In 1999, ESPN renewed its contract through the 2004–05 NHL season, with ABC returning as broadcast television rightsholder to replace Fox.

[7] Branded as ESPN Hockey, Sam Rosen,[8] Barry Landers, and Joe Boyle were employed as play-by-play announcers.

In April 1982, USA outbid ESPN for the NHL's American national television cable package ($8 million for two years).

[22][23][24][25][26] SportsChannel America was only available in a few major markets (notably absent though were Detroit, Pittsburgh and St. Louis[27])[28][29][30] and reached only a 1/3 of the households that ESPN did at the time.

Before 1999, these telecasts were non-exclusive, meaning they were blacked out in the regions of the competing teams, and an alternate game was shown in these affected areas.

Under the new contract, ESPN was permitted two exclusive telecasts per team per season, while ABC would also return as broadcast television rightsholder to replace Fox.

[75] After its 2018 launch, ESPN's subscription streaming service ESPN+ added an NHL studio program, a free daily regular season game courtesy of NHL.tv (which is operated by Disney subsidiary BAMTech), and a Stanley Cup Playoffs documentary series (replacing one produced as part of Showtime's All Access franchise).

[76] As part of the NHL.tv deal, ESPN+ started a nightly hockey show, In the Crease, hosted by Linda Cohn and Barry Melrose.

[77] In the years before the end of NBC's latest contract with the NHL, the league explored options for splitting its national broadcast rights, similar to the television deals of the NFL, NBA and MLB.

[95] On May 17, ESPN hired former Calgary Flames studio host Leah Hextall to be a regular play-by-play announcer on NHL broadcasts.

[96] On June 9, 2021, ESPN announced that current New Jersey Devils defenseman P. K. Subban would be a studio analyst for the remainder of the 2021 Stanley Cup Playoffs, making his debut on SportsCenter that day.

[98] On June 24, ESPN/ABC officially announced that six-time Stanley Cup Champion Mark Messier had signed a multi-year deal to join ESPN in a studio analyst role.

On June 28, Marchand reported that three-time Stanley Cup Champion Chris Chelios would also join ESPN/ABC as a studio analyst.

[102] The same day, The Athletic reported that current Hockey Night in Canada color commentator/reporter Cassie Campbell-Pascall would also join the network.

ESPN legend Barry Melrose, Messier, and Chelios were named strictly as studio analysts while Ferraro, Boucher,[102] Weekes, Campbell-Pascall, Callahan, Mleczko, ESPN New York's Rick DiPietro, and 2018 gold medalist Hilary Knight would contribute as booth, ice-level, and studio analysts.

Bolden, who has been working as a pro scout for the Los Angeles Kings since 2020, made her official ESPN on-air debut a week later.

Occasionally, other well-known ESPN personalities like Jeremy Schaap, Kevin Connors, Michael Eaves, and Max McGee will be added in fill-in roles on The Point and In the Crease.

Kenneth Garay and Eitán Benezra would be the main play-by-play commentators, while Carlos Rossell and Antonio Valle contribute analysis and color commentary.

[91] ESPN (34) and ESPN2 (1) aired a combined at least 35 games (billed as ESPN Hockey Night),[113] while ABC aired 15 games under the ABC Hockey Saturday package, which consisted of 4 doubleheaders, the 2023 NHL Stadium Series, and one late-season tripleheader beginning the weekend after the All-Star break.

[87][113][89] On May 14, 2023, ESPN was widely criticized[116] for its decision to implement a split screen between its coverage of Game 6 of the Stanley Cup Playoff series between the Vegas Golden Knights and Edmonton Oilers and a Sunday Night Baseball telecast between the St. Louis Cardinals and Boston Red Sox, which was being played at the same time and was ultimately won by St. Louis by the score of 9-1.

[119] On September 12, 2023, TNT hired Boucher away from ESPN/ABC to serve as Keith Jones' replacement on the top team, thus reuniting with former NBC partners Kenny Albert and Eddie Olczyk.

[120] On October 10, 2023, ESPN announced that Barry Melrose would retire from the network to spend more time with his family after being diagnosed with Parkinson's disease.

[121][122][123][124][125] On December 19, 2023, Campbell-Pascall accepted a new position as a special advisor role with the Professional Women's Hockey League (PWHL).

[127] On October 8, color commentator Ray Ferraro called two games of an opening night tripleheader: the St. Louis Blues at the Seattle Kraken, and the Chicago Blackhawks at the Utah Hockey Club.

[132][133] On October 24, 2023, ESPN+ and ESPN2 aired Frozen Frenzy, a whiparound broadcast (similar to NFL RedZone) carrying live look-ins on all games occurring that night.

[134][135] ESPN brought back the NHL Big City Greens Classic for the March 9, 2024 broadcast of that day's Pittsburgh Penguins-Boston Bruins game, the second half of an ABC Hockey Saturday doubleheader.