Kraken add legendary ESPN anchor to TV broadcasts for 24-25

The Seattle Kraken are adding some star power to their television broadcasts as they move to a free over-the-air format locally.

Original Kraken player signed to long-term extension

Hall of Fame broadcaster Linda Cohn, a longtime presence on ESPN, is joining the team as a host on the Kraken Hockey Network.

According to a Monday press release, Cohn will host approximately 15 Kraken games on KING 5 during the 2024-25 NHL season.

A familiar face returning to the Emerald City 👀

Hall-of-Fame anchor for ESPN Sportscenter @LindaCohn is excited to bring her lifelong love of hockey back to the PNW as a new, special host with the Kraken Hockey Network → https://t.co/pJ8QpKxMhx pic.twitter.com/rxKarJhrIs

— Seattle Kraken (@SeattleKraken) September 16, 2024

Cohn is recognizable to sports fans for being a fixture on ESPN’s SportsCenter. In 2016, she was recognized as the first person to anchor 5,000 episodes of SportsCenter, and she continues to host the 10 p.m. edition of the show from Los Angeles. She is the longest-tenured anchor in the show’s history.

Cohn joining the Kraken team is a homecoming of sorts, as she was a local sports anchor and reporter at KIRO 7 in Seattle from 1989-92, her last stop before ESPN. She’s also a respected hockey voice, as she played goalie in high school and college and has contributed to ESPN NHL game broadcasts throughout her career, including multiple Kraken games since the team entered the NHL in the 2021-22 season.

“Besides the fact that the Kraken are an amazing organization and there’s so much promise with this team, it’s personal for me to be back in Seattle,” Cohn said in the press release. “It’s a city that I’ll always love forever because it’s a family connection. It’s just very personal and I’m thrilled for this opportunity.”

Good morning @SeattleKraken fans! Thrilled to join this incredible broadcast team! Working for @KIRO7Seattle back in the day was a game changer for me. Excited for this new role back in the Emerald City when needed. 😀🎉🥅🏒#SeaKraken pic.twitter.com/hD2l268MzD

— Linda Cohn (@lindacohn) September 16, 2024

Cohn dove more into her return to Seattle in an article that the Kraken published Monday on its official website.

“Not only did I become a better sports broadcaster in Seattle,” Cohn said, “but it was also the place where this little New York girl learned to enjoy covering high school football games. Being from New York, I grew up loving pro sports. But working in Seattle is where I learned the importance of Friday night football. And the joy and spectacle of covering the Washington Huskies.”

Seattle Kraken on TV this season

The Kraken Hockey Network will broadcast 72 games during the preseason and regular season in 2024-25 (including pregame and postgame shows), plus the first round of the playoffs if the team qualifies.

All non-nationally televised Kraken games will be broadcast for free over the air this season on:

• KONG (Seattle)
• KREM (Spokane)
• KAPP (Yakima)
• KVEW (Tri-Cities)
• KGW (Portland, Ore.)
• KEVU & KSLR (Eugene, Ore.)
• KAUU (Anchorage, Alaska)
• KYEX (Juneau, Alaska)

At least 15 games will be simulcast on Seattle’s KING 5, as well.

The same Kraken broadcasts will be available to stream on Amazon Prime for members in Washington, Oregon and Alaska.

The in-game broadcasters for Seattle Kraken games are play-by-play announcer John Forslund, analysts JT Brown and Eddie Olczyk, analytics expert Alison Lukan and host Piper Shaw. All were part of previous Kraken broadcasts on ROOT Sports.

The first game airing on the new Kraken Hockey Network will be a preseason contest at 7 p.m. this Sunday, Sept. 22 against the Calgary Flames at Seattle’s Climate Pledge Arena.

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