The NHL on ABC
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| The NHL on ABC | |
|---|---|
 The NHL on ABC logo for their 1999-2004 coverage. |
|
| Genre | Sports |
| Starring | John Saunders Gary Thorne Mike Emrick Al Michaels Bill Clement Jim Schoenfeld John Davidson Al Morganti Barry Melrose Chris Berman Steve Levy Dave Strader Darren Pang Brian Engblom Erin Andrews Sam Ryan |
| Theme music composer | Bob Christianson |
| Country of origin |  United States |
| Language(s) | English |
| No. of seasons | 2 (1992-1994 version) 5 (1999-2004 version) |
| Production | |
| Running time | 150 minutes or until game ends, with an option to dump out at 180 minutes |
| Broadcast | |
| Original channel | ABC |
| Original run | February 6, 2000 – June 7, 2004 |
| Chronology | |
| Related shows | ESPN National Hockey Night |
| External links | |
| Official website | |
The NHL on ABC is a former TV show that televised National Hockey League games on the American Broadcasting Company and was produced by ABC's corporate sibling (under the Walt Disney Company umbrella) ESPN.
Contents |
[edit] Before the 1992-93 NHL season
In 1979, ABC was contracted to televise Game 7 of Stanley Cup Finals. Since the Finals ended in five games, the contract was void. Had there been a seventh game, then Al Michaels (play-by-play), Jim McKay (anchor, under the Wide World of Sports umbrella), Bobby Clarke (color commentator) and Frank Gifford (reporter) would've called it.
[edit] 1992–1994 version
From the 1992–1993 season to the 1993–1994 season, ABC televised six weekly regional telecasts on Sunday afternoons beginning in March (or the last three Sundays of the regular season). ABC would then televise three weeks worth of playoff games (or the first three Sundays of the playoffs). They didn't televise the Stanley Cup Finals which instead, were televised nationally by ESPN and by Prime Ticket in Los Angeles (1993) and MSG in New York (1994). Games televised on ABC were not subject to blackout.
These broadcasts (just as the case was with the 1999-2004 package) were essentially, time buys by ESPN. The main difference is that the graphics were ABC Sports' instead of the ones seen on ESPN National Hockey Night. In later years, the roles would be reversed as ESPN's graphical style would be used with the exception of intermission reports. ABC even used ESPN's theme music for the 1992–1994 coverage. During ABC's next stint with the NHL, they had their own theme music (composed by Bob Christianson[1]).
[edit] Announcers
[edit] Studio hosts
[edit] Play-by-play men
[edit] Color commentators
[edit] Reporters
[edit] 1999-2004 version
In August 1998, ABC, ESPN, and ESPN2 signed a five year deal worth a total of approximately $600 million (or $120 million per year).
This time around, ABC televised four to five weeks worth of regional games on Saturday afternoons beginning in January. ABC also televised the National Hockey League All-Star Game and Games 3–7 of the Stanley Cup Finals in prime time.
Following the 2003–04 season, ABC/ESPN was only willing to renew for two years at $60 million per year. ABC executives later conceded that they overpaid for the 1999–2004 deal, so their offered to renew the TV rights was lower in 2004[2].
[edit] Announcers
[edit] Studio hosts
John Saunders, John Davidson (studio analyst from 1999-2002), and Barry Melrose (studio analyst from 2003–2004)
[edit] Stanley Cup Finals hosts
Al Michaels (1999-2002); Chris Berman (2003-2004)
[edit] Play-by play men
[edit] Color commentators
- Bill Clement and John Davidson (2003–2004)
- Darren Pang
- Barry Melrose (1999–2002), Brian Engblom (2002–2004)
[edit] Ratings
[edit] Stanley Cup Finals
| Year | Teams | Games Carried | Rating |
| 2000 | New Jersey-Dallas | 3, 4, 5, 6 | 3.7 |
| 2001 | Colorado-New Jersey | 3, 4, 5, 6, 7 | 3.3 |
| 2002 | Detroit-Carolina | 3, 4, 5 | 3.6 |
| 2003 | New Jersey-Anaheim | 3, 4, 5, 6, 7 | 2.9 |
| 2004 | Tampa Bay-Calgary | 3, 4, 5, 6, 7 | 2.6 |
[edit] Regular season
| Season | Number of Dates | Rating |
| 1999–00 | 4 | 1.3 |
| 2000–01 | 5 | 1.1 |
| 2001–02 | 5 | 1.4 |
| 2002–03 | 5 | 1.1 |
| 2003–04 | 5 | 1.1 |
[edit] All-Star Game
| Year | Rating |
| 2000 | 2.7 |
| 2001 | 1.7 |
| 2002 | 1.8 |
| 2003 | 1.7 |
| 2004 | 1.8 |
[edit] References
[edit] External links
- TV Theme - ABC, NHL.wav
- ABC Sports announces its hockey broadcast teams
- ABC's 2002-2003 NHL schedule
- NHL, ESPN-ABC Seek Viewers
- NHL's 1999-2000 Television Schedule Open this result in new window
- OVERNIGHT TV RATINGS JUMP 60 PERCENT FOR NHL ON ABC
- RGJ.com - ABC to add fifth day of NHL coverage in 2000-01
| Preceded by SportsChannel America and NBC |
NHL network broadcast partner (with ESPN) in the United States 1992 - 1994 |
Succeeded by ESPN and FOX |
| Preceded by FOX and ESPN |
NHL network broadcast partner (with ESPN) in the United States 2000 - 2004 |
Succeeded by Versus and NBC |
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| American Football: Monday Night Football* | Saturday Night Football |
| Auto Racing: NASCAR |
| Baseball: Monday Night Baseball* | Baseball Night in America* | Major League Baseball on ABC* |
| Basketball: NBA on ABC | NBA Countdown | NBA Inside Stuff | NBA Access with Ahmad Rashad |
| Hockey: The NHL on ABC* | Miracle on Ice |
| Horse Racing: Triple Crown Productions* |
| Other programming: ABC's Wide World of Sports* | Superstars* |
| See also: United States sports broadcasting lists |
| Asterisk (*) indicates that the program aired only during the ABC Sports era (in other words, the program ended prior to August 2006), not during the ESPN on ABC era. |
