Former Hockey Star Mark Messier To Join ESPN As NHL Analyst

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Mark Messier. Photo: Courtesy of the NHL

Six-time Stanley Cup Champion Mark Messier will be joining ESPN as an NHL Analyst after signing a new multi-year agreement to be a signature part of its NHL coverage, beginning with the 2021-22 season.

“Mark has been one of the NHL’s biggest and most iconic stars, and we are ecstatic to have him be a large part of our upcoming hockey coverage,” says ESPN Executive Vice President and Executive Editor, Production Norby Williamson. “As a six-time Stanley Cup Champion, he will bring incredible insight, knowledge and analysis to ESPN and The Walt Disney Company that will both resonate with fans, and connect more and more of them to the game and to the league.”

The only player in history to captain two teams to Stanley Cup titles, Messier is widely considered one of the NHL’s greatest players. Messier skated 25 seasons in the NHL, and the 15-time NHL All-Star is the third-most prolific points scorer in regular season history and second-highest in playoff points. He was awarded the Hart Memorial Trophy in 1990 and 1992 as the league’s most valuable player, and won the Conn Smythe trophy in 1984 as the most valuable player during the NHL Playoffs. Messier was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 2007.

“The game of hockey, and the NHL, have afforded me enormous opportunity, success and experiences on the ice and in my life,” says Messier. “My passion for the game is as strong as it has ever been and I am looking forward to sharing that passion, plus my insights and analysis with the sport’s incredible fans… The NHL is beginning a new era with ESPN and The Walt Disney Company — with an exciting, evolving game and phenomenally talented players — and I am thrilled to be a part of the team.”

Prior to joining ESPN, Messier appeared occasionally as a studio analyst on Versus’ coverage of the NHL, as well as serving as an in-game analyst for the NHL All-Star Game. Messier also made occasional guest commentator appearances for NHL on NBC, and in 2014 joined Rogers Communications as a spokesperson and occasional analyst for Rogers’ national NHL coverage in Canada.

Steven Boero
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