Leah Hextall makes history as first woman play-by-play NHL announcer in new ESPN deal

Leah Hextall will be joining ESPN for their upcoming NHL coverage and make history as the first woman play-by-play announcer in NHL history.

For various reasons, NBC and the NHL are parting ways after roughly 15 years. ESPN and TNT represent the future of NHL coverage. The former has the primary TV deal while the latter has a secondary one. With the new deals come new opportunities. Leah Hextall will be getting the most notable one, as she’s set to be hired by ESPN as one of their lead play-by-play announcers.

Andrew Marchand of the New York Post was the first to confirm this news. She’ll join a very talented group that will already feature Ray Ferraro and rising star Brian Boucher. More importantly, Hextall will become the first woman to do regular play-by-play. There have been other women to do single games, such as Sherry Ross, who became the first woman to do a full NHL game in 2009.

Leah Hextall makes “herstory”

This won’t be Hextall’s first game, as she’s done various hockey games, including one with Sportsnet featuring an all-women crew in 2020. She’s also done work with the CWHL and the WHL too. Hextall is no stranger to ESPN either, as she joined their coverage of the Frozen Four in 2019 and became the first woman to call a national championship game.

ESPN is getting one of the most popular hockey analysts in Hextall. She’s brilliant and knows the game very well. Not only that, Hextall has a unique charisma and has done exceptionally well everywhere she’s gone.

This is huge for several reasons. First of all, ESPN continues to grab up talent. Hextall was highly sought after, and rightfully so. Secondly, this should help pave the way for more women to pursue careers in broadcasting. There are plenty of them out there, most notably A.J. Mleczko, Cassie Campbell-Pascall, and Caley Chelios. Hopefully, they’ll continue to inspire other women to become broadcasters.