NEW YORK / TORONTO (June 28, 2021) – The National Hockey League today announced broadcast coverage plans for the 2021 NHL Draft™ and 2021 NHL Expansion Draft™. Both events will be produced by NHL Original Productions, in partnership with ESPN, NHL Network and Sportsnet.

The 2021 NHL Expansion Draft will be broadcast on Wednesday, July 21, at 8 p.m. ET on ESPN2 in the U.S. and Sportsnet and SN NOW in Canada – live from Seattle, home of the Seattle Kraken, the League’s 32nd team. Hosted by ESPN’s Chris Fowler, the Kraken will reveal the initial roster for their 2021-22 inaugural season. Fowler will be joined by former NHL player Dominic Moore. Kevin Weekes, who has provided commentary and analysis for NHL Network and Hockey Night in Canada, will be reporting from various iconic Seattle locations.

The first round of the 2021 NHL Draft will be broadcast on Friday, July 23, at 8 p.m. ET on ESPN2 in the U.S. and Sportsnet and SN NOW in Canada, live from the NHL Network studios in Secaucus, N.J.

ESPN’s John Buccigross will host live coverage of Round 1, alongside Sportsnet analysts Elliotte Friedman and Sam Cosentino. Weekes, NHL Network’s Jackie Redmond, and ESPN hockey writer and reporter Emily Kaplan will join the coverage team, providing insight and analysis.

NHL Network™ will provide exclusive coverage of Rounds 2-7 in the U.S. on Saturday, July 24, at 11 a.m. ET, live from its studios in Secaucus. NHL Network’s signature programs NHL Now™ and NHL Tonight™ also will air live pre- and post-coverage of the Expansion Draft and the first round of the NHL Draft. Fans in Canada will be able to watch Rounds 2-7 on Sportsnet and SN NOW.

Some of the top prospects from North America include: University of Michigan’s Owen Power, who tallied 16 points in 26 games as a freshman defenseman, and center Kent Johnson who scored 27 points in 26 games in his freshman season; center Mason McTavish of the Ontario Hockey League’s Peterborough Petes; defenseman Luke Hughes, the brother of recent high draft picks Quinn and Jack; and Edmonton Oil Kings winger Dylan Guenther, who scored 24 points in a shortened 12-game season.

William Eklund, a left wing for Djurgarden of the Swedish Hockey League, tops all international skaters, while Sebastian Cossa of Edmonton in the WHL and Jesper Wallstedt of Lulea in the Swedish Hockey League rank first among goaltenders on the North America and International lists, respectively. A full breakdown of 2021 NHL Draft prospects is available here.

ESPN’s coverage of the Draft and Expansion Draft follows the NHL’s ground-breaking, long-term rights agreement with The Walt Disney Company and ESPN. Beginning with the 2021-22 season, ESPN and Hulu will be home to 75 exclusive, national NHL® game telecasts, and ESPN+ will be the exclusive home for NHL’s out-of-market streaming package, with more than 1,000 games available for fans to stream as part of an ESPN+ subscription.

NEW YORK (June 28, 2021) – The National Hockey League announced today information for the 2022 NHL Winter Classic®, the 2022 Honda NHL All-Star Weekend and the 2022 Navy Federal Credit Union NHL Stadium Series™. The events were officially announced today by NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman from Tampa prior to Game 1 of the 2021 Stanley Cup® Final, which will feature the Montreal Canadiens against the Tampa Bay Lightning tonight at 8 p.m. ET (NBCSN, Sportsnet, CBC, TVA Sports).

The 2022 NHL Winter Classic® will feature the St. Louis Blues and Minnesota Wild at the home of the Minnesota Twins, Target Field, in Minneapolis, Minn., on Jan. 1, 2022. The outdoor game, originally scheduled for New Year’s Day 2021, will mark the second NHL regular-season outdoor game for both the Blues and the Wild. The game continues the tradition the League established in 2008 of hosting a regular-season outdoor game at the onset of the new year, with the 2022 edition marking the 14-year anniversary of the first NHL Winter Classic® in Buffalo.

The 2022 Honda NHL® All-Star Weekend will take place in Las Vegas, Nev., at the home of the Vegas Golden Knights, T-Mobile Arena, and will be scheduled during its traditional midway point of the NHL regular season. The 2022 Honda NHL® All-Star Weekend will include the 2022 NHL All-Star Skills™ and the 2022 Honda NHL All-Star Game, and will feature various hockey-themed events, entertainment and activities. Confirmed dates for the 2022 Honda NHL® All-Star Weekend will be announced when available.

The 2022 Navy Federal Credit Union NHL Stadium Series™ will visit the home of the Tennessee Titans, Nissan Stadium, in Nashville, Tenn., where the Nashville Predators will play host to the Tampa Bay Lightning on Feb. 26, 2022. It will be the second regular-season outdoor game for the Predators and first such game for the Lightning, who will become the 27th NHL team to participate in a regular-season outdoor game.

ESPN, Turner Sports, Sportsnet and TVA Sports are the NHL’s broadcast partners for the 2021-22 season and will provide comprehensive coverage throughout the season. Additional details relating to the 2022 NHL Winter Classic®, 2022 Honda NHL® All-Star Weekend and 2022 Navy Federal Credit Union NHL Stadium Series™, including ticketing and broadcast information, will be released at a future date. Dates and locations for additional NHL events taking place during the 2021-22 season will be announced when available. Fans can sign up for news and information on all of the NHL’s events at www.NHL.com/events.

