ESPN’s broadcast desk on-site at the 2024 Stanley Cup Final has left a lot to be desired.
With the Stanley Cup Final having shifted to Edmonton, hockey fans noticed a change in ESPN’s pregame and intermission broadcast. Instead of a big ESPN-branded desk where analysts Steve Levy, Mark Messier, P.K. Subban and Emily Kaplan would sit, they instead were seated tightly packed at a plain gray desk that looked straight out of an IKEA warehouse.
The change got so much attention that comparisons were immediately drawn to ESPN’s lavish NBA Finals desk for this year, which comfortably sat six hosts behind it.
ESPN desk budget is very lopsided I fear pic.twitter.com/R0AWuvzwRh
— Pete Blackburn (@PeteBlackburn) June 15, 2024
So, what gives? Did ESPN skimp out on their desk for the Stanley Cup Final after a perfectly fine showing in Florida? Well, according to Front Office Sports, ESPN changed desks because they liked the view that spot in the arena provided, but it had space limitations. As such, ESPN had to buy a desk from a local furniture store to fit the space.
Even still, NHL fans couldn’t help but make IKEA jokes about ESPN’s tiny broadcast desk.
NHL fans made IKEA comparisons about ESPN’s Stanley Cup Final broadcast desk
Is ESPN using a Wayfair table for their analyst desk pic.twitter.com/svoPcFn5Mw
— Annie O’D☘️ (@sweetannieod) June 14, 2024
Did ESPN spend $49.99 on a desk? pic.twitter.com/MSWbkkFMxW
— World Hockey Report (@worldhockeyrpt) June 14, 2024
I think I saw that ESPN desk at HomeGoods
— Shawn Ferris (@shawnferris98) June 16, 2024
https://t.co/X3aI5FrZkg pic.twitter.com/OXVDKFaEfK
— Ava (@avatarrant) June 16, 2024
ESPN went all the way to IKEA to buy a desk for this Stanley Cup final coverage
— ☃️ (@shawist) June 16, 2024
It probably cost ESPN $20-30k for that NBA desk, whereas the NHL desk was borrowed from an office room https://t.co/JsMvQNhlC7
— JM =^) (@JM539581) June 16, 2024
Who ran to the Edmonton IKEA for that bad boy? https://t.co/S8G0MBxoIq
— Andrew Knoll (@AndrewKnollNHL) June 15, 2024
