2015 Stanley Cup Champion Chicago Blackhawks Host New York Rangers in Original Six Matchup on Wednesday Night Rivalry at 8 p.m. ET on NBCSN
Los Angeles Kings Host San Jose Sharks in Game 2 of Doubleheader at 10:30 p.m. ET on NBCSN
NBC Sports Group NHL 2015-16 Season Preview MEDIA CONFERENCE CALL Today at 4 p.m. ET
Brian Boucher Joins NBC Sports Group’s NHL Coverage as Full-Time Inside-The-Glass and Studio Analyst; Kenny Albert to Handle Increased Play-by-Play Role For 2015-16 Season
NBC Sports Live Extra Introduces Broadcast-Quality Enhanced Data Graphics for 2015-16 Regular Season
STAMFORD, Conn. – Oct. 5, 2015 – The puck drops on the 2015-16 NHL regular season this Wednesday, Oct. 7, with an opening night doubleheader on NBCSN. Game coverage starts at 8 p.m. ET when Jonathan Toews and the Chicago Blackhawks host Henrik Lundqvist and the New York Rangers on Wednesday Night Rivalry, and raise their 2015 Stanley Cup Championship banner to the United Center rafters. NBCSN’s doubleheader shifts to the west coast at 10:30 p.m. ET, when Jonathan Quick and the Los Angeles Kings welcome Logan Couture and the San Jose Sharks.
Mike ‘Doc’ Emrick (play-by-play), Eddie Olczyk (analyst), and Pierre McGuire (‘Inside-the-Glass analyst) will have the call for Rangers-Blackhawks, while John Forslund (play-by-play) and Joe Micheletti (‘Inside-the-Glass’ analyst) will provide commentary for Sharks-Kings.
Opening night coverage begins at 7 p.m. ET with NHL Live, hosted by Liam McHugh. He will be joined by analysts and former NHL players Mike Milbury and Keith Jones, as well as veteran TSN Hockey Insider Bob McKenzie, providing pre-game, intermission, and post-game analysis.
NBCSN’s opening week of NHL coverage continues on Thursday night at 9 p.m. ET, when Nathan MacKinnon and the Colorado Avalanche host Zach Parise and the Minnesota Wild.
NBC SPORTS GROUP NHL 2015-16 SEASON PREVIEW MEDIA CONFERENCE CALL TODAY AT 4 P.M. ET
NBC Sports Group NHL commentators Mike ‘Doc’ Emrick, Eddie Olczyk, and Pierre McGuire, as well as Executive Producer Sam Flood, will preview the upcoming NHL season on a media conference call today at 4 p.m. ET.
Media interested in participating should call 719-325-2144; Passcode: 693822.
- WHAT: NHL 2015-16 season-preview conference call
- WHO: Mike ‘Doc’ Emrick, Eddie Olczyk, Pierre McGuire, Sam Flood
- WHEN: Today at 4 p.m. ET
- NUMBER: 719-325-2144
- PASSCODE: 693822
BRIAN BOUCHER JOINS NBC SPORTS GROUP’S NHL COVERAGE AS FULL-TIME INSIDE-THE-GLASS AND STUDIO ANALYST; KENNY ALBERT TO HANDLE INCREASED PLAY-BY-PLAY ROLE FOR 2015-16 SEASON
Former NHL goaltender Brian Boucher joins NBC Sports Group this season as a full-time Inside-the-Glass and NHL Live studio analyst for the upcoming 2015-16 season. Boucher made his debut with NBCSN as an analyst during the 2015 Stanley Cup Playoffs.
Boucher split 13 NHL seasons with seven teams, playing the majority of his career with the Philadelphia Flyers, highlighted by 42 playoff games and two Stanley Cup Final games with the team. In addition to McGuire and Boucher, Joe Micheletti, Brian Engblom and Ray Ferraro will also serve as ‘Inside-the-Glass’ analysts throughout the season.
Veteran play-by-play commentator Kenny Albert will see an increased role with NBC Sports Group’s NHL coverage this season. Albert has previously served as a play-by-play commentator for NBC Sports Group during the Stanley Cup Playoffs.
In addition to Emrick and Albert, Gord Miller, John Forslund, Dave Strader and Chris Cuthbert will also handle play-by-play duties for NHL games on NBCSN throughout the season.
NBC Sports Group’s NHL studio team returns for the 2015-16 season, with Liam McHugh, Mike Milbury and Keith Jones. Studio coverage will also feature hosts Kathryn Tappen and Dave Briggs, as well as analysts Jeremy Roenick and Anson Carter. Hockey Insiders Bob McKenzie and Darren Dreger return for their second seasons with NBC Sports Group, providing team reports and league news throughout the season.
