The Point (2021 TV series)

The Point is an American National Hockey League (NHL) studio show, currently airing on Tuesdays and Thursdays at 5:00 p.m. ET on ESPN2, with special editions on ESPN, ABC and ESPN+. the program is one of the few NHL-related studio programs to air during the week along with In the Crease and The Drop.

The Point
Genre	NHL
Presented by	John Buccigross
Theme music composer	Bob Christianson
Country of origin	United States
Original language	English
Production
Production location	Bristol, CT studios (most segments)
Camera setup	Multi-camera
Running time	1 hour
Production company	ESPN
Original release
Network	ESPN2 ESPN+ ESPN[a]
Release	October 7, 2021 (2021-10-07) – present
Related
NHL on ESPN NHL on ABC NHL 2Night

The Point is also used as a pregame show prior to NHL games on all ESPN platforms.

Background

As a part of ESPN's deal with the NHL in 2021, the network would be able to air a weekly studio show that would primarily focus on NHL news and highlights which would air on ESPN2 and would be simulcasted on ESPN+.^[1][2] On September 30, 2021, ESPN would reveal the name of the studio show as The Point which would first air on October 7 on ESPN2.^[3][4]

History

The Point premiered on October 7, 2021 at 5 p.m. ET on ESPN2 from Studio F in Bristol, Connecticut.^[5] As part of ESPN’s NHL Opening Week programming, the show was presented daily on ESPN from October 12–15. It then resumed in a weekly format and moved back to ESPN2. The Point would also serve as ESPN’s de facto pregame show for games aired on ESPN and ABC.

For the 2021-22 season, The Point would air on site for the first games on ESPN since 2004, which featured the Pittsburgh Penguins against the Tampa Bay Lightning and the Vegas Golden Knights against the Seattle Kraken.^[6] The Point would also air on site for the 2022 NHL All Star Game^[7] and the 2022 Stanley Cup Finals.^[8]

During the 2022 Trade Deadline, The Point would air a special covering the moves made during the deadline.^[9] During the 2022 Stanley Cup playoffs, The Point would air daily on ESPN and ESPN2. During the off-season, The Point would air a special edition show which would focus on free agency,^[10] and another one which focused on the 2022 NHL Entry Draft.^[11] For the 2022-23 season, The Point would move to the 6:00-7:00 p.m. slot.^[12] Also ESPN announced that The Point and its other NHL studio shows would move to ESPN Headquarters which is also the set for NFL Live.^[13]

Like the previous year, The Point aired every day during the 2023 Stanley Cup playoffs. It also aired on site for the 2023 NHL All Star Game and the 2023 NHL Stadium Series.^[14][15]

Segments

• Top 6: The 6 best plays of the day, week, month, or year in hockey.
• Captain's Corner: Where studio analyst Mark Messier talks about the best storylines going on in the NHL.
• Parm Time: Where studio host John Buccigross reads chicken parm tweets and his fellow analysts eat Chicken parmesan.
• Highlights: Usually the bread and butter of any sports show, this one focuses on the results of every NHL game.

Personalities

Current

Hosts

1. John Buccigross (2021–present)^[16]
2. Steve Levy (2021–present)^[17][18]
3. Arda Ocal (2021–present)

Contributors

1. Ryan Callahan (2021–present)
2. Mark Messier (2021–present)
3. Kevin Weekes (2021–present)
4. A. J. Mleczko (2021–present)
5. Emily Kaplan (2021–present)
6. Greg Wyshynski (2021–present)
7. Ray Ferraro (2021–present)
8. Leah Hextall (2021–present)
9. Blake Bolden (2022–present)
10. Dave Jackson (2021–present)
11. P. K. Subban (2022–present)

Former

• John Tortorella (2021–2022)
• Chris Chelios (2021–2023)
• Brian Boucher (2021–2023)
• Barry Melrose (2021–2023)
• Rick DiPietro (2021–2023)
• Hilary Knight (2022–2023)
• Dominic Moore (2021–2023)
• Jeremy Schaap (2021–2023)

Notes

1. Special broadcasts only

References

1. "NHL back on ESPN with 7-year multiplatform deal". ESPN. March 10, 2021. Retrieved March 11, 2021.
2. Draper, Kevin (March 11, 2021). "N.H.L. Returns to ESPN in a 7-Year Deal With an Emphasis on Streaming". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved September 18, 2021.
3. "ESPN unveils new weekly NHL studio show The Point, hosted by John Buccigross". Awful Announcing. September 30, 2021. Retrieved September 30, 2021.
4. "ESPN NHL broadcast lineup: Schedule, play-by-play, analysts and hosts for 2021-22 season". www.sportingnews.com.
5. "ESPN gets to The Point". hockeymediateport.com. August 10, 2021. Retrieved December 2, 2022.
6. "Disney, Turner Sports announce 2021-22 NHL schedule". NHL.com. Retrieved September 18, 2021.
7. Satriano, David (January 13, 2022). "2022 NHL All-Star Game rosters, captains announced". National Hockey League. Archived from the original on January 14, 2022. Retrieved February 3, 2022.
8. Bucholtz, Andrew (May 2, 2022). "First NHL playoffs under ESPN/Turner deal has all games set for big networks despite NBA". Awful Announcing. Archived from the original on May 2, 2022. Retrieved May 3, 2022.
9. Chi, Danny (March 17, 2022). "The Point: NHL Trade Deadline Special to Stream on ESPN+ on March 21". ESPN Press Room U.S. Retrieved November 7, 2022.
10. Chi, Danny (July 13, 2022). "The Point: Free Agency Special to Air Wednesday, July 13 Exclusively on ESPN+". ESPN Press Room U.S. Retrieved November 7, 2022.
11. Chi, Danny (July 12, 2022). "The 2022 Upper Deck NHL Draft Begins July 7 on ESPN and ESPN+". ESPN Press Room U.S. Retrieved November 7, 2022.
12. Chi, Danny (September 7, 2022). "The Walt Disney Company Announces 103 Exclusive National Hockey League Games Across ESPN, ESPN+, Hulu and ABC Beginning October 11". ESPN Press Room U.S. Retrieved September 21, 2022.
13. Ota, Kevin (October 7, 2022). "ESPN Continues to Push Innovative Approaches to Production for NHL Coverage". ESPN Press Room U.S. Retrieved October 10, 2022.
14. "2023 NHL Stadium Series between Capitals, Hurricanes to air on ABC, ESPN+". NHL.com. Retrieved December 6, 2022.
15. Chi, Danny (December 1, 2022). "NHL Schedule Update: 2023 Navy Federal Credit Union NHL Stadium Series to be Broadcast on ABC and Simulcast on ESPN+". ESPN Press Room U.S. Retrieved December 6, 2022.
16. Kuc, Chris. "John Buccigross' Love of the Game". Sports Section. Retrieved March 11, 2022.
17. "McDonough, Levy to lead ESPN's team for NHL coverage". USA TODAY. Retrieved August 11, 2021.
18. "Dynamic, Diverse and Accomplished Team to Present ESPN's NHL Coverage to Fans". ESPN Press Room U.S. June 29, 2021. Retrieved June 29, 2021.

External links

• Official website
• The Point at IMDb