FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Tuesday, January 7th, 2014
RANGERS-BLACKHAWKS WEDNESDAY NIGHT RIVALRY MATCHUP HIGHLIGHTS 22 HOURS OF HOCKEY COVERAGE THIS WEEK ON NBCSN
Team USA’s Patrick Kane and Blackhawks Host Three-Time Olympian Henrik Lundqvist and Rangers on Wednesday Night Rivalry at 8 p.m. ET
This Week’s NHL Coverage Boasts 26 Players Named to 2014 Olympic Teams, Including 17 Between Rangers and Blackhawks
Coverage Begins Tonight with Flyers-Devils, Continues Sunday Night with Flyers-Rangers from Madison Square Garden
Harvard Faces 2013 NCAA National Champion No. 10 Yale in “Rivalry on Ice” Saturday at 8 p.m. ET on NBCSN From Madison Square Garden
2014 NHL Winter Classic Ties Record For Highest-Rated Regular Season Game in 39 Years
STAMFORD, Conn. – Jan. 7, 2014 – NBCSN will present 22 hours of NHL and college hockey coverage this week, highlighted by an Original Six showdown on Wednesday Night Rivalry, when Team USA’s Patrick Kane and the Chicago Blackhawks host three-time Swedish Olympic Team goaltender Henrik Lundqvist and the New York Rangers at 8 p.m. ET on NBCSN.
This week’s coverage includes a college hockey clash between Harvard and No. 10 Yale in the “Rivalry on Ice” Saturday at 8 p.m. ET from Madison Square Garden, a Metropolitan Division battle between the Philadelphia Flyers and Rangers on Sunday at 8 p.m. ET, and features 26 players who were selected to represent their respective countries at the 2014 Olympic Winter Games in Sochi next month.
Emmy Award-winning play-by-play commentator Mike ‘Doc’ Emrick, analyst Eddie Olczyk and Emmy Award-winning ‘Inside-the-Glass’ analyst Pierre McGuire will have the call from United Center in Chicago, Ill.
Wednesday’s matchup is the first game between the Rangers and Blackhawks this season, and the first between the two teams since the 2011-12 season. The Rangers are coming off of a 4-3 shootout loss to the Blue Jackets last night, while Chicago enters play following a 3-2 shootout loss to San Jose on Sunday. The defending-champion Blackhawks are tied with the Ducks for the most points in the NHL (67), are currently riding a 10-game point streak (6-0-4), and have not lost in regulation at home since Dec. 5.
The Rangers-Blackhawks Wednesday Night Rivalry matchup also features 17 players that will represent their countries at the 2014 Olympic Winter Games in Sochi, including four from Team USA. For the Blackhawks, Kane (United States), Jonathan Toews (Canada), Duncan Keith (Canada), Patrick Sharp (Canada), Michal Rozsival (Czech Republic), Johnny Oduya (Sweden), Niklas Hjalmarsson (Sweden), Marcus Kruger (Sweden), Marian Hossa (Slovakia), and Michal Handzus (Slovakia) are all headed to Sochi in February. The Rangers boast three Team USA members (Ryan Callahan, Ryan McDonagh and Derek Stepan), in addition to Lundqvist (Sweden), Carl Hagelin (Sweden), Rick Nash (Canada) and Mats Zuccarello (Norway).
NBCSN’s hockey coverage begins tonight when the Philadelphia Flyers visit the New Jersey Devils at 7:30 p.m. ET. Dave Strader (play-by-play) and Brian Engblom (analyst) will provide commentary from the Prudential Center in Newark, N.J.
Tonight’s game features nine players selected to represent their countries in Sochi next month. Jakub Voracek (Czech Republic), Kimmo Timonen (Finland), Andrej Meszaros (Slovakia), Mark Streit (Switzerland) and Michael Raffl (Austria) of the Flyers were selected, while the Devils’ Damien Brunner will represent Switzerland, and Jaromir Jagr, Patrik Elias and Marek Zidlicky will play for the Czech Republic.
NHL coverage continues Sunday night at 8 p.m. ET on NBCSN, when the Flyers travel to New York to face the Rangers. Emrick and McGuire will have the call from Madison Square Garden.
