NBC Sports Coverage of NHL Regular Season Begins Today

Coming off the most-watched Stanley Cup Final on record, NBC Sports Group begins its coverage of the 2013-14 NHL regular season with three games in three days, beginning with a matchup between the 2013 Stanley Cup Champion Chicago Blackhawks and the Washington Capitals tonight, October 1 at 8 p.m. ET on NBCSN. Prior to the inaugural game of the 2013-14 campaign, NBCSN will air an NHL Season Preview special on Monday at 7 p.m. ET, followed by a special program highlighting the Blackhawks' Stanley Cup run last season at 8 p.m. ET.

Emmy Award-winning play-by-play commentator Mike 'Doc' Emrick, analyst Eddie Olczyk and Emmy Award-winning 'Inside-the-Glass' analyst Pierre McGuire will call the game.

Coverage begins at 6:30 p.m. ET with NHL Live, NBCSN's live pre-game and post-game show. NHL Live will feature the banner raising ceremony for the 2013 Stanley Cup champion Chicago Blackhawks, live from the United Center in Chicago, Ill.

Liam McHugh hosts NHL Live from Studio 2 at NBC Sports Group's International Broadcast Center in Stamford, Conn., and will be joined by analysts and former NHL players Mike Milbury and Keith Jones.

Following are quotes from NBC Sports Group's NHL season preview media conference call conducted today:

Pierre McGuire on the Blackhawks: "I believe we can start to use the D word with Chicago...Dynasty."

Eddie Olczyk on the Capitals: "If you ask me if I am buying or selling the Capitals, I'm buying."

Olczyk on the L.A. Kings: "The L.A. Kings are right where they should be and want to be. All they need to do is stay healthy."

Olczyk on Kings' goaltender Jonathan Quick: "I would be shocked if he is not the starting goaltender in Sochi."

WEDNESDAY NIGHT RIVALRY RETURNS

NBCSN's exclusive Wednesday Night Rivalry coverage will return for a second season, beginning on Wednesday, October 2 at 8 p.m. ET when the Detroit Red Wings host the Buffalo Sabres. Emmy Award-winning play-by-play commentator Mike 'Doc' Emrick, analyst Eddie Olczyk, and Emmy Award-winning 'Inside-the-Glass' analyst Pierre McGuire will call the game from historic Joe Louis Arena in Detroit.

During its inaugural season, Wednesday Night Rivalry was called "the hottest new brand in sports" by Forbes. It claimed six of the top eight most-watched NHL regular-season telecasts ever on NBCSN and averaged 646,000 viewers. With the success of Wednesday Night Rivalry, the 2013 season was the most-watched NHL regular season on cable in 19 years.

NBCSN continues its first week of NHL coverage on Thursday, October 3 at 8 p.m. ET when the Los Angeles Kings travel to the Xcel Energy Center to face the Minnesota Wild. Dave Strader (play-by-play) and Brian Engblom (analyst) will call the action from St. Paul, Minn.

NHL SEASON PREVIEW AND BLACKHAWKS SPECIAL, BEGINNING MONDAY AT 7 P.M. ET ON NBCSN

Prior to puck drop in Chicago on Tuesday, NBCSN will break down the 2013-14 regular season with an hour-long edition of NHL Season Preview, debuting Monday at 7 p.m. ET. NHL Live's Liam McHugh will host the show alongside analysts Mike Milbury and Keith Jones, examining this upcoming season's most intriguing storylines. NHL Season Preview will also feature a report with Mike "Doc" Emrick, analyst Eddie Olczyk and Emmy-Award Winning "Inside-the-Glass" analyst Pierre McGuire live from United Center in Chicago, Ill. to preview Capitals-Blackhawks on Tuesday night.

Following NHL Season Preview, NBCSN will air a 90-minute special highlighting the 2013 Stanley Cup Champion Chicago Blackhawks.

Unless otherwise noted, NHL Live will precede coverage of all games on NBCSN at 7 p.m. ET., and air immediately following live game coverage.

