Hockey fans that have lamented the day in 2005 when the NHL and ESPN ceased to be broadcast partners, take heart; In an interview on the BSN Avalanche Podcast on Thursday, ESPN “SportsCenter” anchor and part-time hockey broadcaster, John Buccigross, said he believes his network and the NHL will become partners again within the next three years, when the league’s current U.S. television contract with NBC expires.
“I’m real optimistic that we’ll be a part of the NHL plan next time,” Buccigross told BSN Denver. “I’m not in the negotiations or decisions, but the negotiations open up in two years, and the (NBC) deal ends in three.