Stanley Cup Final Will Feature Special Alternate Broadcast In American Sign Language

For hockey fans who are deaf or hard of hearing, this year's Stanley Cup Final has something special for you: a first-of-its-kind sign language broadcast.

The NHL announced that it is partnering with P-X-P, which has helped put on American Sign Language broadcasts for events like the Winter Classic, Stadium Series, All-Star Game, and even Commissioner Gary Bettman's State of the League address.

READ: A NEUTRAL FAN'S GUIDE ON GUYS TO ROOT FOR IN THE STANLEY CUP FINAL

The alternate broadcast will be available through ESPN+ in the United States and Sportsnet+ in Canada and is a first for a major championship, a fact that kind of blew my mind. In addition to commentary in ASL, it will also feature visual ways to convey crowd noise.

"This NHL-led production further exemplifies the League’s commitment to producing accessible and interactive content for all of our fans -- including underserved communities. Fans of all abilities are encouraged to tune in to experience this first-of-a-kind broadcast as a way to understand and share the experience with someone who is Deaf," Kim Davis, NHL Senior Executive Vice President of Social Impact, Growth Initiatives and Legislative Affairs (I don't think that title is long enough) said.

As opposed to a traditional play-by-play broadcast done in ASL — which would involve some of the fastest-flying fingers the world has ever seen — this broadcast will carry a more conversational tone.

The Stanley Cup Final will feature a first-of-its-kind alternate broadcast using American Sign Language. (Photo by Patrick Smith/Getty Images)

I can't believe that this hasn't been done before. I mean, I've seen high school graduation ceremonies. Do you mean to tell me that no one thought to bring that innovation to the Super Bowl before? The World Series? Stanley Cup Final?!

That's wild, but at least they thought of it now.

I may take a peak at this out of curiosity. I've always had some ASL questions. One, which I actually asked of a girl who was studying ASL in college, was whether people can express accents when using ASL. Like, do people from New England talk with their fingers more? Less?

The girl from college laughed at me like I was an idiot. That laughing at me part wasn't unusual, but I was surprised that the question drew such a response.

The other thing I don't get is why every ASL interpreter does these giant, Jim Carrey-esque rubber-faced expressions. I assume that's to convey some inflections, but do they have to go so big? Maybe they do, but no one has answered this for me.

Regardless of my questions, it's cool that the NHL worked to put this together to get more fans in on the action, which is always a good thing.