NEW YORK – The National Hockey League (NHL) and P-X-P announced in partnership today plans to produce a first-of-its-kind, alternate telecast to stream during the Stanley Cup Final dedicated completely to the Deaf community using American Sign Language (ASL). The telecast will be made available to stream on ESPN+ in the U.S. and Sportsnet+ in Canada.
NHL in ASL will feature Deaf commentators providing real-time coverage of play-by-play and color commentary in ASL during each game of the 2024 Stanley Cup Final.
“Our continued partnership with P-X-P allows the NHL to do something no other major professional sports league has done before: provide a fully immersive, unique, and accessible viewing experience that specifically meets the needs of the Deaf community, enhancing their enjoyment of our ever-growing game,” said Kim Davis, NHL Senior Executive Vice President of Social Impact, Growth Initiatives and Legislative Affairs. “This NHL-led production further exemplifies the League’s commitment to producing accessible and interactive content for all of our fans – including those in underserved communities. Fans of all abilities are encouraged to tune-in to experience this first-of-a-kind telecast as a way to understand and share the experience with someone who is Deaf.”
The telecast will feature Jason Altmann, Chief Operating Officer of P-X-P, and Noah Blankenship, of Denver, CO. Altmann is a proud third generation Deaf from Wisconsin with more than 20 years experience leading teams who serve people with disabilities, and working with others in creating an accessible, equitable, and inclusive environments. Blankenship currently works at the Office of Deaf and Hard of Hearing Services nested within the Agency for Human Rights and Community Partnerships, under the City and County of Denver.
"The opportunity to do a Deaf-centric broadcast of a premier sporting event in ASL is a positive, seismic change for the Deaf community,” said Altmann. “As a sports fan growing up, I couldn't relate with the broadcasters because some elements were not well captured with closed captioning. Now, we are creating an opportunity for Deaf sports fans and viewers to watch Deaf broadcasters and feel engaged through ASL. It’s absolutely remarkable.”
“This initiative demonstrates a commitment to innovation and inclusivity that we value so deeply at the NHL,” said Steve Mayer, NHL Senior Executive Vice President and Chief Content Officer. “This will not be your traditional play-by-play and color commentary, but rather something more conversational and relaxed in nature providing a deeper layer of additional storytelling. This first-of-its-kind production is something we hope and plan to expand on beyond the Stanley Cup Final and into our 2024-2025 season.”
The broadcasters will provide ASL visual descriptions of major impact plays, like goals and hits, as well as referee calls and rule explanations to clarify decisions made on the ice. Graphic visualizations will include a large, metered, real-time bar that demonstrates crowd noise levels to viewers, specifically around certain events like goals and penalties. Also included will be custom visual emotes to depict goals, penalties, the intensity of a hit, and whether a puck hits the post/crossbar.
For more information and for additional NHL in ASL content, please visit: www.NHL.com/NHLinASL
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The National Hockey League (NHL®), founded in 1917, consists of 32 Member Clubs. Each team roster reflects the League’s international makeup with players from more than 20 countries represented, all vying for the most cherished and historic trophy in professional sports – the Stanley Cup®. Every year, the NHL entertains more than 670 million fans in-arena and through its partners on national television and radio; more than 191 million followers - league, team and player accounts combined - across Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Snapchat, TikTok, and YouTube; and more than 100 million fans online at NHL.com. The League broadcasts games in more than 160 countries and territories through its rightsholders including ESPN, TNT Sports and NHL Network in the U.S.; Sportsnet and TVA Sports in Canada; Viaplay in the Nordics, Baltics, and Poland; YLE in Finland; Nova in Czech Republic and Slovakia; Sky Sports and ProSieben in Germany; MySports in Switzerland; and CCTV5+ in China; and reaches fans worldwide with games available to stream in every country. Fans are engaged across the League’s digital assets on mobile devices via the free NHL® App; across nine social media platforms; on SiriusXM NHL Network Radio™; and on NHL.com, available in eight languages and featuring unprecedented access to player and team statistics as well as every regular-season and playoff game box score dating back to the League’s inception, powered by SAP. NHL Original Productions and NHL Studios produce compelling original programming featuring unprecedented access to players, coaches and League and team personnel for distribution across the NHL’s social and digital platforms.
The NHL is committed to building healthy and vibrant communities using the sport of hockey to celebrate fans of every race, color, religion, national origin, gender identity, age, sexual orientation, and socio-economic status. The NHL’s Hockey Is For Everyone™ initiative reinforces that the official policy of the sport is one of inclusion on the ice, in locker rooms, boardrooms and stands. The NHL is expanding access and opportunity for people of all backgrounds and abilities to play hockey, fostering more inclusive environments and growing the game through a greater diversity of participants. To date, the NHL has invested more than $100 million in youth hockey and grassroots programs, with a commitment to invest an additional $5 million for diversity and inclusion programs over the next year.