NEW YORK (June 28, 2021) – The National Hockey League has prioritized the health and safety of its Players, staff and communities while staging nearly 1,100 games since pausing the 2019-20 season on March 12, 2020, due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Following is an overview of the past 473 days:

Supporting Community: The NHL and its Clubs have contributed and raised millions of dollars for our communities for many causes during the pandemic.

On the Ice: The NHL has staged 1,077 games over the last 11 months, from Aug. 1, 2020, through the 2021 Stanley Cup Semifinals.

COVID-19 Impact:

• Total number of COVID tests administrated to Players and staff: 350,000+
• Total number of team shutdowns: 12
• Total number of games postponed: 55
• Total number of games rescheduled: 132
• Total number of Players on COVID list: 217
• Total number of Players with confirmed positives: 119
• Highest single-day total on COVID list: 59 (Feb. 12)
• Lowest single-day total on COVID list: 0 (first achieved on May 24 – 132 days after season start)
• COVID Protocols: 12 COVID Protocols adopted for 2020-21 season with more than two dozen updates/enhancements since Jan. 13

Back to Business: Despite the pandemic, the League successfully negotiated a four-year CBA extension, two new U.S. media rights deals (ESPN & Turner), and 12 new or renewed international broadcast agreements covering more than 100 countries/territories; signed 17 new corporate partners and nine corporate partner renewals; and designed new branding assets for Clubs.

Diversity & Inclusion: The NHL has engaged in several efforts to improve and promote diversity and inclusion across the League and at the grassroots level, including:

• Principles of inclusion learning experience for active Players
• Co-developing inclusion-based tools, trainings and resources for youth hockey players and parents
• Building programs to hire and develop diverse talent
• Re-establishing a fan code of conduct
• Launching a multicultural marketing unit
• Investing $5 million over the next 18 months

NEW YORK (June 28, 2021) – National Hockey League Commissioner Gary Bettman announced today a new $5 million investment over the next 18 months to strengthen the League through diversity and inclusion efforts.

“We believe we are a higher performing League when we have an inclusive culture that harnesses the power of diversity,” said Commissioner Bettman. “Now, equipped with the learnings and recommendations of our Player, Fan and Youth Hockey Inclusion Committees, we are taking the next step to bring real, positive, systemic change to the game. While this work takes time and diligence, because it is predicated on relationships and authenticity through action, we know the lasting value this work will have for our Clubs, the Players, fans, employees, business partners and everyone else who makes up the hockey community.”

Following are some of the areas that will be the focus of this new investment:

• Inclusion Education & Learning Experiences: Expert-led conversations across critical stakeholder groups – tailored for all active Players, Officials and League employees – focused on enhancing individual and team performance through principles of inclusion. The experiential programming aims to improve consciousness of implicit bias and form new cultural understanding. Follow-up resources will be available to continue growth as inclusive leaders. Inclusion experiences will also be enhanced within the Rookie Orientation Program.

• Workforce and Economic Diversity: To align with the normalization of League-wide staff changes, the NHL is undertaking a comprehensive survey of workforce demographics across dimensions of race, ethnicity, gender identity and beyond. The data will be used to advocate for and represent the diversity that exists within the League, create employee resources that encourage a deeper sense of belonging, and build programs that actively recruit, hire and develop diverse talent. The League will also embark on collecting economic diversity data to better understand the ways in which it does business with diverse vendors, suppliers and partners – with the goal of creating new networks, relationships and opportunities that enhance League performance and sustainability.

• Multicultural Marketing: The launch of a multicultural marketing unit within the League will focus on normalizing female and BIPOC voices, faces and perspectives within the game, while bringing deeper levels of multicultural content year-round, with the support and creativity of diverse storytellers, influencers and creators.

• Fan Code of Conduct: The League will examine and reestablish a Fan Code of Conduct, governing League-wide in-arena experiences, particularly addressing racist, homophobic and other discriminatory language or behavior, to ensure NHL arenas are consistently providing a safe and welcoming environment for all people.

• Youth and Amateur Hockey: The League will co-develop inclusion-based tools, trainings and resources for youth hockey players, parents and volunteers to bring about a shared understanding of inclusion principles. The League will strategically support capacity-building initiatives with youth and amateur hockey organizations that intentionally introduce the sport to BIPOC individuals. The League is also exploring program designs for a new era in street and ball hockey, to improve the cultural availability of the game, and increase opportunities to play the sport in neighborhoods lacking traditional access.

This investment is in addition to the ongoing efforts across the League and 32 Clubs, many of which have been launched in recent months across dimensions of leadership, education, employment, marketing, partnerships, participation and community and civic engagement. Examples include, the Toronto Maple Leafs Management and Coaching Development Program, which offers paid contract positions to Black or Indigenous candidates (or those who identify as part of another marginalized and/or racialized group); the Pittsburgh Penguins’ development of the Willie O’Ree Academy, which offers tailored training and enrichment for local Black youth hockey players; and the Vegas Golden Knights’ ball hockey program in partnership with Ryan Reaves, which will build a ball hockey rink and sustain programming for the James Boys and Girls Club of Southern Nevada.

Progress has been realized through the establishment of employee resource groups; the launch of numerous BIPOC development, fellowship and mentoring programs; expert-led internal inclusion experiences for leadership and staff; a League-wide hotline to report unethical behavior and misconduct; the launch of hockey programs that increase opportunities for girls and BIPOC youth; and more.

A more complete, aggregated report updating League-wide inclusion investments and initiatives will be made available at the start of the 2021-22 season.