Garay and Rossell Lead ESPN Deportes’ Spanish NHL Season Opener

Kenneth Garay will handle play-by-play from Bristol, Connecticut, and Carlos Rossell will supply analysis from New York City when ESPN Deportes opens its sixth season of Spanish-language NHL coverage. Their first assignment is Sept. 29, when the Boston Bruins host the New York Rangers at 8 p.m. ET on ESPN Deportes and ESPN.

The two broadcasters have built a national Spanish-language booth that reaches well beyond the usual NHL markets. Garay, who monitors social media during games, said messages arrive from across Latin America, including Colombia, Argentina and Uruguay. One of the most surprising pockets of support has come from Chile, where viewers told him their Oilers allegiance grew out of time spent living and working in Edmonton before retiring back home.

Garay first came to the game while covering the Florida Panthers’ run to the 1996 Stanley Cup Final against the Colorado Avalanche. Born in New York and raised in Bucaramanga, Colombia, he now calls games from ESPN’s Bristol headquarters. Rossell, whose parents are from Nicaragua and Guatemala, works remotely from his home studio in New York City and also coaches at Sky Rink at Chelsea Piers in Manhattan.

The arrangement asks for timing, preparation and trust. Rossell has called hockey in Spanish for more than 25 years and said he and Garay have learned each other’s rhythm well enough to know when the other is leaving space for analysis. There are occasional moments when both jump in at once, as on any live broadcast, but their goal is to keep those to a minimum.

After the horn

For Garay and Rossell, the task is not only to call the score and the big saves. Their audience includes longtime fans and viewers who are still finding their footing in the sport, so the booth works explanations into the flow of play.

Garay said a penalty, power play, the goalie trapezoid and the blue paint around the crease can all require a quick refresher without taking the focus off the game. He credited Rossell with regularly finding ways to teach those details while the action continues.

Some hockey language does not translate cleanly. Instead of forcing literal Spanish versions of established English phrases, the pair may use the familiar English term and then explain its meaning in Spanish. Rossell pointed to “head on a swivel” as one example: a phrase they can present in English before unpacking it for their viewers.

They believe the audience is expanding. Garay said hockey interest in Latin America is strong and continues to build, and he sees the broadcasts as part of a longer effort to make the game entertaining and accessible for Spanish-speaking fans.

Rossell said the growth is visible in participation, with more Latino children entering the sport than in earlier years. He also pointed to the Amerigol LATAM Cup as an important piece of that development, noting that several players from New York took part in the event.

The League and its clubs have added more Spanish-language touchpoints in recent years. NHL.com launched a Spanish site in the 2019-20 season, while the Vegas Golden Knights introduced the LosVGK brand in 2023 to connect with Hispanic fans, support hockey growth in Clark County and throughout their television region, and strengthen community ties.

The Los Angeles Kings, Nashville Predators and Golden Knights carry Spanish radio broadcasts on a regular basis. The Dallas Stars, Anaheim Ducks, San Jose Sharks and Washington Capitals have also offered selected games in Spanish.

Garay said the path for more clubs is more accessible now because teams can stream coverage rather than relying solely on radio airtime. Still, he cautioned that a Spanish broadcast cannot be a one-night gesture; it takes steady investment and repetition before the audience grows.

Rossell sees a practical opportunity in markets with large Latino populations, where Spanish coverage can create advertising possibilities. ESPN’s full-season schedule, he said, can give clubs a working model and help establish a base for teams considering their own broadcasts.

Storylines on their board

Garay will be tracking whether the Rangers can bounce back after what he called a poor season. He is also watching for a Canadian club to end the country’s long Stanley Cup drought, along with the response from the Florida Panthers after injuries helped derail their bid for a third straight championship.

Rossell’s attention is on the League’s younger wave and the poise it has brought with it. He singled out San Jose Sharks center Macklin Celebrini and New York Islanders defenseman Matthew Schaefer as young players who already look unusually comfortable at the NHL level.

He also has Washington’s Alex Ovechkin on his list after the Capitals forward reached 900 goals last season. Rossell said Washington has changed as a team and that Ovechkin’s next chapter will be worth following.

Next puck drop