NHL To Air Stanley Cup Final With Alternate ASL Broadcast

A brand new, one-of-a-kind broadcast shall be accessible throughout this yr’s Stanley Cup Final … the NHL simply revealed it should supply a telecast of the championship sequence completely in American Signal Language.

The league introduced the distinctive broadcast of the Florida Panthers vs. Edmonton Oilers contests will start when the puck drops on Sport 1 on Saturday.

It should function Jason Altmann — a third-generation Deaf — and Noah Blankenship … who works within the Workplace of Deaf and Laborious of Listening to Providers in Denver.

“The opportunity to do a Deaf-centric broadcast of a premier sporting event in ASL is a positive, seismic change for the Deaf community,” Altmann stated in a press release Wednesday. “As a sports fan growing up, I couldn’t relate with the broadcasters because some elements were not well captured with closed captioning. Now, we are creating an opportunity for Deaf sports fans and viewers to watch Deaf broadcasters and feel engaged through ASL.”

NHL exec Steve Mayer said the published will function a “more conversational and relaxed” fashion … versus the standard play-by-play and commentary ones sports activities followers have grown accustomed to.

It is all a part of a partnership the NHL has with P-X-P — which has helped the league with ASL interpretation earlier than with occasions just like the Winter Traditional, All-Star Weekend and others.

Mayer stated he hopes the published will broaden into the 2024-25 season.