The Great One will continue to grace hockey fans’ televisions for the foreseeable future.
TNT announced Monday that Hockey Hall of Famer Wayne Gretzky has signed a multi-year contract extension to continue serving as a studio analyst for NHL games.
Gretzky will be on pregame and intermission coverage of the Washington Capitals’ 2025-26 season opener against the Boston Bruins on Wednesday. The game will officially mark the beginning of Alex Ovechkin’s 21st season in the NHL.
Gretzky returns to the desk after witnessing Ovechkin break his all-time NHL goals record in April. Ovechkin will need a hat trick on Opening Night to become the first player in league history to reach 900 career goals.
No financial details about Gretzky’s new deal were made publicly available, but it comes as TNT’s flagship NBA program “Inside the NBA” departs for Disney’s ESPN. Warner Bros. Discovery lost broadcasting rights to the league’s games upon the conclusion of the 2024-25 season.
Gretzky, 64, told Variety in an interview about his new deal that he’s well aware TNT’s NHL coverage has big shoes to fill.
“Listen, we are not trying to reinvent the wheel,” he said. “We are largely riding the coattails of what those guys on ‘Inside the NBA’ have done so phenomenally. They know the game, but they are positive, and their personalities come through, even if they don’t always agree.”
Gretzky typically sits at the desk with fellow former NHLers Paul Bissonnette, Anson Carter, and Henrik Lundqvist. He also has great respect for studio host Liam McHugh, who captains the show each night.
“I don’t think the show would exist [without him,] he told Variety. “He is a fan. He loves sports. He loves hockey, and he truly wants the players [on set] to be successful.”
Monday’s announcement came around the same time Edmonton Oilers star centerman Connor McDavid signed his own two-year contract extension. McDavid and Gretzky have a close relationship, given that the former has been consistently compared to the latter in terms of skill and legacy potential in Edmonton.
TNT will broadcast 72 regular-season games on Tuesdays and Wednesdays throughout the year, with contests on Sundays starting in the spring. The show’s new season begins on Wednesday with the Bruins-Capitals game at 7:30 pm, followed by the Vegas Golden Knights vs. the Los Angeles Kings at 10 pm.
