Your 2011 Stanley Cup Final Schedule

Via an NBC listings release and a source who reported the dates to Puck the Media last night.

• Game 1: Wednesday, June 1st (NBC/CBC)
• Game 2: Saturday, June 4th (NBC/CBC)
• Game 3: Monday, June 6th (VERSUS/CBC)
• Game 4: Wednesday, June 8th (VERSUS/CBC)
• Game 5: Friday, June 10th (NBC/CBC)
• Game 6: Monday, June 13th (NBC/CBC)
• Game 7: Wednesday, June 15th (NBC/CBC)

Update: From the NHL

NEW YORK (May 26, 2011) – The National Hockey League announced today the schedule for the 2011 Stanley Cup Final between the Western Conference champion Vancouver Canucks and the eventual Eastern Conference champion. The Boston Bruins and Tampa Bay Lightning are tied 3-3 in the Eastern Conference Final. Game 7 is Friday at 8 p.m. (VERSUS, CBC, RDS) at TD Garden in Boston to determine which team will face the Canucks for the Stanley Cup.

Based on their superior regular-season performance, the Canucks will host Games One and Two of the Stanley Cup Final, as well as Games Five and Seven, if necessary. Games Three and Four will be hosted by the Eastern Conference champion, as well as game Six, if necessary.

NBC will telecast Games One and Two and, if necessary, Games Five through Seven of the best-of-seven series in the U.S., while VERSUS will broadcast Games Three and Four. In Canada, CBC and RDS will provide coverage for the entire series. All games also will be carried on Sirius XM Satellite Radio.

NHL Network, the League’s 24-hour, all-access pass to the most comprehensive hockey coverage, will feature special programming surrounding the Stanley Cup Final. NHL.com will continue to provide extensive digital coverage.

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Jeanneret, Neale to Cut Back in 11-12

Buffalo Sabres President Ted Black announced today that the broadcast team of Rick Jeanneret and Harry Neale will only work home games and a reduced road schedule of approximately 10-15 games next season. Their exact road schedule will be determined once the 2011-12 NHL regular season schedule is released.

“It’s no secret that the constant travel has been wearing on me over the years, and there were several times last season when I thought that it might be my last,” Jeanneret said. “That’s why I presented this arrangement to Sabres management. I think it’s the best of both worlds, and allows me to continue doing the job I love. I really want to thank the Sabres for accommodating my request.”

“I’m delighted to continue working with Rick, and am looking forward to the upcoming season,” said Neale.

“Rick and Harry have become part of the fabric of this organization,” said Black. “We really believe this plan will go a long way in prolonging their careers and continue their relationships with the Buffalo Sabres.”

Rob Ray will join Jeanneret and Neale in the booth for their road games, a role he has served in several times over the past two seasons.

The 2011-12 season will be Jeanneret’s 40th year with the Buffalo Sabres. He started with the team prior to the 1971-72 season, serving as the club’s radio voice and held that post until 1995. Jeanneret then became the television play-by-play announcer, beginning with the 1995-96 campaign.

This will be Neale’s fifth year in Buffalo, after joining the Sabres at the start of the 2007-08 season. He previously worked for more than 20 years as an analyst for Hockey Night in Canada, along with regional coverage of Toronto Maple Leafs games.

Four Million Canadians Watched The Canucks Win The Campbell Bowl

Millions of Canadian hockey fans tuned into CBC’S HOCKEY NIGHT IN CANADA Tuesday night to watch the Canucks earn their spot in the 2011 Stanley Cup Finals. Game Five between the Vancouver Canucks and San Jose Sharks drew an average audience of 4.03 million viewers*, only to be surpassed by Game 7 in the Toronto/Los Angeles series in 1993, which drew 4.24 million viewers.

The audience for Tuesday’s Vancouver-San Jose nail-biter peaked at 10.7 million viewers.

* Source: BBM Canada, Total Canada, Overnight, Ind. 2+, AMA, Share, Reach, May 24/11

Your Announcers and Open Thread For Night 39 of the 2011 Stanley Cup Playoffs

Boston vs. Tampa Bay, Game 6, 8:00 p.m. ET

National TV (US): VERSUS
Play by Play: Mike Emrick
Color: Eddie Olczyk
Inside the Glass: Pierre McGuire

National TV (Canada): CBC
Play by Play: Bob Cole
Color: Gary Galley
Reporter: Scott Oake

Boston Scores Big For Game 4 On NBC

NBC’s numbers show that while the Boston market has hit a fever pitch, there is still some growing that needs to be done in “less traditional” though successful on-ice markets like Tampa Bay and the Bay Area.

NBC’s broadcast of Game 4 between the Bruins and Lightning – which drew a 1.5 nationally – scored a 12.3/36 in Boston (#7 in US TV market size). That means more than a third of all televisions turned on at the time were watching the Bruins lose to the Lightning. The broadcast is well up from NBC’s last Bruins telecast, though it was for a Game 1 in the last round against Philadelphia. That telecast drew an 11.1/29.

