Steve Yzerman Becomes One of Those “VERSUS is Biased Because The Flyers and VERSUS Are Owned by Comcast” People

From Eric Erlandsson of Tampa Bay Online:

The move led to plenty of reaction around the league and led to criticism of the Lightning’s style of play. The harshest critics came during the intermission of the game, which was broadcast nationally in the United States on Versus, from studio analysts Keith Jones and Mike Milbury who called Tampa Bay’s style of play “embarrassing’’.

Tampa Bay general manager Steve Yzerman questions the motives of the criticism coming from the Versus analysts.

“Versus is owned by Comcast, Comcast owns the Flyers, Keith Jones is a broadcaster with the Flyers and is hardly impartial,’’ Yzerman said. “I think that anybody that looks at that objectively should be saying, “Did Tampa do the right thing or Did Philadelphia do the right thing’’ and you can make an argument both ways.’’

CBS Sports Net Has BC-Notre Dame Friday Night

CBS Sports Network’s college hockey coverage continues on Friday, Nov. 18 (7:30 PM, ET) as *No. 3-ranked Boston College visits No. 4-ranked Notre Dame. Play-by-play announcer Matt McConnell and analyst Dave Starman call the game, with Shireen Saski reporting.

The Network provides live pre-game coverage from Notre Dame’s brand new Compton Family Ice Arena to preview the night’s action and discuss college hockey news from around the country.

During the game, fans can join the conversation on Twitter using the hash tag #CBSHockey. This week’s Twitter Question of the Week is: Which schools need new buildings to keep up in college hockey?

For more information, including a full programming schedule and how to get CBS Sports Network, go to http://www.cbssportsnetwork.com.

Some Notes to Prepare You For NBC Thankgsiving Showdown

NEW YORK (Nov. 17, 2011) — Two tradition-laden franchises skate into

the spotlight on a traditional U.S. sports day — Thanksgiving Friday —

when the Boston Bruins host the Detroit Red Wings in the 2011 Discover NHL

Thanksgiving Showdown™, broadcast live on NBC and TSN on Friday, November

25 at 1 p.m., ET.

 

This broadcast launches NBC’s coverage of the NHL for the season,

making it the earliest NHL regular season broadcast on national U.S.

network television in more than 20 years.

 

The Bruins’ ‘Spoked B’ and the Red Wings’ ‘Winged Wheel’ have been

iconic symbols for decades. The Bruins are the NHL’s oldest U.S.-based

club, having made their debut in 1924-25. The Red Wings are next, having

entered the League in 1926-27 with the Chicago Blackhawks and New York

Rangers.

 

The 2011 Discover NHL Thanksgiving Showdown™ will be the only

Boston-Detroit regular-season meeting in 2011-12 and the 579th all-time in

a series that turns 85 tomorrow. On Nov. 18, 1926, the Bruins beat the

Cougars, the original Detroit team nickname, 2-0 in their inaugural

encounter, played in Windsor, Ontario, where Detroit played its home games

that season. The all-time series is very close — 248 victories for the Red

Wings, 235 for the Bruins and 95 ties. The Bruins have scored 1,741 goals,

the Red Wings 1,732.

 

In postseason play, the Bruins and Red Wings rank 1-2 in Stanley Cups

won by U.S.-based franchises (Detroit 11, Boston six). They have faced off

seven times in a Stanley Cup Playoff series, most recently in 1957, with

the Bruins holding a 4-3 advantage. They have met in the Stanley Cup Final

twice, both in a three-year span during World War II (1941 and 1943).

 

The game also continues the Bruins’ custom of hosting a “Black

Friday” matinee — a tradition that began in 1990.

