ESPN’s extensive multi-platform coverage of the World Cup of Hockey 2016 will bring fans closer to the live events of the two-week tournament with content available across ESPN’s television networks, WatchESPN, ESPN digital, ESPN Radio, SportsCenter and ESPN The Magazine.
ESPN’s platforms and daily studio shows will combine to provide unique inside access as key events unfold. All the action from training camp and through the best-of-three Final will be covered over the course of the two-week competition. ESPN’s television networks and digital and social media will capture the storylines and energy in real-time from around Toronto during this pinnacle of international hockey competition.
Multi-platform coverage of every game from Toronto’s Air Canada Centre begins on Saturday, Sept. 17, with group play between Team USA and Team Europe on ESPN2 (3:30 p.m. ET). Team Czech Republic and Team Canada will face off in prime time that night on ESPNEWS at 8 p.m.
Commentators
ESPN has assembled a veteran team of hockey voices in the booth, studio and reporting throughout the tournament.
The duo of SportsCenter anchor John Buccigross and former NHL goalie Kevin Weekes will rotate games with SportsCenter anchor Steve Levy and NHL studio analyst Barry Melrose throughout tournament play.
Former NHL Goalie Darren Pang will join the booth as an analyst for select matchups as well as report from between the benches. Leah Hextall will provide team and player reports during games and extensive coverage from around the World Cup of Hockey in Toronto.
Studio
World Cup of Hockey Pre-Game shows will generally precede ESPN’s coverage by 30 minutes. World Cup of Hockey Post-Game shows will periodically wrap up the action. Each show will be televised on the same network as that day’s game.
SportsCenter anchors Linda Cohn and ESPN anchor and Toronto native Adnan Virk will host studio coverage throughout the group play stage on the tournament. Buccigross will take over as host for the Semifinals and Final. Coverage will feature NHL Hall of Famers Brett Hull and Chris Chelios as analysts in the studio for every game during the tournament.
Virk will kick off ESPN’s studio coverage on Friday, Sept. 16 when he hosts the World Cup of Hockey 2016 Preview Show on ESPN2 at 7 p.m. The two-hour preview show will feature reports from most of ESPN’s World Cup of Hockey commentator team providing insight into the teams and players before the first puck drops.
WatchESPN
Coverage of the World Cup of Hockey 2016 on WatchESPN will include an alternate feed in addition to the traditional telecast. The multicam execution will include a mix of angles including robo cams (nets and center ice), high end zone, slash and handhelds. The audio for the feed will be the sound from inside Air Canada Centre providing the experience of attending the event.
ESPN Digital
ESPN digital’s World Cup of Hockey 2016 coverage will be led by four veteran and well-respected NHL journalists – Scott Burnside (Team USA), Craig Custance (Team North America), Pierre LeBrun (Team Canada) and Joe McDonald (Team Sweden, Team Finland). Each will focus on a team or teams and provide daily updates across ESPN digital and social media platforms. This began with team training camps which started Sunday, Sept. 4 and will include in-depth coverage of every tournament game beginning Sept. 17, through the best-of-three Final beginning Tuesday, Sept. 27.
In addition, #LevyAndMelrose (Steve Levy, Barry Melrose) video segments will highlight teams from training camps through the tournament and will be featured regularly.
Follow @ESPN_NHL, @ESPN and @SportsCenter for continuing coverage through the tournament.
ESPN Radio
ESPN Radio will broadcast all Team USA games and the Semifinals and Final with ESPN New York 98.7FM’s Don La Greca calling the game with analyst Dave Maloney.
SportsCenter
SportsCenter will cover the World Cup of Hockey 2016 during regularly scheduled editions of the program. Anchor Levy and analyst Melrose will report from Air Canada Centre with pre and post-game segments.
ESPN The Magazine
ESPN the Magazine provided a stat-based preview of the eight international teams facing off during the two-week tournament – the rosters, the matchups and the team to beat initiated ESPN The Magazine’s World Cup of Hockey coverage on newsstands now.
About the World Cup of Hockey
The World Cup of Hockey is a joint effort of the NHLPA and the NHL, in cooperation with the International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF). Eight teams — Team Canada, Team Czech Republic, Team Europe, Team Finland, Team North America, Team Russia, Team Sweden and Team USA — will compete in the two-week tournament, featuring approximately 170 of the best players in the NHL. All tournament games will be played at Air Canada Centre in Toronto, home of the Toronto Maple Leafs.
The eight teams are split into two Groups, Group A and Group B, for the Preliminary Round (Sept. 17-22), when each team will play its three Group opponents in a round-robin format. Placed in Group A are Team Canada, Team Czech Republic and Team USA, plus Team Europe, a pan-European roster of players from birth countries outside of the Czech Republic, Finland, Russia and Sweden. The four teams in Group B are Team Finland, Team Russia, Team Sweden and Team North America, a selection of the top players from Canada and the United States who are 23 or under as of Oct. 1, 2016.
The top two finishers in each of Group A and Group B will advance to the Semifinals (Sept. 24-25), where each qualifier will face an elimination game against a team from the other Group. The two Semifinal winners will meet in the Final, a best-of-three series on Sept. 27, Sept. 29 and, if necessary, Oct. 1.
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Media Contacts: Diane Lamb at [email protected] or (860)-766-2245 (@Diane_ESPN);
Michael Skarka at [email protected] or (860)-766-1342 (@Michael_ESPN)
