Your Announcers and Open Thread For Red Wings-Penguins

Detroit vs. Pittsburgh, 12:30 PM, NBC
Play by Play: Mike Emrick
Color: Eddie Olczyk
Inside the Glass: Pierre McGuire

Following Markets to Miss Detroit/Pittsburgh Because of Evil Satan Robot

Because of Pat Robertson’s annual telethon (I guess it’s annual) some markets will miss the Penguins/Red Wings game on NBC Sunday.  Those markets are:

WAVY 10 Norfolk
WBRE 28 Scranton
WDTN 2 Dayton
WVVA 6 Beckley-Bluefield
WSMV 4 Nashville
WVTM 13 Birmingham
KKCO 11 Grand Junction

Thanks to Tony from The Confluence for the info.  Let me know via e-mail or comments if there are supplemental plans to show the game in these markets, perhaps on digital channels somewhere.  If not, well, this is pretty bad to see 1 NHL market and the AHL market of one of the teams playing (including Dayton, OH, which likely has some Penguins followers) not carry the game.  We’ll see.

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Enjoy Hockey Day in Canada, Folks. Here’s the Lineup

Hockey Day in Canada, Noon, CBC/NHL Network
Live from Stratford, ON

Montreal vs. Ottawa, 2PM, CBC/NHL Network
Play by Play: Bob Cole
Color: Gary Galley and Guy Carbonneau
Reporter: Jeff Marek

Vancouver vs. Toronto, 7PM, CBC/NHL Network
Play by Play: Jim Hughson
Color: Craig Simpson
Inside the Glass: Glenn Healy
Reporter: Elliot Friedman

Edmonton vs. Calgary, 10PM, CBC/NHL Network
Play by Play: Mark Lee
Color: Kevin Weekes
Reporter: Scott Oake

Your NHL Network Featured Programming For Next Week

Monday, Feb. 1
12:00 NHL Live
4:00 NHL Power Play
8:00 NHL On the Fly

Tuesday, Feb. 2
12:00 NHL Live
4:00 NHL Power Play
8:00 NHL On the Fly

Wednesday, Feb. 3
12:00 NHL Live
4:00 NHL Power Play
7:00 2008 All-Access
8:00 NHL On the Fly
10:00 LIVE: Detroit vs. Anaheim
12:30 NHL On the Fly Final

Thursday, Feb. 4
12:00 NHL Live
4:00 NHL Power Play
7:00 Just Like Me
8:00 NHL On the Fly
9:00 Quest Tour: USA vs. Finland
11:30 NHL On the Fly

Friday, Feb. 5
12:00 NHL Live
4:00 NHL Power Play
6:00 Top 10 Canadiens of All-Time
6:30 Top 10 Goals of 2008-09
7:00 LIVE NCAA: Clarkson vs. union
9:30 NHL On the Fly

Saturday, Feb. 6
4:30 HD Classics: Sid and Alex’s Dueling Hat Tricks
6:30 HNIC Pre-Game
7:00 LIVE: Ottawa vs. Toronto
9:30 HNIC Post-Game
10:00 NHL On the Fly

Sunday, Feb. 7
8:00 NHL On the Fly

Something I Noticed While Watching Hockey Last Night

New York Rangers radio play-by-play man Kenny Albert called the Islanders game last night against the Carolina Hurricanes on MSG Plus.  That’s an odd one.  Has something like this happened before?  Eric Hornick, why did this happen?  Is Howie Rose alright, or just resting from the fatigue that calling Mets games 150 days a year brings on a person midway through a hockey season.

I like the idea that we could use this segment to answer some questions.  By the way, to answer yesterday’s question, Rick Jeanneret is on vacation.  He’s apparently back tonight.  Thanks to Kevin Snow for the help.

From the “Hey, Good Idea, VERSUS.com” Files

VERSUS.com want you to ask James van Riemsdyk some questions.  Specifically, they demand that “U Ask”.  Not sure what the difference is.  I don’t understand these complicated technological things.  Anyway, check it out.  I will.  Cause apparently, it’s all about me, baby.

Doug Wilson’s On the NHL Hour Today

NEW YORK (January 28, 2010) – San Jose Sharks executive vice president and general manager Doug Wilson is today’s guest on NHL Hour With Commissioner Gary Bettman on NHL.com and SIRIUS XM Radio at 6 p.m. ET.

Wilson’s Sharks, whose 78 points lead the National Hockey League, are pursuing their third straight Pacific Division title and second consecutive Presidents’ Trophy. They will face the Chicago Blackhawks tonight at HP Pavilion in a game that will be carried in HD to a nationwide audience on NHL Network™ U.S. beginning at 10:30 p.m., ET.

