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ESPN, Disney Channel and the National Hockey League Team Up for First-Ever ‘NHL Big City Greens Classic’

February 14 2023 - News Release News Editorial

NHL Skates Into Disney's #1 Animated Comedy 'Big City Greens' With Live Animated Presentation of Washington Capitals at New York Rangers on March 14

ESPN, Disney Channel and the National Hockey League Team Up for First-Ever ‘NHL Big City Greens Classic’

ESPN, Disney Channel and the NHL are teaming up to bring fans the “NHL Big City Greens Classic,” the first-ever live, animated NHL game telecast, featuring the Washington Capitals vs. New York Rangers, on March 14 at 7 p.m. EDT.

The alternate presentation of the Capitals-Rangers game will feature live, real-time volumetric animation of players and teams modeled after characters on Disney Branded Television’s Emmy® Award-winning animated comedy “Big City Greens.” ESPN+, Disney Channel, Disney XD and Disney+ will present the live, animated telecast, while the main telecast will be available on ESPN and ESPN+.

“Working with Disney Channel and the NHL, we are producing a telecast that will reach a new and different audience and help to grow hockey fandom even more,” Ilan Ben-Hanan, senior vice president of Programming and Acquisitions, ESPN
"‘Big City Greens’ has a huge following in a younger audience that we are excited to tap into, offering a fun and creative way to enjoy the game across Disney platforms.”
“We’ve said from day one that our partnership with The Walt Disney Company is a big win for our fans and our League,” Dave Lehanski, NHL’s executive vice president of Business Development and Innovation.
“We’ve spent years investing in a fast and accurate puck and player tracking system to help us grow the game. The ‘NHL Big City Greens Classic’ will demonstrate how we can leverage data from NHL EDGE — our puck and player tracking system — to create entirely new fan experiences for a younger audience in collaboration with incredible partners like The Walt Disney Company, ESPN and Beyond Sports. What a testament — to have the greatest animation company of all time leverage its incomparable creativity and IP to promote and grow our game.”

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