NHL announces new features to make broadcasts more inclusive

The NHL announced today that starting with the December 31st Winter Classic between the Chicago Blackhawks and St. Louis Blues that select games will be broadcasted using American Sign Language (ASL).

The NHL in ASL will be an alternate telecast featuring Deaf commentators providing play-by-play coverage in ASL. It'll be available on Max in the US and on Sportsnet+ in Canada.

“Building off the tremendous success of our groundbreaking NHL in ASL broadcast for the 2024 Stanley Cup Final, we are proud to continue to demonstrate the League’s commitment to providing a fully immersive and accessible viewing experience that specifically meets the needs of the Deaf community for our Legacy events as well, starting for the first time with this year’s NHL Winter Classic,” said Steve Mayer, President, NHL Content and Events. “This is an NHL-led production for the Deaf by the Deaf, and we encourage all fans watching at home to tune-in to experience this special telecast.”

You may recall that CBC made history when it broadcasted Stanley Cup Final coverage on Hockey Night in Canada in ASL this past summer.

"This is a great first step of having representation, having deaf people on screen, having the Deaf community connect to people like them," said Brice Christianson, the founder and CEO of P-X-P, the company who will be doing the broadcast. "For the NHL to sign off on this and to believe in this, it's groundbreaking. It's truly historic and also they've doubled down and said that they want to continue to do this."

Personally, I think this is a very, very cool initiative. I'm all for anything that makes the game more accessible to underserved fans.

"For us to be able to have this real-time coverage of play by play and colour commentary in American Sign Language being called directly as opposed to a re-interpretation is really what the Deaf and hard-of-hearing community want," said Kim Davis, the NHL's senior executive VP of social impact, growth initiatives and legislative affairs.

"It's what they deserve. That makes the game truly meaningful for them. It is not like you're re-interpreting for them basically from another language. They are hearing the game live in their own language and the way in which they understand it best."