NHL Net to Air 16 Live Pre-Season Games, Much More on Tape

NEW YORK (September 20, 2010) – Live NHL® hockey returns to NHL Network™ beginning Tuesday, Sept. 21, with an unprecedented total of 35 pre-season games broadcast on the Network in the U.S. providing fans with nightly contests from around the League through Sunday, Oct. 3. This is the most comprehensive coverage of the pre-season ever on the Network with 40 hours of live game broadcasts and 78 hours total of live and delayed broadcasts. Including re-broadcasts, there will be more than 200 hours of pre-season action available on NHL Network U.S. The 2010-11 NHL regular season commences on Thursday, Oct. 7.

The 35-game schedule begins with the Eastern Conference Champion Philadelphia Flyers taking on local rivals the New Jersey Devils at 7 p.m. ET in the first game of a Sept. 21 broadcast triple-header. The next night, the Tampa Bay Lightning will play host to the Stanley Cup® champion Chicago Blackhawks at Winnipeg’s MTS Centre and will be among three games available. Other highlights of the pre-season schedule include the 2010 Kraft Hockeyville game between the Buffalo Sabres and Ottawa Senators in Dundas, Ontario and the New York Islanders hosting the Montreal Canadiens in Quebec City. 33 out of the 35 games will be shown in HD.

2010-11 NHL Network U.S. Pre-Season Game Schedule

(All times listed as ET)

Date

VISITOR

HOME / Time

Tues, 9/21

New Jersey Devils

Philadelphia Flyers 7:00 PM LIVE

Tues, 9/21

Ottawa Senators

Toronto Maple Leafs 10:00 PM

Tues, 9/21

Vancouver Canucks

Calgary Flames 2:00 AM *

Wed, 9/22

Chicago Blackhawks

Tampa Bay Lightning

(MTS Centre, Winnipeg) 8:00PM LIVE

Wed, 9/22

Ottawa Senators

Toronto Maple Leafs 11:00 PM

Wed, 9/22

Edmonton Oilers

Vancouver Canucks 2:00 AM *

Thu, 9/23

Toronto Maple Leafs

Philadelphia Flyers

(London, ONT) 7:00 PM LIVE

Thu, 9/23

Tampa Bay Lightning

Edmonton Oilers 2:00 AM *

Fri, 9/24

Chicago Blackhawks

Detroit Red Wings 7:00 PM LIVE

Fri, 9/24

Philadelphia Flyers

Toronto Maple Leafs 10:00 PM

Fri, 9/24

Minnesota Wild

St. Louis Blues 12:00 AM *

Sat, 9/25

Detroit Red Wings

Chicago Blackhawks 8:00 PM LIVE

Sat, 9/25

Toronto Maple Leafs

Buffalo Sabres 11:00 PM +

Sat, 9/25

Columbus Blue Jackets

Pittsburgh Penguins 1:00 AM * +

Sat, 9/25

Anaheim Ducks

Vancouver Canucks 4:00 AM *

Sun, 9/26

Vancouver Canucks

Edmonton Oilers 8:00 PM LIVE

Mon, 9/27

Buffalo Sabres

Toronto Maple Leafs 7:00 PM LIVE

Tue, 9/28

Buffalo Sabres

Ottawa Senators

(Kraft Hockeyville – Dundas, ONT)7:00 PM LIVE

Tue, 9/28

San Jose Sharks

Vancouver Canucks 10:00 PM LIVE

Tue, 9/28

Chicago Blackhawks

Pittsburgh Penguins 2:00 AM *

Tue, 9/28

Phoenix Coyotes

Calgary Flames 4:00 AM *

Wed, 9/29

New York Islanders

Philadelphia Flyers 7:00 PM LIVE

Wed, 9/29

Vancouver Canucks

San Jose Sharks 10:30 PM LIVE

Wed, 9/29

Toronto Maple Leafs

Ottawa Senators 2:00 AM *

Wed, 9/29

Calgary Flames

New York Islanders

(Saskatoon, SK) 4:00 AM *

Wed, 9/29

Phoenix Coyotes

Edmonton Oilers 6:00 AM *

Thu, 9/30

Buffalo Sabres

Montreal Canadiens 7:30 PM LIVE

Thu, 9/30

Columbus Blue Jackets

Minnesota Wild 11:00 PM

Fri, 10/1

Buffalo Sabres

Philadelphia Flyers 7:00 PM LIVE

Fri, 10/1

Vancouver Canucks

Anaheim Ducks 10:00 PM LIVE

Fri, 10/1

Toronto Maple Leafs

Detroit Red Wings 1:00 AM *

Fri, 10/1

Calgary Flames

Edmonton Oilers 4:00 AM *

Sat, 10/2

Detroit Red Wings

Toronto Maple Leafs 7:00 PM LIVE

Sun, 10/3

St. Louis Blues

Chicago Blackhawks 6:00 PM LIVE

Sun, 10/3

Edmonton Oilers

Calgary Flames 12:00 AM *

* Denotes airtime is day after contest

+ Not available in HD

Schedule subject to change

Advertisement

Brad May Joins CBC for AHL Broadcasts

From the network’s website:

First, the one-time Toronto Maple Leafs and Vancouver Canucks left-winger will get his feet wet with CBC Sports’ 10-game slate of AHL contests in the 2010-11 season, starting Oct. 17 when the Toronto Marlies host the Binghamton Senators at 1 p.m. ET.

May certainly isn’t entering his new job cold, having gained broadcast experience with cable sports network TSN, the NHL Network and Sportsnet.

The 2007 Stanley Cup champion also spent years picking the brains of numerous media types, and this summer, watched a variety of sports and games to learn his new craft.

“I never really thought it would be that difficult,” said May, who still owns a house in Scottsdale, Ariz., from his days playing for the Phoenix Coyotes from 2000 to 2003. “I want to be good at it, so I want to do the work and preparation.

CBC’s Opening Night Plans

The National Hockey League (NHL) will celebrate the opening of the 2010-11 NHL season on October 7 with NHL Face-Off™, a hockey and entertainment festival at Dundas Square in downtown Toronto. From noon until the conclusion of the Montreal Canadiens vs. Toronto Maple Leafs game at Air Canada Centre, the NHL® will treat fans at Dundas Square to live musical performances; interactive attractions that test hockey skills; prizing and giveaways, including a trip to the 2011 NHL Heritage Classic™; special guest appearances, including former NHL players; food, beverage and merchandise tents; and live game broadcasts on giant screens, including the Dundas Square video boards.

At the centre of the celebration is the Maple Leafs home game versus the arch-rival Canadiens. CBC’s Hockey Night in Canada will broadcast the game as part of an opening night doubleheader. Video boards in Dundas Square also will showcase VERSUS’ U.S. broadcast of a special doubleheader featuring the Philadelphia Flyers-Pittsburgh Penguins opening night game.

NHL Network™ and CBC will broadcast live from Dundas Square throughout the day. Portions of CBC’s pre-game show, Scotiabank Hockey Tonight, will air live from Dundas Square beginning nationally at 6:30 p.m. ET. Musical performers, attractions and special guests will be announced in the coming weeks.