The 2023 Stanley Cup Playoffs began on Monday night, with ESPN carrying national coverage of several Game 1 contests. In the first round of the playoffs, each competing team’s regional sports network carries coverage locally in addition to national broadcasts.
On 98.5 The Sports Hub in Boston, the Zolak & Bertrand crew didn’t bother switching to ESPN for Game 1 of the Bruins/Panthers series. They watched instead on NESN.
Co-host Marc Bertrand said he’s been largely disappointed in how The Worldwide Leader has covered the NHL even two years into this new media rights deal.
“I don’t like their coverage. I thought ESPN and the NHL getting back together was going to be a good thing,” he said on Tuesday’s show. “I thought it would lead to more promotion of the league, more discussion of the league, more focusing on that league and all their different shows that they do things with. I could not have been more wrong. They are still the red-headed stepchild at that network. Even though they now air their games.”
Beetle added that it’s clear ESPN sees hockey as lesser than some of the other sports that get dedicated airtime.
“The ESPN brand has not treated the NHL the same way they do the NBA. Not even close,” he said.
Bertrand went on to say that he does get shows like First Take not making the NHL a regular part of their discussions because it doesn’t attract the broad national audience like talking the NBA or NFL would.
