Two former Washington Capitals players took part in a new program started by the NHL.
Devante Smith-Pelly and Garnet Hathaway were two of nine past and present players who participated in the NHL’s inaugural Broadcast Training Camp. The event was held at the NHL offices in Manhattan a week ago on July 17.
The other participants included Erik Johnson, Chris Wagner, Louis Domingue, Nate Thompson, Michael Del Zotto, Darius Kasparaitis, and Ryan Kesler.
Garnet Hathaway, Erik Johnson, Devante Smith-Pelly and Ryan Kesler were among the nine current and recently retired players who took part in the first NHL Broadcast Training Camp at the @NHL offices on July 17.
Story/Video ⤵️ https://t.co/EvFiyUDca8
— NHL Public Relations (@PR_NHL) July 24, 2024
According to the NHL, the one-day event featured teachings and mentorship from Steve Levy, Kenny Albert, Eddie Olczyk, Brian Boucher, and Ashlyn Sullivan (Flyers studio host). There were lessons focused on game preparation and study, reporting, studio work, and social media and podcasting.
Hathaway recently signed a two-year $4.8 million extension that begins in the 2025-26 season and will keep him with the Flyers through the 2026-27 season. When his remaining two deals end, he will be 35-years-old.
“The more years that I’ve been playing and knowing that inevitably I’m going to stop playing at some point, I don’t think there’s any problem with trying to figure out what interests me after hockey,” Hathaway said to NHL.com. “I think the big thing for me is, will it be in hockey or will it not be? So, this is an awesome opportunity to see what the other side is.”
Smith-Pelly, an unsung hero during the Capitals’ Stanley Cup championship run in 2018, is retired and already in broadcasting. DSP contributed to coverage of Capitals’ games last season with Monumental Sports Network during the 2023-24 season.
DSP first joined Monumental in late November when he joined John Walton in the radio booth to help call five games of a Capitals’ road trip. DSP further got his feet wet during that time by interviewing players on the Capitals’ digital channels.
“I’m extremely excited, I knew right away that I wanted to try it out and I’m grateful for the chance,” Smith-Pelly told NHL.com’s William Douglas at the time. “John Walton has been great, we’ve talked a lot over the last couple of weeks on how he prepares… He’s the expert, and I’m just going to kind of read off him.”
Later in the year, Smith-Pelly was a regular on Monumental’s pre and post-game shows, providing analysis and sharing his opinions on the team.
The Broadcast Training Camp gives the current and former players much-needed experience and advice as they look to either breakthrough or continue their work in the industry.
“This whole process has a dual purpose,” NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman said of the day-long session. “One, it gives players, former players, something to focus on as to their next career. And it keeps them close to the game, which is important to the players. But at the same time, having an opportunity to have a new group of broadcasters who are close to the game, have a unique perspective on the game, is another way for our fans to be connected to the game and get new and different insights from the perspective of a former player.”
