022 be a...

28/09/2023

alter ego selects Baselight for new Santa Monica facility

LA's new commercials-focused post house installs two Baselight TWO systems and expands worldwide team alter ego, Canada's premiere commercial post-prod...

28/09/2023

EUTELSAT AND ONEWEB COMBINATION HERALDS NEW ERA IN SPACE CONNECTIVITY AS WORLD'S FIRST GEO-LEO OPERATOR

Press release - 28 September 2023 11:31 EUTELSAT AND ONEWEB COMBINATION HERAL...

28/09/2023

2023-09-28

Over the past five years, Apple has deepened its investments in the U.K., inaugurating a new U.K. headquarters and a new Apple Store at London's Battersea P...

28/09/2023

Tonight on House of Zwide: Zola feels vindicated as Zanele reports back that her friends

Tonight on House of Zwide: Zola feels vindicated as Zanele reports back that her...

28/09/2023

Is the MOON affecting YOU?

Is the MOON affecting YOU?But can the MOON and its phases really affect you? Here's what studies have to say about behaviour and changes in the sky. by Al...

28/09/2023

No Shaka ilembe season 2! Kwa-Zulu Natal royal houses threaten to shut down the production of season 2

No Shaka ilembe season 2! Kwa-Zulu Natal royal houses threaten to shut down the ...

28/09/2023

Streaming Today: Love Is In The Air on Netflix - 28 September 2023

Streaming Today: Love Is In The Air on Netflix - 28 September 2023Looking for something to watch tonight? Check out all the new streaming releases from all your...

28/09/2023

Tonight on Umkhokha: The Curse | MaMzobe defies all odds to bury her son on her own terms

Tonight on Umkhokha: The Curse | MaMzobe defies all odds to bury her son on her ...

28/09/2023

Tonight on Muvhango: Susan is offended when Shaz implies that she is behaving unnaturally

Tonight on Muvhango: Susan is offended when Shaz implies that she is behaving un...

28/09/2023

Tonight on Skeem Saam: Francois discovers that Chef Kgosi is in Little Paris

Tonight on Skeem Saam: Francois discovers that Chef Kgosi is in Little ParisFind out what's going on tonight on Skeem Saam!. Skeem Saam episodes airs on SAB...

28/09/2023

Tonight on Gomora: MK finds a hiding spot for the drugs

Tonight on Gomora: MK finds a hiding spot for the drugsDon't miss out on what's happening on tonight's episode of Gomora, and watch the latest episo...

28/09/2023

Tonight on Generations: Paul is fast starting to regret partnering with Loki

Tonight on Generations: Paul is fast starting to regret partnering with LokiKeen to know what's happening on the latest episode of Generations: The Legacy?....

28/09/2023

Tonight on Uzalo: Lilly makes an accidental introduction to her boo

Tonight on Uzalo: Lilly makes an accidental introduction to her booDon't get left behind, catch up on Uzalo now! Episodes of Uzalo air on SABC1 from Mondays...

28/09/2023

Tonight on Gqeberha: Msimelelo can't tell Funeka the truth

Tonight on Gqeberha: Msimelelo can't tell Funeka the truthDon't miss tonight's episode of Gqeberha: The Empire, and watch the latest episode on Mzan...

28/09/2023

Tonight on Smoke and Mirrors: Leroy appeals in vain to Mthetho to set Mamiki free

Tonight on Smoke and Mirrors: Leroy appeals in vain to Mthetho to set Mamiki fre...