Turner Sports is ready to take the ice for its inaugural season of NHL hockey across its networks and platforms. TNT’s NHL regular season opening week doubleheader on Wednesday, Oct. 13, will showcase the New York Rangers, led by Artemi Panarin, Mika Zibanejad and 2021 James Norris Memorial Trophy winner Adam Fox, visiting the Washington Capitals and their star-studded lineup highlighted by Alex Ovechkin, John Carlson and Evgeny Kuznetsov at 7:30 p.m. ET.
Later at 10 p.m., the 2021 Presidents’ Trophy winners Colorado Avalanche and Nathan MacKinnon will host the Chicago Blackhawks, with the anticipated Chicago debut of 2021-22 Vezina Trophy winner Marc-Andre Fleury.
NHL on TNT Face Off Presented by Verizon pre-game studio coverage will begin at 7 p.m., live from the brand-new, state-of-the-art NHL on TNT studio in Atlanta. Host Liam McHugh will be joined by “The Great One” Wayne Gretzky, 10-year NHL veteran Anson Carter, three-time Stanley Cup Champion Rick Tocchet, and hockey personality and former AHL & NHL veteran Paul Bissonnette.
Kenny Albert will provide play-by-play of the Rangers-Capitals matchup alongside game analyst Eddie Olczyk, with Keith Jones at ice-level. Brendan Burke will be on the call for Blackhawks-Avalanche with game analyst Darren Pang, and 15-year NHL veteran & 2013 Stanley Cup champion Jamal Mayers will provide analysis from ice-level.
Retired veteran NHL official Don Koharski will also join the NHL on TNT game telecasts throughout the night to provide insights and analysis based on his 32-year career in the NHL.
Turner Sports Debuts a Brand-New NHL on TNT Studio for the 2021-22 NHL Season
Based out of WarnerMedia Studios in Atlanta, the new NHL on TNT studio set includes first-of-its-kind front projection technology across every screen featuring over 1,000 square feet of LED tiles, totaling over 400 tiles that reach up to 13 feet high.
Additionally, it includes an area with over 50 feet of curved LED tiles allowing NHL on TNT talent to bring fans closer to the pre-game action.
Each detail of the set integrates the environment of the game including stadium lighting, a floor that resembles ice and a desk sitting on a large hockey puck.
Watch B/R Open Ice’s Andrew “Nasher” Telfer give a sneak peek inside the new studio.
“It’s Our Shift” Marketing Campaign Launches for Start of NHL Season on TNT
A shift in the game of hockey affects everything from speed to style of play. In this marketing campaign, Turner Sports – for the first time – uses first person view (FPV) racing drones to shoot 45 of the top players in the NHL, to dramatically showcase the speed and skill on the ice and get fans excited for a new shift of hockey coverage on TNT.
“It’s Our Shift” – produced by Turner Sports – features 15-, 30- and 60-second versions that will run across NHL social, digital, and traditional media platforms and additionally across the Turner Sports networks.
Click here to watch the campaign.
NHL on TNT Regular Season & Playoffs Schedule
The NHL on TNT’s weekly schedule will include exclusive coverage on 25 Wednesday nights throughout the season – including 15 doubleheaders. Starting in Spring 2022, the network will add seven weeks of Sunday afternoon telecasts for March and April.
TNT will also be the home of the NHL’s marquee outdoor games this season: the 2022 Discover NHL Winter Classic on Saturday, Jan. 1, the 2022 Navy Federal Credit Union NHL Stadium Series on Saturday, Feb. 26, and the 2022 Tim Hortons NHL Heritage Classic on Sunday, March 13.
Announced earlier this year, Turner Sports’ multi-year NHL agreement will include crowning a champion through its exclusive live coverage of the Stanley Cup Final on TNT in three of the seven years; half of the Stanley Cup Playoffs each year (half of the Conference Finals, First and Second Round games); and expansive digital and highlight rights for Bleacher Report, House of Highlights and additional platforms.
Live streaming coverage of all NHL on TNT games will be available via the WatchTNT app on mobile, tablet and connected TV devices and at http://www.tntdrama.com/watchtnt.
Fans will be able to access the games whenever and wherever they desire by logging in with the username and password provided by their TV service provider.
