The NHL and USA Television is something I have watched for years and the me from the 80s/90s NEVER could have imagined a deal of this size to cover the rogue sport that many of my friends only watched in the Olympics.
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— Michael Augello (@MikeInBuffalo) January 5, 2021
American Networks have always tried their best to appeal to TV sports fans in various ways...
1. From the great Peter Puck teaching Americans the game on NBC in the 70's...
5. To the great Al Michaels and ABC of the 2000's..
7. To the negotiations after an entire missed season when the NHL decides against ESPN (who was offering almost nothing) to be televised by the OLN Network..shortly renamed "Versus Network."
April 19, 2011, NBC Sports and Versus (which would become NBC Sports Channel) announced they had reached a ten-year extension worth nearly 2 billion dollars over the life of the contract.
9. And now....
ESPN signs the NHL to a seven-year deal worth $2.8 billion. AND TNT signs a seven-year deal worth $1.57 billion
The NHL and Gary Bettman have ALWAYS been bold and not afraid to take some chances. I can't help but think how satisfying it must be to Bettman and Bill Daly to be signing the ESPN deal for $2.8 billion. In 1989 and 2005 ESPN low-balled the NHL, acting like the NHL needed them more than they needed hockey... Both times Bettman and Daly made bold decisions and kept the value of NHL TV deals rising by going with SportsChannel America and OLN/Versus.
Those moves showed the NHL had more pride in itself and believed in its own product. And now it has paid off.