Hockey Corridor of Famer and six-time Stanley Cup winner Mark Messier headlines a bunch of analysts and commentators who will name Amazon Prime’s inaugural “Monday Evening Hockey” Canadian broadcast throughout the upcoming NHL season, the league and Prime Video introduced Monday.
Messier “will share 10 fascinating segments that includes tales from his legendary profession to air all through the season,” per a put up to X from Sports activities on Prime Canada. A former middle, Messier performed 25 seasons within the NHL, together with stints with the Edmonton Oilers, New York Rangers and Vancouver Canucks.
Lights, digital camera, Prime. 🎬
Introducing the printed expertise squad for Prime Monday Evening Hockey. pic.twitter.com/hlbtygMc85
— Sports activities on Prime Canada (@SportsOnPrimeCA) September 23, 2024
Adnan Virk and Andi Petrillo will co-host from the on-site desk every week. Blake Bolden will be part of them in an analyst position, as will completely different native company all through the season. John Forslund would be the play-by-play announcer whereas Jody Shelley, Thomas Hickey and Shane Hnidy be part of the crew as analysts.
Canadian followers can catch “Prime Monday Evening Hockey” starting on Oct. 14. when the Montreal Canadiens tackle the Pittsburgh Penguins at 7 p.m. ET. This system will cowl “all nationwide regular-season Monday evening NHL video games in English all through the 2024-25 season for Prime Members in Canada,” per the announcement.
What the forged brings
Messier is the most important title right here, however Forslund is the most important get for Amazon and Canadian followers. The present Seattle Kraken play-by-play man and former Hurricanes voice has emerged in recent times on each NBC Sports activities and TNT as a possible inheritor obvious to Doc Emrick as the voice of hockey in the US.
He’s pretty much as good because it will get within the trendy broadcasting panorama. We’ll see which of the trio of analysts settles into the first shade position and who finally ends up between the benches or in a sideline interviewer position, however Hnidy definitely has the expertise edge.
Messier has been a lead studio analyst for ESPN. He has his moments, however can come throughout a little bit stiff. If Amazon is certainly leaning on him extra for pre-taped segments leaning on the seemingly countless tales he has to inform from his enjoying days, it’ll be a greater use of him.
Nearly each ex-player is best at speaking in regards to the glory days than the present days. Virk and Petrillo are seasoned professionals, and Bolden is a rising voice on ESPN’s protection with elite skilled hockey expertise who additionally has a neighborhood position with the Los Angeles Kings.
Amazon definitely isn’t reinventing the wheel right here, however it’s a well constructed studio that ought to lend the streamer some credibility because it breaks into the NHL house. Probably the most thrilling improvement is the “NHL Coast to Coast” whip-around present.
NFL RedZone has been a large hit for years now, and it’s usually been imitated (most not too long ago by Peacock’s Olympic protection) however by no means even near duplicated. NHL Community has had an “On The Fly” present for years with dwell look-ins across the league, however a real RedZone-like channel can be a godsend for hockey followers, particularly on these busy nights when almost all of the groups are enjoying.
American followers, alas, should maintain ready for his or her model. — Mark Lazerus, senior NHL author
Required studying
(Picture: Bruce Bennett / Getty Pictures)
