NHL 4 Nations Face-Off Championship Game Has All the Makings of a Game 7 for ESPN In-net super-slo-mo, body cameras supplement Sportsnet's host feed of USA-Canada By Brandon Costa, Director of Digital Thursday, February 20, 2025 - 10:35 am
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One of the surprises of the sports year so far, the inaugural NHL 4 Nations Face-Off comes to a dramatic conclusion tonight with one of the most highly anticipated hockey games in recent memory. USA meets Canada in the Championship Game from TD Garden in Boston (8 p.m. ET, ESPN, ESPN , Disney , ESPN Deportes), and ESPN is onsite with game- and studio -production resources to give the event a sendoff befitting a Game 7.
Inside ESPN's production truck, NEP's EN2, for Thursday Night's 4 Nations Face-Off Championship Game outside TD Garden in Boston. (Photos Courtesy of Danny Chi/ESPN PR)
The USA vs. Canada matchup in the 4 Nations Championship is an incredible moment for ESPN, says Erin Orr, senior manager, remote productions and operations, ESPN. It showcases one of the greatest rivalries in hockey, bringing intense competition, passionate fan engagement, and top-tier talent to our audience. This game represents everything we love about the sport - skill, intensity, and national pride - all on a global stage. It's an exciting opportunity for ESPN to deliver world-class coverage and bring this highly anticipated showdown to fans everywhere. The Remote Operations team is ready for the action!
Enhanced Production: Cameras, Mics Add Player Perspective Following huge ratings numbers in the first meeting between the two countries last Saturday, ESPN is pulling no punches in investing in onsite resources and production enhancements to layer on top of the host feed produced by Canadian broadcaster Sportsnet. For tonight's Championship Game, ESPN will add super-slow-motion cameras in each net and has league approval to more aggressively use MindFly BodyCams on a player during pregame and on a referee during the game.
The MindFly camera is increasingly a tool in ESPN's NHL arsenal. It was deployed during pregame skate for a game in last year's Stanley Cup Final, and, during this tournament, through a partnership with the NHL and Sportsnet, ESPN had an on-ice reporter interview a player wearing the AI-driven body camera during pregame of the USA-Finland game at the Bell Center in Montreal.
[The camera] provides viewers with immersive, player-perspective experiences, says Jeff Werner, senior specialist, ESPN. [It has] allowed ESPN to broadcast live, first-person footage from the ice, offering fans a unique viewpoint.
The view of ESPN's play-by-play announcer Sean McDonough for Thursday night's 4 Nations Face-Off Championship Game at TD Garden in Boston. (Photos Courtesy of Danny Chi/ESPN PR)
Sportsnet serves as the NHL's host broadcaster for the 4 Nations Face-Off. In the U.S., games have aired on both ESPN and TNT. In Canada, the French-language broadcaster TVA is also in the mix. Sportsnet provides the rightsholders a host feed of each game and also produces its own English-language domestic feed in its own truck.
Sportsnet's host feed is sort of a base layer of production, offering a multicamera, wide-angle stream of each game, augmented by microphone coverage for audio. On top of that base, each rightsholder is able to layer on its announcers, graphics, and individual network look. In certain circumstances, rightsholders were able to add their own camera enhancements to the productions airing on their networks.
ESPN has also taken the opportunity to deploy some audio elements that it isn't normally able to use. For example, a microphone has been added to the door on each penalty box as well as on each door to the benches. Those audio effects will be managed by ESPN and funneled up to the host-feed production.
ESPN will work closely with the host director to monitor the on-camera action and mix the audio accordingly to enhance the air product, says Werner. A mixed version of the audio will be sent to the host truck, where it will be inserted at the discretion of the A1.
ESPN's operations leaders found this host-feed model arranged by the NHL to be very effective for an event of this nature. The event's innovative nontraditional host-feed model allows for greater flexibility in how the content is delivered and consumed, says Orr. This new approach enables networks, including ESPN, to introduce new storytelling techniques, additional camera angles, and interactive elements tailored for each audience.
NEP EN2 production truck is on hand to support ESPN's end of the onsite productions. The company's engineers and drivers delivered in a big way in getting the trucks from Montreal to Boston, crossing the Canadian border amid challenging winter weather conditions.
The sheer scale and scope of the tournament require seamless synchronization of broadcast schedules, technical logistics, transmission needs, and personnel coordination, says Orr. To meet these demands, the ESPN operations team has worked diligently alongside key partners, including the NHL, Sportsnet, TNT, and TVA. Together, we've ensured the smooth delivery of shared video and audio feeds, mobile-unit logistics, transmission space, vendor equipment, and crew assignments - all contributing to the successful execution of the event.
We could not be more grateful for our partners and friends at Sportsnet who have hosted us and all broadcasters with grace and open arms, she continues. Our team considers ourselves lucky to have the relationships to collaborate and help each other to bring the excitement of hockey to the fans around the world.
ESPN's NHL analyst PK Subban shoots a live hit with Pardon the Interruption on Thursday afternoon prior to
