The 1990s in sports media are one of my favorite times to look back on, because I grew up then and because nostalgia is now marketable on the internet. ESPN was growing into the behemoth it would become, but still featured The Big Show and had a ton of other great programming. But mainly, the 90s featured by two favorite sports broadcast packages ever: the NBA on NBC and the NHL on Fox.

I love the NHL on Fox, flaws and all. I am not kidding. Not to mess around, the NHL on NBC is the better broadcast package and what the league really needs in 2014, but the NHL on Fox did some awesome stuff, even if the glow puck was ahead of its time and the robots were plain silly.

One of the things Fox really did better than any other network was try to promote the games using the players, and trying to draw out personality from the usually very reserved bunch that is the NHL player. No better example of this awkward mash-up can be found than Fox’s open to the 1995 Stanley Cup Playoffs. It features, perhaps, the greatest song and dance ever written.

What a song. Look at Jaromir Jagr and Cam Neely participating in this ridiculousness. How and why did any of this happen? I have plans to write an oral history on the NHL on Fox for their 20th anniversary in 2015, and it’ll be the first question on my lips.

That said, if you watch a little longer in that clip, you’ll see why I liked the NHL on Fox. Lots of games at the same time with an intent to boost ratings, the best hockey analyst ever on American TV (John Davidson) and a real attempt at what was then first-rate production. I miss The NHL on Fox, even though I’d probably have to criticize it every week if it were around now.

About Steve Lepore

Steve Lepore is a writer for Bloguin and a correspondent for SiriusXM NHL Network Radio.