Disney will be on the ice — not for a musical tour but instead through NHL.
The NHL is bringing back the "NHL Big City Greens Classic" for the second year in a row, this time with the Boston Bruins and Pittsburgh Penguins.
The Penguins (28-25-8) sit toward the bottom of the Metropolitan Division, while the Bruins (37-13-15) are second in the Atlantic.
While they sit at two different ends of the spectrum with the season winding down, both franchises have some of the top players in the league, including Sidney Crosby, Kris Letang, Brad Marchand and David Pastrnak.
The NHL will feature these players and more in its special Disney broadcast Saturday.
What is the 'NHL Big City Greens Classic 2'?
The "NHL Big City Greens Classic 2" is essentially hockey's version of the NFL's popular Nickelodeon and Disney broadcasts. The NFL aired its first game on Nickelodeon in 2021, and its first animated game on Disney in 2023.
The broadcast is aimed at a younger audience, one that isn't necessarily accustomed to watching sports. Disney+, Disney Channel, ESPN+ and Disney XD will air the game at 3 p.m. Saturday, March 8.
“When you capture the attention of a youngster, ultimately mom’s involved, dad’s involved, siblings are involved, grandparents,” said Kevin Weekes, who will be calling the game. “A lot of these kids are the future generation of people that are going to be playing the game or coaching the game or owning teams.”
Players on the ice, including Crosby and Pastrnak, will be animated as characters from the cartoon "Big City Greens." Coaches and commentators will also be animated.
Two characters from the Disney show Cricket will be the unofficial coaches for each team: Cricket will be the Penguins coach, while Gramma will be the Bruins coach.
Weekes will be the play-by-play announcer for the game, with Drew Carter and Arda Öcal by his side. The three commentators will be animated as well and will be wearing virtual reality headsets.
What is 'Big City Greens'?
"Big City Greens" is an animated TV show on Disney that debuted in 2018. Bill Green and his kids Cricket and Tilly lost their farm and ultimately moved in with Gramma in the "Big City."
The show is in its fourth season, which started in September 2023. This is the second year in a row that the show is being featured in the NHL.
“The fact that you’re able to have Cricket and Tilly and some of the awesome characters in 'Big City Greens' competing — either playing or coaching — with real time Sid or Malkin or Pasta or Marchand, it’s pretty amazing,” Weekes said. “It’s really cool. It’s a melding of two amazing worlds.”
