How did the NHL make history on International Women’s Day?

Sunday, March 8, was International Women’s Day, and the National Hockey League’s broadcasting team wanted to celebrate all the women who work hard to bring hockey games to the masses. So two of the league's games that night were broadcast entirely by female teams.

One game was in the U.S., between the St. Louis Blues and the Chicago Blackhawks, and the other was in Canada between the Calgary Flames and the Vegas Golden Knights. From the truck to the booth, every person working on the broadcast was female. 

In the booth for the Blues vs. Blackhawks match, gold medalist hockey players A.J. Mleczko and Kendall Coyne called the game provided analysis while sports broadcaster Kate Scott called the game. Meanwhile, producer Rene Hatlelid and director Lisa Seltzer, who came out of retirement for the occasion, took charge in the production truck. 

“Honestly, there was nothing like it that I've ever been a part of. There was a buzz in the truck all day long,” said NBC Sports Producer Kaitlin Urka, who first pitched the idea to NBC executives. “I think people knew that they were a part of something bigger than just the game.”