The Buffalo Sabres are in the NHL playoffs for the first time in 15 years, and ESPN didn\u2019t appear to be ready for their arrival.<\/p>\n
Buffalo is one of the more exciting young teams in the NHL, breaking the league\u2019s longest playoff drought by clinching the top seed in their division. Maybe ESPN didn\u2019t see it coming, or maybe they just don\u2019t expect the Sabres to be around very long. But during their coverage of Buffalo\u2019s first-round matchup with the Boston Bruins Sunday night, the Sabres and their fans probably felt a little disrespected at times.<\/p>\n
The highlight of that disrespect occurred during the second intermission, when studio host Steve Levy challenged Mark Messier and P.K. Subban to name Buffalo\u2019s goalie, Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen, and it didn\u2019t go well.<\/p>\n
\u201cProbably should mention Buffalo\u2019s goalie\u2019s name, did you want to take a crack at that, anybody?\u201d \ud83d\ude2c pic.twitter.com\/gAZOPcpm6N<\/a><\/p>\n \u2014 Awful Announcing (@awfulannouncing) April 20, 2026<\/a><\/p>\n \u201cProbably should mention Buffalo\u2019s goalie\u2019s name,\u201d Levy acknowledged. \u201cDid you want to take a crack at that, anybody?\u201d<\/p>\n Both analysts chimed in with their cracks. Messier\u2019s attempt sounded something like \u201cLuka Lakkanen,\u201d while Subban completely forgot the \u201cUkko\u201d part of his name, before Levy ultimately offered the correct pronunciation.<\/p>\n In their defense, it took years before sports analysts and hosts were comfortable saying Giannis Antetokounmpo. And some sports media personalities, like Christopher \u201cMad Dog\u201d Russo<\/a>, probably still opt for just \u201cGiannis\u201d or \u201cThe Freak\u201d instead of saying \u201cAntetokounmpo\u201d. But while that might fly on a sports radio show, it shouldn\u2019t be the standard for ESPN\u2019s studio analysts.<\/p>\n ESPN is paying nearly $400 million annually for NHL game rights. They should know how to pronounce the goalie\u2019s name from one of the best teams in the sport. Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen wasn\u2019t making his first start Sunday night. He\u2019s started 185 games in his career and just helped the Sabres break the longest playoff drought in NHL history. ESPN analysts should be able to say his name.<\/p>\n And after botching their goalie\u2019s name, ESPN did little to win Sabres\u2019 fans over after they beat Boston 4-3 to take a 1-0 series lead. Following the win, Leah Hextall interviewed Buffalo star Tage Thompson on the ice and said, \u201cThe Sabres are the only franchise that you\u2019ve ever known in your eight-year career.\u201d The problem, however, is that Thompson was drafted and began his career with the St. Louis Blues before being included in a trade to Buffalo for Ryan O\u2019Reilly. Thompson politely ignored Hextall\u2019s question about that part.<\/p>\n \u201cTage, the Sabres are the only franchise that you\u2019ve ever known in your eight-year career\u201d \ud83d\ude2c pic.twitter.com\/iYaj2EBQw6<\/a><\/p>\n \u2014 Awful Announcing (@awfulannouncing) April 20, 2026<\/a><\/p>\n Hockey fans expect to be slighted by ESPN\u2019s daytime programming. Stephen A. Smith doesn\u2019t shy away from the fact that he leans into the \u201cnobody cares about hockey<\/a>\u201d mantra. But ESPN\u2019s NHL programming should do a better job of flipping the narrative.<\/p>\n \t