NBCSN’s 2013-14 college hockey coverage continues this week, highlighted by one of the oldest rivalries in college sports, when Harvard faces 2013 NCAA Division I champion No. 10 Yale at Madison Square Garden in the “Rivalry on Ice” on Saturday at 8 p.m. ET. Strader and McGuire will provide commentary.
NBCSN’s college hockey coverage begins Friday at 7:30 p.m. ET, when No. 14 Notre Dame hosts Alabama-Huntsville. Dan Parkhurst (play-by-play) and Anson Carter (analyst) will have the call from the Compton Family Ice Arena in South Bend, Ind.
NHL Live, NBC Sports Group live NHL pre-game and post-game studio show, begins at 6:30 p.m. ET on NBCSN on Tuesday and Sunday, and at 7 p.m. ET prior to Wednesday Night Rivalry. Liam McHugh will host NHL Live with former players and analysts Mike Milbury, Keith Jones and Jeremy Roenick.
NBC Sports Live Extra – NBC Sports Group’s live streaming product for desktops, mobile devices, and tablets – will stream all 2013-14 NHL regular-season games televised on NBCSN, including this week’s Flyers-Devils, Rangers-Blackhawks, and Flyers-Rangers matchups, Notre-Dame-Alabama Huntsville, and the Harvard-Yale “Rivalry on Ice” game
| Date | Coverage | Network | Time (ET) |
| Tue., January 7 | NHL Live | NBCSN | 6:30 p.m. |
| Philadelphia at New Jersey | NBCSN | 7:30 p.m. | |
| NHL Top 10 | NBCSN | 10:30 p.m. | |
| NHL Top 10 | NBCSN | 11 p.m. | |
| Wed., January 8 | NHL Top 10 | NBCSN | 6:30 p.m. |
| NHL Live | NBCSN | 7 p.m. | |
| N.Y. Rangers at Chicago | NBCSN | 8 p.m. | |
| Thu., January 9 | N.Y. Rangers at Chicago (Encore) | NBCSN | 7:30 a.m. |
| NHL Top 10 | NBCSN | 6:30 p.m. | |
| NHL Top 10 | NBCSN | 7 p.m. | |
| NHL Top 10 | NBCSN | 7:30 p.m. | |
| Fri., January 10 | Alabama Huntsville at No. 14 Notre Dame | NBCSN | 7:30 p.m. |
| Sat., January 11 | Harvard vs. No. 10 Yale – “Rivalry on Ice” | NBCSN | 8 p.m. |
| Sun., January 12 | NHL Live | NBCSN | 6:30 p.m. |
| Philadelphia at N.Y. Rangers | NBCSN | 7 p.m. |
2014 NHL WINTER CLASSIC TIES FOR BEST RATING FOR REGULAR-SEASON GAME IN 39 YEARS
The 2014 NHL Winter Classic on NBC, in which the Toronto Maple Leafs defeated the Detroit Red Wings 3-2 in a shootout on New Year’s Day, tied as the highest-rated NHL regular-season game in nearly four decades, became the second-most watched such game in 39 years, and is up nearly 20% in both household rating and viewership as compared to the 2012 NHL Winter Classic. The game, which featured only one U.S. team, delivered a 2.5 HH rating and averaged 4.404 million viewers, according to Fast National data from The Nielsen Company.
The 2.5 rating (1:00-4:53 p.m. ET) ties the 2009 NHL Winter Classic, which was played at Chicago’s Wrigley Field between the then-defending Stanley Cup champion Red Wings and host Chicago Blackhawks, as the highest-rated NHL regular-season game since 1975. The game averaged 4.404 million viewers, ranking as the second-most watched NHL regular-season game in 39 years, behind only the 2011 NHL Winter Classic, which was played in primetime due to a weather delay from Pittsburgh’s Heinz Field between the Washington Capitals and Pittsburgh Penguins.
The rating and viewership for Wednesday’s iteration of the New Year’s Day tradition were up 19% and 18%, respectively, compared to the 2012 NHL Winter Classic, which was played between the New York Rangers and Philadelphia Flyers from Citizens Bank Park in Philadelphia. Due to last season’s work stoppage, the 2012 NHL Winter Classic was the last NHL Winter Classic played and generated a 2.1 HH rating and 3.733 million viewers.
