'NHL Tonight' first all-women broadcast stands out by staying the same

Jackie Redmond knows sports, works in a male-dominated field and gets along with her male co-workers and friends well, but don't get it twisted, she isn't "one of the guys."

"I'm a girl and I like sports," Redmond said. "There's a box we get put into if you play sports or are a sports fan, where all of a sudden you're categorized as one of the boys."
Instead, the NHL Network host is one of the girls who likes sports. To reinforce that notion, Redmond, Jamie Hersch, Kendall Coyne Schofield and Jennifer Botterill teamed up to host the first all-women edition of "NHL Tonight" on Tuesday. The four of them produced an episode of the show no different from any other, and that was the point.
"People kept asking me, 'So, what can we expect?' and my answer is 'The same thing,'" Redmond said. "It's just different hosts. We don't want it to be about the fact we're all women. It's amazing we're all women and we're doing this and it's a first for NHL Network, but we want to normalize it."
"NHL Tonight" is a three-hour, unscripted show where the hosts react to NHL news and analyze live games. The women-led episode aired about one month after Coyne Schofield returned from the 2022 Beijing Olympics, where she helped the United States women's ice hockey team win the silver medal as its captain.
While new in her broadcast career, Coyne Schofield said improving as a TV analyst is like becoming a better skater, so she's upping her reps, practicing every day and staying coachable. She also leans into her experience on the ice in past elite tournaments, which includes winning a gold medal in the 2018 PyeongChang Olympics, for game analysis and color commentary.
"The biggest thing is knowing I've never played in the Stanley Cup Final but I have played in an Olympic final and so I can relate to the pressure," Coyne Schofield said. "I don't know what it's like to go seven-games deep and win a Stanley Cup, but I know what it's like to go seven-games deep in an Olympic tournament and come out on both sides of it."

Those at NHL Network want more Coyne Schofield on screen, especially Hersch.
The "On The Fly" host and mom of two said she's excited for the day when an all-women broadcast isn't breaking news. In Hersch's house, she's the sports expert and her husband is the casual sports fan.
"My hope is someday, my kids will grow up thinking a woman can be more into sports than a man," Hersch said.
That's the sentiment the all-women edition of "NHL Tonight" echoed: women can know sports and know them well.
Luckily, Redmond grew up with that belief inherently intertwined in her household -- or car, per say.
As an 8-year-old in Toronto, Redmond and her dad Steve listened to Sports Talk Radio and debated alongside the hosts whether Darcy Tucker should be on the top line with Mats Sundin for the Maple Leafs.
"What do you think?" her father said.
By asking that question, Redmond said her dad showed her that her voice mattered. Since, she felt women belong in the sports conversation, whether that's as an on-air host, producer or editor.
"NHL Tonight" also has a female producer, Bri Adams, and researcher, Emma Miller.
"You don't have to be on air if you're a woman," Hersch said. "It's cool to think there are a ton of opportunities in sports. You can be a woman and work in sports in a variety of capacities."
And they can do their job -- like put on a three-hour long TV program -- just as good as anybody else.
"We want people to tune in and get the same quality of show they're getting from the guys," Redmond said. "I think it's the exact same, it's hockey hosts and analysts, former players and Olympians watching the game, breaking it down and informing and entertaining viewers."