The NHL on TNT is entering its third season on the air since inking a seven-year media rights contract with the National Hockey League, bringing fans all of the action from a sport burgeoning in popularity. Warner Bros. Discovery is coming off its first broadcast of the Stanley Cup Final, the first that was exclusive to cable television in 29 years. It will now look to pair its game offerings with the Bleacher Report-branded sports tier on the Max streaming service in an effort to expand its audience and make the contests more accessible to fans.
The network will showcase a preseason doubleheader on Thursday, Oct. 5 before the start of the regular season, marking the return of the acclaimed studio team. Wayne Gretzky, Anson Carter, Paul Bissonnette and Henrik Lundqvist, all of whom recently signed multi-year contract extensions with Warner Bros. Discovery Sports, will join host Liam McHugh for pregame, intermission and postgame coverage for featured games. Following a year where the cast culminated the program from Las Vegas, Nev. for the Stanley Cup Final between the Vegas Golden Knights and Florida Panthers, they aim to utilize the energy evinced from the experience to propel the show to new heights this year.
“For me, first time doing it in-arena – I’ve been doing that for two years during regular season and a few games in the playoffs from the studio,” Lundqvist said. “To get an opportunity to do the show from the arena and get the atmosphere, that was awesome. We’re not playing, but you can definitely feel that energy in the building, and that’s something I’ll remember going forward.”
Lundqvist joined the NHL on TNT throughout last season on a more regular basis, balancing the role with duties at Madison Square Garden both in a business operations role and as a studio analyst with MSG Networks. Bringing the perspective of a goaltender to the air is an invaluable facet of the panel that is very much a deficiency on other regional sports networks around the league. Furthermore, it allows host Liam McHugh to better utilize the studio analysts, accentuating their strengths to set them up for success.
“I think that’s kind of what makes this group special,” McHugh said. “We all want to hear what each other has to say. We’re interested in the stories, and if someone says something stupid, everyone else on this panel lets them know about it.”
While the panel was in Las Vegas for the Stanley Cup, Lundqvist revealed that it had production meetings on a daily basis to devise a plan to combat the high noise level within T-Mobile Arena. With amplitudes potentially at risk of peaking, it was essential that the entire team ensure that they would be able to produce a broadcast that was easily understood and discernible to the viewing audience. Throughout the night, there is always constant communication between employees in the production niche and the on-air talent in front of the camera.
“[It is] trying to explain and make hockey entertaining for an American audience,” Bissonnette said. “Oftentimes we’ll be behind there in the back of the set and if something happens, we’re saying, ‘Hey should we demo this?’…. I think you guys can see how it comes to light with not only the help of the other guys on the panel, but the people behind the scenes as well.”
Being within the championship atmosphere, McHugh found value in being able to call on players who have experience competing for hockey’s ultimate prize. Even if it involved consistent battles against the noise, conversations with these analysts were heard loud and clear.
“It’s so great to have Gretzy and Hank in an atmosphere where the Stanley Cup is on the line and you have guys with experience who have been in that situation,” McHugh said. “I think what we’ve all learned is [to] lean on the guys who have been there.”
In addition to his role with the NHL on TNT, Bissonnette is the host of the extolled Spittin’ Chiclets podcast and frequently contributes to the game of hockey through a variety of other mediums. There is a contrast in his style between both platforms, underscored by neglecting to pester New York Rangers fans while representing TNT as he does on the podcast, but he is still evolving and considers himself fortunate to be among versatile, adept personalities.
“I think from year one to year two, we continued to continue bringing the things we felt we were strong in and added a lot of new components as well,” Bissonnette expressed. “It’s been a blast; it’s been a great learning experience.”
The studio broadcast drew inspiration from Inside the NBA, the heralded National Basketball Association program with Ernie Johnson, Shaquille O’Neal, Kenny “The Jet” Smith and Charles Barkley that has become a fixture among NBA fans. Viewers have observed a strong, palpable chemistry among this group, who look forward to an exciting 2023-24 season and preparing for another Stanley Cup broadcast in the year afterwards. Through their camaraderie and congeniality that complements the traditional live game broadcast coverage, the studio team is poised to continue their improvement over the life of the broadcast deal and continue disseminating their insight and expertise to a national audience.
“I’m just having a blast with this crew, and to me, that’s what it comes down to,” Lundqvist said. “I love being connected to the game, but in the end, it’s about the crew and having fun every time we see each other.”
