6 things we loved about the NHL on ESPN the first time around

What a legendary theme song.

Hockey is back.

More so, hockey is back on ESPN where, for a generation of us, it feels like it belongs.

There’s probably a discussion to be had about whether NBC ever optimized its NHL coverage. And also one about ESPN’s thinly veiled reticence to cover a sport that had moved to a different network.

All that is behind us now, though, and we’re … well, mostly we’re frantically trying to figure out how to stream games on ESPN+. But once that’s all sorted — and here’s a handy guide! (synergy) — we’ll settle in and see how this reunion works out for both sides.

But before that, let’s indulge in some nostalgia and remember what we loved about the NHL on ESPN the first time around.