"On Thursday, the U.S. women's hockey team will take on Canada in a battle of the women's hockey superpowers. Every single Olympic gold medal in the history of the sport has been won by one of these two countries. If you're rooting for the U.S., it means watching a team stacked with talented and innovative players. Team USA is undefeated and riding a record 331-minute shutout streak."
"Would you know this from watching the NBC broadcast of Team USA's games? Doubtful. You'd probably know more about Coyne Schofield's baby. Don't get me wrong. Her toddler, Drew, is adorable. I'm a new aunt in my late 30s, and I could absolutely eat him up. But when that puck's on the ice, what I really want to hear about is why his mom is one of the best women's hockey players in the world."
"Alex Carpenter has built a career in her own right, but her first touch of the puck still beckons the play-by-play person to bring up her father and his record. It's a fun fact if you bring it up once, but at some point the repetition morphs from fun facts to a sense that these tidbits are viewed as more important than the players' own accomplishments."
The U.S. and Canada dominate women's Olympic hockey, with every gold won by one of those countries. Team USA is undefeated and riding a record 331-minute shutout streak. Four-time Olympian Kendall Coyne Schofield is a two-time PWHL champion, labor movement leader, and the first woman in the NHL All-Star Game skills challenge. NBC broadcasts often highlight players' family details — Coyne Schofield's toddler, Amanda Kessel's brother, or Hayley Scamurra's father — more than on-ice achievements. Alex Carpenter's father's record is repeatedly mentioned after her first touch. Repetition of such trivia can overshadow players' accomplishments. Polarizing pundit Pierre McGuire exemplified this tendency.
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