Wayne Gretzky is heading to TNT; Adnan Virk is done with the WWE; and more.
Gretzky heading to TNT
Hockey Hall of Famer Wayne Gretzky, widely regarded as the greatest player in NHL history, is joining Turner Sports as an NHL studio analyst. The news was officially announced Wednesday and first reported Tuesday by the New York Post, ESPN and The Athletic. Both Turner and ESPN, which are replacing NBC as the NHL’s U.S. broadcast partners next season, had pursued Gretzky’s services. Turner used its lead NBA studio analyst Charles Barkley, a personal friend of Gretzky, as a recruiter.
In its announcement of Gretzky’s hiring, Turner said he will be part of the studio team for select regular season games and the entire Stanley Cup Playoffs. Turner also announced Wednesday the previously-reported hirings of Kenny Albert and Eddie Olczyk.
Gretzky has not previously worked in TV. Current NHL broadcast partner NBC largely eschewed big names in the studio, experimenting with Brett Hull for a season in 2007 before bringing in Jeremy Roenick for a long, but ill-fated run. [NYP 5.25, The Athletic 5.25, ESPN.com 5.25]
Virk done at WWE Raw after mere weeks
The WWE announced Tuesday that it has parted ways with “WWE Raw” play-by-play voice Adnan Virk after less than two months. Virk said on his social media feed that the weekly travel, paired with his other responsibilities for MLB Network and DAZN, had been onerous for both him and his family. [WWE 5.25, Virk/Twitter 5.25]
Plus: Eaves, Olympics, Legler, Bosh
ESPN announced last week that it has reached a contract extension with SportsCenter anchor Michael Eaves. Per the Louisville Courier-Journal, the new deal is for four years. Eaves joined ESPN in 2015. … NBC Sports last week named Rebecca Lowe the host of its planned daytime Summer Olympics coverage and Andres Cantor the voice of its English and Spanish-language Olympic soccer broadcasts. … ESPN NBA analyst Tim Legler has reached a three-year extension, the New York Post reported Tuesday. … ESPN said last week that it will use former Miami Heat F Chris Bosh as an NBA analyst throughout the postseason. [ESPN Front Row 5.21, Louisville Courier-Journal 5.21, NBC Sports PR 5.18, 5.24, NYP 5.25, ESPN PR/Twitter 5.18]