The game drew a 5.2/14 in Tampa Bay (#13 in TV market size), which isn’t bad (considering that Game 1 between the Bruins and Flyers drew a 6.6/17 in Philadelphia) but not world-beating.

The Sunday broadcast of Game 4 between the Sharks and Canucks had a bit more of an uphill climb, ratings-wise, since it featured a Canadian team and only had one local market to draw from. That market was San Jose/San Francisco, where the game scored a 4.5/15 in the country’s sixth biggest television market. Again, a decent number, but not much higher than NBC’s Game 2 broadcast of Red Wings/Sharks a few weeks ago, which drew a 4.3/14. The game hit a 1.3 rating nationally.

Eastern Conference Final Continues Solid Run on VERSUS

While the Western Conference Final continues to decrease in viewers, the Eastern Conference Final remains fairly strong for VERSUS.

VERSUS’ Monday night broadcast of Game 5 between the Lightning and Bruins drew 1.51 million viewers for the network. It was up 8% from the network’s telecast of Game 3 between the same two teams (1,405,000 viewers on 5/19/11), but was slightly below the viewership levels for Games 1 (1,541,000 viewers on 5/14/11) and 2 (1,562,000 viewers on 5/17/11).

So far, VERSUS has averaged 1.50 million viewers for the Eastern Conference Final through four telecasts.

Top 10 in Viewers For 2011 Stanley Cup Playoffs on VERSUS

1. Boston vs. Philadelphia, Game 2 (5/2/11) – 1,699,000 viewers
2. Detroit vs. San Jose, Game 5 (5/8/11) – 1,627,000 viewers
3. Tampa Bay vs. Boston, Game 2 (5/17/11) – 1,562,000 viewers
4. Tampa Bay vs. Boston, Game 1 (5/14/11) – 1,541,000 viewers
5. Tampa Bay vs. Boston, Game 5 (5/23/11) – 1,516,000 viewers
6. Boston vs. Tampa Bay, Game 3 (5/19/11) – 1,405,000 viewers
7. Tampa Bay vs. Washington, Game 2 (5/1/11) – 1,261,000 viewers
8. Detroit vs. San Jose, Game 7 (5/12/11) – 1,251,000 viewers
9. Philadelphia vs. Boston, Game 3 (5/4/11) – 1,234,000 viewers
10. Vancouver vs. Chicago, Game 6 (4/24/11) – 1,157,000 viewers

VERSUS Conference Final numbers

Western Conference (San Jose vs. Vancouver)
Game 1 (5/15/11): 1,009,000 viewers
Game 2 (5/18/11): 847,000 viewers
Game 3 (5/20/11): 714,000 viewers
Average: 856,000 viewers

Eastern Conference (Tampa Bay vs. Boston)
Game 1 (5/14/11): 1,540,000 viewers
Game 2 (5/17/11): 1,562,000 viewers
Game 3 (5/19/11): 1,405,000 viewers
Game 5 (5/23/11): 1,516,000 viewers
Average : 1,505,750 viewers

Your Announcers and Open Thread for Day 38 of the 2011 Stanley Cup Playoffs

San Jose vs. Vancouver, Game 5, 9:00 p.m. ET

National TV (Canada): CBC
Play by Play: Jim Hughson
Color: Craig Simpson
Inside the Glass: Glenn Healy
Reporter: Elliotte Friedman

National TV (US): VERSUS
Play by Play: Dave Strader
Color: Brian Engblom
Inside the Glass: Darren Pang

Game 3 Of Western Final Hits Series Low

While the Western Conference Final did solid business on NBC Sunday, the VERSUS broadcast of Game 3 on Friday night did middling business.

Game 3 of the series between Vancouver and San Jose drew an 0.5 rating and just 714,000 viewers for VERSUS on Friday in the 9 p.m. ET slot. This was the lowest of the series, posting a 16% drop from Game 2 (847,000 viewers on 5/18), and a 38% drop from Game 1 (1,009,000 viewers on 5/15). To date, the series has averaged 856,000 viewers for VERSUS, well below the Eastern Conference Final’s 1.5 million three-game average. Game 4 drew a 1.3 rating (viewership currently unknown) on VERSUS.

Friday, May 20

8:30 p.m. Hockey Central – 115,000 viewers
9:00 p.m. Vancouver vs. San Jose, Game 3 – 714,000 viewers
11:30 p.m. Hockey Central – 284,000 viewers

VERSUS Conference Final numbers

Western Conference (San Jose vs. Vancouver)
Game 1 (5/15/11): 1,009,000 viewers
Game 2 (5/18/11): 847,000 viewers
Game 3 (5/20/11): 714,000 viewers
Average: 856,000 viewers

Eastern Conference (Tampa Bay vs. Boston)
Game 1: 1,540,000 viewers
Game 2: 1,562,000 viewers
Game 3: 1,405,000 viewers
Average: 1,502,000 viewers

(Source: Son of the Bronx)

Your Announcers and Open Thread For Day 37 of the 2011 Stanley Cup Playoffs

Tampa Bay vs. Boston, Game 5, 8:00 p.m. ET

National TV (US): VERSUS
Play by Play: Mike Emrick
Color: Eddie Olczyk
Inside the Glass: Pierre McGuire

National TV (Canada): CBC
Play by Play: Bob Cole
Color: Gary Galley
Reporter: Scott Oake

Conference Finals Down on NBC

The 2011 Conference Final round continued to trend down for The NHL On NBC, with both broadcasts this weekend posting losses.