Wilson knows the Sharks-Blackhawks rivalry from both sides, as he played 938 games for the Blackhawks before being traded to the Sharks for that team’s inaugural season, 1991. Since 2003, when Wilson was named San Jose’s general manager, the Sharks have appeared in nine Stanley Cup playoff rounds — second only to the Detroit Red Wings (10).

NHL Hour with Commissioner Gary Bettman now broadcasts live on Thursdays from 6 p.m. to 7 p.m. ET on NHL Home Ice (XM Channel 204 and on SIRIUS Channel 208 as part of the “Best of XM” programming package) and NHL.com. The show will re-air on SIRIUS XM Radio, with archived shows available for download via podcast on NHL.com.

The show encourages fans to call in with questions for the Commissioner. To submit questions to NHL Hour call 1-877-645-6696.

NHL Hour with Commissioner Gary Bettman is a production of NHL Radio.

Something I Saw While Watching Hockey Last Night…

I was resigned to the MSG Buffalo feed of the Sabres-Devils game last night.  At the start, I noticed legendary Sabres play-by-play man Rick Jeanneret wasn’t calling the game.  Immediately, I had a feeling of “well, what’s the point of watching the Sabres, then?”.  Steve Kouleas of The Score was calling the game with Harry Neale and Rob Ray.

I’ll say this though, Kouleas did a very good job substituting for one of hockey’s most recognizable voices.

Now that I’m watching more Game Center Live and more hockey in general, I’m going to try and post more thoughts from things I noticed during local TV broadcasts around the league.  Perhaps eventually even doing a “Better Know a Broadcast” feature.  We shall see.

CBC and The Canucks End Feud. Thank You, Lord.

From The White Towel:

Peace has been reached in the public relations war between the Vancouver Canucks and the CBC.

During a Wednesday morning conference call, it was resolved that the NHL club and the national broadcaster have patched up their differences. To what degree was not revealed.

Upset over Ron MacLean’s one-sided summation of the Alex Burrows-Stephane Auger affair — a rambling Jan. 16 rant on Hockey Night in Canada that infuriated the Canucks and coach Alain Vigneault — the Canucks did not make their players available for interviews last Saturday, even though Roberto Luongo, Henrik Sedin and Ryan Kesler were named stars. It’s customary for the CBC to do post-game interviews with a game star.

The Canucks are in Toronto on Saturday to face the Maple Leafs as part of a Hockey Day in Canada triple-header and an extended boycott could have caused a further problem for CBC to corner Canuck interviews and features.

“It’s business as usual,” said Canucks media relations directors T.C. Carling. “There will be no further comment and we are not answering any more questions. The conversation will remain confidential.”

Huzzah!

NHL Net Promotes Blackhawks/Sharks Coverage

NEW YORK (January 27, 2010) – Having waged a season-long battle for first place in the Western Conference and the best overall record in the National Hockey League, the Chicago Blackhawks and San Jose Sharks will meet face-to-face for the fourth and final time in the 2009-10 regular season Thursday night at HP Pavilion. And NHL Network™ U.S. will be on hand to broadcast the clash in HD to a nationwide audience.

Relentlessly pursuing their third straight Pacific Division title and second Presidents’ Trophy in a row, the Sharks have won five straight games and possess the League’s top record, 35-10-8. Forwards Joe Thornton, Patrick Marleau and Dany Heatley all rank among the NHL’s top 10 scorers. And Evgeni Nabokov is among the top five goaltenders in the League in wins (30), goals against average (2.17), save percentage (.928) and shutouts (five).

All-Star San Jose defenseman Dan Boyle, who ranks third among NHL blueliners in scoring with 10 goals and 33 assists, will preview the clash when he appears this afternoon on NHL Live!, which is broadcast every weekday from noon to 2 p.m. ET on Sirius XM Radio, simulcast on NHL Network and streamed live on NHL.com.

Following up their resounding run to the Western Conference Final last season, the Blackhawks sit atop the Central Division with a 36-13-4 record and are just two points behind San Jose for first place overall in the NHL. Winger Patrick Kane leads the Hawks and ranks sixth in the NHL in scoring with 59 points (21-38-59). Defenseman Duncan Keith has 11 goals and 37 assists and is making a run at his first Norris Trophy.

Chicago has won two of the teams’ three meetings this season. A goal 41 seconds into overtime by D Brent Seabrook gave the ‘Hawks a 4-3 victory in Chicago Nov. 15. RW Marian Hossa scored two goals in his Blackhawks debut in a 7-2 Chicago romp ten days later in San Jose. Nabokov stole the show Dec. 22 in Chicago, when the Blackhawks outshot the Sharks, 47-14, only to have San Jose prevail, 3-2, on a goal and assist each by Thornton and Heatley.