FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Wednesday, February 12th, 2014

TEAM FIGURE SKATING GOLD MEDALIST YEVGENY PLUSHENKO COMPETES IN MEN’S SHORT PROGRAM, THURS., FEB. 13 AT 8 P.M. ET ON NBC

Top-Ranked American Freestyle Skier Nick Goepper to Compete in First-Ever Olympic Ski Slopestyle Gold Medal Final in Primetime on NBC

American Speed Skaters Heather Richardson & Brittany Bowe Race for Gold in 1000m Final in Primetime on NBC

LIVE Men’s Hockey with First Look at Team USA, Canada & Russia on NBCSN, MSNBC & USA

All Events Live Streamed on NBCOlympics.com and NBC Sports Live Extra Mobile & Tablet App

Stamford, Conn, – February 12, 2014 – NBC’s primetime coverage of the XXII Olympic Winter Games tomorrow, Thursday, February 13 at 8 p.m. ET features the men’s short figure skating program, where Russian figure skating legend Yevgeny Plushenko will have immense support from the home crowd, as he skates for his fifth Olympic medal, however, the favorites are reigning world champion Patrick Chan of Canada, and this season’s Grand Prix Final winner Yuzuru Hanyu of Japan. Jeremy Abbott and Jason Brown will skate for the U.S. team after they finished first and second, respectively, at the 2014 National Championships.

Coverage in primetime continues with the inaugural gold medal final for men’s ski slopestyle, in which Indiana native Nick Goepper leads the deep crop of U.S. skiers after collecting wins at several recent major events; the 1000m gold medal final in women’s speed skating featuring American training partners and roommates Heather Richardson and Brittany Bowe who arrive at the Sochi Games ranked 1-2 in three of the four 1000m World Cup races this season; and women’s skeleton where Utah native Noelle Pikus-Pace, who made a triumphant return from retirement in 2012 after finishing fourth in the 2010 Vancouver Games, is a top contender in Sochi.

NBCSN’s live programming on Thursday begins at 3 a.m. ET and includes coverage of men’s hockey with the first look at 2010 silver medalist Team USA facing off against Slovakia, a surprise a fourth-place finisher in Vancouver. NBCSN’s live coverage also includes the women’s  cross-country 10km classical gold medal final and the men’s figure skating short program. In addition, NBCSN will feature the first day of the women’s skeleton competition.

In addition, MSNBC and USA Network will feature a first look at the Canadian and Russian men’s hockey teams with Russia vs. Slovenia live at 7:30 a.m. ET on MSNBC and Canada vs. Norway live at Noon ET on USA Network.

FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 14, 2014

Friday’s primetime coverage will feature the final phase of men’s figure skating – the free skate – which combined with the short skate score, will determine the Olympic individual men’s figure skating champion.  Also highlighting primetime on Friday is the men’s super combined gold medal final featuring five-time Olympic medalist Bode Miller and reigning world champion Ted Ligety, the last two Olympic gold medalists in the event. In women’s freestyle skiing, Vancouver Olympian Ashley Caldwell will make a run at medal in the aerials gold medal final, facing stiff competition from reigning world champion Xu Mengtao of China. Also in primetime, Noelle Pikus-Pace will take her final runs in the women’s skeleton gold medal final.

Team USA men’s curling will face Germany at 3 a.m. ET Friday on NBCSN, followed by live coverage of the men’s figure skating gold medal final, men’s cross-country 15km gold medal final,  and Sweden vs. Switzerland in men’s hockey. Rounding out NBCSN’s Friday coverage is the men’s individual K-125 ski jumping competition.

On Friday, MSNBC and USA Network will host live coverage of men’s hockey and Team USA women’s curling, while Team USA men’s curling faces Russia on CNBC. Please see the below listings for more information.

NBCOlympics.com and the NBC Sports Live Extra app allows cable, satellite and telco customers to live stream more than 1,000 exclusive hours of Sochi Olympics content, including all sports, all competition and all medal events. The NBC Olympics Highlights and Results app is the home of up-to-date TV and online streaming schedules, live results, athlete profiles and replays of the Games’ most memorable moments. In addition, through the “Primetime Companion” section, the app serves as the signature second-screen tool for NBC’s nightly primetime coverage.

For more information on live streaming, please go to: NBCOlympics.com/LiveExtra

For the full schedule of NBCUniversal’s Olympic coverage, please go to: NBCOlympics.com

For press information, bios, photos and releases, please go to: NBCSportsGroupPressBox.com

Listings subject to change (all times ET unless otherwise noted).

 

THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 13 (DAY 6)

NBC

3 p.m. – 5 p.m.

Men’s Biathlon – 20km Individual Gold Medal Final

Luge – Team Relay Gold Medal Final Runs

8 p.m. – 11:00 p.m.

