NHL set to produce second ‘Big City Greens Classic’, as Penguins face Bruins

Like last season, the National Hockey League is going virtual, and into the land of “Big City Greens,” when the Boston Bruins face off against the Pittsburgh Penguins next month.

The first “NHL Big City Greens Classic” saw the New York Rangers beat the Washington Capitals on March 14 of last season. The broadcast, which was pointed toward intriguing children, was a big hit, especially with women. According to reports, 60% of the viewership were women, contrary to the typical NHL game, where 60% of people watching are male.

This year’s “Classic” will see the Bruins and Penguins play on Saturday, March 9, at 3 p.m. ET. The game will shown on Disney Channel, Disney XD and Disney+. A traditional broadcast will be available on ABC and ESPN+ in the United States.

The most notable change from the inaugural event last year is the NHL will be using two types of puck and player tracking to feature more clear 3D animated movements that are synced with the real-life players.

“Big City Greens” characters will be heavily involved in the alternate broadcast, with a skills competition being held between periods. Penguins captain Sidney Crosby endorsed Cricket to coach Pittsburgh, as the team is reportedly going to morph into actual Penguins on occasion. Gramma, having been endorsed by Bruins captain Brad Marchand, will coach Boston.

Drew Carter, Kevin Weekes and Arda Öcal will be calling the action on the animated telecast. The trio of ESPN commentators will wear virtual reality headsets for motion capture, placing them in the Times Circle animated environment.

ESPN Edge Innovation Center is producing the live, real-time animation, along with NHL Edge Innovation partner Beyond Sports.

This is the third time in the last year Disney and ESPN have partnered to put on an animated sporting broadcast. In Week 4 of the NFL season, the Jacksonville Jaguars and Atlanta Falcons played in the first ever “Toy Story Funday Football.” It featured the two teams, who were also playing in London, using player tracking technology to place them into a unique environment in the Toy Story world.