Following are the HH ratings for the six NHL Winter Classics:
| Overnight | Date | Network | Game | Venue |
| 1. 2.5 | Jan. 1, 2014 | NBC | Maple Leafs-Red Wings | Michigan Stadium |
| 1. 2.5 | Jan. 1, 2009 | NBC | Red Wings-Blackhawks | Wrigley Field |
| 3. 2.3 | Jan. 1, 2011 | NBC | Capitals-Penguins | Heinz Field |
| 4. 2.2 | Jan. 1, 2008 | NBC | Penguins-Sabres | Ralph Wilson Stadium |
| 5. 2.1 | Jan. 2, 2012 | NBC | Rangers-Flyers | Citizens Bank Park |
| 5. 2.1 | Jan. 1, 2010 | NBC | Flyers-Bruins | Fenway Park |
The NHL Winter Classic, which NBC Sports co-created along with the NHL, debuted in 2008 and has produced the six most-watched NHL regular-season games (excluding regional coverage) in the past 39 years (average viewers).
| Viewership | Date | Network | Game | Venue |
| 1. 4.525 million | Jan. 1, 2011 | NBC | Capitals-Penguins | Heinz Field |
| 2. 4.404 million | Jan. 1, 2014 | NBC | Maple Leafs-Red Wings | Michigan Stadium |
| 3. 4.401 million | Jan. 1, 2009 | NBC | Red Wings-Blackhawks | Wrigley Field |
| 4. 3.751 million | Jan. 1, 2008 | NBC | Penguins-Sabres | Ralph Wilson Stadium |
| 5. 3.733 million | Jan. 2, 2012 | NBC | Rangers-Flyers | Citizens Bank Park |
| 6. 3.684 million | Jan. 1, 2010 | NBC | Flyers-Bruins | Fenway Park |
NBC SPORTS LIVE EXTRA
NBC Sports Live Extra – NBC Sports Group’s live streaming product for desktops, mobile devices, and tablets – will stream NHL coverage via “TV Everywhere,” the media industry’s effort to make quality content available to authenticated customers both in and out of the home and on multiple platforms.
For desktops, NBC Sports Live Extra can be accessed at NBCSports.com/liveextra. The NBC Sports Live Extra app for mobile devices and tablets is available at the App Store for iPhone, iPad and iPod touch, and on select Android handset and tablet devices within Google Play.
Games airing on:
- NBC will live stream to PCs, mobile devices and tablets through NBC Sports Live Extra;
- NBCSN will live stream to PCs, mobile devices and tablets through NBC Sports Live Extra, and to the digital platforms of participating cable, satellite, and telco services, via “TV Everywhere,” which is available on an authenticated basis to subscribers of participating MVPDs.
2013-14 REGULAR-SEASON COVERAGE ON NBC & NBCSN
NBC Sports Group will deliver coverage of 103 NHL regular-season games during the 2013-14 season, featuring 13 games on NBC and 90 games on NBCSN. All games will be streamed live via NBC Sports Live Extra. Click here for more information on NBC Sports Group’s comprehensive NHL coverage this season.
NBC SPORTS REGIONAL NETWORKS
NBC Sports Regional Networks, which serve top NHL markets such as Boston (Bruins), Philadelphia (Flyers), Washington D.C. (Capitals), Chicago (Blackhawks) and the Bay Area (Sharks), will air more than 300 live NHL games and surround the 2013-14 NHL season with in-depth news, analysis and original programming on the teams that matter most.
NBC SPORTS GROUP’S DIGITAL AND SOCIAL NHL COVERAGE
NBC Sports Group will continue to provide hockey fans with up-to-the-minute news, video, and information on the NHL and hockey from around the world via its digital and social properties, including NBCSports.com, Twitter and Facebook. Click here for more information on NBC Sports Group’s Digital and Social NHL coverage.
For more information about NBC Sports Group shows and properties, including press releases, photos, talent and executive bios and headshots, please visit NBCSportsGroupPressBox.com
–NBC SPORTS GROUP–
