Here's why tonight's Leafs game has an earlier start time than normal
The Toronto Maple Leafs might not be first in the NHL standings, but at least they’re first up in the schedule for one day.
Today, the Maple Leafs take to the ice at a rather peculiar weekday start time, when they drop the puck against the Washington Capitals at 6 pm ET.
That’s a pretty significant shakeup for a schedule that sees nearly all of its games in the Eastern time zone being played at 7 pm ET, but it’s for a decent reason.
On Tuesday, the National Hockey League is experimenting with the “Frozen Frenzy” concept for American audiences, which is drawing a little inspiration from whip-around coverage shows like the weekly NFL RedZone channel.
All 32 teams across the league will be in action starting with Toronto and Washington, staggering start times for the 16 games until a later-than-usual 11 pm ET puck drop between the Vegas Golden Knights and Philadelphia Flyers to close out the evening.
Sixteen games, sixteen different start times. Welcome to Frozen Frenzy.#NHLStats: https://t.co/DVWrJ0uSNd pic.twitter.com/6YFGJh44IA
— NHL Public Relations (@PR_NHL) October 24, 2023
ESPN’s Kevin Weekes and John Buccigross will host the show checking in on each game around the league, which is streaming from 7 to 8 pm ET exclusively on ESPN+ and then from 8 pm ET to 1:30 am ET on ESPN2 and ESPN+. Unfortunately, that option doesn’t appear to be available to Canadians, with the individual games involving Canadian teams instead broadcast on various TSN and Sportsnet feeds.
Staggering start times is a thing many diehard fans have pushed the league on for years, as it gives people the opportunity to catch crucial moments of multiple games instead of focusing on just one.
At least for one night, the league seems to have listened, although it is interesting the NHL chose to go up against the opening night of the NBA season, where two nationally televised games are taking place.
Regardless, it’s an interesting experiment that could become more commonplace if the league deems it a success. Here’s to new start times!
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