NHL Network™ today announced the launch of its new show, NHL Tonight: First Shift, which is set to begin Tuesday, October 8, the first domestic night of the 2024-25 NHL season. Set as a casual and conversational style show featuring hard-hitting opinions and analysis on the news of the day, the daily program will be co-hosted by longtime NHL Network broadcaster EJ Hradek and a rotating group of NHL Network analysts, including Kevin Weekes, Tony Granato, Bill Lindsay and NHL.com’s Dan Rosen. The premiere episode featuring Hradek and Weekes on October 8 will start at 3:30 p.m. ET, before settling into its regular timeslot of 4 pm. ET on Wednesday, October 9. The program will originate from Studio G inside NHL Network’s headquarters in Secaucus, New Jersey.
On NHL Tonight: First Shift, Hradek said, “I’m really excited to be in the driver’s seat for what we believe will be the fastest 60 minutes in hockey, by offering opinionated and informative discussion, engaging fans socially and talking with newsmakers from all corners of the game.” Hradek has contributed to NHL Network in a variety of ways since joining in 2011, most recently serving as the lead analyst on the early edition of NHL Tonight, plus as a play-by-play voice on the NHL Network Showcase package.
“We are excited to expand our flagship show, NHL Tonight, into a new and earlier time slot,” said Josh Bernstein, Vice President of Programming for NHL Network. “E.J.’s personality and vast knowledge of the game will be the perfect blend to get our fans and viewers ready for each night of hockey ahead of them.”
NHL Tonight has long been NHL Network’s signature show featuring a comprehensive preview of all the night’s games, followed by look-ins of live games throughout the night. With the addition of NHL Tonight: First Shift, NHL Network’s NHL Now program will shift to 5 p.m. ET, followed by NHL Tonight™ at 7 p.m. ET.
About NHL Network: As the TV home for the National Hockey League, NHL Network™ gives viewers an all-access pass to complete hockey coverage both on and off the ice, including live NHL games and special on-site coverage of NHL events, plus three signature studio shows, interviews, highlights and expert analysis from a variety of hockey insiders and former players. Additional programming includes behind-the-scenes features, player profiles and international and amateur hockey competitions. For more information on NHL Network, log on to nhlnetwork.com or follow @NHLNetwork on Twitter.
