All-Female Crew To Broadcast, Produce NHL Game On International Women’s Day, A First
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International Women’s Day arrives on March 8, and NBC Sports Network will celebrate by using an all-female crew to broadcast and produce game coverage of the St. Louis Blues vs. Chicago Blackhawks National Hockey League matchup.
The game will mark the first NHL contest broadcast and produced solely by women in the US.
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Kate Scott (play-by-play) will call the action alongside US Olympic gold medalists Kendall Coyne-Schofield (Inside-the-Glass analyst) and AJ Mleczko (analyst) from United Center in Chicago, Ill.
Kathryn Tappen will anchor studio coverage with three-time Canadian Olympic gold medalist Jen Botterill. Game production will be led by producer Rene Hatlelid and director Lisa Seltzer.
International Women’s Day dates back over 100 years. Throughout the broadcast there will be nods to those who have made their mark on women’s hockey and sports in general, with the goal of inspiring future generations of women to excel on the ice and behind the scenes.
In addition to the game elements, NBC Sports’ female-empowerment brand On Her Turf will surround coverage with content featuring women in hockey in various ways, including the Hockey is for Her digital video franchise and behind-the-scenes content through @OnHerTurf on Instagram.
“I’ve been broadcasting for 17 years, and yet, the very first broadcast I did with a female producer was just two years ago,” said host Kathryn Tappen. “The fact that we are celebrating International Women’s Day with an all-female broadcast and production team tells me how far we have come in a very short time. We hope our broadcast will help inspire young women watching to follow their dreams, because we’ve proven that anything is possible, and I’m proud to be a part of it.”
Producer Rene Hatlelid added, “These strong, accomplished women do this work day in and day out, and I’m honored to be a part of this historic broadcast.”
Producer Kaitlin Urka initially pitched the idea.“We aren’t just bringing women together for the sake of bringing women together,” Urka said. “These are professionals who are some of the best at what they do and do these jobs on a regular basis. International Women’s Day just gives us a unique platform to celebrate their great work.”
Studio coverage will start at 7 p.m. ET on NHL Live and will continue immediately following the game with NHL Overtime.
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