“I think NBC and NHL have done a lot for one another over the last 16 years,” admitted sports media rights advisor Lee Berke in July 2021. Ending an almost twenty-year-long partnership because of financial issues is never an easy decision to make. And yet, when the NHL and NBC Sports parted ways after the 2020-21 season, fans were hopeful that the tough call would be a boon for lovers of the sport. But as the 2025 Stanley Cup playoffs approach, the hockey fans still can’t get over how Wayne Gretzky & Co. have handled things so far.

The “Great One” is easily one of the most identifiable faces in the world of hockey, and for many good reasons. Obviously, with Gretzky on board, TNT was poised to deliver an experience like never before after the NHL joined hands with the network following the departure from NBC. However, it seems like fans aren’t convinced that moving to TNT was the right thing to do after all.

The official NHLonTNT account went on X on April 19 to share their expert panel’s picks for the 2025 Stanley Cup Finals. After reminding Wayne Gretzky and the rest of the experts of their predictions for the championship game from the season’s Opening Night, the social media post updated the list. The retired Canadian celebrity had previously predicted that this year’s Cup Final would be a face-off between the Oilers and the Panthers. However, with Florida finishing in third spot in the Atlantic Division, the hockey icon traded the defending champs for their in-state rivals, the Tampa Bay Lightning.

Gretzky’s colleagues also made several changes to their own initial predictions. With the Oilers failing to clinch the division or the conference, the Edmonton powerhouse also seemed to fall out of consideration for most of Wayne’s buddies. And yet, the debate on who would go on to clinch the cup this year wasn’t what kept the fans on their toes. Fans weren’t even concerned by the pundits’ takes on the matter and were instead focused on how TNT hasn’t been able to match the community’s expectations.

Ever since signing deals with ESPN and TNT in 2021, NHL coverage on these two networks has been drawing much larger audiences as compared to the time when NBC had the broadcasting rights. And yet, fans slammed Wayne Gretzky’s crew for failing to match the excitement of the sport. “Worst hockey coverage I have ever seen,” one fan thrashed TNT for its negligence in catering to the fans’ emotions and actual needs.

Hockey fans slam Wayne Gretzky and the TNT gang

From the looks of things, most of the TNT’s experts don’t think that the Florida Panthers have what it takes to win two back-to-back Stanley Cups. Despite the Cats’ fans vouching for the Miami team, Gretzky and the others didn’t seem to have much faith in the Panthers’ campaign. Instead, most seemed to think that meeting the Bolts in Round 1 of the playoffs would be the end of the line for Paul Maurice’s boys. But the fans could barely look beyond the poor treatment of the NHL by TNT. “These guys are terrible. These has been hockey players trying to relive their youth by terrible assessment of the game,” vented one fan with genuine detest.

In the first year after jumping ships, NHL averaged 448,000 viewers in the 2021-22 season, as compared to 391,000 in the previous one. Since then, the number has only grown on both TNT and ESPN. Naturally, with so many eyes on them, you’d expect the broadcasters to bring their best on the table. But Wayne Gretzky’s camp seem to have failed in doing so. “the nhl tnt product is so overrated. they only invest in the studio and not the actual game,” reads the frustrated comment of one fan, while another added to the sentiment: “FIX YOUR AUDIO YOU’VE HAD 4 YEARS TO FIGURE IT OUT.”

“Please give the NHL back to NBC. You have the worst hockey announcers in the history of hockey,” one fan earnestly urged Wayne Gretzky to remeber that it’s the community that makes the sport so exciting and they deserve the care in return. Do you agree with these comments? Do you also think that TNT and ESPN should hand over things to someone who actually understands the fans’ needs? Tell us in a comment!