 

Beyond history and tradition, this match-up features a compelling

collection of stars and storylines:

 

* Nicklas Lidstrom, the 41-year-old Red Wings captain playing in his 20th

NHL season, is the reigning Norris Trophy winner as the League’s top

defenseman. He has captured the award seven times; the only player who has

won it more is Bruins legend Bobby Orr (eight). On Friday, Lidstrom became

the first player in NHL history to play in 900 regular-season wins with one

team. Should he appear in each of Detroit’s games before Thanksgiving,

Lidstrom will play in his 1,515th career NHL game at Boston, passing Red

Wings legend Steve Yzerman (1,514) into 13th place on the League’s all-time

list.

 

* Boston’s Tim Thomas captured the Vezina Trophy as the NHL’s top

regular-season goaltender, the Conn Smythe Trophy as MVP of the Stanley Cup

Playoffs and the Stanley Cup in 2010-11, becoming the first player to win

all three in the same season since Bernie Parent of the Philadelphia Flyers

in 1974-75. Thomas, a native of Flint, Mich., also captured the Vezina

Trophy in 2008-09.

 

* Red Wings center Pavel Datsyuk won the Lady Byng Trophy for skill and

sportsmanship for four consecutive seasons (2006 through 2009), matching

the longest streak by any player since the trophy’s inception in 1925.

Datsyuk also captured the Frank Selke Trophy as the League’s top defensive

forward three consecutive times (2008 through 2010).

 

* Bruins defenseman and captain Zdeno Chara won the Norris Trophy in

2008-09 and has been voted among the three finalists for the award in three

of the past four seasons.

 

* Red Wings left wing Henrik Zetterberg captured the Conn Smythe Trophy

during Detroit’s most recent Stanley Cup triumph in 2008. Zetterberg is one

just six NHL players to tally at least 68 points in each of the past six

seasons (Zetterberg, Daniel and Henrik Sedin, Joe Thornton, Eric Staal,

Alex Ovechkin).

 

* 19-year-old sophomore center Tyler Seguin leads the Bruins with 20 points

(11 goals, nine assists) in 16 games. He and Carolina’s Jeff Skinner are

the only teenagers to top their club in scoring. The second overall pick in

the 2010 NHL Draft leads the NHL in plus-minus (+15) and is tied for third

place overall in game-winning goals (three). His 11 goals match the total

he recorded in 74 games during his rookie season of 2010-11.

 

* The Red Wings have qualified for the Stanley Cup Playoffs for 20

consecutive seasons, the longest active streak among the four major pro

sports, and have posted 100-or-more points for an NHL-record 11 consecutive

campaigns.

 

* Red Wings goaltender Jimmy Howard ranks among the top five NHL

goaltenders in goals-against average (third, 1.69), wins (T-fifth, eight),

save percentage (third, .935) and shutouts (T-first, three). The only other

goaltender among the top five in each category is Jonathan Quick of the Los

Angeles Kings.

 

* After closing the month of October at the bottom of the Eastern

Conference with a 3-7-0 record, the defending Stanley Cup champion Bruins

have reeled off six consecutive wins, outscoring the opposition 34-13

during the streak.

 

NHL to Celebrate Fall Fun with Cee-Lo on Thanksgiving Float

NEW YORK (November 17, 2011) – Footage of the NHL® and Discover

“Frozen Fall Fun” float in the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade is available.

The float, which features a fall hockey theme, will make its Macy’s

Thanksgiving Day Parade debut one day before the 2011 Discover NHL

Thanksgiving Showdown™ game between the Detroit Red Wings and Boston Bruins

on NBC at 1pm ET.

 

The NHL and Discover Frozen Fall Fun float is among the new fleet of

floats unveiled at Macy’s Parade Studio. The float will ramp up coverage

for the Bruins-Red Wings Game on NBC on Thanksgiving Friday.

 

The NHL and Discover Frozen Fall Fun float is 36 feet long by 20 feet

wide and features a fall hockey theme, a synthetic ice rink and a

12-foot-tall turkey that serves as a hockey goal. Grammy®-Award winning

artist Cee-Lo Green will give a live performance on the float in the Macy’s

Thanksgiving Day Parade on Thursday, Nov. 24 at 9 a.m. on NBC.