Zizing ‘Em Up: ESPN talent ready for another 16-game Frozen Frenzy

NHL.com staff writer Mike Zeisberger has been covering the NHL regularly since 1999. Each Tuesday he will use his extensive network of hockey contacts for his weekly notes column, “Zizing 'Em Up.”

TORONTO -- Welcome to the NHL’s Frozen Frenzy, hockey’s version of college basketball’s opening round of March Madness complete with the staggered start times and ensuing chaos.

At least that’s how Ray Ferraro sees it.

On Tuesday, the NHL’s Frozen Frenzy will feature all 32 teams playing as part of a 16-game slate. The first 13 games will begin in 15-minute increments starting at 6 p.m. ET in Detroit, where the Red Wings will host the New Jersey Devils, running through to 9 p.m. ET when the Toronto Maple Leafs face off against the Utah Mammoth in Salt Lake City. The final three games will take place on the West Coast capped by the Boston Bruins-San Jose Sharks contest at 11 p.m. ET.

The Devils-Red Wings game, along with the Colorado Avalanche at the Dallas Stars (8:30 p.m. ET) and the Bruins-Sharks game will all be broadcast on ESPN.

Coverage starts with “The Point” on ESPN2 and ESPN+ at 5 p.m. ET. Then ESPN2, Disney+ and the ESPN app will have a five-hour whiparound show starting at 7 p.m. ET.

All games are available on the ESPN app with any ESPN plan. 

Cue the craziness.

“It really does remind me of the first couple of the NCAA basketball tournament,” Ferraro, an analyst with ESPN, said. “All the teams are playing. One game is in its relatively early stages when the next one starts. There’s just so much going on at once.

“In the same way, if you’re a fan of hockey, there’s just so much going on … a great save here, a goal there, it’s just endless. And I think that’s awesome.”

As Ferraro’s ESPN colleague Steve Levy put it: “I’ll stop at calling it Christmas for hockey lovers, but it’s pretty damn close.”

Levy and Ferraro will be part of ESPN’s day-long coverage of Frozen Frenzy, a term which describes what will be going on in the studio as much as what’s transpiring on the ice.

Levy will be at the network’s headquarters in Bristol, Connecticut, heading up the panel that includes former NHL stars Mark Messier and P.K. Subban. That trio will be concentrating on the three games that ESPN will be broadcasting. 

In another part of ESPN’s new state-of-the-art studio, host John Buccigross and former NHL goalie Kevin Weekes will be keeping track of every game going on with analysis, breakdowns of the top plays, and live look-ins on the whiparound show. 

All the while, reporter Emily Kaplan will be keeping track of any breaking news throughout the day. “Given the workout my phone will be getting, my portable charger will be on hand and ready to go,” she said with a laugh.

In the end, it will be one of the special days of the NHL season. As such, Zizing ‘Em Up enlisted the help of Levy, Ferraro, Weekes and Kaplan to take a behind-the-scenes look at Frozen Frenzy.

First off, what do you think the concept of Frozen Frenzy means to the network, the NHL and, for that matter, the sport of hockey as a whole?

Weekes: “Like Ray said, it’s like when you have March Madness, like the first games in March Madness, with all the teams. OK, everybody's tuned in. In the case of Frozen Frenzy, it gives fans the chance to see teams they don’t usually watch or players they don’t usually follow. You get fans saying: ‘Wow, I never really knew how good that certain player really was until I saw him.’ It’s just a great way to promote our sport on a grand stage. It’s a showcase. It’s a magnet that attracts people to see our sport in the big picture.”

Levy: “I think people need to understand the level of cooperation between the League, the clubs, the broadcast partners, and even the fans, to pull off something like Frozen Frenzy. The fans, even the season ticket holders, how do they have to deal with rush hour traffic because their game starts earlier than normal? Conversely, if you have kids and you wanted to bring them to the Sharks game, it’s an 8:15 local time start. Is that too late? But I think we all, all of us -- the League, the players, the clubs, the fans, the broadcast partners -- this is all for the good of the game and to grow the game. And really, it's a great night to be home on the couch and watching coverage of every team in the League to some extent. You can go from power-play goal in one game to a highlight-reel save in another, all in a matter of moments. There was a real wow factor for all of us the first time we did this, and there still is. We think we’re just a bit better at doing it now.”

