Well this is awesome news for the NHL, ESPN and hockey fans.
Per reports, including from USA TODAY Sports, the Worldwide Leader has a deal for seven years to broadcast NHL games, bringing back the league it showed on the network from 1992 to 2004.
Look, nostalgia in 2021 can be overrated and overwhelming sometimes. We have too many reboots and reimaginings and such.
But here is a case where we just want the same things we had with the NHL on ESPN back in the day.
This means two things: first, whatever Gary Thorne is doing these days (he is no longer calling Baltimore Orioles games for MASN), it’s time for ESPN to throw him a big contract and get him back to doing play-by-play like he used to. That deep voice going to the upper registers sent chills down our spine for years with moments like this (“SCORRRRRRRRRRRRE!”):
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zqArFH7uYf0
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ynr0JECTMK4
The second thing? Just bring back the old theme song, no changes whatsoever. I named it the 15th best sports theme back in the day and I would rank it much higher now.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8PReim0Axt4
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MfOB3jzfpoU&t=25s
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IwbJ0R4IgGU
This is too easy. Don’t change what we loved in this case. It ain’t broke, don’t fix it.
And welcome back to ESPN, NHL!
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