Kevin Weekes will be in the ESPN studio Tuesday for a full-board NHL night, with all 32 clubs scheduled to play across 16 staggered games in the fourth Frozen Frenzy. The former NHL goaltender expects a fast-moving shift from one rink to the next, beginning in Detroit and finishing in San Jose.
Key takeaways
- Frozen Frenzy opens at 6 p.m. ET when the New Jersey Devils visit the Detroit Red Wings.
- The final game has the Boston Bruins on the road against the San Jose Sharks at 11 p.m. ET.
- Weekes will work ESPN’s studio coverage, which will use a new, technology-heavy set in Bristol.
- The 348-game NHL veteran sees Carolina, Florida and Tampa Bay as leading Cup threats if healthy.
- Washington is Weekes’ Eastern Conference sleeper, while Minnesota and Utah have upside in the West.
A 16-game board from opening faceoff to the West Coast
Tuesday’s schedule puts every NHL market in the rotation, with 14 games filling the space between Devils-Red Wings and Bruins-Sharks. The Detroit opener is available on ESPN and SN+, while the late game from San Jose is carried by ESPN, NESN and SN+.
For Weekes, that kind of slate is less like settling into one broadcast and more like working a live scoreboard. He said the appeal is that viewers can catch a Sidney Crosby hat trick, a Logan Thompson stop, a Quinn Hughes highlight or a Cale Makar and Kirill Kaprizov shift without leaving anyone’s team out of the conversation.
“It’s an unlimited buffet of hockey,” Weekes said, describing the chance for fans to follow whichever game or player they choose.
The format has grown through its first three editions, and Weekes said this year’s ESPN production will be centered in a new studio with expanded technical resources. He also pointed to a recently introduced clicker system that lets analysts control replay and video breakdowns themselves.
Weekes has been behind the desk since 2009 after an 11-season playing career that included 348 NHL games. He was part of the Carolina Hurricanes club that reached the 2002 Stanley Cup Final, where the Hurricanes fell to Detroit in five games. His day-to-day preparation remains rooted in constant league contact, from coaches and general managers to players, agents, goaltending staff and people in junior, college and European hockey.
That work will be compressed into a single night Tuesday. Before heading to Bristol, Weekes said he plans to start at home with his family, get his children Irie and Princeton ready for school, fit in a workout and walk, use his hyperbaric chamber, and possibly take a short nap before the two-to-four-hour drive. His in-laws are visiting from Calgary after celebrating their 49th wedding anniversary, along with his sister-in-law and a nephew.
His children are beginning to recognize the job, too. Weekes said his daughter notices him on television, while Princeton occasionally plays along by shouting, “Breaking news, breaking news!”
Weekes’ early Cup board and teams to watch
Weekes has not made a formal Stanley Cup pick, but his leading group starts in the Eastern Conference. He still likes Carolina, Florida or Tampa Bay if health cooperates. Florida’s injuries are a current concern, he noted, but he views the three clubs as built to contend.
Washington is the team he believes could make an unexpected push in the East. Weekes cited Thompson’s goaltending, a deeper attack, improved speed and youth, and the coaching of Spencer Carbery. The conference is crowded, but he believes the Capitals have the ingredients to do damage if they reach their standard.
Out West, Weekes identified the Minnesota Wild and Utah Mammoth as clubs capable of making a run. Minnesota’s question is confidence: he felt the Wild carried more of it late in last regular season than they showed in the playoffs.
Utah’s outlook, in his view, turns heavily on the crease. Karel Vejmelka must stay available, and Sebastian Cossa needs to seize his new opportunity. If that happens, Weekes likes the Mammoth’s young, explosive group and pointed to their effective special teams as another reason they could become a difficult out.