Men’s Figure Skating – Short Program

Men’s Freestyle Skiing – Slopestyle Gold Medal Final

Women’s Speed Skating – 1000m Gold Medal Final

Women’s Skeleton – Competition

12:05 a.m. – 1:05 a.m.

Women’s Short Track – 500m Gold Medal Final

Men’s Short Track – 5000m Relay Competition

Women’s Cross-Country – 10km Classical Gold Medal Final

1:05 a.m. – 4:30 a.m.

Primetime Encore

NBCSN

3 a.m. – 5:30 a.m.

Men’s Hockey – Finland vs. Austria (LIVE)

5:30a.m. – 7:30 a.m.

Women’s Cross-Country – 10km Classical Gold Medal Final (LIVE)

Women’s Skeleton – Competition

7:30 a.m. – 10 a.m.

Men’s Hockey – USA vs. Slovakia (LIVE)

10 a.m. – 11:45 a.m.

Men’s Figure Skating – Short Program Part 1 (LIVE)

11:45 a.m. – 3 p.m.

Men’s Figure Skating – Short Program Part 2 (LIVE)

3 p.m. – 5 p.m.

Men’s Hockey Encore – Russia vs. Slovenia

5 p.m. – 7 p.m.

Game of the Day: Men’s Hockey – USA vs. Slovakia

MSNBC

7:30 a.m. – 10 a.m.

Men’s Hockey – Russia vs. Slovenia (LIVE)

10 a.m. – Noon

Men’s Curling – Norway vs. Sweden

Noon – 2:30 p.m.

Women’s Hockey – Sweden vs. Russia (LIVE)

CNBC

5 p.m. – 8 p.m.

Women’s Curling – USA vs. Japan

USA

5 a.m. – 8 a.m.

Men’s Curling – USA vs. Great Britain (LIVE)

Noon – 3 p.m.

Men’s Hockey – Canada vs. Norway (LIVE)

NBC HIGHLIGHTS (Primetime):

  • Men’s Figure Skating – Short Program : Three-time world champion Patrick Chan of Canada remains the favorite for Olympic gold, but after winning each of his consecutive world titles by smaller and smaller margins, it appears that the rest of the men’s field is catching up with the 23-year-old from Toronto. The men’s competition gets underway with the short program, where it is now almost necessary to attempt a quad jump – figure skating’s most difficult element – to be competitive.
  • Men’s Freestyle Skiing – Slopestyle Gold Medal Final: This new Olympic event can be difficult to predict, but the U.S. is loaded with talent. Nick Goepper, a 19-year-old from a small Indiana farm town, leads the deep crop of skiers after collecting wins at several recent major events.
  • Women’s Speed Skating – 1000m Gold Medal Final: Training partners and roommates Heather Richardson and Brittany Bowe – both former inline skaters – will likely be each other’s toughest competition as they arrive at the Sochi Games ranked 1-2 in this event. A former college basketball standout in her home state of Florida, Bowe was inspired to try speed skating when she watched Richardson make her Olympic debut in Vancouver.
  • Women’s Skeleton – Competition: It’s been a long and winding road for Noelle Pikus-Pace, a Utah mother of two who finished fourth in Vancouver then retired from the sport. But the 31-year-old made her triumphant return in 2012 and quickly ascended the ranks to become a top contender in Sochi.

NBC HIGHLIGHTS (Daytime):

  • Men’s Biathlon – 20km Individual Gold Medal Final: Tim Burke won silver the 20km individual at 2013 Worlds, becoming the first U.S. biathlete to reach the podium at the event since 1987 (and just the second ever). In Sochi, the New York native will be gunning for the first U.S. Olympic biathlon medal as he makes his third appearance at the Games.
  • Luge – Team Relay Gold Medal Final Runs: The fastest competitors from each nation will join forces in the team relay, a new event in Sochi that measures time continuously as three sleds from each team go down the track one after the other. The Americans attempt to usurp traditional luge powers, such as Germany and Italy.

NBC HIGHLIGHTS (Late Night):

  • Women’s Short Track – 500m Gold Medal Final: In short track, top American Aly Dudek, who won bronze in the relay in Vancouver, competes in her signature event, the four-and-a-half-lap 500m. She’ll likely have to contend with China’s most decorated Winter Olympian, Wang Meng, who won this event at the past two Games.
  • Men’s Short Track – 5000m Relay Competition: J.R. Celski looks to lead the American men into the final of the 5000m relay. With Celski on the team in Vancouver, the U.S. won bronze for the second straight Olympics, and they will be looking to upgrade to gold after winning two of the four World Cup events this season.

