ESPN -host says there’s ‘zero chance’ he sees on the network’s hockey game

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ESPN MLB analyst Ben McDonald caught some flak for his reaction to the network’s promotion of one of the first NHL games of the season between Chicago Blackhawks and Florida Panthers.

McDonald was at the request of the National League Wild Card series between Chicago Cubs and San Diego Padres as the campaign appeared.

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Ben McDonald is introduced to the crowd under Cal Ripken Jr. 2131 30 -Year anniversary ceremony before an Interleague game between Los Angeles Dodgers and Baltimore Orioles at Oriole Park on September 5, 2025 in Baltimore, Maryland. (Diamond images via Getty Images)

“If you say so, good luck to them,” McDonald said when asked if he thought Panthers could three peat this year. “Are you asking if I want to look at? … there is zero chance I will look at. I just want to be honest with you. I want to be somewhere but there is zero chance I will look at.”

John Buccigross, part of ESPN’s NHL coverage, was among those who took a jab at McDonald.

“Zero is also how many laps after the season Ben McDonald beat in his MLB career,” he wrote at X.

Baltimore Orioles Pitcher Ben McDonald during the spring training season in 1990. (US Today Sports)

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McDonald explained himself on Thursday during a performance on Fox Sports’ “Wake Up Barstool.”

“As far as the hockey things go when that thing appears on screen, I will be honest, I didn’t even know that ESPN had the hockey contract,” he said. “I know they probably paid for than a dollar or two for it. I just didn’t even know it to be honest with you.

“So, when I looked at the dates, it’s kind of the same time as the playoff baseball. And if I got a choice between the forecast or the beginning of the Hockey season and October baseball, I probably lean a bit against the playoff baseball.”