NHL Radio
| Other names | NHL Game of the Week[1] |
|---|---|
| Genre | Sports |
| Country of origin |
|
| Language(s) | English |
| Announcer | See below |
| Created by | Westwood One |
| Recording studio | The site of the games |
| Original release | 1993 – present |
| Audio format | Stereophonic sound |
NHL Radio is the official national radio broadcaster of the National Hockey League, covering the Stanley Cup Finals, both Conference Finals, selected early round playoff action, the All-Star Game, the NHL Winter Classic and a selected number of regular-season games. The package was distributed by Westwood One[2] and premiered in the 1993-94 season. This arrangement lasted through the end of the 2007-08 season[3] until it was relaunched for the 2016 Stanley Cup Finals, through the network's NBC Sports Radio service.[4] The contract was continued for the 2016-17 season with a playoff game of the week, both conference finals, the Stanley Cup Finals, the Winter Classic and select regular season games being added.[5] The NBC Sports Radio brand was dropped in 2020; Westwood One will syndicate the broadcasts directly.[6] In 2021, Sports USA Radio Network took over the national radio rights to the NHL.[7][8]
NHL Radio's blackout rules
[edit]Within 75 miles of a team's home arena, only stations the team or its flagship station contracts with can carry those games, regardless if the team is home or away. Thus, any competing station that carries national broadcasts cannot air those games.
Unlike Westwood One's NFL coverage and other leagues' radio coverage, there have never been any blackout restrictions on internet streaming of NHL games. Also, during the Stanley Cup Finals, there is also no requirement that only the 2 participating teams' flagship stations are allowed to carry coverage, as is the case with the NFL during the Super Bowl and Major League Baseball during the World Series; local network affiliates may continue to carry the local broadcast and are not forced to carry the Sports USA feed.
Commentators
[edit]Current
- John Ahlers
- Pat Foley
- John Forslund
- Jack Michaels
- Judd Sirott
- Nick Olczyk
- Jim Fox
- Joe Micheletti
- Brian Hayward
- Billy Jaffe
Former
- Kenny Albert
- Bob Beers
- Brian Boucher
- Roxy Bernstein
- Doug Brown
- Bill Clement
- Greg Dickerson[9]
- Darren Eliot
- Jim Fox
- Ray Ferraro
- Dave Goucher
- Sean Grande
- Steve Goldstein
- Gary Green
- Matt McConnell[10]
- Eddie Olczyk
- Darren Pang
- Howie Rose[11]
- Sam Rosen
- Sherry Ross
- Dan Rusanowsky
- Dave Strader
- Ralph Strangis[12]
- Joe Tolleson
- John Vanbiesbrouck
Stanley Cup Finals commentating crews
[edit]See also
[edit]References
[edit]- ^ Westwood One: NHL Game of the Week
- ^ NHL Radio no longer on Westwood One
- ^ If you're looking for the Stanley Cup finals on radio, you can stop hitting the buttons. Unless you have the XM satellite service, you aren't finding the games. Unlike years past, no national radio network is carrying the event. Thus in the St. Louis market - where listeners can hear indoor football, women's soccer, Frontier League baseball and high school sports - the championship series in one of the supposed "major" sports is a no-show. "In the past, the Stanley Cup finals were carried by Westwood One, but they don't have it this year and nobody offered it to us, said Jason Barrett, programming director at sports-talk station WXOS (101.1 FM).
- ^ "NBC Sports Radio Named Exclusive National Terrestrial Radio Partner for the 2016 Stanley Cup Final". 10 May 2016.
- ^ "The NHL returns to Westwood One in 2017". Westwood One Sports. December 5, 2016.
- ^ Venta, Lance (March 5, 2020). "Westwood One To Cease Distribution Of NBC Sports Radio". Radio Insight.
- ^ "Schedules".
- ^ "About Us".
- ^ "Greg Dickerson - CSN New England Sideline Reporter | Celtics.com - The official website of the Boston Celtics". www.nba.com. Archived from the original on 2010-11-17.
- ^ "SI.com - Hockey - Roundup: Stars lend name to suburban Dallas country club - Wednesday August 13, 2003 06:53 PM". Archived from the original on 2012-11-03. Retrieved 2010-11-12.
- ^ He also called the 1993 and 1994 NHL All-Star Games and the 1993 Stanley Cup Finals for the NHL Radio Network. Archived 2008-05-30 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ Over the last five seasons, Ralph has also done play-by-play and ice-level reporting for NHL Radio for World Cup and NHL regular season and playoff games, including the last two Western Conference Final series’. Archived 2007-10-12 at the Wayback Machine