Here's why tonight's Canucks game has an unusual start time
The Vancouver Canucks will be playing at an abnormal time tonight as they wrap up their road trip in Tennessee.
The puck will drop for the game between the Canucks and Nashville Predators at 6:15 pm PT. That’s 8:15 pm local in Nashville, about one hour later than a typical NHL game.
The unique start time is due to a new initiative attempted by ESPN and the NHL calledĀ Frozen Frenzy. All 32 teams will play tonight with staggered start times to ensure continuous action throughout the entire evening. This is the first time in league history that all 32 teams have played on the same night.
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
The American all-sports network will be switching between all of the action to give fans the latest highlights from around the league, in a similar fashion to NFL Network’s RedZone, which is popular on Sundays. John Buccigross and Kevin Weekes will be hosting the show.
Goals, big hits, power play opportunities, and other highlight moments will be prioritized so that fans can keep up with all the best plays from around the league.
The Canucks are playing the fifth and final game of their first road trip of the season. They’ll have the chance to head back to the West Coast with a winning record on the trip as thus far they’ve gone 2-2-0.
Tonight, the NHL action starts at 3 pm PT as the Toronto Maple Leafs head south to face off against the Washington Capitals. There will be a total of 16 games, ending with a matchup between the Philadelphia Flyers and the Vegas Golden Knights, which begins at 8 pm PT.
While the NHL is hoping that fans will tune in for this innovative idea, they’ve picked an interesting night to experiment. The 2023-24 NBA season starts tonight with two marquee matchups that are sure to attract a lot of viewers across the US.