TNT crew hits road to ‘feed off of the energy’ in Philadelphia

PHILADELPHIA -- Wayne Gretzky can feel the energy, all of it, as much as possible for a former legendary player getting ready to do a 90-minute studio show before a night of hockey.

You see, this is different for Gretzky, Liam McHugh, Anson Carter, Paul Bissonnette and Henrik Lundqvist. This isn't just another Wednesday night on TNT. This isn't their comfortable Atlanta studio.

"This is new," Gretzky said. "Everybody is on a high."

Gretzky was speaking to NHL.com 40 minutes before going live on the pregame show from Stateside Live, the large and jam-packed event and entertainment venue smack dab in the middle of the South Philadelphia Sports Complex, a quick walk from Xfinity Mobile Arena.

He was talking minutes after the Philadelphia Phillies capped off a 4-3 comeback win against the Atlanta Braves to tie the National League Wild Card series 1-1.

The bar was full and the fans, most clad in their orange and black Flyers sweaters (a lot with Michkov and 39 on the back), were going bonkers for their favorite baseball team after just greeting their hometown hockey team on the orange carpet. Now they were angling for a good position near TNT's set on the east side of the venue so they could be a part of the show that was getting closer to going live.

Before the Flyers and Pittsburgh Penguins revved up the 2026-27 edition of the Battle of Pennsylvania in the building across the parking lot, Stateside Live was the place to be and the scene had Stanley Cup Final vibes to it albeit on opening night.

"We love it," Gretzky said. "It's like playing hockey. When you're playing in a full stadium, whether it's in Philly or New York or Edmonton, the players get excited, right? It gets your juices flowing. We have fun in the studio and we have a great group, a wonderful group and Liam is a tremendous leader, he sets the tone, but when we come to something like this the guys love it."

TNT's studio show opened last season on the Toshiba Plaza outside of T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. The commentators were out in the hot sun at 4 p.m. local time when the plaza was just starting to fill up, teeing up the first game between the Boston Bruins and Washington Capitals.

They stayed for the game inside the arena between the Vegas Golden Knights and Los Angeles Kings. It was a fun experience if also sweaty, and Lundqvist said they wanted to do something similar this season.

The Flyers, with the obvious connection to Keith Jones, Philadelphia's team president and a former TNT studio commentator and broadcaster, stepped up in a big way to make it happen, and even provided exclusive packages and giveaway items for the fans.

"Obviously, there's a cost to put on a production out on the road but they're happy to do it," Lundqvist said. "For us, you just feed off of the energy from the fans. Now we're in a bar and you're going to get that energy and it keeps you a little more on your toes I guess."

Stateside Live was the ideal venue with its size and proximity to the arena just a few hundred steps away.

The timing of the show, 90 minutes before puck drop, allowed for a fan-centric atmosphere. The set was low enough that the fans could actually bang on the glass boards separating it from the bar area.

And the Phillies coming back the way they did from down 3-1 for a 4-3 win was the topper.

"I like the proximity," McHugh said. "I think there are some people that don't want to hear what everybody is saying about you, but we do. We want to interact with the fans. And to be in Philadelphia on a day when the Phillies are playing in the playoffs and the Flyers are opening up, knowing how passionate these fans are, this is a great town to start and it's a great game to start with. I just love being a part of the atmosphere and playing into that."

McHugh was first on set shortly before 5:30 local time, right around the time the fans roared for the Phillies win.

Gretzky, Bissonnette, Lundqvist and Carter got on set at 5:45.

Since the fans were just on the other side of the glass, they were able to hand items to the former players for autographs. Gretzky signed hats and jerseys and pictures. Lundqvist signed autographs as a tech was wiring him up for the show.

"We like to get a little bit rowdy to kick off the season especially," Bissonnette said. "It's good to come on scene and have it show through the television how passionate the fans are."

They had a star-studded lineup of guests, led by Jones in the first segment. He walked on set to a huge ovation. NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman highlighted the second segment.

Charles Barkley showed up halfway through the pregame show and participated in the panel's interview with Flyers center Trevor Zegras, who was across the way on the ice during pregame warmups.

Barkley received a welcome from the Philadelphia fans befitting the legend that he is in this city for his time with the 76ers. But the fans were lukewarm when he guaranteed a Flyers win.

Yes, there was nervous energy in the air too.

"Philly is a sports town," Carter said. "I feel like if you had tiddlywinks going on here Philly fans would turn up and turn out and show their energy and their spirit."

It was only the start of a long night at Stateside Live to kick off a long season. TNT also has the Avalanche and Los Angeles Kings on its air as the nightcap on the network's opening night of the 2026-27 season. The show has to carry through that postgame.

The show returns to its comfortable Atlanta studio Friday, when TNT has a doubleheader featuring the Detroit Red Wings at home against the New York Rangers, and the St. Louis Blues playing at the Dallas Stars.

The panel will bring the energy there too, but they won't feel it the way they did in South Philly.

"In the studio you have to try to manufacture that energy every single night," Carter said. "But you come to this environment and you see the people before you actually get your makeup on, you're watching the fans, how pumped they are and you can feel that people are excited to be here."