Date Coverage Network Time (ET)
Mon. September 30 NHL Season Preview NBCSN 7 p.m.
Mon. September 30 Blackhawks Special NBCSN 8 p.m.
Mon. September 30 NHL Season Preview (Encore) NBCSN 9:30 p.m.
Tue., October 1 NHL Live NBCSN 6:30 p.m.
Tue., October 1 Washington at Chicago NBCSN 8 p.m.
Wed., October 2 Buffalo at Detroit NBCSN 8 p.m.
Thur., October 3 Los Angeles at Minnesota NBCSN 8 p.m.

NBC SPORTS LIVE EXTRA

NBC Sports Live Extra, NBC Sports Group's live streaming product for desktops, mobile devices, and tablets, will stream all 2013-14 NHL regular season games televised on NBC and NBCSN. All NBCSN games will be live streamed via "TV Everywhere," the media industry's effort to make quality content available to authenticated customers both in and out of the home and on multiple platforms.

For desktops, NBC Sports Live Extra can be accessed at NBCSports.com/liveextra. The NBC Sports Live Extra app for mobile devices and tablets is available at the App Store for iPhone, iPad and iPod touch, and on select Android handset and tablet devices within Google Play.

Games airing on:

· NBC will live stream to PCs, mobile devices and tablets through NBC Sports Live Extra;
· NBCSN will live stream to PCs, mobile devices and tablets through NBC Sports Live Extra, and to the digital platforms of participating cable, satellite, and telco services, via "TV Everywhere," which is available on an authenticated basis to subscribers of participating MVPDs.

In addition to its coverage of the opening week of the NHL's 2013-14 regular season, NBC Sports Group will present comprehensive pre-game and post-game coverage, the NHL Winter Classic, the NHL Stadium Series, and new shoulder programming.

NHL LIVE ON NBCSN

NHL Live, NBC Sports Group live pre-game and post-game studio show, returns for its third season. Throughout the season, NHL Live will provide insight and analysis for every NHL game on NBC and NBCSN. NHL Live will usually begin 30 minutes prior to game time, with post-game coverage airing immediately after the conclusion of the game.

NBC Sports Group's Liam McHugh will host NHL Live with former NHL players and analysts Mike Milbury and Keith Jones from the International Broadcast Center in Stamford, Conn. Host Russ Thaler and former NHL players and analysts Jeremy Roenick and Anson Carter will also contribute throughout the season.

NBCSN DEBUTS NHL RIVALS AND NHL TOP 10

NBCSN will launch a pair of new programs - NHL Rivals and NHL Top 10 - on Tuesday, Oct. 9, expanding NBC Sports Group's NHL coverage with programming focused on hockey's historic rivalries and some of the game's most-debated topics.

The debut episode of NHL Rivals on Oct. 9 will feature the Chicago Blackhawks and St. Louis Blues, who have been division rivals since 1970 and Face Off on Wednesday Night Rivalry on Oct. 10 at 8 p.m. ET. NHL Rivals will also air each week at 6:30 p.m. ET leading into NHL Live, NBC Sports Group's live pre- and post-game show.

Click here to see a preview of NHL Rivals (http://www.nbcsports.com/hockey/nhl/coming-soon-nhl-rivalries-nbcsn).

NHL Top 10, which will premiere each week following NHL Rivals, will dive deep into some of the most timeless debates hockey fans have discussed for decades. The weekly countdown program will run the gamut of hockey "bests," including top goal-scorers and U.S.-born players, as well as the toughest places to play in the NHL and top Olympic moments. It will feature commentary and analysis from current and former players, broadcasters and writers.

2013-14 NHL WINTER CLASSIC, NHL STADIUM SERIES AND NHL HERITAGE CLASSIC

The annual NHL Winter Classic will take place on January 1, 2014 at Michigan Stadium in Ann Arbor, Mich. - The Big House - and will feature the Toronto Maple Leafs vs. the Detroit Red Wings. The 2014 NHL Winter Classic will be broadcast on NBC at 1 p.m. ET. Emrick, Olczyk and McGuire will call the game. The five previous NHL Winter Classics have produced five of the six most-watched NHL regular-season games in the past 38 years.

