History has a way of repeating itself as the saying goes and ESPN is leaning into its history in order to get people excited for the future of the NHL.
This season, the NHL starts new television deals with ESPN and TNT. Both networks have invested significant resources in bringing legendary names to fill out their in-studio and game broadcast crews. ESPN wants you to know what makes it different though is that unlike TNT, 2021 will not be its first NHL rodeo.
ESPN unveiled a new ad on Twitter on Thursday titled “History Lives Here.” The spot is narrated by Mark Messier and opens with a shot of the network’s tape vault.
Plenty of names and faces known well to longtime NHL and ESPN fans appear in the ad including the late Tom Mees and John Saunders. It also includes moments from the beginning of the network’s hockey coverage in 1979 all the way up to the 2004 Stanley Cup Finals, the last time NHL hockey was seen on ESPN.
From 2005 until the end of this past season, the NHL’s national TV rights belonged to NBC. NBC used the sport to transition OLN to Versus and then to NBCSN and launch marquee events like the Winter Classic and the NHL Stadium Series.
ESPN’s return to professional hockey starts on Tuesday, October 12 with a doubleheader. The Tampa Bay Lightning drop their newest championship banner against the Pittsburgh Penguins in the early game. The Seattle Kraken host the Vegas Golden Knights in their first-ever regular season game for the nightcap.
