Sean McDonough is a name you can pronounce in the same breaths as legends such as Keith Jackson, Al Michaels, and others. The fact that McDonough became only the fifth person to hold ESPN’s Monday Night Football play-by-play makes him a legend in his own right. However, ESPN sportscaster once again proved why he is considered among the best on Thursday.
After calling the first hockey game since last year’s Stanley Cup (Game 7) on Saturday, ESPN’s lead play-by-play caster returned for round two of Canada vs. USA on Thursday. Ahead of his first call on February 15, ESPN explained that McDonough was dealing with flu and wanted to conserve his voice for the big match. Four days later, he showed up once again when it mattered the most.
Sean McDonough joined Thursday’s final as the caster, beating his illness and adding yet another feather to his cap. That’s because the 4 Nations Face-Off final set rating records for ESPN. Besides the match being one of the most-watched hockey matches the 62-year-old commentated on, the 3-2 thriller garnered the largest audience for a hockey game on ESPN, period.
With an average of nearly 9.3 million people tuning in, ESPN revealed that the broadcast peaked at 10.7 concurrent viewers. In fact, the network admitted excluding regular pro and college football coverage, the 4 Nations final viewership came in second only to last year’s NBA finals. So despite battling the flu, it’s safe to say that McDonough has already set the bar high in 2025.
Most-watched broadcasts called by Sean McDonough over the past year:
1. Orange Bowl: Notre Dame-Penn State (17.80M)
2. Sugar Bowl: Notre Dame-Georgia (15.80M)
3. CFP 1st round: Indiana-Notre Dame (13.39M)
4. Alabama-Tennessee (10.23M)
5. Four Nations Championship (9.25M)
— Sports TV News & Updates (@TVSportsUpdates) February 21, 2025
Unfortunately, Sean McDonough’s tussle with the illness might not have come to an end yet. That’s because this isn’t the first time illness has cost the ESPN commentator. As per Awful Announcing and the New York Post, the veteran sportscast has missed quite a few dates since last year thanks to health concerns. In fact, McDonough was having a tough time before the historic match.
Sean McDonough has struggled to get into his stride
Awful Announcing revealed that the MNF caster multiple calls in 2025. Two hockey games on ABC were among them. Braylon Breeze noted that McDonough missed two ABC hockey games on the last Sundays before the 4 nations. Mike Monaco replaced the veteran commentator and even hinted at illness. Mike Monaco said that McDonough was feeling “under the weather,” as per Breeze.
He couldn’t show up for Team USA vs. Finland during the 4 Nations Face-Off, either. “After the conclusion of Finland-Sweden, Bob Wischusen confirmed on the ABC broadcast that Sean McDonough will be on the call for USA-Canada (February 15),” Braylon Breeze posted hours just ahead of this year’s first USA-Canada clash.
Unfortunately, this is nothing new for McDonough. The sportscaster has been dealing with about of illness since 2024. As per the New York Post, ESPN has also cited “illness” as the reason for McDonough’s absence during the NHL Eastern Conference Final on May 24, 2024. So despite being part of history on just his second hockey game, the concerns surrounding McDonough’s health still remain.
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