inside the glass between the two benches. Here’s
what the role is and you’re going to think it can
change the game of hockey.’ And he said, ‘I see
not issue with that. Let’s get this done.’ And that
is a statement about what the league believed
in us and allowed us to do what we needed to
do,” Flood said. “From that point on I knew Gary
was going to be a partner who looked out for our
needs and the league’s needs.”
Pierre McGuire has been a mainstay between
the benches, but it has helped other former
players into broadcasting. Albert estimated
that it has added 50 broadcast jobs around
the league since some regional networks have
added it to their coverage.
Former goaltender Brian Boucher, who has
been an inside the glass reporter for NBC since
2015 and will be part of ESPN’s lead broadcast
team when their coverage begins in October,
said there are things missed at ice level due to
the speed of the game, but that a three-person
broadcast adds a lot.
“You get a different feel down at ice level for
the temperature of the game, the speed of the
game. Sometimes you hear things that you
would not hear when you’re upstairs,” he said.
“You also get a different perspective downstairs
and maybe the angles where there’s traffic in
front of the net or the angle coming down my
side of the ice that I see, that the goalie would
see and that the benches see. I think those are
valuable things to highlight.”
NBC found out this was going to be their
final season in April, after the NHL finalized
seven-year deals with ESPN/ABC and Turner
Sports. Flood and coordinating producer John