An inside look at NHL Networks third ann

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SECAUCUS, N.J.  Tuesday, March 10, was just another day at NHL Network. The large complex was bustling and getting ready for "NHL Now," the network's afternoon show that typically runs Hansel Robles Jersey  from 4 to 6 p.m. ET, Mondaythrough Friday. Scripts were written and graphics were built in preparation todiscu s the previous night's games and thefull slate that lay ahead.Veteran director Lisa Smith sat in the front bench of the darkened control room.She signaled to her technical director, Ellen Welch, to open the show's animation before counting down,directingthe lights to be raised and the camerato begin itsslow push in."Have a good show, everyone," Smith said, just as she has donebefore the start of everyshow of her career.Everything was the same, andyet it wasn't  and nowwon't be for a while.Originally, the show was going to be slightly different than usual because, while everyone did their jobs normally a signed to them, this was just the third time in thehistoryof the network that all the faces in front of the camera,  Cam Bedrosian Jersey and the majority behind it, belonged to women.Le s than 48 hours later, it became one of the last episodes for nowas the .As the world awaits the return of hockey, Sporting News takes a look back at NHL Network celebratingGender Equality Month with an all-female broadcast team, through exclusive behind-the-scenes acce s.---Jackie Redmond,host:I usually get here at 10:30 a.m. ET or a little bit before. That's whenI get makeup. Our show meetings are at noon every day, today was 11:30, but usually I come in,go to the gym, watch the highlights, read the research packet  which we get every day and then we go to the meeting and from there we just kind of prep the day away.Kirsten Sobecki, producer: The day before we'll come in and we'll request guests through our a signment desk ... based off matchups,etc. ... Then you come in in the morning, you see what happened the night before and in the games, you start and throwing things inyour rundown.Sometimes therundown completely blows up in the meeting because someone's like, "Hey, I saw this and we can do something cool about this"and, there you go, boom, now you have a whole segment that I had literally no clue about five minutes J. C. Ramirez Jersey  ago, so that's kind of cool."This particular two-hour broadcastincluded the show's usual host, Redmond, alongsidethe network's Jamie Hersch and Team USA goalie and guest analyst Alex (Rigsby) Cavallini. DAZN/NHL Network'sLauren Gardner made appearances on the show, as didseveral remoteguests: NBCSN's Kathryn Tappen previewing the Bruins-Flyers game;two-time Olympic gold medalist Cheryl Pounder; Barbara Williams, the first female skating coach in the NHL; TSN Dylan Bundy Jersey 's Kristen Shilton on the Maple Leafs-Lightning game, and Lyndsay Rowley ofFox Sports Tenne see discu sing the Predators in Montreal to play the Canadiens.Redmond: We have a couple of breakdown tapes, which normally the analysts do, but I'm going to be doing a breakdown tape today and gothrough some tape. Jamie has some ideas as well that she's going to tackle, and so it'sreally the same show.We're going to have everything from previews for tonight,analysis of last night. We're going to look ahead to the postseason in a sort of fun way; our show always has these fun types of segments. We're going to make picks. "Eight games in eight minutes" is a big segment that we do.Jamie Hersch, co-host:There is responsibility inputting on the best show, Cody Allen Jersey  especially this show, as po sible. I don't like to look at it as pre sure because I just think it's a responsibility for me. Again,it's a personal thing, like, yeah, I want to be the best I can be every single show, not just because I'm a woman, but because I'm an accountable person and employee.But I do think that credibility, it takes a long time to earn that credibility and very little time at all  especially for a woman to lose it. So I think for us to make sure we're as prepared as po sible to not make a mistake. You know, if we go on the air and say, "Oh, the Flyers' seven-game winning streak"and it's nine games, that's a mistake and people will quickly point it out or think:"Oh, it's because you're a woman." After poring over the statistics packet that is put together every day by the research department, the teamheaded to the studio for a few pre-tapes, including the segment with Williams, who worked with the Islanders from 1977 to 1981 and Devils from 1981 to 1982. Ian Kinsler Jersey  She continues to work with pros, including Long Island native and Red Wings prospect Robert Mastrosimone.Once the clock struck 4 p.m. ET,the opening animation ran and Redmond, Hersch and Cavallini welcomed viewers to the telecast. Under the bright studio lights andsituated on a replica rink, the trio began by recappingthe five games that were playedMonday night. Cavallini, who won gold with Team USA at the 2018 Olympics andspent her afternoongoing over the stats,brought her expert insight to the telecast as she broke down the netminders including Connor Hellebuyck's play in the Winnipeg Jets' 4-2 win over the Arizona Coyotes.Cavallini, analyst: This show gets people to see that there are opportunities out there and, you know, one of the big things is thatthese women do these jobs on a daily basis. This is my first time, but everyone else, they do this all the time, and so to see them be able to put a show together like this is really incredible for women of all ages to be able to see, and see that maybe one day I can do that.The all-female broadcast marked the goaltender's debut.Cavallini: It was a lot easier once the lights turned on, so it was kind of one of those things like a hockey game ...you prepared and that's pretty much all you can do. ...I trusted being alongside Jackie and Jamie, that if I stuttered or if I made some mistake that they were going to help me through it, so felt a lot better once the camera got going. The episode  Brian Goodwin Jersey also showcased Redmond, who hails from Canada and grew up playing hockey,skating with USA Hockey star Amanda Ke sel. In previously recorded segments, the pairwentthrough on-ice drills, Trevor Cahill Jersey  including .. demonstrates simple, but highly effective, stick-handling drills. |  NHL Network (@NHLNetwork) Hersch: I think the first year, the whole argument that I've heard mostin terms of a negative responseis: "Well, this is sexist.This is excluding men, like, why, youwouldn't do this for the men." I think my response to that is always: We're not excluding men and there are men involved in our show today, by the way. We're not like, "Nope, you can't do this." It's literally just about recognizing the fact that most of the time these roles are filled by men, so because there are women who are also in these roles, let's just have one day to celebrat