On Saturday, the network aired Game 4 of the Boston/Tampa Bay series and scored a 1.5 overnight, down 6% from the similar broadcast last year (MTL/PHI, 5/22/10: 1.6). There was no comparable broadcast two years ago. This nearly doubled the series’ 0.8 average rating on VERSUS.

Sunday’s NBC broadcast of Game 4 between Vancouver and San Jose drew a not-necessarily-disasterous-all-things-considered 1.3 overnight, though it was down 35% from last year’s comparable broadcast (SJ/CHI, 5/23/10: 2.0). It was also down 14% from the broadcast two years ago (DET/CHI, 5/24/09: 1.5).

The 2011 Stanley Cup Playoffs on NBC averaged a 1.4 overnight rating for eight broadcasts. This is down 7% from 2010’s average for nine broadcasts, but 8% better than 2009’s average for eight broadcasts. The NHL will return to NBC for Games 1 & 2 of the Stanley Cup Final.

NHL On NBC Overnights This Season
January 1 – Washington vs. Pittsburgh: 2.8
January 23 – Philadelphia vs. Chicago: 1.1
February 6 – Pittsburgh vs. Washington: 1.0
February 13 – Boston vs. Detroit: 0.9
February 20 – Regional Coverage*: 1.2
February 20 – Pittsburgh vs. Chicago*: 1.2
March 6 – Philadelphia vs. NY Rangers: 0.9
March 13 – Chicago vs. Washington: 0.9
March 20 – NY Rangers vs. Pittsburgh: 0.7
April 3 – NY Rangers vs. Philadelphia: 1.0
April 10 – Detroit vs. Chicago: 1.1
Season Average: 1.1

2011 Stanley Cup Playoff Overnights

Apr. 16 – Phoenix vs. Detroit, Game 2: 1.1 
Apr. 17 – Washington vs. NY Rangers, Game 3: 1.3
Apr. 23 – NY Rangers vs. Washington, Game 5: 1.3
Apr. 24 – Philadelphia vs. Buffalo, Game 6: 1.6
Apr. 30 – Boston vs. Philadelphia, Game 1: 1.5
May 1 – Detroit vs. San Jose, Game 2: 1.6
May 21 – Boston vs. Tampa Bay, Game 4: 1.5
May 22 – Vancouver vs. San Jose, Game 4: 1.3
Average To Date: 1.4

NHL on NBC Overnights for 2009-10 Season

Jan. 1, Philadelphia vs. Boston*: 2.6
Jan. 17, Chicago vs. Detroit: 0.8
Jan. 24, Pittsburgh vs. Philadelphia: 1.3
Jan. 31, Detroit vs. Pittsburgh: 1.2
Feb. 7, Pittsburgh vs. Washington: 1.3
Mar. 7, Detroit vs. Chicago: 1.2 
Mar. 14, Washington vs. Chicago: 1.0
Mar. 21, NY Rangers vs. Boston: 0.7
Apr. 4, Detroit vs. Philadelphia: 1.0
Apr. 11, Boston vs. Washington: 0.9
Season Average: 1.2

2010 Stanley Cup Playoff Overnights

Apr. 17 – Boston vs. Buffalo, Game 2: 1.2
Apr. 18 – Phoenix vs. Detroit, Game 3: 1.5
Apr. 24 – Nashville vs. Chicago, Game 5: 1.3
Apr. 25 – Phoenix vs. Detroit, Game 6: 1.3
May 1 – Philadelphia vs. Boston, Game 1: 1.6
May 2 – Montreal vs. Pittsburgh, Game 2: 1.6
May 16 – Chicago vs. San Jose, Game 1: 1.7
May 22 – Philadelphia vs. Montreal, Game 4: 1.6
May 23 – San Jose vs. Chicago, Game 4: 2.0
Playoff Average: 1.5

2009 Stanley Cup Playoff Overnights

Apr. 18 – NY Rangers vs. Washington, Game 2: 1.0
Apr. 19 – Pittsburgh vs. Philadelphia, Game 3: 1.7
Apr. 25 – Pittsburgh vs. Philadelphia, Game 6: 1.2
Apr. 26 – Washington vs. NY Rangers, Game 6: 1.0
May 2 – Pittsburgh vs. Washington, Game 1: 1.4
May 3 – Anaheim vs. Detroit, Game 2: 1.3
May 17 – Chicago vs. Detroit, Game 1: 2.0
May 24 – Detroit vs. Chicago, Game 4: 1.5
Playoff Average: 1.3