Fans on social media were able to celebrate after NBC brought back its “NHL on NBC” theme for its coverage of ice hockey at the Winter Olympics ahead of Team USA’s clash against Latvia.
Team USA’s men got off to a strong start at the Winter Olympics by beating Latvia 5-1.(Image: AFP via Getty Images)
Ice hockey fans on social media were able to celebrate after hearing NBC bring back its old “NHL on NBC” theme for Winter Olympics coverage of Team USA’s matchup against Latvia.
Even though the Winter Games news has been dominated by the fallout from Lindsey Vonn’s horrific accidentJD Vance’s brutal criticism of US Olympians following their comments on Donald TrumpAnd NBC accidentally made a gender mistake Swedish NHL star Elis Lundholm took the ice for Team USA this week in its first group game against Latvia.
They emerged 5-1 winners against Latvia, with Brock Nelson scoring twice in this convincing victory. However, before the game, fans on social media could only focus on one thing related to NBC’s ice hockey coverage, and that was the use of the channel’s old theme, NHL.
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Before the Latvia game, fans were treated to the channel using its old “NHL on NBC” theme, leaving viewers feeling nostalgic.
Posting a clip of the theme on
Prior to the 2021-22 NHL season, NBC lost NHL media rights to ESPN and TNT Sports.
And upon hearing the theme, fans on social media were excited to see it return. “You hear this song and you hear the great Doc Emrick, that was peak hockey. Man I miss hockey on NBC,” one fan wrote.
A second commented: “I’m not going to lie, when this came up before the game and I heard the NHL song on NBC I started crying. I miss Doc Emrick, I miss NBCSN, I miss their graphics, and I miss my childhood. I would give anything to have the NHL back on NBC.
A third added: “They played NBC themed NHL before the US game I could cry real tears.”
A fourth said: “Thanks to @NBCOlympics for using the NHL on NBC theme for the #TeamUSA #MilanCortina2026 game.”
A fifth commented: “oh man, NBC themed NHL…how am I already nostalgic for @NBCSportsHockey.” »
And a sixth said: “Say what you want about the NBC era, it certainly had its flaws…but it’s hard to find another network that really cared about product quality specifically for the NHL in the same way that NBC cared.” Every game seemed like the most important game of the season. »
Unfortunately, it appears those fans will be disappointed with the regular return of the “NBC on NHL” theme, with ESPN and TNT having apparently been approached by the league about renewing its media rights deal, which expires in 2028.
