The Stanley Cup Playoffs begin Monday, but the first game on ABC will not be until Game 1 of the Stanley Cup Final Father’s Day weekend. Plus: Urban Meyer is reportedly headed back to Fox; Amazon is making a last-ditch effort to lure Sean Payton away from Fox.
No NHL playoff games on ABC until Stanley Cup Final
ABC is not scheduled to carry any Stanley Cup playoff games until the Cup Final, per an ESPN advance schedule, marking the first time in 30 years that no game in the first three rounds of the playoffs will air on broadcast television. Previous rightsholder NBC typically carried as many as three playoff games a weekend on its broadcast network, many of them in primetime.
The Stanley Cup Final is currently scheduled to begin Saturday, June 18 and run every-other-night through a potential Game 7 on Thursday, June 30. The Cup Final would begin the night before a potential Game 7 of the NBA Finals, also on ABC. Between the Stanley Cup Final, NBA Finals and NBA Draft, ABC is scheduled to carry live sports in primetime on up to half of the nights in June.
As previously noted, the Stanley Cup playoffs begins with three-straight nights of dueling doubleheaders on ESPN and ESPN2 Monday through Wednesday before Turner Sports picks up coverage with its own dueling doubleheaders on TNT and TBS Thursday and Friday. [Related: 2022 Stanley Cup playoff TV schedule.]
Urban Meyer reportedly close to rejoining Fox
Former Fox Sports college football analyst Urban Meyer is close to an agreement to return to the network, The Athletic reported Saturday. Meyer joined Fox in 2019 and stayed two seasons before leaving for an ill-fated stint with the NFL Jacksonville Jaguars. His two seasons with Fox doubled his one-year tenure with ESPN in 2011, his previous broadcasting job.
Meyer was replaced last season on Fox “Big Noon Kickoff” by former Oklahoma coach Bob Stoops, who has since returned to coaching in the XFL. [The Athletic 4.30]
Amazon said to make last-ditch push for Sean Payton
Thursday Night Football broadcaster Amazon is making a last-minute pursuit of former New Orleans Saints coach Sean Payton, according to Front Office Sports. Payton, the New York Post reported recently, is close to an agreement to join Fox for its studio coverage. Amazon would want him for its studio coverage.
Amazon has already announced that Al Michaels and Kirk Herbstreit as its lead TNF broadcast team, but is still filling out the rest of its roster. The network’s hire of Tony Gonzalez for its studio team was announced at the NFL Draft Thursday. In addition, as previously noted, the company is said to be pursuing Kay Adams and Kaylee Hartung for the roles of studio host and sideline reporter, respectively. [Front Office Sports 4.29]
