SAN JOSE – Unless they have a ticket or can pick up one of the few that remain in the next few hours, San Jose Sharks fans who want to see Macklin Celebrini and Will Smith’s NHL debut will need to be subscribers to either Hulu or ESPN+.
The Sharks’ season-opening game against the St. Louis Blues at SAP Center on Thursday is being shown exclusively on the two streaming networks and not on NBC Sports California, the team’s longtime local cable broadcast partner. The game is scheduled to start at 7:30 p.m. (PT).
In August, ESPN released its NHL broadcast schedules for the 2024-25 NHL season. The Sharks are scheduled to appear exclusively on ESPN+ and Hulu three times this season and on ESPN another three times.
ESPN+ subscriptions cost $10.99 per month or $109.99 per year, and a Hulu ad-supported plan costs $7.99 per month or $79.99 per year. On Oct. 17, prices for both streaming services will increase, with ESPN+ going to $11.99 per month and $119.99 per year and Hulu going to $9.99 per month and $99.99 per year.
Both Disney and Turner Sports (TNT) hold national broadcast rights to the NHL, and the decision to take San Jose’s season-opener off cable television and make it an ESPN+ game was out of the Sharks organization’s hands.
Besides tonight’s game, the other Sharks games on ESPN+ are the home games against the Nashville Predators on March 11 at 7:30 p.m. and the Edmonton Oilers on April 3 at 7:30 p.m.
The Sharks will appear on national television three times, all on ESPN. The first is San Jose’s home game against Los Angeles on Oct. 29, followed by the Jan. 30 game in Seattle and the March 30 game in Los Angeles. All three games are scheduled to start at 7 p.m. (PT).
NBC Sports California is scheduled to show 76 Sharks games this season, starting with Saturday’s home game against the Anaheim Ducks.
As of midday Thursday, it appeared only a few hundred standard and resale tickets were available via Ticketmaster on the Sharks app. Price per ticket ranged from $48 for an upper bowl seat to over $500 for seats along the glass.
The 18-year-old Celebrini was selected first overall by the Sharks at the NHL Draft in June and is set to start the season as the team’s top-line center with wingers Tyler Toffoli and William Eklund. Smith will start the season as the Sharks’ No. 2 center with wingers Mikael Granlund and Fabian Zetterlund.