NBCSN HIGHLIGHTS:

  • Men’s Hockey – Slovakia vs. USA (LIVE): On the heels of their captivating run to a silver medal in Vancouver, the U.S. men begin the Sochi tournament LIVE against Slovakia, which surprised with a fourth-place finish four years ago.
  • Women’s Cross-Country – 10km Classical Gold Medal Final (LIVE): Skiers may have trouble keeping pace with Therese Johaug and Marit Bjorgen, the Norwegians who train together and went one-two at the 2013 World Championships.
  • Women’s Skeleton – Competition: It’s been a long and winding road for Noelle Pikus-Pace, a Utah mother of two who finished fourth in Vancouver then retired from the sport. But the 31-year-old made her triumphant return in 2012 and quickly ascended the ranks to become a top contender in Sochi.
  • Men’s Figure Skating – Short Program (LIVE): Three-time world champion Patrick Chan of Canada remains the favorite for Olympic gold, but after winning each of his consecutive world titles by smaller and smaller margins, it appears that the rest of the men’s field is catching up with the 23-year-old from Toronto. The men’s competition gets underway LIVE with the short program, where it is now almost necessary to attempt a quad jump – figure skating’s most difficult element – to be competitive.

MSNBC HIGHLIGHTS:

  • Men’s Hockey – Russia vs. Slovenia (LIVE): The host begins its Olympic run LIVE against Olympic newcomer Slovenia. Led by Washington Capitals star Alex Ovechkin, last year’s NHL MVP, Russia is under immense pressure to deliver gold in front of its hockey-mad home fans. After the Soviet Union and the Unified Team won eight of the 10 men’s Olympic tournaments from 1956-92, Russia has been unable to win gold in its five appearances.

CNBC HIGHLIGHTS:

  • Women’s Curling – USA vs. Japan: Sixteen years after her Olympic debut in Nagano, Erika Brown returns to the Games as the skip of the U.S. women’s curling team. The U.S. women will be seeking their first Olympic curling medal after finishing fourth at the 2013 World Championships. Sweden, Great Britain and Canada are among the top international teams.

USA HIGHLIGHTS:

  • Men’s Hockey – Canada vs. Norway (LIVE): This is the opening men’s hockey game for reigning champion Canada, LIVE against Norway. Led by Pittsburgh Penguins star Sidney Crosby, Canada is favored by many to win a third gold medal in four Olympic tournaments.
  • Men’s Curling – USA vs. Great Britain (LIVE): Two-time Olympian John Shuster has the Olympic experience required to guide the U.S. team through a deep men’s field that includes favorites Canada, Sweden and Great Britain. The 31-year-old Minnesota native was part of the 2006 Olympic team that collected the first U.S. Olympic curling medal and then led the Americans in Vancouver.

 

 

FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 14 (DAY 7)

NBC

3 p.m. – 5 p.m.

Women’s Biathlon – 15km Individual Gold Medal Final

Women’s Freestyle Skiing – Aerials Competition

8 p.m. – 11:30 p.m.

Men’s Figure Skating – Gold Medal Final

Men’s Alpine Skiing – Super Combined Gold Medal Final

Women’s Freestyle Skiing – Aerials Gold Medal Final

Women’s Skeleton – Gold Medal Final Runs

12:05 a.m. – 1:05 a.m.

Men’s Ski Jumping – Individual K-125 Large Hill Competition

Men’s Skeleton – Competition

1:05 a.m. – 4:30 a.m.

Primetime Encore

NBCSN

3 a.m. – 5 a.m.

Men’s Curling – USA vs. Germany

5 a.m. – 7:30 a.m.

Men’s Cross-Country – 15km Classical Gold Medal Final (LIVE)

7:30 a.m. – 10 a.m.

Men’s Hockey – Sweden vs. Switzerland (LIVE)

10 a.m. – Noon

Men’s Figure Skating – Gold Medal Final Part 1 (LIVE)

Noon – 2:15 p.m.

Men’s Figure Skating – Gold Medal Final Part 2 (LIVE)

2:15 p.m. – 3 p.m.

Men’s Ski Jumping – Individual K-125 Large Hill Competition

3 p.m. – 5 p.m.

Hockey Encore

5 p.m. – 7 p.m.

Game of the Day: Hockey

MSNBC

3 a.m. – 5:30 a.m.

Men’s Hockey – Czech Republic vs. Latvia (LIVE)

Noon – 2:30 p.m.

Men’s Hockey – Norway vs. Finland (LIVE)

CNBC

5 p.m. – 8 p.m.

Men’s Curling – USA vs. Russia

USA

5 a.m. – 8 a.m.

Women’s Curling – USA vs. Denmark (LIVE)

Noon – 3 p.m.

