FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Tuesday, June 2nd, 2015
STANLEY CUP FINAL BEGINS TOMORROW NIGHT ON NBC – TAMPA BAY LIGHTNING HOST CHICAGO BLACKHAWKS IN GAME 1 AT 8 P.M. ET
“We are really privileged to have these two teams together…it’s going to be a track meet.” – Mike ‘Doc’ Emrick
“We’ve got a chance to see 6‑5 hockey. Both of these teams can light it up.” – Eddie Olczyk
Coverage of Game 1 Begins Wednesday at 6:30 p.m. ET on NBCSN with NHL Live & Two On-Site Sets
Blackhawks-Ducks Game 7 on NBC is Most-Watched Non-Stanley Cup Final NHL Game On Record; Conference Finals Second-Most Watched Since 1997
NBC Sports Group to Utilize 4K Technology for Stanley Cup Final
STAMFORD, Conn. – June 2, 2015 – NBC Sports Group drops the puck on its 10th consecutive year of Stanley Cup Final coverage tomorrow night at 8 p.m. ET on NBC, when Steven Stamkos and Tampa Bay Lightning host Jonathan Toews and the Chicago Blackhawks in Game 1 of the 2015 Stanley Cup Final. Pre-game coverage begins tomorrow at 6:30 p.m. ET on NBCSN with a 90-minute edition of NHL Live.
Three-time Emmy Award-winning play-by-play commentator and Sports Illustrated 2014 Media Person of the Year Mike ‘Doc’ Emrick, U.S. Hockey Hall of Fame member and analyst Eddie Olczyk, and Emmy Award-winning Inside-the-Glass analyst Pierre McGuire will call Game 1 from Amalie Arena in Tampa, Fla. This marks the ninth consecutive year that Emrick, Olczyk and McGuire will combine to call the Stanley Cup Final for NBC Sports Group.
Host Liam McHugh will anchor NHL Live from inside the arena, alongside analysts and former players Mike Milbury and Keith Jones. Dave Briggs will host coverage from a set outside the arena alongside analysts and former players Jeremy Roenick and Anson Carter. In addition, analyst Brian Boucher and NHL insiders Bob McKenzie and Darren Dreger will join NBC Sports Group’s pre- and post-game studio coverage throughout the Final.
In addition to in-depth analysis of the Final, tomorrow’s pre-game coverage on NBCSN will feature a pair of exclusive sit-down interviews with the captains of both teams, as Pierre McGuire goes one-on-one with Toews and Stamkos.
******************************************************************************
TRANSCRIPT – MEDIA CONFERENCE CALL WITH MIKE ‘DOC’ EMRICK, EDDIE OLCZYK, PIERRE MCGUIRE AND EXECUTIVE PRODUCER SAM FLOOD
NBC Sports Group’s lead NHL broadcast team of Mike ‘Doc’ Emrick, Eddie Olczyk, and Pierre McGuire, as well as executive producer Sam Flood, previewed the Stanley Cup Final on a media conference call today. Following are excerpts from the call, as well as quotes from studio analysts Keith Jones and Anson Carter. Click here for the full transcript.
Emrick on matchup: “We are really privileged to have these two teams together…these two teams are likable. That’s a good way to say it because if you have gotten to know any of their players and their coaches, that’s how you describe them… it’s going to be a track meet.”
Olczyk on offensive skill for Blackhawks and Lightning: “If either one of those goaltenders are average throughout this series…we’ve got a chance to see 6‑5 hockey. Both of these teams can light it up…a lot of players need eight, nine chances to score one goal. Johnson, Stamkos, Toews, Kane, those guys need one or two chances to score.”
McGuire on playoff journeys of Blackhawks and Lightning: “(Tampa Bay) is a team in a non‑traditional hockey market that, yes, won Stanley Cup back in 2004; but beating three original teams to get to the Stanley Cup Final is huge news… I thought Chicago’s performance in Game 7 in Anaheim was as beautiful as any game I think I’ve seen in a Game 7, just because of the way it was orchestrated by the coaches… This is going to be a fantastic Stanley Cup Final because of the road traveled by both these teams to get here.”
Carter on Coach Joel Quenneville and Coach Jon Cooper: “Jon Cooper has a great story. He’s won everywhere he’s been – the USHL, the AHL, now making the Stanley Cup Final. He’s got a great demeanor behind the bench, and the guys feed off of that. You can say the same about Coach Quenneville in Chicago. Putting Kane and Toews together was a brilliant move to get those two guys going, as well as playing them against Ryan Getzlaf. That was the difference in Game 7 of that series.”
Jones on the matchup: “I’m really looking forward to the matchup of the speed between these two clubs – two of the fastest teams in the NHL. You’ve got a great matchup of captains with Jonathan Toews and Steven Stamkos. On the back end, Chicago’s Duncan Keith and Tampa Bay’s Victor Hedman represent two of the best skating defensemen in the game today.”
Flood on matchup: “These are two of the fastest teams playing the game right now, and what these players can do on the ice is remarkable…we know people are going to come to watch because of Chicago, and they are going to fall in love with this Tampa team that has so much talent and so much skill.”
