NBC Sports to Present Pair of NHL Outdoor Classics to Ring in 2017

NBC Sports rings in the new year with a pair of outdoor NHL Classics, highlighted by NBC's annual presentation of the 2017 Bridgestone NHL Winter Classic®, when Alex Pietrangelo and the St. Louis Blues host Patrick Kane and the rival Chicago Blackhawks at Busch Stadium in St. Louis on Monday, January 2, at 3 p.m. ET.

In addition to the NHL Winter Classic, NBC presents a clash of young American NHL stars on New Year's Day at 3 p.m. ET in the NHL Centennial Classic, when rookie sensation Auston Matthews and the Toronto Maple Leafs host Dylan Larkin and the Detroit Red Wings at BMO Field in Toronto. The NHL Centennial Classic represents the start of the league's year-long Centennial celebration.

Four-time Emmy Award-winning play-by-play commentator Mike 'Doc' Emrick, U.S. Hockey Hall of Fame member, analyst and former Blackhawk Eddie Olczyk, and Emmy Award-winning 'Inside-the-Glass' analyst Pierre McGuire will have the call of the Blackhawks-Blues Winter Classic showdown from Busch Stadium, home of Major League Baseball's St. Louis Cardinals. Analyst and former Blackhawk Jeremy Roenick will also serve as a roving reporter during game coverage.

NHL Live host Liam McHugh will be on-site at Busch Stadium alongside former players and analysts Mike Milbury, Keith Jones and Roenick to provide pre-game and post-game analysis, as well as commentary during intermissions. In addition, Bob Costas, a 27-time Emmy Award-winner who began his professional broadcasting career in St. Louis, will join NBC Sports' coverage of the 2017 NHL Winter Classic.

John Forslund (play-by-play), Brian Boucher (analyst), and McGuire ('Inside-the-Glass') will call Red Wings-Maple Leafs from BMO Field, home of Major League Soccer's Toronto FC. Host Kathryn Tappen will anchor coverage from Toronto with Roenick.

NBC Sports will surround the NHL Centennial and Winter Classics with numerous interviews and features, highlighted by Kathryn Tappen's live interview with "The Great One" - Wayne Gretzky - at the Centennial Classic. Coverage will also include a feature on the young stars of the NHL, including Auston Matthews and Dylan Larkin, a feature on Blues captain Alex Pietrangelo, a look back at the Chicago-St. Louis rivalry by Bob Costas, as well as player and executive interviews throughout the broadcasts.

It was announced yesterday that Bob Costas will join NBC Sports' coverage of the 2017 NHL Winter Classic. Costas has strong ties to St. Louis. He was the radio play-by-play announcer for the American Basketball Association's Spirits of St. Louis from 1974 to 1976 on KMOX Radio, hosted "Sports Open Line" on KMOX, and served as the University of Missouri men's basketball play-by-play voice, prior to joining NBC Sports in 1980. Costas also called a number of Blues games during his time in St. Louis, occasionally substituting for legendary commentator Dan Kelly on KMOX.