FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Wednesday, October 2nd, 2013
NOTES AND QUOTES – NHL LIVE AND SABRES VS. RED WINGS ON DEBUT OF NBCSN’S WEDNESDAY NIGHT RIVALRY
“For the first time in all of history, Detroit is in the Eastern time zone and every team in its division is also in the Eastern time zone.” – Doc Emrick
“Jonathan Quick without question is the best goaltender in the game today… The best in the world.” – Keith Jones on Kings G Jonathan Quick
“It’s going to help. It will level out the conference.” – Mike Milbury on the Red Wings playing in the East
STAMFORD, Conn. – October 2, 2013 – NBC Sports Group continued its coverage of the 2013-14 NHL regular season tonight with NHL Live on NBCSN from 7-8 p.m. ET, followed by Sabres-Red Wings at 8 p.m. ET, in the debut of Wednesday Night Rivalry.
Liam McHugh, Mike Milbury and Keith Jones anchored NHL Live from Studio 2 at NBC Sports Group’s International Broadcast Center in Stamford, Conn., from 7-8 p.m. ET.
Emmy Award-winner Mike ‘Doc’ Emrick (play-by-play), Eddie Olczyk (analyst) and Emmy Award-winner Pierre McGuire (Inside-the-Glass analyst) called the game from the Joe Louis Arena in Detroit, MI.
Following are highlights from NHL Live and NBCSN’s coverage of Sabres-Red Wings.
NHL Live (7-8 p.m. ET)
Milbury on opening night of the 2013-14 NHL season- “Great speed, great scoring, lots of hard hitting and lots of fighting. It was truly entertaining.”
Jones on opening night- “It was a great night of hockey — 26 goals in three games. That’s what stood out the most to me. I’m hopeful it was because the goalie pads have been shrunk, but I’m not sure that is the case.”
Milbury on realignment and the Red Wings in the Eastern Conference –”It’s going to help. It will level out the conference. For the Red Wings, playing in the Eastern Conference makes perfectly good sense.”
Milbury on G Jimmy Howard and the Red Wings defense- “He proved to me that he deserved to be a No. 1 goaltender. He proved to me that he deserved the contract extension. This defense is not what it used to be. A couple years ago they lost a guy named Lidstrom. This is a much weaker defense than other goaltenders have played with. He is going to have to play a much more dominant role. I think he is ready for it.”
Jones on competition for starting goaltender position on Team USA – “It’s Quick up top. I would put Ryan Miller ahead of Jimmy Howard. Jimmy Howard is really going to have to outplay Ryan Miller to move up on that depth chart, but to me Jonathan Quick is the starter.”
McHugh on Toronto Maple Leafs RW Phil Kessel- “He signed an eight year, $64 million extension. As I say that, I can feel Mike Milbury standing next to me shaking his head.”
Milbury on the Red Wings not playing physical hockey– “They know that they don’t have to. They have been conflicted about it for years. Mike Babcock would love to have someone out there to beat the snot out of other teams on occasion, but they understand that scoring more goals is what gets it done. They will continue to play hard, go about their business and continue to be a great hockey team. If they decide to add some muscle to the mix, all the better for all of us. The rivalries will be better. I like fighting.”
Jones on the Red Wings style of play – “The misconception is that they don’t play a heavy game. They do play a heavy game. I would not change a thing. They will continue to have a disciplined approach to the game. They don’t need a heavy in their lineup. They have had some of the best to ever play the game, but they don’t need it now.”
Olczyk on Red Wings RW Daniel Alfredsson and C Stephen Weiss- “When you get a goal scorer like Daniel Alfredsson, you need someone that is able to get him the puck. That is exactly what Stephen Weiss has the ability to do. He can score goals, but he is a better distributor. You got Weiss, you got Alfredsson, and you got Johan Franzen. Not a bad second line for the Red Wings.”
Olczyk on the Sabres C Cody Hodgson – “The puck seems to find Cody Hodgson and they want him to score points. This is only his third full season in the NHL. There is a lot of room for improvement. He is not the fastest guy, but he does create offense, and that is what the Sabres are looking for him to do. I expect a big year from him.”
Jones on Panthers G Tim Thomas – “For a guy that doesn’t quit, it was surprising to see him quit for a year. I’m very curious to see how he plays after missing an entire season. I’m excited to see him play, but very curious to see how he plays.”
Game (8 p.m. ET)
First Period
Emrick on the Red Wings- “For the first time in all of history, Detroit is in the Eastern time zone and every team in its division is also in the Eastern time zone. As you take a look at
realignment, sending Detroit from the Western Conference to the East, you should know the RedWings will save 8,000 travel miles and have 11 extra days for either practice or rest.”
First Intermission
Jones on the Red Wings play during the first period- “There are 25 teams in the league that would love to have the Red Wings core of six defensemen. There is a lot to like about the Red Wings defense.”
Jones on Kings G Jonathan Quick – “Jonathan Quick is without question the best goaltender in the game today. He is the best goaltender in hockey, in the world. He is going to start for the U.S. Olympic Hockey Team, unless he is hurt.”
Second Period
Emrick on Red Wings C Pavel Datsyuk and LW Henrik Zetterberg – “They are magical out there. Whether you are a fan of Detroit, Buffalo, or somebody else, you certainly have to admire the magic when they have it going.”
Second Intermission
Milbury on the Avalanche- “They have some depth up front. If they can get things arranged in their own zone, they have a chance to win some hockey games. They do have tons of speed. If they can find a way to utilize that speed, they can be a different type of club.”
Third Period
Emrick on Pierre McGuire’s position Inside the Glass– “We talked about the goals being smaller this season. I’m not sure if it’s possible, but Pierre’s position has become smaller as well. Pierre, you are down to what, 14 inches down there?”
Pierre McGuire on his position Inside the Glass at Joe Louis Arena – “It’s not overly large down here. It’s a very intimate place to work. You can hear everything on both benches.”
Post-Game
Jones on the Sabres – “Buffalo is going to struggle to win games this year.”
–NBC SPORTS GROUP–
