ESPN's MLB analyst Ben McDonald receives flak for honest "zero chance I'll be watching" admission about NHL Opening Night coverage

ESPN’s MLB analyst Ben McDonald faced backlash on social media for his candid dismissal of NHL Opening Night coverage.

During Game 2 of the MLB wild card series between the San Diego Padres and Chicago Cubs on Wednesday, ESPN aired a promotional spot for its NHL Opening Night on Oct. 7.

The slate featured high-profile matchups, including defending champions Florida Panthers against the Chicago Blackhawks. When play-by-play announcer Kevin Brown suggested that, as an ESPN employee, McDonald would surely be watching, the former MLB pitcher responded.

“There is zero chance I’ll be watching. I’m just gonna be honest with you.”

The clip went viral, amassing millions of views across social media and sparking widespread reactions on X, with McDonald drawing criticism from fans for undermining ESPN’s NHL coverage.

One tweeted:

"Baseball fans when confronted with the idea of a real sport."

Another chimed in:

"It's crazy that any baseball fan could say they don't want to watch hockey when they watch the most boring sport in the entire world. Baseball is brutal."

Here are some of the other top reactions on X:

"Thought it was kinda weird how defiant he was. It’s part of his job to at least pretend to be interested in promoting other ESPN programming," a third fan wrote."

"So glad someone posted this … absolutely terrible. Could have made his comments in a different way that indicated he wasn’t a hockey guy but would be watching in support of the network … Instead, his sounded like a baseball schmuck who is “too good” to waste time with hockey," one X user wrote.

"Ben McDonald.. enters the job search.. in 5,4,3..," one fan humorously posted.

"What an incredibly strange thing to say when you are employed by a SPORTS CHANNEL," another chimed in.

NHL opening night features tripleheader with three high-profile matchups

The 2025-26 NHL season kicks off with an ESPN-exclusive tripleheader on Tuesday. The tripleheader features defending Stanley Cup champions Florida Panthers facing the Chicago Blackhawks at Amerant Bank Arena.

The New York Rangers host the Pittsburgh Penguins at Madison Square Garden, while the final matchup sees the LA Kings take on the Colorado Avalanche at Ball Arena.

Also Read: NHL fans react as Nick Cousins gets fined $2,148.44 for slashing Canadiens' Ivan Demidov

About the author

Abhishek is an NHL writer at Sportskeeda with over 2 years of sports reporting experience and a Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of Delhi. He became a fan of ice hockey after watching NHL fight videos on YouTube, which led to him professionally writing about the sport and his continued interest in all things hockey.

A fan of the Boston Bruins, Abhishek considers their incredible comeback win against the Toronto Maple Leafs in the 2013 playoffs as the most iconic moment in the NHL. His admiration for the six-time Stanley Cup winners also comes from the team’s storied history, distinctive black and gold uniform and their success in the sport. His all-time favorite NHL players are Sidney Crosby and Connor McDavid, for their ability to perform at the highest level consistently.

Abhishek ensures his reporting is fair and balanced by being well-researched in his details, which he expects to be relevant, up-to-date and in line with ethical standards. His specialties are doing detailed match analysis and covering fan reactions.

Abhishek enjoys music, traveling and going on walks with his three German Shepherds in his free time, along with learning about horticulture.

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Edited by Abhishek Dilta