In a surprise, Sharks’ season-opener, likely with Celebrini, is not on local cable TV
SAN JOSE – Unless they have a ticket, San Jose Sharks fans who want to see Macklin Celebrini’s potential NHL debut in October will have to be subscribers to ESPN+.
ESPN on Thursday released its broadcast schedule for the 2024-25 NHL season and the Sharks’ opener against the St. Louis Blues on Oct. 10 at SAP Center is slated to be shown exclusively on ESPN+, the cable network giant’s streaming service. The game is scheduled to start at 7:30 p.m. (PT).
Recent Sharks season openers have been shown on the team’s broadcast partner, NBC Sports California.
Both ESPN and Turner Sports (TNT) hold national broadcast rights to the NHL, and the decision to take San Jose’s season-opener off cable television and make it an ESPN+ game was out of the Sharks organization’s hands. A source said the Sharks were “very disappointed” after learning of the decision to make the game part of ESPN’s streaming schedule.
The Sharks are scheduled to appear exclusively on ESPN+ three times this season and on ESPN another three times.
Besides the Oct. 10 game, the other Sharks games on ESPN+ are the home games against the Nashville Predators on March 11 at 7:30 p.m. and the Edmonton Oilers on April 3 at 7:30 p.m.
The Sharks will appear on national television three times, all on ESPN. The first is San Jose’s home game against Los Angeles on Oct. 29, followed by the Jan. 30 game in Seattle and the March 30 game in Los Angeles. All three games are scheduled to start at 7 p.m. (PT).
ESPN+ subscriptions cost $10.99 per month or $109.99 per year.
TNT also released its national broadcast schedule on Thursday but is not currently featuring any Sharks games. The Sharks did not appear on either ESPN or TNT last season.
NBC Sports California has not yet released its full broadcast schedule.
The 18-year-old Celebrini was selected first overall by the Sharks at the NHL Draft in June. Thought to be NHL-ready right now, Celebrini, barring something unforeseen, will be a part of the Sharks’ season-opening 23-man roster.
START TIMES CHANGED: The NHL announced that the start times for four Sharks games this upcoming season have been changed.
Near the start of the season, the Oct. 20 home game against Colorado has been moved from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m., and the Oct. 22 game in Anaheim was moved from 6:45 p.m. to 7:15 p.m. In the second half of the season, the March 6 game in Colorado was moved from 7:30 p.m. to 7 p.m., and on March 30, the Sharks game in Los Angeles was moved from 6 p.m. to 7 p.m.