WEDNESDAY NIGHT RIVALRY: RANGERS AT BLACKHAWKS – WEDNESDAY, OCT. 7, AT 8 P.M. ET ON NBCSN
The 2015-16 NHL regular season kicks off on NBCSN with an Original Six Wednesday Night Rivalry clash between the Rangers and Blackhawks. The Blackhawks are coming off of their third Stanley Cup title in six seasons after defeating the Tampa Bay Lightning in the 2015 Stanley Cup Final in six games. The Rangers came within one win of the Stanley Cup Final last season, dropping Game 7 of the Eastern Conference Final at home to Tampa Bay.
Emmy Award-winning play-by-play commentator Mike ‘Doc’ Emrick, analyst and U.S. Hockey Hall of Fame member Eddie Olczyk, and Emmy Award-winning ‘Inside-the-Glass’ analyst Pierre McGuire will have the call from the United Center in Chicago, Ill.
SHARKS AT KINGS – WEDNESDAY, OCT. 7 AT 10:30 P.M. ET ON NBCSN
The Sharks and Kings renew their rivalry in their opening night matchup on NBCSN Wednesday at 10:30 p.m. ET. Both teams are coming off of disappointing 2014-15 seasons, as Los Angeles and San Jose failed to qualify for the postseason. The Kings’ offseason additions include former Bruin Milan Lucic, while Sharks head coach Peter DeBoer, who led the Devils to the Stanley Cup Final in 2012, begins his first season as bench boss in San Jose.
John Forslund (play-by-play) and Joe Micheletti (‘Inside-the-Glass’ analyst) will provide live commentary from STAPLES Center in Los Angeles, Calif.
WILD AT AVALANCHE – THURSDAY, OCT. 8 AT 9 P.M. ET ON NBCSN
NBCSN continues its opening week NHL coverage Thursday night at 9 p.m. ET, when Zach Parise and the Minnesota Wild visit Nathan MacKinnon and the Colorado Avalanche. The Wild look to continue the momentum of the past two seasons, which included the first playoff appearances since 2008. Following a disappointing 2014-15 season in which the Avalanche missed the postseason, Colorado hopes to return to the form of two seasons ago, when the team won the Central Division.
Chris Cuthbert (play-by-play) and Pierre McGuire (‘Inside-the-Glass’ analyst) will have the call from Pepsi Center in Denver, Colo.
Following is this week’s NHL coverage on NBCSN:
| Date | Coverage | Network | Time (ET) |
| Wed., October 7 | NHL Live | NBCSN | 7 p.m. |
| Wednesday Night Rivalry – N.Y. Rangers at Chicago | NBCSN | 8 p.m. | |
| San Jose at Los Angeles | NBCSN | 10:30 p.m. | |
| NHL Overtime | NBCSN | 1 a.m.* | |
| Thur., October 8 | NHL Live | NBCSN | 8:30 p.m. |
| Minnesota at Colorado | NBCSN | 9 p.m. | |
| NHL Overtime | NBCSN | 11:30 p.m.* |
*immediately following game coverage
NBC SPORTS LIVE EXTRA INTRODUCES BROADCAST-QUALITY ENHANCED DATA GRAPHICS FOR 2015-16 REGULAR SEASON
NBC Sports Live Extra – NBC Sports Group’s live streaming product for desktops, mobile, devices, tablets, and connected TVs – will provide streaming coverage of all 105 regular-season games on NBC and NBCSN this season. For the first time in the regular season, Live Extra will feature new broadcast-quality enhanced data graphics that provide an improved streaming experience for NHL fans.
The new functionality and visualizations include real-time player and game statistics, roster listings, and live rink maps which highlight shot locations, blocked shots, goals, face offs, hits, giveaways and takeaways. In addition, every goal, every penalty and every key moment is quickly available to viewers via the redesigned Key Events bar.
2015-16 REGULAR SEASON COVERAGE ON NBC & NBCSN
NBC Sports Group will deliver coverage of 105 NHL regular-season games during the 2015-16 season, featuring 12 games on NBC and 93 games on NBCSN. All games will be streamed live via NBC Sports Live Extra. This year’s coverage includes 24 Wednesday Night Rivalry games, 6 Wednesday Nightcaps, 12 Sunday Night Hockey contests, and NHL All-Star coverage.
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 2015-16 NHL season with in-depth news, analysis and original programming on the teams that matter most.
-NBC SPORTS GROUP-