******************************************************************************
Following is the television schedule for the 2015 Stanley Cup Final, all times Eastern and subject to change.
| Date | Coverage | Network | Time | Commentators |
| Wed., June 3 | Game 1 – Chicago at Tampa Bay | NBC | 8 p.m. | Mike “Doc” Emrick, Eddie Olczyk, Pierre McGuire |
| Sat., June 6 | Game 2 – Chicago at Tampa Bay | NBC | 7:15 p.m. ^ | Mike “Doc” Emrick, Pierre McGuire* |
| Mon., June 8 | Game 3 – Tampa Bay at Chicago | NBCSN | 8 p.m. | Mike “Doc” Emrick, Eddie Olczyk, Pierre McGuire |
| Wed., June 10 | Game 4 – Tampa Bay at Chicago | NBCSN | 8 p.m. | Mike “Doc” Emrick, Eddie Olczyk, Pierre McGuire |
| Sat., June 13 | Game 5 – Chicago at Tampa Bay** | NBC | 8 p.m. | Mike “Doc” Emrick, Eddie Olczyk, Pierre McGuire |
| Mon., June 15 | Game 6 – Tampa Bay at Chicago** | NBC | 8 p.m. | Mike “Doc” Emrick, Eddie Olczyk, Pierre McGuire |
| Wed., June 17 | Game 7 – Chicago at Tampa Bay** | NBC | 8 p.m. | Mike “Doc” Emrick, Eddie Olczyk, Pierre McGuire |
^Game 2 coverage begins immediately following NBC Sports’ coverage of the Belmont Stakes
*Eddie Olczyk is not available for Game 2 due to obligations working for NBC Sports’ coverage of the Belmont Stakes
**if necessary
***
BLACKHAWKS-DUCKS GAME 7 ON NBC IS MOST-WATCHED NON-STANLEY CUP FINAL NHL GAME ON RECORD; CONFERENCE FINALS SECOND-MOST WATCHED SINCE 1997
NBC Sports Group’s Game 7 presentations of the Eastern and Western Conference Finals delivered record viewership numbers on NBC and NBCSN.
Saturday night’s presentation of Game 7 of the Western Conference Final between the Blackhawks and Ducks on NBC (8-11:03 p.m. ET) averaged 4.601 million viewers, making it the most-watched non-Stanley Cup Final game on record (data available since 1994), according to The Nielsen Company. Viewership peaked in the 10:45-11 p.m. ET quarter hour with more than 5.5 million viewers.
Blackhawks-Ducks Game 7 won the night for NBC, ranking as the most-watched program of the night across all key demos, and making NBC the top network in primetime across average viewers adults 18-49 and adults 25-54.
Friday night’s Game 7 presentation of the Eastern Conference Final between the Lightning and Rangers on NBCSN (8:01-10:59 p ET) averaged 3.287 million viewers, making it the third-most watched non-Stanley Cup Final game ever on NBCSN, up 29 % vs. the average viewership of the last ECF Game 7 between the Lightning and Bruins (2.551 million). Viewership peaked in the 10:30-10:45 quarter hour with more than 4.3 million viewers, and NBCSN ranked as the top network in primetime among adults 18-49.
Overall, the 2015 NHL Conference Finals on NBC/NBCSN averaged 2.231 million viewers in 14 games, trailing only the 2013 Conference Finals on NBC/NBCSN (2.646 million; 9 games) as the second-most watched Conference Finals since 1997 (ESPN/FOX, 2.421 million; 11 games).
For local ratings information for Game 7 of Lightning-Rangers, click here.
For local ratings information for Game 7 of Blackhawks-Ducks, click here.
NBC SPORTS GROUP TO UTILIZE 4K TECHNOLOGY FOR STANLEY CUP FINAL
NBC Sports Group will again utilize a 4K “DreamCatcher” camera throughout the 2015 Stanley Cup Final. The camera provides a super-zoom capability for replays. In addition, NBC Sports Group’s Stanley Cup Final production will include up to 46 cameras, including two super-slo-mo cameras, 9 EVS to record over 40 different feeds simultaneously, and over two miles of cabling.
GAMES TELEVISED SO FAR
For the fourth consecutive year, NBC, NBCSN, USA Network, CNBC and NHL Network are combining to televise every Stanley Cup Playoff game nationally.
| Network | Games |
| NBC | 13 |
| NBCSN | 51 |
| USA Network | 8 |
| CNBC | 10 |
| NHL-N | 1 |
| Total | 83 |
One-goal Games: 43
OT games: 19
COMPREHENSIVE LOCAL COVERAGE
Comprehensive coverage of the Stanley Cup Playoffs will be provided daily via NBC Sports Regional Networks, available in more than 50 million U.S. households. Comcast SportsNet Chicago will provide the hometown fans of the Chicago Blackhawks with comprehensive coverage throughout their Stanley Cup Playoff run, including pre- and post-game shows and extensive on-line coverage via Comcast SportsNet’s team of NHL Insiders.
NBC SPORTS LIVE EXTRA COVERAGE
NBC Sports Live Extra – NBC Sports Group’s live streaming product for desktops, mobile devices, and tablets – will stream comprehensive coverage of games airing on NBC, NBCSN, USA Network and CNBC via “TV Everywhere,” giving consumers additional value to for their subscription service, and making high quality content available to MVPD customers both in and out of the home and on multiple platforms. The NBC Sports Live Extra app is available on the iTunes App Store, Google Play and Windows Store.
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 —
