Features of NHL in ASL broadcast

I want to show you what the NHL in ASL looks like, in case you haven’t had the chance to watch it.

I reported a couple of weeks ago that the NHL is providing a special stream with two Deaf commentators during the Stanley Cup Final games on ESPN+ or Sportsnet+.

I will show you some clips from Tuesday’s game. First, when I logged on ESPN+ to watch the game, I saw options to watch the game in its normal format with hearing commentators, in Spanish, or in ASL.

[Clip]

Now, look at the two ASL commentators, Jason Altmann and Noah Blankenship. They are in two PIP screens on the right. There is also a very nice logo with the NHL shield and “ASL.”

[Clip]

One cool feature is that it shows when there is a whistle with an animation. You will then see the commentators sign, “whistle.”

[Clip]

This feature is nice because as a Deaf person watching the game, I usually don’t realize that there is a whistle until a few seconds later.

There is a similar feature whenever a team scores. Check out this moment the Panthers scored.

[Clip]

The screen had a “Crowd Intensity” feature, which is an indicator of the noise inside the stadium. The ASL commentators often referred to it to help us “feel” the environment.

[Clip]

Nice. Compare this with a regular “hearing” broadcast with only captions.

[Clip]

You can see that it’s just constant captions for the hearing commentators. I’m used to it, but when I watched with the Deaf commentators, I felt more connected with them. The hosts also regularly invite various well-known Deaf people to call in and chat in between intermissions.

-——

Sponsored video by Convo: www.convorelay.com

———

Another cool feature is when the Deaf commentators asked an NHL veteran referee questions. There was an interpreter for the referee.

[Clip]

I have to admit, sometimes when watching the NHL in ASL, there was a lot of “noise” for my eyes. There was a lot going on the screen, with the game, the ASL commentators, the players’ ice time on below, and other animations. There was one part where it was just the game and the two commentators — and it did look nice.

[Clip]

This is the last clip I’ll show, when the two hosts signed off after the game.

[Clip]

So these are some of the features of the NHL in ASL broadcast. It’s a very innovative thing that the NHL did in partnership with P-X-P. It’s a success. Game 6 is tomorrow (Friday) night. If you want to see NHL in ASL, you’ll need to have ESPN+ in the U.S. or SportsNet+ in Canada.

Previous report: https://www.dailymoth.com/blog/stanley-cup-asl-commentary