During halftime of Saturday’s WNBA game between the Golden State Valkyries and the Las Vegas Aces, the ESPN on ABC broadcast went to Steve Levy and Erik Johnson to preview Saturday night’s Game 3 of the Stanley Cup Final between the Carolina Hurricanes and the Vegas Golden Knights.
It was recently revealed that Johnson has joined ESPN’s coverage of the Stanley Cup Final for Games 3 and 4 in Las Vegas. ESPN hired Johnson as an analyst last October after he spent 17 years as a player in the NHL.
“Vegas just seems to have the winning formula,” Johnson said, alongside Levy in Las Vegas. “Four titles in the last four years between the Aces and the Golden Knights. All they do is win here in Vegas, it seems.”
Levy, a veteran ESPN anchor, used that as an opportunity to clown the city’s NFL team.
“No mention of the Raiders, of course,” Levy quipped.
Even the WNBA crew couldn’t believe that the Raiders were “catching strays” from Levy on an NHL report.
The Raiders are coming off being tied for the NFL’s worst record at 3-14 in 2025 and have had losing seasons in four straight years. They have yet to win a playoff game in their seven seasons in Las Vegas (and last won a playoff game in the 2002 season, when they went to the Super Bowl as the Oakland Raiders).
Perhaps having Tom Brady as a minority owner and 2026 No. 1 overall pick Fernando Mendoza at quarterback will turn the Raiders around and prevent as many future jokes like the one Levy made.
About Matt Clapp
Matt is an editor/writer at The Comeback and Awful Announcing.
He can be reached by email at mclapp@thecomeback.com.