The National Hockey League announced on Wednesday, March 10, that they have reached a $2.8 billion deal with ESPN. They will have rights to all NHL media, and the rights to broadcast 25 regular-season games on ESPN or ABC, early-round playoff series and one Conference Final each year, four Stanley Cup Final series on ABC, and more than 1,000 games per season streaming on ESPN+. ESPN+ and Hulu will be home to 75 ESPN-produced exclusive telecasts per season. But what is the impact the new ESPN TV deal has on the NHL?

This is huge for the NHL. Where the NHL is right now when it comes to ratings and popularity, there is no place to go but up because like it or not, the NHL will never be as big or as popular as MLB, NFL, or NBA. But that does not mean that the NHL won’t grow due to this deal. ESPN is the worldwide leader in sports without a question. And if hockey can cash in on this, it will grow not only grow the game domestically but also globally.

But in order for this to work, ESPN has to post more about hockey on their Instagram and Twitter feeds. The majority of sports fans now get their sports news from social media. If ESPN can post a sick highlight of Connor McDavid going end to end and scoring, a random sports fan who is just getting exposed to the sport will see this and know who McDavid is and get more interested. That is how sports get big, by getting casual fans.

This next subject is very touchy for some people but it needs to be talked about. Hockey is white and not diverse. 93% of the league is white and in 2021 that is ridiculous. There are other contributing factors like how expensive the sport is, but it also doesn’t reach non-white homes. And a good step to reach those homes is by going on a big sports network like ESPN. The NHL has made strides to diversify but there is still a long way to go.

The larger media coverage will allow for more fun personalities in the league. The NHL has been notoriously conformist when it came to individual personalities. The few fun personalities in the league are mostly from Europe like Alex Ovechkin and David Pastrňák, which only make up 27% of the league. Larger media coverage will allow for more personalities and make the league fun.

That’s a key thing for the league though, being fun. During the 1990s, what killed the league was when teams like the New Jersey Devils won games 1-0 or 2-1. And I know this will not sound good, but the Islanders will not be marketed that much on ESPN. The Islanders fit the description of those ’90s Devils that win games 2-1 and not score that much. The NHL should promote the physical aspect of the game but prioritize the scoring aspect of the game.

But ESPN must have good play-by-play announcers and analysts or this deal will go down the drain fast. If you have ever watched baseball on ESPN you know why this is a big concern. They cannot have Barry Melrose be on every broadcast in the playoffs or regular-season game. That will kill the sport and make it excruciating to watch for even die-hard hockey fans. They need to bring in guys like Brendan Burke, and especially Gary Thorne. Considering the retirement by Mike ‘Doc’ Emrick, the NHL is looking for its next voice.

They’re many different viewpoints and outcomes of this agreement between ESPN and the NHL. But this will end up being a great thing for the league, considering there is no place to go but up. ESPN will give the NHL more publicity and media attention and allow the sport to grow. The only way this deal goes wrong will entirely be on the NHL and Hockey in general by not allowing personalities to be shown.

This article originally included incorrect information about the NHL’s Collective Bargaining Agreement. The article has been amended to remove the incorrect information.

Jack Kobil

Hi, my name is Jack Kobil. I am currently attending Woodrow Wilson High School in Washington DC. I am a huge Islanders fan and I love to share my passion for this team.