The NHL Broadcast Training Camp, defend Cam Janssen’s first day, was a two‑day crash course that turned former enforcers and current players into on‑air candidates. The program—held at league headquarters in early July—paired eight athletes with TV personalities from ESPN, TNT and NHL Network, who guided them through mock game broadcasts, in‑game interviews and intermission panels.

Janssen’s trembling interview with a fake Rod Brind’Amour, filmed in a Manhattan conference room, proved the camp’s intensity. “I’m shaking, I’m sweating,” he admitted afterward, while Erik Johnson—a 2024 graduate and current ESPN analyst—was cited as a living proof of concept.

The camp’s curriculum emphasized social media strategy, the art of the telestrator, and the difference between playing the game and presenting it to fans. Steve Mayer, president of NHL content and events, praised the players’ hunger, noting that “hockey players like to be coached.”

With alumni such as Mark Messier and P.K. Subban already on television, the NHL is expanding the ex‑athlete role beyond traditional analysis, offering a blend of expertise and entertainment for fans in 2026.