NBCSN Begins Coverage of NHL Regular Season Today

Coming off the most-watched NHL full regular season and Stanley Cup Playoffs since 2006, NBC Sports Group begins its coverage of the 2014-15 NHL regular season with an opening night doubleheader today, October 8 on NBCSN, starting at 7:30 p.m. ET when Milan Lucic and the Boston Bruins host Claude Giroux and the Philadelphia Flyers on Wednesday Night Rivalry.

Coverage continues at 10 p.m. ET, when Jonathan Quick and the defending champion Los Angeles Kings raise their 2014 Stanley Cup banner to the STAPLES Center rafters, before opening the 2014-15 campaign against Joe Thornton and the San Jose Sharks. Coverage begins at 6:30 p.m. ET with NHL Live, NBCSN's live pre-game and post-game show. Opening week coverage continues on Thursday from St. Paul, Minn., when the Minnesota Wild host the Colorado Avalanche at 9 p.m. ET on NBCSN.

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 Flyers-Bruins from TD Garden in Boston, Mass. Dave Strader (play-by-play) and Brian Engblom (analyst) will call Sharks-Kings from Los Angeles. John Forslund (play-by-play) and McGuire (analyst) will call Avalanche-Wild on Thursday.

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.
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NHL SEASON PREVIEW - TUESDAY AT 8 P.M. ET ON NBCSN

Prior to puck drop on Wednesday night, NBCSN will break down the 2013-14 regular season with an hour-long edition of NHL Season Preview, airing live on Tuesday at 8 p.m. ET. NHL Live's Liam McHugh will host the show alongside former NHL players and analysts Mike Milbury, Keith Jones, and Jeremy Roenick. Tuesday's show will also feature segments with McGuire and Olczyk on-site from TD Garden in Boston, previewing Flyers-Bruins on Wednesday.

NBC SPORTS LIVE EXTRA

NBC Sports Live Extra, NBC Sports Group's live streaming product for desktops, mobile devices, and tablets, will stream all 2014-15 NHL regular-season games televised on NBC and NBCSN. For desktops, NBC Sports Live Extra can be accessed at NBCSports.com/liveextra. The NBC Sports Live Extra app is available at the App Store for iPad and iPod touch, and on select tablet devices within Google Play.

NHL LIVE ON NBCSN

NHL Live, NBC Sports Group live pre-game and post-game studio show, provides 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. Hosts Kathryn Tappen and former NHL players and analysts Jeremy Roenick and Anson Carter, will also contribute throughout the season.

NHL RIVALS AND NHL TOP 10 RETURN FOR 2014-15

NBCSN's NHL RIVALS and NHL TOP 10 programs will return for the 2014-15 season, examining the greatest NHL rivalries and analyzing timeless hockey debates on iconic NHL teams, players and moments in the sport's history. NHL RIVALS premieres this season on Tuesday, Oct. 14 at 10:30 p.m. ET with a special Original Six edition, prior to the Wednesday, Oct. 15 matchup between the Boston Bruins and Detroit Red Wings.

NHL Rivals airs each week on Tuesday at 10:30 p.m. ET, and examines the matchup featured on Wednesday Night Rivalry the following evening.

NHL Top 10, which will airs 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, featuring commentary and analysis from current and former players, broadcasters and writers.

Following is next week's NHL telecast schedule on NBCSN:

Date	Coverage	Network	Time (ET)
Tues., October 7	NHL Top 10	NBCSN	7 p.m.
	NHL Top 10	NBCSN	7:30 p.m.
	NHL Season Preview	NBCSN	8 p.m.
	NHL Top 10	NBCSN	9 p.m.
	NHL Top 10	NBCSN	9:30 p.m.
	NHL Top 10	NBCSN	10 p.m.
	NHL Top 10	NBCSN	10:30 p.m.
	NHL Season Preview (Encore)	NBCSN	11 p.m.
Wed., October 8	NHL Live	NBCSN	6:30 p.m.
	Philadelphia at Boston	NBCSN	7:30 p.m.
	San Jose at Los Angeles	NBCSN	10 p.m.
Thurs., October 9	Colorado at Minnesota	NBCSN	9 p.m.

NHL ON NBC POSTS RECORD RATINGS IN 2013-14

NBC Sports Group's NHL coverage drew record ratings during the 2013-14 NHL campaign, notching some of the highest regular-season, postseason and Stanley Cup Final ratings over the last 20 years.

• The 2014 Stanley Cup Playoffs averaged 1.445 million viewers on NBC, NBCSN and CNBC, making it the second-most watched postseason since NBC Sports Group began its exclusive coverage in 2005-06.
• The 2014 Stanley Cup Final, won in five games by the Los Angeles Kings over the New York Rangers, was just the fifth Final in 20 years to average more than 5.0 million viewers.
• For the 77 playoff games telecast on NBCSN and CNBC, the 2014 Stanley Cup Playoffs averaged a 0.66 HH rating and 1.098 million viewers, ranking as the most-watched NHL playoffs on cable in 17 years (1997, 1.211 million viewers on ESPN/ESPN2).
• The 2013-14 regular season set viewership records for NBC and NBCSN. NBCSN averaged 351,000 viewers over 88 telecasts, making it the most-watched regular season since NBC Sports Group began exclusive coverage in 2005-06. In addition, NBC averaged 1.683 million viewers over 13 games, making it the most-watched regular season on NBCSN since 2005-06.
• GAME 5: The final game of the 2014 Stanley Cup Final, which was unauthenticated, delivered record traffic for an NHL game on NBC Sports Live Extra for virtually every metric, including uniques (274,473) and live minutes (11,423,556). Live-streaming for the five-game 2014 Stanley Cup Final on NBC Sports Live Extra delivered 603,000 uniques and 37.14 million minutes, up 38% and 22%, respectively, vs. last year and made 2014 the most-consumed Stanley Cup Final ever.

2014-15 REGULAR SEASON COVERAGE ON NBC & NBCSN

NBC Sports Group will deliver coverage of 103 NHL regular-season games during the 2014-15 season, featuring 14 games on NBC and 89 games on NBCSN. All games will be streamed live via NBC Sports Live Extra. Click here 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 2014-15 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 allWednesday 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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