The NHL’s Frozen Frenzy returns Tuesday with every club on the ice, 16 games on the board and a broadcast schedule built for channel-flipping chaos. The opening faceoff comes at 6 p.m. ET, when the Detroit Red Wings host the New Jersey Devils, and the first 13 games will roll out in 15-minute windows before the Toronto Maple Leafs visit the Utah Mammoth in Salt Lake City at 9 p.m. ET. The night finishes on the West Coast, with the Boston Bruins meeting the San Jose Sharks at 11 p.m. ET.
Three games will air on ESPN: Devils-Red Wings, Colorado Avalanche at Dallas Stars at 8:30 p.m. ET, and Bruins-Sharks. ESPN’s coverage opens with “The Point” at 5 p.m. ET on ESPN2 and ESPN+, followed by a five-hour whiparound program beginning at 7 p.m. ET on ESPN2, Disney+ and the ESPN app. Every game will be available through the ESPN app for subscribers with an ESPN plan.
Ray Ferraro sees the setup as hockey’s answer to the opening days of the NCAA tournament, with games already underway when the next puck drops and major moments arriving faster than any one viewer can track. A stop, a power-play goal or a late push can pull the coverage in a new direction without warning. Steve Levy stopped short of calling it a holiday for hockey fans, but said it comes close.
Levy will lead ESPN’s studio panel from Bristol, Connecticut, alongside Mark Messier and P.K. Subban, with their focus on the network’s three full-game broadcasts. John Buccigross and former NHL goaltender Kevin Weekes will work the whiparound desk, monitoring all 16 games with live cut-ins and breakdowns. Emily Kaplan will handle the news cycle, expecting a long night for both her phone and portable charger.
A full-league showcase
The event requires unusual cooperation across the League, its clubs, television partners and ticket-holders. Earlier starts can create a rush-hour problem for fans heading to the rink, while late local faceoffs can make family outings more difficult. But the tradeoff is a night that puts all 32 teams in one television window and gives viewers a look at players and clubs that may not normally reach their screens.
Weekes views that exposure as one of the biggest benefits. A fan tuning in for a familiar team might catch a young star or a lesser-known club and leave with a new player to follow. Ferraro noted that getting the League, teams, sponsors and broadcasters aligned for a slate this complicated is no small task, which makes the finished product stand out even more.
ESPN’s new studio will add another layer this year. Levy said the pregame, intermission and postgame crews are expected to share one large studio rather than work from separate spaces. Weekes has been testing floor-to-ceiling screens and controls that can isolate video, slow down plays and move clips across several displays. He recently used the system while reviewing a St. Louis Blues sequence and received a text from actor and Blues supporter Jon Hamm praising the presentation.
Frozen Frenzy has produced its share of live-TV scrambles. Last season, Connor Bedard scored the first hat trick of his NHL career and added an assist as the Chicago Blackhawks beat the Ottawa Senators 7-3. Kaplan recalled the control-room pace as nearly constant, with producers feeding updates through her earpiece throughout the night. She also had to chase details of Dallas Stars defenseman Thomas Harley’s new contract while the show was on the air, sending messages and making calls from a spot behind Weekes’ set position.
For Weekes, last year also carried a personal moment. It was his first day back at work after the birth of his daughter, Irie, and an unexpected photo of her appeared on the studio screen.
Among this year’s games, Weekes has circled the Washington Capitals at Carolina Hurricanes matchup at 6:45 p.m. ET. He sees Washington as a legitimate Eastern Conference threat after its offseason additions and pointed to Logan Thompson as one of the League’s top goaltenders. Colorado-Dallas also has his attention, matching two deep, high-end rosters. Kaplan will be watching the Montreal Canadiens at Buffalo Sabres game at 6:30 p.m. ET after their playoff series last spring went to overtime in Game 7.
The 2025 Frozen Frenzy, played Oct. 28, delivered the kind of scoreboard volatility the format is designed to capture. Victor Olofsson, then with Colorado, recorded his first NHL hat trick and two assists in an 8-4 Avalanche win over New Jersey, ending the Devils’ eight-game winning streak. Home teams went 7-5-4, with three overtime games and two shootout decisions. Eight of the 16 contests were settled by one goal.
Dallas goalie Jake Oettinger made 24 saves in a 1-0 win against Washington, while Jonathan Quick stopped 23 Vancouver Canucks shots in the New York Rangers’ 2-0 victory. Quick has since retired. In another result that later gained extra significance, the Vegas Golden Knights won 6-3 at Carolina; less than eight months afterward, the Hurricanes beat Vegas in six games to claim the second Stanley Cup in franchise history.
The League will have another all-club date on April 10, 2027, the final day of the regular season. Thirteen of the 16 games will be divisional matchups, creating the possibility of a playoff race that runs right to the closing night. With the schedule expanding to 84 games, Weekes called the setup a sharp reminder that every point can matter. Ferraro said the final-day plan is another example of a difficult scheduling idea becoming reality.
Notebook: Melrose tribute and Forsberg’s football connection
The Adirondack Thunder will honor Barry Melrose before Saturday’s home opener against the Trenton Ironhawks in Glens Falls, New York. Melrose died Sept. 10 at age 70. Family, friends, former teammates and people close to him, including Wendel Clark, are expected for the tribute.
Melrose played for the Adirondack Red Wings in 1984 and was part of their Calder Cup championship team in 1986. He later returned as the club’s coach in 1989 and guided Adirondack to another Calder Cup title in 1992, its fourth championship. Levy, Melrose’s longtime ESPN broadcast partner, described the gathering as an important night for those who knew him.
Elsewhere, Nashville Predators forward Filip Forsberg has another reason to track the unbeaten San Francisco 49ers. Forsberg is close friends with 49ers tight end George Kittle, whose wife Claire and Kittle are godparents to Forsberg’s 2-year-old son, Felix. The families connected through their wives, and Kittle and Claire spend offseasons in Nashville.
Kittle showed his support during the 4 Nations Face-Off in February 2025, attending Sweden’s game against Finland at Bell Centre in Montreal wearing a Sweden jersey bearing Forsberg’s name and No. 9. He also wore Swedish colors and a yellow-and-blue wig. The pair later drew attention at the Argentina-Spain World Cup final on July 26, 2026, at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey, when they went shirtless in the stands. Forsberg’s explanation was simple: they enjoy themselves.
