‘NHL on TNT’ to broadcast from T-Mobile Arena for Knights’ season opener

Liam McHugh lives in Georgia where humidity is never kind. He’ll take a balmy 80 degrees in Las Vegas to watch hockey any day.

The host of “NHL on TNT” will be in town Wednesday, when the network will be live at T-Mobile Arena for the Golden Knights’ season opener against the Los Angeles Kings.

“The excitement level is probably right where it was for opening night for us when we first came on the air,” McHugh said. “That, I think, was more of a nervous energy. … I think the cool thing about the group we have now is we work together, we love doing games together.”

TNT will carry its pregame show at Toshiba Plaza at 3 p.m. McHugh will be on the call with Wayne Gretzky, Henrik Lundqvist, Paul Bissonnette and Anson Carter 90 minutes before the Washington Capitals-Boston Bruins game at Capital One Arena.

The crew will move inside the building for the second half of the doubleheader.

It’s the fifth season TNT will carry the NHL as part of its seven-year media rights deal in the United States. The broadcast has soared in popularity with its personalities, such as Bissonnette, one of the most popular pundits in hockey, and the greatest player of all time in Gretzky.

“I think it’s a big moment for us. A big year for us,” McHugh said. “We’re all excited for it.”

The Pacific Division matchup will kick-start a highly anticipated season for the Knights with Stanley Cup-level aspirations.

The Knights added star right wing Mitch Marner in the offseason, giving him an eight-year, $96 million contract to complement a talented forward group.

Marner, acquired from the Toronto Maple Leafs, will skate with center Jack Eichel, putting the Knights’ best players on the same line.

“He will win a championship with Vegas, and it will kill Maple Leaf fans,” TNT analyst Brian Boucher said. “He’s at the point in his career where he’s ready to shoulder the responsibility with others, and I think the lack of pressure from playing at home (in Toronto) will serve him well.”

It will be a prime opportunity for TNT Sports to capture the atmosphere inside, as well as outside. The Knights will hold their annual gold carpet event with players signing autographs before entering T-Mobile Arena.

This will be the broadcast’s first time at T-Mobile Arena since the Knights won the Stanley Cup in 2023.

“It’ll be easy to get the cameras on everything that’s happening, but it is a transition (going from outside to inside), and it’ll be a challenge,” McHugh said. “You want to keep that energy. Luckily, the crowd there is awesome, and the game-day operations in Vegas are always top notch.”

The TNT broadcast has become a staple for sports viewers on the channel, especially in the wake of the Emmy Award-winning “Inside The NBA” moving from TNT to ESPN this year.

“You come into different broadcast years, and it’s a lot like an NHL team, where everyone talks about (what’s new),” McHugh said. “What I’m excited for is it’s the same group. It’s the same people, and that chemistry we have is back. And we couldn’t pick a better place to start than in Vegas.”

Contact Danny Webster at dwebster@reviewjournal.com. Follow @DannyWebster21 on X.