NBC and NBCSN will combine to present the 2014 NHL Stadium Series, which consists of a new set of four outdoor games. The NHL Stadium Series will feature the Anaheim Ducks-Los Angeles Kings, New Jersey Devils-New York Rangers, New York Islanders-New York Rangers, and Pittsburgh Penguins-Chicago Blackhawks. All games will be held at iconic outdoor stadiums in Los Angeles, New York and Chicago. In addition, NBCSN will also present coverage of the NHL Heritage Classic featuring the Ottawa Senators-Vancouver Canucks.

Date Teams Stadium Network Time
January 25, 2014 Ducks-Kings Dodger Stadium NBCSN 10 p.m.
January 26, 2014 Rangers-Devils Yankee Stadium NBC 1 p.m.
January 29, 2014 Rangers-Islanders Yankee Stadium NBCSN 7 p.m.
March 1, 2014 Blackhawks-Penguins Soldier Field NBCSN 8 p.m.
March 2, 2014 Senators-Canucks# BC Place NBCSN 7:30 p.m.

*All times listed are ET.

#NHL Heritage Classic

NHL ON NBC POSTS RECORD RATINGS IN 2013

NBC Sports Group's NHL coverage drew record ratings during the 2013 NHL campaign, notching some of the highest regular-season, postseason and Stanley Cup Final ratings over the last 20 years.

· Last year's Blackhawks-Bruins Stanley Cup Final was the most-watched Stanley Cup Final on record, averaging 5.76 million viewers across NBC and NBCSN, up 91% vs. 2012.
· The 2013 Stanley Cup Playoffs averaged 1.467 million viewers on NBC, NBCSN and CNBC, making it the most-watched postseason since 1997.
· More viewers watched the NHL regular season on NBCSN last season than in any previous year since the channel began televising games in 2005-06. The 2013 NHL regular season on NBCSN was also the most-watched season on cable in 19 years, and up 18 percent vs. 2011-12.
· More than 70 million minutes of the 2013 Stanley Cup Playoffs were live streamed on NBC Sports Live Extra - the NBC Sports Group's live streaming product for desktops, mobile devices, and tablets - according to Adobe Site Catalyst. Those figures include the Stanley Cup Final, which was live streamed for the first time and posted 30,043,262 minutes.

2013-14 REGULAR SEASON COVERAGE ON NBC & NBCSN

NBC Sports Group will deliver coverage of 103 NHL regular-season games during the 2013-14 season, featuring 13 games on NBC and 90 games on NBCSN. All games will be streamed live via NBC Sports Live Extra. Click here (http://nbcsportsgrouppressbox.com/2013/07/19/nbc-sports-group-to-air-103-nhl-regular-season-games-in-2013-14/) for more information on NBC Sports Group's comprehensive NHL coverage this season.

NBC SPORTS REGIONAL NETWORKS

NBC Sports Regional Networks, which serve top NHL markets such as Boston (Bruins), Philadelphia (Flyers), Washington D.C. (Capitals), Chicago (Blackhawks) and the Bay Area (Sharks), will air more than 300 live NHL games and surround the 2013-14 NHL season with in-depth news, analysis and original programming on the teams that matter most.

NBC SPORTS GROUP'S DIGITAL AND SOCIAL NHL COVERAGE

PROHOCKEYTALK: ProHockeyTalk (@ProHockeyTalk) on NBCSports.com brings hockey fans up-to-the-minute news, video and information on the NHL and hockey from around the world. The site serves as the destination for all news, analysis and video from NBC and NBCSN productions of NHL coverage, including contributions from on-air commentators.

NHLonNBC ON TWITTER: Follow @NHLonNBCSports on Twitter for the most up to date news, scores, photos and videos around NBC and NBCSN's coverage of the NHL. For all games on NBC and NBCSN use #NHLonNBC to follow the conversation around the broadcast. A special #RivalryNight is used for all Wednesday Night Rivalry Matchups on NBCSN.

NHLonNBC ON FACEBOOK: Facebook.com/NHLonNBCSports - The NHL on NBC Sports Facebook page provides news, photos and video from NBC and NBCSN coverage of the NHL. The page aggregates all NHL on NBC-related content found within the NBC Sports digital network, including NBCSports.com, NHL Live Streaming, and ProHockeyTalk.com

NHLonNBC ON INSTAGRAM: Follow @NHLonNBCSports on Instagram for photos around NBC and NBCSN coverage of the National Hockey League.

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