NBC Sports To Honor International Women’s Day With All-Female Broadcast, Production Crew for Blues-Blackhawks

.NBC Sports will utilize an all-female crew to broadcast and produce game coverage of the St. Louis Blues vs. Chicago Blackhawks NHL matchup on March 8 on NBCSN, coinciding with International Women’s Day and marking the first NHL game broadcast and produced solely by women in the U.S.

Kate Scott (play-by-play) will call the action alongside U.S. Olympic gold medalists Kendall Coyne-Schofield (‘Inside-the-Glass’ analyst), and AJ Mleczko (analyst) from United Center in Chicago, Ill.

Kathryn Tappen will anchor studio coverage with three-time Canadian Olympic gold medalist Jen Botterill. Game production will be led by producer Rene Hatlelid and director Lisa Seltzer.

“We aren’t just bringing women together for the sake of bringing women together,” says Producer Kaitlin Urka, who initially pitched the idea. “These are professionals who are some of the best at what they do and do these jobs on a regular basis. International Women’s Day just gives us a unique platform to celebrate their great work.”

The broadcast will be in celebration of International Women’s Day on March 8, which dates back over 100 years. Throughout the broadcast, there will be nods to those who have made their mark on women’s hockey, and sports in general, with the hopes to inspire future generations of women to excel on the ice and behind the scenes.

“I’ve been broadcasting for 17 years, and yet, the very first broadcast I did with a female producer was just two years ago,” says Host Kathryn Tappen. “The fact that we are celebrating International Women’s Day with an all-female broadcast and production team tells me how far we have come in a very short time. We hope our broadcast will help inspire young women watching to follow their dreams, because we’ve proven that anything is possible, and I’m proud to be a part of it.”

In addition to the game elements, NBC Sports’ female-empowerment brand On Her Turf will surround coverage with content featuring women in hockey in various ways including the Hockey is for Her digital video franchise and behind-the-scenes content through @OnHerTurf on Instagram.

“We are proud to recognize International Women’s Day,” says Producer Rene Hatlelid. “These strong, accomplished women do this work day in and day out and I’m honored to be a part of this historic broadcast.”

Studio coverage will start at 7 p.m. ET on NHL Live and will continue immediately following the game with NHL Overtime.