NHL Radio is the official national radio broadcaster of the National Hockey League, covering the Stanley Cup Finals, both Conference Finals, selected early round playoff action, the All-Star Game, the NHL Winter Classic and a selected number of regular-season games. The package was distributed by Westwood One and premiered in the 1993-94 season. This arrangement lasted through the end of the 2007-08 season until it was relaunched for the 2016 Stanley Cup Finals, through the network's NBC Sports Radio service. The contract was continued for the 2016-17 season with a playoff game of the week, both conference finals, the Stanley Cup Finals, the Winter Classic and select regular season games being added. The NBC Sports Radio brand was dropped in 2020; Westwood One will syndicate the broadcasts directly. In 2021, Sports USA Radio Network took over the national radio rights to the NHL.
NHL Radio's blackout rules
Within 75 miles of a team's home arena, only stations the team or its flagship station contracts with can carry those games, regardless if the team is home or away. Thus, any competing station that carries national broadcasts cannot air those games.
Unlike Westwood One's NFL coverage and other leagues' radio coverage, there have never been any blackout restrictions on internet streaming of NHL games. Also, during the Stanley Cup Finals, there is also no requirement that only the 2 participating teams' flagship stations are allowed to carry coverage, as is the case with the NFL during the Super Bowl and Major League Baseball during the World Series; local network affiliates may continue to carry the local broadcast and are not forced to carry the Sports USA feed.
Commentators
Current
- John Ahlers
- Pat Foley
- John Forslund
- Jack Michaels
- Judd Sirott
- Nick Olczyk
- Jim Fox
- Joe Micheletti
- Brian Hayward
- Billy Jaffe
Former
- Kenny Albert
- Bob Beers
- Brian Boucher
- Roxy Bernstein
- Doug Brown
- Bill Clement
- Greg Dickerson
- Darren Eliot
- Jim Fox
- Ray Ferraro
- Dave Goucher
- Sean Grande
- Steve Goldstein
- Gary Green
- Matt McConnell
- Eddie Olczyk
- Darren Pang
- Howie Rose
- Sam Rosen
- Sherry Ross
- Dan Rusanowsky
- Dave Strader
- Ralph Strangis
- Joe Tolleson
- John Vanbiesbrouck
Stanley Cup Finals commentating crews
See also
- National Hockey League on the radio
References
External links
- NHL on NBC Sports Radio/Westwood One | Free Internet ...
- NHL on NBC Sports Radio
- Fang's Bites: Westwood One Radio's Announcing Assignments for the NHL Conference Finals
- Fang's Bites: Westwood One Radio's Announcing Assignments for the NHL Stanley Cup Finals