Men’s Hockey – Canada vs. Austria (LIVE)

NBC HIGHLIGHTS (Primetime):

  • Men’s Figure Skating – Gold Medal Final: Three-time world champion Patrick Chan of Canada remains the favorite for Olympic gold, but after winning each of his consecutive world titles by smaller and smaller margins, it appears that the rest of the deep men’s field is catching up with the 23-year-old from Toronto. The Olympic champion will be decided with the men’s free skate, where Chan attempts to win Canada’s first gold medal in men’s figure skating.
  • Men’s Alpine Skiing – Super Combined Gold Medal Final: Alpine Skiing’s combined event was won by Americans at the past two Games. Ted Ligety won in 2006, when it was the combined (with two slalom runs, instead of just one), and Bode Miller took gold in 2010 under the current super-combined format of one downhill and one slalom. Both return to give the Americans two strong medal threats. Ligety is the reigning world champion, while Miller is rounding back into form after missing last season with a knee injury.
  • Women’s Freestyle Skiing – Aerials Gold Medal Final: Vancouver Olympian Ashley Caldwell has been impressive in her return to competition after tearing both of her ACLs, but Caldwell and the rest of the aerialists will likely be chasing reigning world champion Xu Mengtao, who leads a deep Chinese team.
  • Women’s Skeleton – Gold Medal Final Runs: It’s been a long and winding road for Noelle Pikus-Pace, a Utah mother of two who finished fourth in Vancouver then retired from the sport. But the 31-year-old made her triumphant return in 2012 and quickly ascended the ranks to become a top contender in Sochi.

NBC HIGHLIGHTS (Daytime):

  • Women’s Biathlon – 15km Individual Gold Medal Final: Vermont’s Susan Dunklee, whose father is a two-time Olympic cross-country skier, continues the family tradition as she makes her Games debut in Sochi, where her strongest event will be the 15km individual.

NBC HIGHLIGHTS (Late Night):

  • Men’s Ski Jumping – Individual K-125 Large Hill Competition: Five days after what he hopes is a first gold in the K-95 competition, Austrian star Gregor Schlierenzauer returns to the snow to continue his attempt to win three gold medals in Sochi. Among his challengers could be Swiss rival Simon Ammann, who swept the individual events for a second time in Vancouver.
  • Men’s Skeleton – Competition: The U.S. will have two experienced competitors in this event with 2010 Olympian John Daly, the son of a retired FDNY paramedic from Long Island, and Wisconsin native Matt Antoine, who just missed out on the Vancouver Games but is currently having a breakout season with several podium appearances.

NBCSN HIGHLIGHTS:

  • Men’s Hockey – Sweden vs. Switzerland (LIVE): The men’s hockey tournament continues with LIVE coverage as Sweden, which has won two of the past five gold medals, takes on Switzerland.
  • Men’s Cross-Country – 15km Classical Gold Medal Final (LIVE): Petter Northug, Norway’s most popular athlete, is a medal contender in this event, which he won at the 2013 World Championships. After winning four medals, including two gold, in Vancouver, Northug could be poised for an even bigger haul in Sochi.
  • Men’s Curling – USA vs. Germany: Two-time Olympian John Shuster has the Olympic experience required to guide the U.S. team through a deep men’s field that includes favorites Canada, Sweden and Great Britain. The 31-year-old Minnesota native was part of the 2006 Olympic team that collected the first U.S. Olympic curling medal and then led the Americans in Vancouver.
  • Men’s Figure Skating – Gold Medal Final (LIVE): Three-time world champion Patrick Chan of Canada remains the favorite for Olympic gold, but after winning each of his consecutive world titles by smaller and smaller margins, it appears that the rest of the deep men’s field is catching up with the 23-year-old from Toronto. The Olympic champion will be decided LIVE with the men’s free skate, where Chan hopes to win Canada’s first gold medal in men’s figure skating.
  • Men’s Ski Jumping – Individual K-125 Large Hill Competition: Five days after what he hopes is a first gold in the K-95 competition, Austrian star Gregor Schlierenzauer returns to the snow to continue his attempt to win three gold medals in Sochi. Among his challengers could be Swiss rival Simon Ammann, who swept the individual events for a second time in Vancouver.

CNBC HIGHLIGHTS:

  • Men’s Curling: Two-time Olympian John Shuster has the Olympic experience required to guide the U.S. team through a deep men’s field that includes favorites Canada, Sweden and Great Britain. The 31-year-old Minnesota native was part of the 2006 Olympic team that collected the first U.S. Olympic curling medal and then led the Americans in Vancouver.

USA HIGHLIGHTS:

  • Men’s Hockey – Canada vs. Austria (LIVE): Reigning champion Canada continues its gold medal defense LIVE with a matchup against Austria.
  • Women’s Curling – USA vs. Denmark (LIVE): Sixteen years after her Olympic debut in Nagano, Erika Brown returns to the Games as the skip of the U.S. women’s curling team. The U.S. women will be seeking their first Olympic curling medal after finishing fourth at the 2013 World Championships. Sweden, Great Britain and Canada are among the top international teams.

– NBC OLYMPICS –