Ferraro: “It’s very difficult to pull something like this off. There’s lots of great ideas aimed at the good of the game but the logistics of bringing it all together, including the League, broadcasters, teams, sponsors, those are very difficult things to coordinate. So to be able to have a night like this with everyone on the same page to promote the sport, it makes it even more special.”

Kaplan: “I think it's an incredible concept because it just exemplifies what we love about this sport: the chaotic energy, the unpredictability, the randomness, and just the excitement. And just to see it all showcased all on one night, every single player that we love in the National Hockey League competing against each other, that’s just the coolest thing. And so I feel really blessed that we've been able to carry on this tradition. And it seems to be getting bigger every year. And I would love to see us expand it because the more people that can get their eyes on an event like Frozen Frenzy, the more hockey fans we'll have.”

What are you most looking forward to about the 2026 Frozen Frenzy?

Levy: “In previous years, the crew doing the pre, postgame and intermissions would be in separate studios. This year we’re all going to be in the same huge brand-new studio. I don't know how it's going to work, but that's the plan right now. That’s the new thing. Really looking forward to see how it goes.”

Weekes: “We have all this new technical stuff. We have these screens that go from floor to ceiling and a clicker that can speed stuff up, slow things down, load things onto multiple screens. I was actually using it to isolate something from the St. Louis Blues game the other night when a text came in from Jon Hamm, the actor. He’s a huge Blues fan and was commenting on it. He was commenting how great the clicker was for the coverage. It’s part of the new studio. So many things are new this year. It’s so cool.”

Kaplan: “I'm looking forward to it because it's one of my favorite nights to work of the entire season. It captures what's so fun about hockey. If you're following one game and then something completely unpredictable and wild happens in another, and suddenly we're all reacting together in real time, it just embodies what we love about the sport. There's chaos. There's adrenaline. There are surprises, and the night absolutely flies by, even though it seems like so many hours of programming.”

Let’s talk about what goes on behind the scenes. What moments do you remember from past Frozen Frenzies, whether they be memorable, funny, whatever?

Weekes: “Last year’s Frozen Frenzy was the first day I was back to work after my daughter, Irie, was born. They put her photo on the screen and I wasn’t expecting that. It was a very emotional moment for me, one I won’t forget.”

Kaplan: “Last year was a pretty good example of why this night can be so unpredictable. Connor Bedard got his first career hat trick. And what's so crazy about the night. Typically when you're working intermissions, you'll have producer in your ear now and then, and maybe they're pitching an idea. Now, imagine a producer in your ear constantly. That’s what this night is like. Throughout the control room, the entire place, the frenetic energy is amazing. I’m blessed to be able to walk into that. Everybody’s just trying to keep a pulse with the biggest stories of the night.”

Any examples?

Kaplan: “In the middle of last year’s Frenzy, I got word that (Dallas Stars) defenseman Thomas Harley had just signed a new contract. I was texting off set and had to go in the corner to go track down some of the details. I was crouched in a corner behind Kevin Weekes, making a couple of calls and sending texts.”

Finally, what game/games are you most looking forward to?

Weekes: “Off the top of my head, Capitals versus Hurricanes (6:45 p.m. ET). The defending champs against a Washington team I really think can challenge in the East. They really made a lot of good additions during the offseason and have great depth. And my guy Logan Thompson is one of the best in the biz between the pipes. And Colorado-Dallas too. It’s always exciting when two of the most talented teams in the NHL go head to head.”

Kaplan: “For me, Montreal-Buffalo (6:30 p.m. ET). They had a great playoff series last spring that went to overtime of Game 7. Very intriguing to see what kind of carryover there will be, if any.”

