Stakes and storylines "were made digestible without falling into the trap of talking down to the viewer"Joel Auerbach/Getty Images
ESPN/ABC did not “try too hard or force anything” with its coverage of Panthers-Oilers Stanley Cup Final Game 7, and what resulted “was totally refreshing,” according to Kyle Koster of SI. They “threaded the needle of welcoming in the casual fan and serving the lifers.” Stakes and storylines "were made digestible without falling into the trap of talking down to the viewer.” In an era "when the Big Game feel can be elusive they brought gravitas were reliable narrators of an impeccable climax." ABC's Sean McDonough “was tremendous counting down the final seconds in Sunrise” and the production truck also “did great work with the sights and sounds.” The highlight of the night came after the game was over, as the broadcast “took great care to tell individual stories” (
SI, 6/25). ABC drew
7.66 million viewers for the Panthers’ 2-1 win on Monday night, easily the best hockey audience of any kind in the U.S. since Game 7 of the 2019 Blues-Bruins Final (
SBJ).
NOT ALL PERFECT: In Miami, Madeleine Marr wrote ESPN “missed a major highlight” of Monday night’s celebration. After NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman gave the Stanley Cup to Panthers C Aleksander Barkov, the two men “pose for pictures and smile.” Just as Barkov is about to "hoist the trophy over his head in triumph, the ESPN camera cuts away.” Marr: “All anyone can see from home is the net, sparklers and fans cheering in the stands.” Barkov quickly “reappears in the frame to take the traditional spin around the ice," but it “was too little, too late for some” (
MIAMI HERALD, 6/25).
KEEPING THINGS LOCAL: AWFUL ANNOUNCING’s Arthur Weinstein noted Miami-based WPLG-ABC cut away from ABC’s postgame coverage "to show local news." The station also “abruptly cut to a commercial” right in the middle of ABC's Emily Kaplan interviewing with Panthers GM Bill Zito. WPLG did open "with video of the Panthers winning the game and the celebration that followed, along with extensive coverage of the championship” (
AWFUL ANNOUNCING, 6/25).
LOST IN CONVERSION: Game 7 officially averaged 7.55 million viewers across Sportsnet, CBC and Citytv in Canada, but the GLOBE & MAIL’s Simon Houpt noted the audience “was almost certainly significantly higher” than the figure released by Rogers. The number does not include Canadian fans who watched on U.S.-based ABC affiliates that reach the country (
GLOBE & MAIL, 6/25).
