Announcers and Open Thread for Tonight’s Rangers-Devils Game on VERSUS

I like that these threads are starting to get a little traction.  Please post any thoughts on the game and any good quotes/funny screw-ups from the announcers in this thread.

New York Rangers vs. New Jersey Devils, 7PM
Play by Play: Mike Emrick
Color: Eddie Olczyk
Reporter: Bob Harwood 

BREAKING NEWS: Red Wings/Penguins Draws 1.1 Rating

According to Sports Business Daily (reg. required), NBC’s telecast of the Red Wings/Penguins game on Sunday drew a 1.1/3 overnight rating.  This is the same rating NBC drew for last week’s Rangers/Penguins game, which finished with a 1.0/3 final rating.  It is, however well up (12%) from last year’s Ducks/Red Wings telecast (2/10/08, 0.9 overnight rating). 

NHL on NBC action lost in the ratings to the NBA’s pre-game show, which aired in the same timeslot, and was tripled by ABC’s Spurs-Celtics telecast.  Though it did beat out College Hoops (Purdue-Illinois) in the same timeslot.

Overall, it’s a 3rd straight telecast above TV’s Mendoza line for NBC, which is certainly good news for the NHL’s future on the network.

OVERNIGHTS FOR NHL ON NBC

1/1/09: Red Wings vs. Blackhawks – 2.9/6
1/18/09: Rangers vs. Penguins – 1.1/3
2/8/09: Red Wings vs. Penguins – 1.1/3

FINAL RATINGS FOR NHL ON NBC

1/1/09: Red Wings vs. Blackhawks – 2.5/5
1/18/09: Rangers vs. Penguins – 1.0/3
2/8/09: Red Wings vs. Penguins – TBA

MLB.TV/NHL GameCenterLive Combo is Pretty Awesome

 

NEW YORK, Feb. 9 /PRNewswire/ — MLB.com and the National Hockey League (NHL) today announced a partnership that will make available each league’s live online streaming product, MLB.TV Premium and NHLGameCenter LIVE(TM), respectively, through a bundled subscription. This special bundle for United States residents will be available for a one-time fee of

$139.95 beginning Monday, February 16 at MLB.com and NHL.com.

 

Earlier this month, MLB.TV went on-sale with its full-season package (March-October 2009) for $109.95, a $10discount off the 2008 yearly pricing, and the NHL will launch its standalone Race for the Cup(TM) streaming product on February 16 for $79.95.

 

This first-of-its-kind content partnership will allow subscribers to watch every regular season game, more than 100 Spring Training games and the first two rounds of the World Baseball Classic in

2009, via MLB.com, and up to 40 out-of-market NHL games per week for the remainder of the current regular season as well as select Stanley Cup(TM) Playoffs games, via NHL.com (blackout and other restrictions apply).

VERSUS Hypes Games This Week, As They Should

NEW YORK, N.Y. (February 5, 2009)-VERSUS, the network that celebrates real competition and the exclusive cable television home of the National Hockey League (NHL), will air two of the marquee games of the season on back-to-back nights next week.  The New York Rangers visit the New Jersey Devils on Monday, February 9, as both teams continue to battle for Atlantic Division dominance, followed by a clash for the best record in the league when the Boston Bruins (the top-ranked team in the East) host the San Jose Sharks (the #1 team in the West) on Tuesday, February 10. 
  
Mike “Doc” Emrick, Eddie Olczyk and Bob Harwood will serve as the announce team for the Rangers/Devils game on Monday night, while Joe Beninati, Andy Brickley and Billy Jaffe will call all the action from the TD Banknorth Garden in Boston on Tuesday night.  The network will, as always, wrap up both nights of its NHL coverage with its studio show, Hockey Central, with host Bill Patrick and analysts Keith Jones and Brian Engblom.  On Tuesday night, Eddie Olczyk will join the Hockey Central team in studio to offer viewers a fourth perspective for one of the biggest games of the season.   
  
VERSUS continues to see dramatic gains in viewership for 2008-09 regular season as compared to the same time period last year.  Through 36 games, VERSUS has garnered a 24-percent increase in household impressions, 25-percent growth in total viewership and substantial viewership growth among all key male demos: Men 18-34 (up 72%), Men 18-49 (up 54%) and Men 25-54 (up 46%).   

Milbury/McGuire Round 2 of 9: Hark! An Agreement!

Well that was certainly a letdown, considering the hype.  Pierre McGuire got in a few not-so-subtle jabs at Mike Milbury for trading Zdeno Chara, and both men actually agreed on something!  

During the first intermission, the two men set the topic for no-touch icing.  Milbury claimed that in the wake of Kurtis Foster’s incredible pants-touching leg-bone (Yuck, by the way) the no-touch icing rule should be reinstated.  Pierre agreed, calling for “some workplace safety”.

The debate then shifted to Sean Avery.  Milbury felt the Rangers’ record with Avery in the lineup (perhaps the most overused stat in hockey) would justify the team being able to bring him back when he returns from exile.  Pierre McGuire argued against this, saying that Avery couldn’t be controlled because “He doesn’t have Brendan Shanahan babysitting him” anymore.

NBC Announces Pens-Caps For February 22nd Flex Game

During Sunday afternoon’s Penguins-Red Wings game, Doc Emrick announced that the NHL On NBC Flex Game of the Week would be the Pittsburgh Penguins heading to the Phone Booth in DC to take on the Washington Capitals.  Game will air February 22nd at 12:30 PM on NBC.  This week’s flex game is Flyers-Rangers, 2/15 at 12:30 PM.  The rest of the NBC schedule is after the jump.