NHL opening game: ESPN analyst misses it
The NHL season kicks off in just one week! After a long summer of waiting, it’s impossible not to be excited, isn’t it? Especially if you’re an employee of the firm that will be broadcasting a lot of games as well as the Stanley Cup, right? That’s the message ESPN analyst Ben McDonald probably didn’t get. The MLB analyst who was working on the Cubs playoff game earlier today was called out by the host on the Chicago Blackhawks opening game. ESPN will be showing that game next Tuesday, and let’s just say the analyst dropped it.
“There is zero chance I’ll be watching, I’m just gonna be honest with you.”
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ABC/ESPN MLB analyst Ben McDonald with a ringing endorsement of ESPN’s NHL Opening Night coverage. pic.twitter.com/OaWXf68hsy
– Awful Announcing (@awfulannouncing) October 1, 2025
“There’s zero chance I’ll be watching this, I’m just gonna be honest with you. I don’t know what I’m going to do, but there’s no way I’m listening.”
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Ben McDonald
This isn’t the first time ESPN has dropped it. The channel, which recently signed a deal to broadcast the WWE, seems more interested in other sports than NHL hockey.
This is not a good look for one of the National Broadcast partners in the US t& has the Stanley Cup Final this year
Again not saying this is happening cuz there is no out clause but money does the talking More Here:https://t.co/4xI2yEVKJF #nhl #espn https://t.co/tfvxFeBRHU pic.twitter.com/NTXMNW2tSK– Jim Biringer (@JimBiringer) October 1, 2025
That’s the conclusion of Full Press Media reporter Jim Biringer. He cites the 2025 series, where we had to wait until the final game to hear about Connor McDavid and his possible Conn Symthe [content-ads] He’s not wrong. ESPN is really more focused on the NBA and NFL, and McDonald’s situation is hard to understand. He could simply have kept his mouth shut or given a positive message about the game. We often see this on RDS or TVA Sports when the hosts announce the presentation of another sporting event unrelated to the one being broadcast at the time. Both the commentator and the analysis don’t comment, unless it serves to promote the event in question. We’ll see if there are consequences, but let’s just say it wasn’t the best of ideas. [spacer title=’Overtime’] – New York fights back.
Yankees lift the Bronxhttps://t.co/gk9irt6ATx–
RDS (@RDSca) October 2, 2025
– Pretty interesting.
The Florian Xhekaj & Ivan Demidov bromance is blossoming
pic.twitter.com/FCQOsGkfVp– /r/Habs (@HabsOnReddit) October 2, 2025
– Another case to follow.
Greg Wyshynski: In Jack Eichel’s case the sense I get is that it’s less about than the money than it is about the term, how long do they want to commit – The Sheet (9/30)
– NHL Rumour Report (@NHLRumourReport) October 2, 2025