The NHL and broadcasting woes are a pair that fans would rather forget. The only problem is, they can’t even if they wanted to. Ever since the National Hockey League ended its relationship with NBC, the fans have yet to find an alternative that gives them the same kind of experience. However, ESPN isn’t making things easy for fans to show their love for the NHL’s newer collaborations.
Round 2 of the 2025 playoffs has begun! The defending champs, the Florida Panthers, after defeating arch in-state rivals, the Tampa Bay Lightning, have arrived at the Scotiabank Arena to take on the Toronto Maple Leafs. With multiple networks covering the high-stakes match between the Atlantic Division heavyweights, fans couldn’t help but fume at how the NHL experience was diluted by ESPN.
The NHL Announcer Schedules took to X on May 5 to highlight how it was a whole different experience in the coverage of the Panthers vs Leafs game by ESPN and Sportsnet. With TNT not covering today’s game, fans had to settle for ESPN to stay updated. However, that didn’t go very well. To assert its argument, the social media post shared the moment the Leafs’ William Nylander scored the first goal of the game. In the first section of the video, ESPN’s Mike Monaco’s play-by-play commentary can be heard.
But it wasn’t as exciting as you’d expect an NHL playoff game to be. With a toned-down fan’s cheer to make Monaco’s voiceover come through, it wasn’t the kind of celebration you’d want after a goal. On the other hand, Sportsnet’s coverage allows the fans to fully live the moment as the cheer of the fans from the Scotiabank Arena can be fully heard.
The difference in broadcast audio for the opening goal of the Panthers–Maple Leafs between ESPN and Sportsnet: pic.twitter.com/uW5puu4l25
— NHL Announcer Schedules (@AnnouncersNHL) May 6, 2025
Noting the difference in approaching the game, NHL fans were furious with ESPN. “So embarrassing for the NHL, ESPN has never cared about hockey at all,” slammed one fan who had had enough of the network, placing its own needs on priority rather than focusing on the fan experience.
The story is developing…
The post Calls Mount Against ESPN as NHL Fans Highlight Major Coverage Issue After TNT’s Mishap: “So Embarrassing” appeared first on EssentiallySports.
