Blackhawks surprisingly rank near the bottom of Original Six national TV schedule

A few days ago, the NHL released its national TV schedule, which will feature games on ESPN and TNT. For almost two decades, the Chicago Blackhawks have appeared prominently on national TV thanks to legendary players Jonathan Toews, Patrick Kane, and Marian Hossa. The Original Six franchise has also had plenty of outdoor games to cover and lengthy runs to the Stanley Cup Final, resulting in three championships. Moreover, Chicago is one of the top TV markets in America, and because the Windy City has only one hockey team, it doesn’t need to share its television time with another club.

However, even with Connor Bedard as the face of the organization and Kane returning to the club where he achieved his greatest successes, the Blackhawks oddly find themselves tied with the Detroit Red Wings for the fewest national games amongst the four American Original Six teams.

Blackhawks see slightly more action than Canadian Original Six teams

In Canada, Rogers owns the broadcast rights, so the Montreal Canadiens and Toronto Maple Leafs don't appear on ESPN or TNT much this season. For example, Toronto will play Chicago on November 17, New Jersey on December 17, and Boston on February 10. Meanwhile, Montreal will play in the Heritage Classic against Winnipeg on October 25, the New York Rangers on November 16, Tampa Bay on December 2, Buffalo on December 17, Boston on January 6, and Detroit on March 28. Altogether, Canadian teams will play just nine times.

As mentioned, the Blackhawks will be featured in 17 national games, tied with the Red Wings, who make their TNT debut on October 2 against the New York Rangers and their ESPN debut on October 13 against New Jersey. Overall, they will play five games in March, four games in October, three in November, two in December and February, and one in January.

On opening night, September 29, the Blackhawks will be featured in an ESPN triple-header to open the season against the Vegas Golden Knights. They will play two more times on ESPN in October before making their TNT debut on November 4 against the Florida Panthers. After their October 29 meeting against the Red Wings on ESPN, Chicago won’t have another game on the network until January 7, 2027, against the Rangers. However, they will have four games on TNT during that span.

Although they won't be featured on either network in the final weeks of the season, the Blackhawks will have 10 games spread across both networks through January (four), February (three), and March (three).

Bruins and Rangers lead the ESPN and TNT Original Six coverage

The Rangers will have 18 games on National TV, one more than the rebuilding Red Wings and Blackhawks, but none compare to the 20 games the Bruins will have on ESPN and TNT. Despite not being in one of the country’s top markets, Boston is one of the best Original Six these days with marquee players like David Pastrnak, Charlie McAvoy, and Jeremy Swayman. Besides Chicago’s recent Stanley Cup in 2015, the Bruins are the most recent Original Six winners, hoisting the Cup in 2011.

Overall, Blackhawks fans should not only be upset that they find their up-and-coming team at the bottom of the Original Six national TV list, but they should be perplexed to learn that they have the same number of games on ESPN and TNT as the Minnesota Wild. Chicago and Minnesota lead the division in appearances, just one game ahead of the Colorado Avalanche (16) and a few more than the Dallas Stars (13) and St. Louis Blues (11). Meanwhile, the Utah Mammoth have seven games, followed by the Nashville Predators, who have three on ESPN and zero on TNT, and the Winnipeg Jets, who only appear once thanks to the Heritage Classic on TNT.

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