Longtime ESPN anchor and announcer John Buccigross will be sticking around with the Worldwide Leader in Sports for years to come.
Buccigross has signed a multi-year extension with ESPN, as first reported by hockey insider Frank Seravalli on Saturday.
Awful Announcing has confirmed the news, and an announcement is expected for early next week.
Update: Buccigross has now confirmed the news as well.
THIS ABSOLUTELY, UNEQUIVOCALLY, OUTRAGEOUSLY!!!!!!!!!…………………………………………………true. 🙏🏻🙏🏻🙏🏻 https://t.co/N0xvMcqd5y
— BucciOT.Com (@Buccigross) April 12, 2026
Sources say @Buccigross has signed a multi-year extension with @ESPN.
His first day at ESPN was Oct. 28, 1996 and this new deal means the Jiminy Cricket statue for 30-year Disney cast members has been secured. Big deal.
Congrats, Bucci!
— Frank Seravalli (@frank_seravalli) April 11, 2026
As Seravalli notes, Buccigross has been with ESPN for 30 years, beginning on Oct. 28, 1996.
The timing of the news certainly makes sense.
For the 13th time, Buccigross served as ESPN’s play-by-play announcer for the Frozen Four, capped off by calling the Denver Pioneers’ national championship victory on Saturday.
Here was the go-ahead goal for Denver with John Buccigross on the ESPN call. 🏒🚨🏆🎙️pic.twitter.com/ZDxpNAxCKh https://t.co/qQ2zAlM00k
— Awful Announcing (@awfulannouncing) April 12, 2026
Buccigross has long been one of the biggest ambassadors for hockey in sports media and delivers hockey commentary and analysis with a clear passion for the sport.
Along with being an NHL play-by-play announcer for ESPN, Buccigross hosts The Point, a twice-weekly NHL studio show on the ESPN family of networks. Additionally, he has been the primary host of the NHL Draft for ESPN since the network regained NHL media rights in 2021.
Buccigross is also well-known for his contributions as a SportsCenter anchor over the years.
Signing Buccigross to an extension was surely an easy call on ESPN’s side, especially as the media rights partnership with the NHL continues through the 2027-28 season.
