NHL Radio

NHL Radio is the official national radio broadcaster of the National Hockey League, covering the Stanley Cup Finals, both Conference Finals, selected early round playoff action, the All-Star Game, the NHL Winter Classic and a selected number of regular-season games. The package was distributed by Westwood One^[2] and premiered in the 1993-94 season. This arrangement lasted through the end of the 2007-08 season^[3] until it was relaunched for the 2016 Stanley Cup Finals, through the network's NBC Sports Radio service.^[4] The contract was continued for the 2016-17 season with a playoff game of the week, both conference finals, the Stanley Cup Finals, the Winter Classic and select regular season games being added.^[5] The NBC Sports Radio brand was dropped in 2020; Westwood One will syndicate the broadcasts directly.^[6] In 2021, Sports USA Radio Network took over the national radio rights to the NHL.^[7][8]

NHL Radio

Other names	NHL Game of the Week[1]
Genre	Sports
Country of origin	United States Canada
Language(s)	English
Announcer	See below
Created by	Westwood One
Recording studio	The site of the games
Original release	1993 – present
Audio format	Stereophonic sound

NHL Radio's blackout rules

Within 75 miles of a team's home arena, only stations the team or its flagship station contracts with can carry those games, regardless if the team is home or away. Thus, any competing station that carries national broadcasts cannot air those games.

Unlike Westwood One's NFL coverage and other leagues' radio coverage, there have never been any blackout restrictions on internet streaming of NHL games. Also, during the Stanley Cup Finals, there is also no requirement that only the 2 participating teams' flagship stations are allowed to carry coverage, as is the case with the NFL during the Super Bowl and Major League Baseball during the World Series; local network affiliates may continue to carry the local broadcast and are not forced to carry the Sports USA feed.

Commentators

Current

• John Ahlers
• Pat Foley
• John Forslund
• Jack Michaels
• Judd Sirott
• Nick Olczyk
• Jim Fox
• Joe Micheletti
• Brian Hayward
• Billy Jaffe

Former

• Kenny Albert
• Bob Beers
• Brian Boucher
• Roxy Bernstein
• Doug Brown
• Bill Clement
• Greg Dickerson^[9]
• Darren Eliot
• Jim Fox
• Ray Ferraro
• Dave Goucher
• Sean Grande
• Steve Goldstein
• Gary Green
• Matt McConnell^[10]
• Eddie Olczyk
• Darren Pang
• Howie Rose^[11]
• Sam Rosen
• Sherry Ross
• Dan Rusanowsky
• Dave Strader
• Ralph Strangis^[12]
• Joe Tolleson
• John Vanbiesbrouck

Stanley Cup Finals commentating crews

Main article: List of Stanley Cup Finals broadcasters

Year	Play-by-play	Color commentator(s)	Ice level reporter
2024	John Ahlers	Brian Boucher	Billy Jaffe
2023	John Ahlers	Brian Boucher	Billy Jaffe
2022	John Ahlers	Joe Micheletti	Billy Jaffe
2021	John Ahlers	Joe Micheletti
2020	Kenny Albert (Games 1–4, 6–7) Sam Rosen (Game 5)	Joe Micheletti
2019	Kenny Albert	Joe Micheletti (Games 1–4, 6–7) Darren Pang (Game 5)	Brian Boucher
2018	Kenny Albert	Joe Micheletti (Games 1–4) Jim Fox (Gm 5)	Ray Ferraro
2017	Kenny Albert	Joe Micheletti	Ray Ferraro
2016	Kenny Albert	Joe Micheletti	Darren Eliot
2008	Sam Rosen	Bill Clement
2007	Sam Rosen	Darren Pang
2006	Sam Rosen	Darren Eliot
2005	Canceled due to 2004–05 NHL lockout.
2004	Sam Rosen	Eddie Olczyk
2003	Sam Rosen	Eddie Olczyk
2002	Sam Rosen	Gary Green and Darren Eliot
2001	Sam Rosen	Gary Green
2000	Sam Rosen	Gary Green
1999	Sam Rosen	Gary Green
1998	Sam Rosen	Gary Green	Sean Grande
1997	Sam Rosen	Gary Green	Doug Brown and Sean Grande
1996	Sam Rosen	Gary Green	Doug Brown and Sean Grande
1995	Kenny Albert	Gary Green	Doug Brown
1994	Kenny Albert	Sherry Ross	Doug Brown

See also

• National Hockey League on the radio

References

1. Westwood One: NHL Game of the Week
2. NHL Radio no longer on Westwood One
3. If you're looking for the Stanley Cup finals on radio, you can stop hitting the buttons. Unless you have the XM satellite service, you aren't finding the games. Unlike years past, no national radio network is carrying the event. Thus in the St. Louis market - where listeners can hear indoor football, women's soccer, Frontier League baseball and high school sports - the championship series in one of the supposed "major" sports is a no-show. "In the past, the Stanley Cup finals were carried by Westwood One, but they don't have it this year and nobody offered it to us, said Jason Barrett, programming director at sports-talk station WXOS (101.1 FM).
4. "NBC Sports Radio Named Exclusive National Terrestrial Radio Partner for the 2016 Stanley Cup Final". 10 May 2016.
5. "The NHL returns to Westwood One in 2017". Westwood One Sports. December 5, 2016.
6. Venta, Lance (March 5, 2020). "Westwood One To Cease Distribution Of NBC Sports Radio". Radio Insight.
7. "Schedules".
8. "About Us".
9. "Greg Dickerson - CSN New England Sideline Reporter | Celtics.com - The official website of the Boston Celtics". www.nba.com. Archived from the original on 2010-11-17.
10. "SI.com - Hockey - Roundup: Stars lend name to suburban Dallas country club - Wednesday August 13, 2003 06:53 PM". Archived from the original on 2012-11-03. Retrieved 2010-11-12.
11. He also called the 1993 and 1994 NHL All-Star Games and the 1993 Stanley Cup Finals for the NHL Radio Network. Archived 2008-05-30 at the Wayback Machine
12. Over the last five seasons, Ralph has also done play-by-play and ice-level reporting for NHL Radio for World Cup and NHL regular season and playoff games, including the last two Western Conference Final series’. Archived 2007-10-12 at the Wayback Machine

External links

• NHL on NBC Sports Radio/Westwood One | Free Internet ...
• NHL on NBC Sports Radio
• Fang's Bites: Westwood One Radio's Announcing Assignments for the NHL Conference Finals
  • Fang's Bites: Westwood One Radio's Announcing Assignments for the NHL Stanley Cup Finals