FROZEN FRENZY: LOOKING BACK

Some news and notes from the 2025 Frozen Frenzy which took place on Oct. 28, 2025:

-- As mentioned, Bedard registered the first three-goal game of his NHL career as part of a 7-3 win by his Blackhawks against the Ottawa Senators at United Center. He also added an assist to complete a four-point night for Chicago.

-- Forward Victor Olofsson, then with the Colorado Avalanche, also had his first career hat trick and added a pair of assists in an 8-4 victory against the New Jersey Devils, who saw their eight-game win streak snapped.

-- Home teams went 7-5-4

-- Five games were decided beyond regulation: three in overtime, two in a shootout.

-- Two games featured shutouts. Jake Oettinger made 24 saves for the Dallas Stars, who defeated the Washington Capitals 1-0. Jonathan Quick, who retired after last season, stopped all 23 shots he faced for the New York Rangers in a 2-0 win against the Vancouver Canucks.

-- Exactly half of the games played (8 of 16) were decided by one goal.

-- In a foreshadow of the 2026 Stanley Cup Final, the visiting Vegas Golden Knights defeated the host Carolina Hurricanes 6-3. Almost eight months later the Hurricanes would defeat the Golden Knights in six games to win their second Cup in franchise history.

FROZEN FRENZY: LOOKING AHEAD

There is a second date on the 2026-27 NHL schedule that features all 32 teams being in action.

April 10, 2027.

The final day of the regular season.

And when you consider that 13 of 16 games will involve matchups of teams in the same division, there could be a number of playoff spots hanging in the balance.

You want late season drama? You got it.

“That’s awesome, isn’t it?” Weekes said. “How compelling will that be?

“You always hear about how all 82 games -- well, starting this season, 84 -- matter. Well, this will be proof of it. Right down to the end.

“Amazing.”

Ferraro figures there still will be plenty to be decided around the League entering the final night of the season.

“Such a good idea to do it this way,” he said. “Like I said earlier, good ideas don't always come to fruition because of logistical reasons. This is one that did.”

QUOTE/UNQUOTE

“It is going to be an epic night. Friends, family, guys like Wendel Clark, people that were close to Barry, they’re all going to make their way to Glens Falls (New York) to celebrate his life. It’s going to be a special event.”

— Steve Levy on the tribute the Adirondack Thunder (East Coast Hockey League) will hold prior to their home opener against the Trenton Ironhawks Saturday to honor Barry Melrose, who died Sept. 10 at age 70. Melrose, Levy’s longtime broadcast partner with ESPN, played for the American Hockey League’s Adirondack Red Wings in 1984 and helped them win a Calder Cup in 1986. Melrose was later named head coach of the Wings in 1989 and guided them to their fourth Calder Cup championship in 1992.

THE LAST WORD

The San Francisco 49ers are one of only three undefeated teams in the NFL after Week 5.  

It’s enough to put a big smile on the face of Nashville Predators forward Filip Forsberg.

Forsberg, you see, is best friends with George Kittle, the outgoing, always flamboyant tight end of the 49ers.  In fact, Kittle and his wife, Claire, are the godparents to Felix Forsberg, the 2-year-old son of Filip and country music artist Erin Alvey, his wife.

“We met through our wives, who were great friends already,” Forsberg told NHL.com during the North American Player Media Tour last month. “He’s a great guy. They live in Nashville during the offseason.

“For sure, we support each other.”

Kittle did just that during the 4 Nations Face-Off in February 2025. He and Claire made the trip up to the Bell Centre in Montreal for the Sweden-Finland game, where George wore a Team Sweden jersey with Forsberg’s name and No. 9 on the back, along with a hat featuring the Swedish flag and fake yellow and blue hair.

Kittle and Forsberg also blew up social media when they attended the 2026 World Cup Final between Argentina and Spain on July 26 at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey and decided to go tarps off. Video of the shirtless duo went viral on twitter and Instagram. 

“We like to have fun,” Forsberg said.

That’ll continue if the 49ers keep winning.