Blake Bolden is already a familiar face for many NHL fans, but they’re going to be seeing a lot more of the reporter/analyst in the future.
The former pro hockey player worked her first game last month as an in-game reporter, and returned for an encore in that role Sunday night for ESPN+/Hulu’s Nashville Predators-Carolina Hurricanes game.
The expanded role as an NHL in-game reporter just seems like a logical next step for someone who has loved hockey since discovering the sport at age 6.
Bolden, who was the first Black player to play in the National Women’s Hockey League, already has strong NHL credentials. She works as a scout for the Los Angeles Kings.
She’s also a contributor on ESPN’s weekly NHL studio show. The Point, doing an on-ice segment “Breaking the Ice with Blake Bolden,” where she skates with and interviews NHL stars.
But the in-game role is a new look. Bolden told ESPN Front Row she believes she’ll bring a new perspective.
“I’m just trying to figure out what works best for me,” Bolden said. “As a pro scout, I see the game differently, so I’ll try to incorporate that experience in my reporting.”
Bolden is eager to take on her new assignment.
“New challenges are always something that interest me,” she said. “Being a part of this broadcast team, the feeling I get while reporting, is the closest thing that resembles playing. When the light goes off, it’s like a puck drop, and once, I felt that the leap was easy to take.”
The 32-year-old Bolden effusively praised everyone who has helped in her budding broadcast career, including her teammates, play-by-play commentator John Buccigross and analyst AJ Mleczko. What she might lack in broadcast experience at the moment she more than compensates for with her love for the game.
“I was just a young kid from Cleveland who stumbled upon the game when I was 6, and I’ve been privileged to represent my country on the national stage, to play professionally in the US, Canada, and other parts of the world,” Bolden said. “I hope to bring my passion and experience from playing and being a fan of this game.”
[ESPNFrontRow.com; Photo Credit: NHL]
About Arthur Weinstein
Arthur spends his free time traveling around the U.S. to sporting events, state and national parks, and in search of great restaurants off the beaten path.