The Blues\u2019 marketing department mentioned the theme night at a league business meeting last summer, which triggered the idea of assigning NHL in ASL to the game. The 7 p.m. Central puck drop will stream on the ESPN App for ESPN\u00a0Unlimited subscribers, with P-X-P\u2019s Jason Altmann and Jeff Mansfield, who are deaf, providing real-time play-by-play and color commentary in ASL.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis is a really exciting evolution of this platform,\u201d says Rachel Segal, a producer for NHL in ASL. \u201cWe thought long and hard about what we see the next step being so that we can reach more of an audience on the local level. We see this as our expansion and growth opportunity.\u201d<\/p>\n
There are approximately 33 million deaf and hard-of-hearing individuals in the U.S. and 4 million to 5 million in North America. ASL is used in both the U.S. and Canada, which is also where the majority of NHL fans reside.<\/p>\n
So when Segal took a position with the NHL\u2019s social impact department, the TV producer in her took note of the league\u2019s relationship with P-X-P. She sent Matt Celli with NHL Productions a message asking, \u201cWhat do you think of doing a broadcast for the deaf community?\u201d Celli responded, \u201cLet\u2019s do it!\u201d \u2014 and NHL in ASL was born.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat excited us the most was being trailblazers in this space because there was no other broadcast in major sports where the talent is deaf and interpreting the game as they see it in their native language of ASL versus an interpretation of existing game calls,\u201d Segal says. \u201cSo that was really exciting, but there was no blueprint of how to do it to make sure our audience felt like they were part of the game.\u201d<\/p>\n
The NHL and P-X-P had the production tools, but to produce a broadcast for the deaf community, they had to redefine the logistical process on the operational end. To make it authentic, it also needed talent. It had ideas for on-screen visuals, but had to choose the right ones.<\/p>\n
The NHL brought Christianson into the mix to ensure it was being true to the community.<\/p>\n
The 42-year-old thought back to his childhood, when there were no interpreters for his parent-teacher conferences, so he did it on his own. He always felt like the odd man out, navigating between a hearing world, a deaf world and a CODA world. He understood how much being unified would mean.<\/p>\n
\u201cOne thing with the deaf community, if you build it, they will come,\u201d Christianson says. \u201cThere\u2019s just a curiosity of their language, their identity, their culture being represented by people that are from their community.\u201d<\/p>\n
P-X-P brought in Altmann and Mansfield, despite neither having TV experience. They needed training and have received it from top announcers on the NHL\u2019s other networks, including TNT\u2019s Kenny Albert.<\/p>\n
\u201cKenny has educated Jason and Jeff on how to prep and how to rehearse and what to extract and what to elevate,\u201d Christianson says.<\/p>\n
The NHL in ASL\u2019s first broadcast was Game 1 of the 2024 Stanley Cup Final between the Florida Panthers and Edmonton Oilers, and it did the entire seven-game series.<\/p>\n
\u201cTo kick it off during the Final was really pressurizing, especially because our talent had never been on camera before,\u201d Segal says. \u201cWe threw them on-air for our biggest games of the year, but they really rose to the occasion. We started off with a bang, that\u2019s for sure.\u201d<\/p>\n
The broadcast was well-received, but if the NHL in ASL were to become a sustainable success, every element had to be evaluated.<\/p>\n
\u201cI knew the buy-in for the first Stanley Cup Final would be positive and impactful,\u201d Christianson says. \u201cThe challenge is to continue getting that buy-in from the deaf community. At the end of the day, deaf fans are visual, so how do we elevate and enhance the game?\u201d<\/p>\n
Along the way, the NHL in ASL has adjusted the size of the boxes of the game and the commentators to make them more visible. It\u2019s added other on-screen information, including a noise meter, time on ice and penalties.<\/p>\n
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\u201cWe\u2019ve done a lot of iterations, being more mindful of how much action is going on,\u201d Christianson says. \u201cWe\u2019ve continued to be innovative and allow the production to evolve. The current edition of the overlay is awesome.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s a legitimate broadcast now.\u201d<\/p>\n
The crew also does video highlights, with Altmann using ASL to provide commentary and a \u201ccrowd intensity\u201d bar in the picture.<\/p>\n
In the last two years, the NHL in ASL has been nominated for three Emmys in the category of \u201cOutstanding Interactive Experience: Sports,\u201d including two this year. It wouldn\u2019t be possible without today\u2019s technology and the many outlet options.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cWhere there was a barrier in regular broadcast cable television, streaming has allowed it to open up all these different avenues,\u201d Christianson says. \u201cThe more buy-in we get, the more exposure, the more value we provide, the more it grows.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe one thing that really means a lot to me is the people at the NHL that have had no exposure to ASL or the deaf community life, like I have, leaning in. They have consistently trusted our process and our vision.\u201d<\/p>\n
Another person leaning in is Neighbours.<\/p>\n
His connection to the deaf community came from growing up in Calgary with the Wiesblatt family, whose mother, Kim, is deaf. He was friends with her children \u2014 including Ozzy, who now plays for the Nashville Predators \u2014 and took it upon himself to learn sign language so he could communicate with someone who became like a second mom.<\/p>\n
Last season, in conjunction with the Blues, Neighbours helped produce a collection of ASL hats, which sold out both at the team store and online.<\/p>\n
\u201cHow big it blew up was definitely a surprise and a great one at that,\u201d he says. \u201cOnce that happened, it just reiterated to me how important this is and how much attention it hasn\u2019t gotten.\u201d<\/p>\n
Neighbours was immediately on board to assist with this season\u2019s ASL Awareness Night. He\u2019s been promoting the event with a series of videos, which the Blues are posting on social media. He signed the entire message in ASL. He\u2019s not fully fluent, so he called Ozzy Wiesblatt the night before the recording to do a little brushing up.<\/p>\n
\u201cI do a lot of (signs) through spelling,\u201d Neighbours says. \u201cI saw some people saying in the comments (under the video) that there\u2019s a sign for \u2018St. Louis\u2019 and a sign for \u2018Blues\u2019 as well. I haven\u2019t learned all that stuff yet, so I\u2019m still spelling everything.\u201d<\/p>\n
The Wiesblatts were excited watching the video, which Neighbours calls the coolest part of his participation.<\/p>\n
\u201cThey definitely feel the love,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n
Jake has a very special announcement to make\u2026 <\/p>\n
\ud83d\udd17: https:\/\/t.co\/EO8Et7oqXH<\/a> pic.twitter.com\/HPR5hQZr3n<\/a><\/p>\n