For Game 3 of the NHL Stanley Cup Final in Edmonton, ESPN switched up its in-arena desk. The desk had uneven sides, a muddled gray pattern, and a length too short to fit reporter Emily Kaplan.
While the desk was mostly a source for lighthearted bits on social media, some NHL fans saw it as yet another instance of a major broadcaster cutting corners on NHL coverage. ESPN has been using some remote production for playoff games, though less egregious than its counterpart TNT using some remote announcers.
An ESPN spokesperson tells Front Office Sports that the spot was chosen for its view of the ice—the analysts were much closer to the ice than they were in Game 2 in Florida. But that location created space limitations. The table was not from Ikea, as some fans speculated; it came from a local furniture store, the spokesperson confirmed.
This hasn’t been the same desk ESPN has used all series. During Game 2, Charles Barkley made a guest appearance at the desk. The black desk comfortably fit all four people, with an illuminated blue stripe and Lexus logos across the bottom of the screen. It’s unclear whether that desk ever made it the 2,500-plus miles from South Florida to Edmonton.
