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I'm not entirely sure how this will work, since the action on the ice is what you really want to see, but when the Oilers meet the Panthers for the Stanley Cup, those who can't hear will be watching the game - and be able to access special dialogue that accompanies it.
It will be available on Sportsnet+ here and ESPN in the U.S. and promises far more than what closed captioning already provides - and also, what it can't.
"This will not be your traditional play-by-play and color commentary, but rather something more conversational and relaxed in nature, providing a deeper layer of additional storytelling," said Steve Mayer, NHL senior executive vice president and chief content officer..."
"The broadcast will be tailored to the deaf community beyond the announcing. Graphic visualizations will include a large, metered, real-time bar that demonstrates crowd noise levels around certain events like goals and penalties. Also included will be custom visual emotes to depict goals, penalties, the intensity of a hit and whether a puck hits the post or crossbar."
Stanley Cup Final to offer American Sign Language broadcast