Wayne Gretzky and TNT coming to Philly for Flyers opening night; Ross Tucker shines amid Tony Romo CBS drama
TNT will take over Stateside Live! during its coverage of the NHL's opening night Sept. 30.
“The Great One” is coming to Philadelphia to kick off the NHL season, and he’s bringing a few friends with him.
TNT is renting out Stateside Live! and bringing it’s full NHL studio crew — including Hall of Famer Wayne Gretzky — for the Flyers’ opening night matchup against the Pittsburgh Penguins (Sept. 30, 7:30 p.m.), the latest edition of their Battle of Pennsylvania rivalry.
Liam McHugh will host the festivities beginning at 6 p.m. He’ll be joined by TNT analysts Henrik Lundqvist, Anson Carter, Paul Bissonnette, and Gretzky, who signed a multi-year extension with Turner Sports last year.
Gretzky joined TNT as a hockey analyst in the 2021-22 season after it secured its media rights deal with the NHL. He appears on TNT’s coverage infrequently, but is there for all the major events, including the Winter Classic and the Stanley Cup playoffs.
“This city lives and breathes sports, and the passion of Flyers fans creates an incredible atmosphere that you can feel the moment you arrive,” said McHugh. “We’re excited to bring NHL on TNT back on the road, celebrate the start of another season, and give fans a front-row seat to all the energy, intensity and personalities that make this sport so special.”
It could be a busy night in South Philly. In addition to the Flyers’ opening-night game, it’s possible the Phillies could be hosting a wild-card game.
The Orange and Black will certainly be a hot commodity. After last season’s surprising playoff run, 19 of the Flyers’ 84 games will be featured on national broadcasts, third-most in the league behind the Penguins and Boston Bruins.
TNT is scheduled to get nine of those, including two matchups against the Washington Capitals in what could be Alexander Ovechkin’s final NHL season.
Ross Tucker shines amid Tony Romo CBS drama
Ross Tucker shined in his debut in CBS’s No. 2 booth Sunday, which he’ll remain a part of for at least the next few weeks.
CBS announced its broadcast schedule for Weeks 2 and 3, and the Wyomissing native and former NFL offensive lineman will continued to be paired with veteran play-by-player Ian Eagle.
On Sunday, Eagle and Tucker will call a Week 2 matchup between the Jacksonville Jaguars and Denver Broncos. In Week 3, the pair will broadcast an AFC North battle between the Cincinnati Bengals and Pittsburgh Steelers.
Tucker, who also serves as the Eagles preseason announcer, impressed fans and critics Sunday during CBS’s broadcast of the Buffalo Bills’ narrow win against the Houston Texans.
Early on, during a failed fourth-down run by Josh Allen, Tucker was quick to note offensive lineman Dion Dawkins “took too big of an angle” on Texans cornerback Kamari Lassiter, allowing him to undercut the block and make the play.
“The Bills would have had it if Dawkins could have sealed that block,” Tucker said.
Later in the game, when a pass went right through the fingertips of Texans receiver Xavier Hutchinson, Tucker pointed out the often-overlooked difficulty making that type of catch.
“That’s a tough spot to catch a football, right above your helmet, because your arms are restricted a little bit by the shoulder pads,” Tucker said. “It’s one of the tougher places to catch than you would think.”
Going unmentioned in CBS’s announcement of its upcoming schedule was Romo, the former Dallas Cowboys quarterback who remains suspended after pleading no contest to operating a vehicle while intoxicated. J.J. Watt will remain in the No. 1 booth alongside Jim Nantz for at least the next two weeks.
The network has yet to respond to Romo’s statement he plans to return to CBS “in time,” leading to speculation the network might be looking to part ways with its highly paid top NFL analyst.
“What feels on the horizon is the use of the morals clause and other language in Romo’s contract to try to reach a settlement on the final $72 million on his contract,” wrote The Athletic’s Andrew Marchand. “It could end up in a legal fight to determine how much Romo will receive to leave.”
Quick hits
Hall of Fame quarterback Drew Brees will call his first Eagles game Sunday when the Birds take on the Tennessee Titans on Fox. Brees was run out of NBC in 2022 after a bad performance calling his first NFL game — a wild-card game — but has since rebounded in his second year with Fox.
Phillies announcer Tom McCarthy will miss a handful of games on NBC Sports Philadelphia over the next few weekends due to his NFL schedule for CBS. He’s slated to call Browns-Buccaneers in Week 2 and Texans-Colts in Week 3 alongside former Colts and Seahawks running back Robert Turbin.
Former Penn State football coach James Franklin is coaching Virginia Tech this season, and after Monday’s win against Old Dominion, he really wanted to know how Baltimore Sun reporter Michael Howes was doing.
97.5 The Fanatic program director Scott Masteller is retiring following a 45-year career, the last three spent in Philly. Masteller’s last day will be Dec. 31, and it’s unclear where the station will turn after that. The last few years have seen a number of notable departures, including John Kincade, Anthony Gargano, and Mike Missanelli, who was unceremoniously dumped last year.
