NBC in Raleigh Dumps Winter Classic Pre-Game

NBC has pre-game “coverage” of the Winter Classic from 1-3 p.m. ET after the time change. Though they are merely showing the NBC Sports retrospective that’s been airing on VERSUS the past few days, at least one station is not carrying it.

WNCN, NBC17 in Raleigh has dumped the pre-game coverage for re-runs of Judge Judy and Ellen. I know there are a lot of readers in Canes territory, so if you want to contact the station, do so at 919-835-6364. The General Manager of the station, Brad Moses, can be reached via email at bmoses@wncn.com.

If you know of any other stations in NHL markets not carrying the pre-game coverage, please contact me.

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Your Announcers and Open Thread for the Week of January 2

Monday, January 2 

NY Rangers vs. Philadelphia, 1:00 p.m. ET

National TV (US): NBC
Play by Play: Mike Emrick
Color: Eddie Olczyk
Inside the Glass: Pierre McGuire
Reporters: Darren Pang and Jim Cantore

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

San Jose vs. Vancouver, 8:00 p.m. ET, NBCSN
Play by Play: Dave Strader
Color: Brian Engblom

Tuesday, January 3

Detroit vs. Dallas, 8:00 p.m. ET, NBCSN
Play by Play: Kenny Albert
Inside the Glass: Joe Micheletti

Wednesday, January 4

Winnipeg vs. Montreal, 7:30 p.m. ET, TSN
Play by Play: Chris Cuthbert
Inside the Glass: Mike Johnson

Boston vs. New Jersey, 7:30 p.m. ET, NBCSN
Play by Play: Mike Emrick
Inside the Glass: Pierre McGuire

Friday, January 6

NY Rangers vs. Pittsburgh, 7:00 p.m. ET, NHL Network

Saturday, January 7

Vancouver vs. Boston, 1:00 p.m. ET, NHL Network

Detroit vs. Toronto, 7:00 p.m. ET, CBC/NHL Network
Play by Play: Jim Hughson
Color: Craig Simpson
Inside the Glass: Glenn Healy

Winnipeg vs. Buffalo, 7:00 p.m. ET, CBC
Play by Play: Bruce Rainnie
Color: Kevin Weekes

Tampa Bay vs. Montreal, 7:00 p.m. ET, CBC
Play by Play: Bob Cole
Color: Gary Galley
Reporter: Cassie Campbell

Minnesota vs. Calgary, 10:00 p.m. ET, CBC
Play by Play: Mark Lee
Color: Daryl Reaugh
Inside the Glass: Scott Oake

Sunday, January 8

Detroit vs. Chicago, 7:30 p.m. ET, NBCSN/TSN2
Play by Play: Mike Emrick
Color: Eddie Olczyk
Inside the Glass: Pierre McGuire

Here Are the Full Details of What Will Happen When NBC Sports Net Hits the Air at 4 p.m. ET Today

So the NHL has again pulled a switcharoo on it’s start time for the Winter Classic, though it isn’t nearly as big a flip as last year’s move to prime time. The game will begin at 3 p.m. ET, which provides American rights holder NBC with a bit of a problem: What to do about the sports network we were planning to launch right after the Winter Classic at 4 p.m. ET originally? It’s not as if there are unlimited hours to work with here, as the network needs to fit in a 90-minute movie, a 90-minute studio show, a 30-minute NHL pre-game, and then another NHL game between 4 p.m. and 8 p.m., and include a Winter Classic post-game.

Here’s a little bit more detailed look into what you’ll see tomorrow. NBC Sports Network will still flip on at 4 p.m. ET, with NHL and college football host Liam McHugh explaining a little bit of what you’re about to see, as well as some discussion of the college bowl scoreboard. At around 4:10 p.m. ET, the originally 6:00 p.m. ET-planned edition of NBC Sports Talk will begin, and stay on the air for approximately 90 minutes.

This is when things get a bit tricky. The hope is that the Winter Classic will end around 5:45 p.m. ET, so NBCSN can do a brief post-game with Bob Costas and everyone in Philadelphia, and then get to their documentary feature, Summit Series ’72: Cold War on Ice at 6 p.m. ET. However, if the game is still going on at 5:45 p.m. ET, NBCSN will simulcast NBC’s coverage, then air a short-post game and be done by 6 p.m. ET. If the game runs further, say, to overtime or a shootout, NBCSN will also simulcast that, and then the movie will begin afterwards. NHL Live would then be delayed a little bit, as it serves as the pre-cursor to the network’s broadcast of Sharks-Canucks. NHL Live will then lead-in to a re-run of the film at 11:00 p.m. ET, followed by NHL Overtime at 12:30 a.m. ET.

For those of you who have DVRs and may want to record Cold War on Ice, you can catch re-runs at the following dates and times:

• January 2, 11:00 p.m. ET
• January 3, 7:00 a.m. ET, 8:30 a.m. ET

And here’s you full recap of NBCSN’s schedule today:

4:00 p.m. ET – Intro to NBCSN/College Football Talk with Liam McHugh
4:10 p.m. ET – NBC Sports Talk
5:45 p.m. ET – Winter Classic post-game/Winter Classic overtime and shootout simulcast
6:00 p.m. ET – Summit Series ’72: Cold War on Ice
7:30 p.m. ET – NHL Live
8:00 p.m. ET – San Jose vs. Vancouver
10:30 p.m. ET – NHL Live
11:00 p.m. ET – Summit Series ’72: Cold War on Ice
12:30 a.m. ET – NHL Overtime

CBC Has a Slightly Simpler Schedule Change Press Release

Due to weather conditions, CBC’S HOCKEY NIGHT IN CANADA, in association with the National Hockey League, has changed the start of tomorrow’s 5th annual Bridgestone NHL Winter Classic between the Philadelphia Flyers and the New York Rangers from Philadelphia’s Citizens Bank Park to 3 p.m. ET. Coverage gets under way with Scotiabank Hockey Tonight at 2:30 p.m. ET.

Ron MacLean will host the highly anticipated showdown alongside Don Cherry. Play-by-play man Jim Hughson and analyst Craig Simpson will try to stay warm in the outdoor broadcast booth, while Glenn Healy and Elliotte Friedman provide commentary and reports from ice level and around the stadium.