The 2026\u201327 NHL season got started on Tuesday with ESPN carrying a tripleheader of marquee matchups to celebrate opening day.<\/p>\n
In addition to broadcasting the games, ESPN debuted its new, high-tech studio that will apparently serve as home base for the network\u2019s hockey coverage this year.<\/p>\n
Host Steve Levy welcomed viewers into the new studio and showed off some of the bells and whistles it features.<\/p>\n
\u201cStudio W is ESPN\u2019s most technologically advanced studio ever built, and I\u2019ve been here a few minutes, and we\u2019ve built a lot of studios,\u201d Levy teased. \u201cIt can render any virtual environment in real time. Analysts such as Mark Messier and P.K. Subban, perhaps you\u2019ve heard of them, they can break down plays surrounded by large-scale 3D visualizations that appear to physically occupy the space beside them.\u201d<\/p>\n
Levy also noted the extensive digital displays that the studio housed.<\/p>\n
\u201cIf you take one thing away from this, take away this: Studio W features more than 148 million pixels. You\u2019re like, \u2018Wait, what did he say?\u2019 I said 148 million pixels. You know what that is? Me neither, but it\u2019s a lot of pixels, and it\u2019s across the whole studio, and includes more than 9,200 square feet of LED displays.\u201d<\/p>\n
As he closed out the tour, Levy referred to Studio W as \u201cThe house that Barry Melrose built.\u201d He then went over to a tribute the studio had to Melrose\u2019s memory, featuring his silhouette with a cigar in his mouth and his signature.<\/p>\n
\u201cGonna be a great season. Barry we love you. We\u2019re gonna miss you pal.\u201d<\/p>\n
ESPN is rolling out a fresh sheet for the \u201926-\u201927 #NHL<\/a> season with its most technologically advanced studio yet@espnSteveLevy<\/a> takes fans inside Studio W featuring real-time virtual environments, UHD capability & 148M pixels<\/p>\n Including a visual nod to the late Barry Melrose pic.twitter.com\/XEZJ4Yzczt<\/a><\/p>\n \u2014 ESPN PR (@ESPNPR) September 29, 2026<\/a><\/p>\n It was a touching tribute to Melrose, who passed away just a few weeks ago at the age of 70<\/a>. Melrose was a cornerstone of ESPN\u2019s hockey coverage for three decades, and he will undoubtedly be missed<\/a> through the first season without him covering the sport for the Worldwide Leader.<\/p>\n As Levy\u2019s line implied, this sort of investment by the network in hockey coverage is in no small part thanks to Melrose\u2019s career.<\/p>\n \t