23-24 National Broadcast Schedule: What does it mean for the Colorado Avalanche?
By Sean McKenna
The NHL has released its national broadcast schedule for this upcoming season, and the Colorado Avalanche, surprisingly, has a ton of games; 17 to be exact.
This surprised me, and I’m sure a lot of you reading this as well, as it seems sometimes the Avalanche are overlooked or even forgotten when it comes to national attention.
I think a lot of that stems from being in a unique time zone that doesn’t necessarily appeal to or fit in either primetime slot, East or West Coast. They can obviously play on national TV on the road, but I think it’d be wise to have some home games and that atmosphere on display for the viewing public, and being in the mountain time zone, it’s hard to do.
With those gripes out of the way, there is a major advantage to having so many national broadcasts this season.
New or casual fans will start to notice some of the stars of the Colorado Avalanche.
Guys like NHL ’24 cover boy Cale Makar, Nathan MacKinnon, Mikko Rantanen, and so on. A perfect way for the NHL to shine a light on these players and let the viewing public get to know them.
With all that said, if we discussed all seventeen games and their potential ramifications on the season or the marketing of the Avs, we’d be here awhile.
Instead, let’s look at a few marquee games to discuss further in-depth, and what impacts those games may have on the Avalanche this season.
Opening Night: Colorado Avalanche vs LA Kings (10/11/23, 10 PM EST, TNT)
The first game of the season, opening night, a national broadcast is the spotlight every team would love to be in. The Avalanche get that this year as they travel to Los Angeles to take on the Kings for the nightcap of TNT’s coverage on Opening Night.
This is a game for the Avalanche to set a tone against a good Western Conference team in the Kings, and for the Avalanche to put the NHL on notice that last year’s early playoff exit was an anomaly and not the new normal. A good showing here will go a long way toward success this season for Colorado.
10/17/23 Colorado Avalanche vs Seattle Kraken (10 PM EST, ESPN)
A week into the season and it’s revenge time for the Avalanche. Likewise for the Kraken, can they prove that last year was not just a flash in the pan, but a sign of things to come for the franchise? This game is sure to have fireworks in order, and ESPN made an excellent choice here.
The Avs owe Seattle after being knocked out in the first round last season- a big disappointment. With this being an early season matchup, the Avalanche should be at full strength and, hopefully, they can get their revenge early on Seattle.
3/6/24 Colorado Avalanche vs Detroit Red Wings (930 PM EST, TNT)
This one will be an interesting game for fans of the Avalanche both old and new. For the old fans, the nostalgia of the ‘90s with an Avalanche-Red Wings game can’t be beaten, and where better to showcase it than on National television?
Is this matchup still must-see TV? Not as must-see as it once was, but this isn’t the only reason I have this game circled on the calendar. For new fans, it’s a look at a team on the rise from the other conference and a time to see what Stevie Y has built in Detroit. For Wings fans, it’s a measuring stick game for Moritz Seider going up against Norris winner Cale Makar.
This should be a game that encompasses it all for the casual fan with hitting, and scoring, and Ball Arena should be rocking, making it a great atmosphere.
Two games vs Vegas (1/10/24 and 4/14/24, both on TNT)
The networks made the right choice here in putting these games on national television. The reigning Stanley Cup champions will be a test for every team they play, and what better way to see how the Avalanche stack up than raising the stakes and putting these games on national TV?
These two teams played in the 2021 Winter Classic, which was also a nationally televised game, and although these won’t have Lake Tahoe as some fantastic scenery, I’m sure the fireworks will be going off either way. The Avalanche need to play well against the Golden Knights as they look to take back the Western Conference.
Obviously, each fan has their own reason for raising the importance of whatever game they raise. These discussed are just a few games that we can all look forward to. Having seventeen games on national television shows me the NHL is investing in the Avalanche and their stars, and that TNT and ESPN are on board with raising the status of the Colorado Avalanche players. Here’s to a great season.