The St. Louis Blues have partnered with the National Hockey League (NHL) and P‑X‑P to produce a special alternate telecast as part of the club’s first-ever ASL Awareness Night on April 14 vs. the Pittsburgh Penguins.
Designed specifically for the Deaf and hard of hearing community, NHL in ASL features real-time play‑by‑play and color commentary delivered entirely in American Sign Language (ASL). Available in the U.S. to stream exclusively on the ESPN App for ESPN Unlimited plan subscribers, the Sports Emmy-nominated broadcast will feature Jason Altmann, Chief Operating Officer of P‑X‑P, alongside co‑host Jeff Mansfield.
A first-of-its-kind production, NHL in ASL has given Deaf fans unprecedented access to the energy and drama of NHL action, delivering ASL-driven coverage at the Stanley Cup Final, the NHL Winter Classic and the NHL Stadium Series since 2024. The NHL’s partnership with P-X-P, established in 2022, has been instrumental in expanding accessibility support services across League events. This will be the first broadcast dedicated to a Club regional game.
“Through its groundbreaking NHL in ASL platform, the NHL sets a high bar for enhancing accessibility for all hockey fans and we appreciate their role in helping us add a special element to our first ASL Awareness Night,” said Chris Zimmerman, Blues President and CEO, Business Operations. “While this upcoming game and ESPN+ broadcast is dedicated to the community that uses ASL, the Blues and Enterprise Center are proud to offer a variety of accessibility support services that bring guests closer to the game year-round.”
The Blues’ ASL Awareness Night was envisioned as an opportunity to engage the Deaf and hard of hearing community to create understanding and spread awareness of those who communicate using American Sign Language. Fans who purchase the theme ticket will receive an exclusive Blues ASL t-shirt, showcasing how to sign the team name using ASL. In-arena fans will also see a Deaf performer signing the national anthem and other ASL-focused content throughout the building. A portion of proceeds from the evening will be donated to DEAF, Inc. to support the Deaf and hard of hearing community of St. Louis.
While the Blues have provided in-arena closed captioning and a host of other accessibility services at Enterprise Center for a number of years, the club’s support of the Deaf and hard of hearing community rose to the forefront last year thanks to forward Jake Neighbours. As a teenager, Neighbours learned sign language to communicate with the mother of one of his teammates. When asked to create a custom line of Blues hats last year, Neighbours chose to incorporate ASL into two unique hat designs that both sold out quickly with a portion of all proceeds going to benefit DEAF, Inc.
"Everybody who is Deaf or even partially Deaf, I think ASL is a big community and I think to be able to raise awareness for it and bring some attention to it is obviously very important,” said Neighbours upon the launch of his line of ASL hats. “I’m just honored and humbled to be able to have that platform that I can do that.”
The Blues and Enterprise Center have developed an extensive range of accessibility support services to enhance the venue experience of guests with impaired vision and hearing, sensory processing needs, mobility restrictions, and other special needs. Included in those services are closed captioning of the game broadcast, assisted listening devices, Deaf interpreters, and audio description services. A comprehensive summary of those services is available at: enterprisecenter.com/guest-services/arena-a-z-guide.
For hockey fans looking for exclusive NHL in ASL merchandise, a variety of styles are available for fans on shop.nhl.com.
