NHL to Produce Local Broadcasts for Hurricanes and Three Other Teams

The NHL will produce and distribute local game broadcasts for the Carolina Hurricanes, Columbus Blue Jackets, Minnesota Wild and St. Louis Blues when the season begins in late September. The league announced the centralized production plan on Tuesday.

Seven franchises had agreements last season with Main Street Sports, which operated 15 regional channels under the FanDuel Sports Network brand before going out of business at the end of the past season. Steve Mayer, the NHL's president of events and content, said the league had prepared for the possibility. “I think we’ve been looking at this day for a long time.

If something happened in the middle of last season, we would’ve been quickly able to mobilize and not miss a beat,” he said. The Detroit Red Wings will air games on Detroit SportsNet, run by Ilitch Sports + Entertainment. The Los Angeles Kings will broadcast on Angels Broadcast TV, formerly FanDuel Sports Network West.

The Nashville Predators reached an agreement with Scripps Sports at the end of last season. The NHL also hired Rob McGlarry as general manager of local media. Mayer said NHL Productions plans to add more cameras, enhanced replays and graphics that match national network standards while retaining local announcers.

Major League Baseball began centralized local broadcasts in 2023 and is handling 15 teams this season. The NBA expects a centralized streaming hub by the 2027-28 season. David Proper, NHL chief media officer and senior EVP, said the industry faces rapid change across distribution, partnerships and production.

The league said additional clubs may be added before the season starts.