It seems like the NHL broadcasting and the fans just can’t seem to find common ground. So, lately, there’s been a noticeable difference between two broadcasters. In Game 1 of the 2025 Stanley Cup Playoffs’ second-round series featuring the Florida Panthers and the Toronto Maple Leafs, American fans really noticed the difference in broadcast quality between ESPN and Canada’s Sportsnet.

Viewers had quite a bit to say about ESPN’s audio mix, pointing out problems like muffled crowd noise and commentators not being consistent with their volume. To point out the obvious, this really took away from the overall at-home viewing experience. On the flip side, Sportsnet’s broadcast got a lot of praise for its top-notch audio quality and the way it really pulled viewers into the atmosphere of the game.

The Canadian network did a great job capturing the arena’s energy, really ramping up the excitement during key moments, like when William Nylander scored just 33 seconds into the game. Many American fans have been vocal about their preference for Sportsnet’s coverage over ESPN’s due to the difference in broadcast quality. Some have even looked for alternative streams to have a more enjoyable viewing experience.

The criticism of ESPN’s NHL coverage isn’t exactly a fresh topic of discussion. The network has dealt with criticism before for similar problems, like during the first-round series between the Maple Leafs and the Ottawa Senators. People keep talking about how ESPN really needs to take a fresh look at its NHL broadcasting.

Fans are finding themselves more drawn to Canadian networks like Sportsnet because they offer a more genuine and top-notch hockey experience. What were the fans upset about this time?

NHL fans are unhappy due to the audio quality difference

In the 2024-25 NHL regular season, ESPN saw a significant drop in viewership for its coverage. That’s  a bit worrying. So, this fan pointed out that the broadcasting network is at fault, saying, “The ESPN audio was s*** as usual.” The network saw an average of 408,000 viewers per game, which is a 16% drop from last season’s 485,000 viewers. This decline led to the lowest regular-season viewership numbers since ESPN got back the NHL broadcasting rights in 2021.

After this playoff game, a fan expressed, “I don’t understand how ESPN can’t figure it out. Just do what worked for NBC and what works for SN, it sucks watching ESPN’s coverage.” This fan shared their frustration, saying, “Painful on ESPN, I spent half of the period trying to find an audio feed of Sportsnet. The play by play is unfortunately dry.”

ESPN hasn’t said anything about these particular concerns yet, but they’ve definitely been known to celebrate their high viewership for big events in the past. So, back in February 2025, the USA-Canada final of the 4 Nations Face-Off tournament really made waves, pulling in an average of 9.3 million viewers on ESPN. It turned out to be the most-watched hockey game ever on the network and the highest-rated non-football event since the 2024 NBA Finals. Pretty impressive, right?

Even with that success, the problems are still hanging around, as we saw in the latest playoff game. One fan really put it out there, saying, “ESPN is Awful!!! I’ve been saying this since they got the games back. Audio is terrible. Downright awful. Then some of the play by play is also terrible.” In a similar vein, this fan said, “This is truly insane how bad espn is.” Hockey fans definitely have a lot of feelings when it comes to the game; they really connect with it. Issues like this really get under their skin because they’re not just looking to watch hockey; they want to experience all the emotions that come with the game.