It seems like broadcasting issues continue to torment the NHL, and they just can’t be shaken off. “So embarrassing for the NHL,” sneered one fan just days ago as the Florida Panthers took on the Toronto Maple Leafs in Round 2 of the 2025 postseason. And now, as the action continues on the ice, it looks like more and more hockey connoisseurs are frustrated at how the league is handling things.

Pulling off a tournament like the NHL without any hiccups year after year can be a mountain task. Naturally, a few fumbles along the way cannot be entirely unwarranted. And yet, all the community wants is a little clarity and honesty from the organizers.

Spittin’ Chiclets‘, and former Panthers star, Ryan Whitney, took to X on how the NHL’s promises and the reality have been entirely different. With multiple high-stakes matches scheduled every day for Round 2 of the postseason, fans justifiably want to keep up with all the updates. Under such circumstances, a delay in the games only makes the community irate. Reflecting on that sentiment, Whitney wrote, “Why does the league say games will start at 9:30 or 10, then every time they start at 9:50 or 10:20.”

“Why not just put that as the start time?” sounded the former NHL defenseman’s genuine curiosity, unless the NHL took the phrase ‘fashionably late’ a bit too seriously. Ever since the NHL ended its collaboration with NBC, things have been volatile, to say the least. Fans have repeatedly claimed that their hockey experience has dampened significantly because of how the current broadcasters handle the games.

Just days ago, ESPN left fans enraged with how they swapped Bob Wischusen for Sean McDonough to cover the final game between the Colorado Avalanche and the Dallas Stars in Round 1. Wischusen had covered all the first six games, but was traded for McDonough, even though the latter has been out of action for quite some time to focus on his ongoing health issues.

If that wasn’t all, remote broadcasting has repeatedly been slammed by NHL fans as something that dilutes the whole intensity, in case you’re not at the stadium and watching the game on television. Both TNT and ESPN have proved that they weren’t capable of replicating the atmosphere from the arena via their remote broadcasting setup, and NHL experts like Braylon Breeze could hardly maintain their frustration. “TNT Sports pays $225M a year for NHL rights, yet it’s somehow “too expensive” to send commentators to numerous playoff games,” Breeze fumed on social media in April. And yet, despite all the hiccups, things haven’t been entirely shabby for the world’s biggest hockey league.

The 2024-25 season has been tumultuous, to put things lightly. From the Chicago Blackhawks to the New York Rangers, some of the biggest franchises have failed to make it to the playoffs. However, it seems like all that has only added to the charm of the most beautiful game on the planet. In the 2024-25 NHL season, attendance record passed the 23 million mark for the first time in the league’s history.

Ups and downs for the NHL throughout the season

Over 1312 regular-season games, the NHL saw an incredible 23,014,458 fans hit stadiums across North America. The number represents 96.9% of total capacity, and also helped the league set a new attendance record for the third straight season. Along with physical attendance, digital viewership has also been great.

While we admit that teams like the Chicago Blackhawks saw a decline in their viewership, franchises like the Anaheim Ducks, on the other hand, have been blessed with greater digital viewership numbers. Thanks to Alex Ovechkin‘s incredibly scintillating Gr8 Chase, the Washington Capitals have also enjoyed a steady backing from their fans at almost every game.

But the regular season is now in the rearview mirror, and the postseason is heating up. In both the Eastern and Western conferences, the action has been relentless, with all teams going all-in for the bid to lift the coveted Stanley Cup. But will all that excitement see the NHL fans continue with their loyal support or will saturation play spoilsport? Tell us your thoughts in a comment!