NHL on ABC
| NHL on ABC | |
|---|---|
| Also known as | ABC Hockey Saturday ABC Hockey Sunday |
| Genre | NHL hockey telecasts |
| Presented by | Sean McDonough Ray Ferraro Emily Kaplan Bob Wischusen Kevin Weekes Leah Hextall Mike Monaco A. J. Mleczko Stormy Buonantony Dave Jackson Steve Levy John Buccigross Mark Messier P. K. Subban Arda Ocal |
| Theme music composer | Bob Christianson |
| Country of origin | United States |
| Original language | English |
| No. of seasons | 2 (1993–1994 version) 5 (2000–2004 version) 7 (2021 version) 14 (total) |
| Production | |
| Production locations | Various NHL arenas (game telecasts and some pregame, intermission segments and occasional postgame) ESPN's Bristol, CT studios (pregame, intermission segments and occasional postgame) |
| Camera setup | Multi-camera |
| Running time | 210 minutes or until game ends (inc. adverts) |
| Production companies | ABC Sports (1993–1994 and 2000–2004) ESPN (2000–2004 and 2021–present) |
| Original release | |
| Network | ABC ESPN+ (simulcasts, 2021–present) ESPN DTC (simulcasts, 2025–present) ESPNews (overflow during doubleheader weeks) |
| Release | April 18, 1993 – May 1, 1994 |
| Release | February 6, 2000 – June 7, 2004 |
| Release | November 26, 2021 – present |
| Related | |
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| Infobox instructions (only shown in preview) | |
The NHL on ABC (also known as ABC NHL) is an American presentation of the National Hockey League (NHL) games produced by ABC Sports and ESPN, and televised on the ABC television network, its cable channel ESPN and streaming service ESPN DTC.
ABC first broadcast NHL games during the 1993 Stanley Cup playoffs on April 18, 1993, under a two-year time-buy agreement with ESPN. After two years, the NHL left ABC for newcomer Fox, while remaining with ESPN.
As part of a joint contract with ESPN, which was reached right before the 1998–99 season, the NHL returned to ABC on February 6, 2000, with their coverage of the 2000 NHL All-Star Game in Toronto. Regular season game telecasts returned to ABC on March 18, 2000. ABC also gained the rights to select weekend games from each round of the Stanley Cup playoffs and the last five games of the Stanley Cup Finals, including any if-needed ones. After the 2004 Stanley Cup Finals, the NHL left ABC again, this time for NBC because Disney executives admitted that they overpaid for the 1999–2004 deal. ESPN, who was set to continue with the NHL, later dropped it from their schedules after the 2004–05 lockout.
On March 10, 2021, ESPN announced a new contract to hold half of the NHL's media rights beginning in the 2021–22 season. In this deal, ABC will broadcast up to 10 regular season games per season, primarily late-season games of the week (branded as ABC Hockey Saturday presented by Honda (formerly Expedia and Hotels.com) for sponsorship purposes), and the All-Star Game. ABC exclusively televises the Stanley Cup Finals in even-numbered years. All games carried by ABC are streamed on ESPN+ and, since 2025, ESPN DTC.
Like other U.S. national NHL broadcasts, games may be available in Canada on Sportsnet or streamed on Sportsnet+ as part of a 12-year agreement with the NHL that lasts to the end of the 2025–26 season (it was later extended another 12 years to 2037–38 season), subject to blackout restrictions.