FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Monday, December 21st, 2015

2016 BRIDGESTONE NHL WINTER CLASSIC® ON NEW YEAR’S DAY AS BOSTON BRUINS HOST MONTREAL CANADIENS AT GILLETTE STADIUM

2016 NHL Winter Classic – Canadiens-Bruins – Friday, Jan. 1, 2016 at 1 p.m. ET on NBC

“As a kid growing up in Montreal, the Bruins and the Canadiens was a must-watch every single night.” – Pierre McGuire

“It’s really a tribute to the fans and how much they invest…they make the rivalry.” – Mike Milbury

2016 NHL Winter Classic Conference Call Transcript – Emrick, Olczyk, McGuire, Milbury & Flood

 Mike Milbury Serves As Coach for Canadiens-Bruins Alumni Game – New Year’s Eve at 3:30 p.m. ET on NBCSN

CSN New England To Provide Comprehensive Winter Classic Regional Coverage

NBCSN’s NHL Coverage Continues Tomorrow With Doubleheader – Canadiens-Wild at 8 p.m. ET, Followed by Sharks-Kings at 10:30 p.m. ET

STAMFORD, Conn. – Dec. 21, 2015 – NBC Sports presents the most-played rivalry in NHL history on New Year’s Day, when P.K. Subban and the Montreal Canadiens battle Patrice Bergeron and the Boston Bruins in the 2016 Bridgestone NHL Winter Classic® from Gillette Stadium, home of the NFL’s New England Patriots, on Jan. 1, 2016 at 1 p.m. ET on NBC.

Three-time Emmy Award-winning play-by-play commentator 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 have the call of the Canadiens-Bruins Winter Classic showdown.

NHL Live host Liam McHugh will be on-site at Gillette Stadium alongside former players and analysts Mike Milbury, Keith Jones and Jeremy Roenick to provide pre-game and post-game analysis, as well as commentary during intermissions.

This week’s NHL coverage begins tomorrow with a doubleheader on NBCSN, beginning at 8 p.m. ET, when the Canadiens travel to Minnesota to face Zach Parise and the Wild. Coverage continues at 10:30 p.m. ET, when Jonathan Quick and the Los Angeles Kings host Joe Pavelski and the San Jose Sharks. There is no Wednesday Night Rivalry this week, but the series returns next week on Dec. 30 with a rematch of the 2015 Eastern Conference Final, when the Tampa Bay Lightning host the New York Rangers.

John Forslund (play-by-play) and Brian Boucher (‘Inside-the-Glass’ analyst) will have the call of Canadiens-Wild, while Randy Hahn (play-by-play) and Jamie Baker (“Inside-the-Glass” analyst) will provide commentary for Sharks-Kings. Tomorrow night’s coverage begins at 7 p.m. ET with NHL Live, hosted by Kathryn Tappen alongside Milbury and Jones.

******************************************************************************

Last Tuesday, Doc Emrick, Eddie Olczyk, Pierre McGuire, Mike Milbury and executive producer Sam Flood previewed the 2016 Winter Classic on a media conference call. Following are quotes from last Tuesday’s call:

Flood on Winter Classic: “It’s become a New Year’s tradition, and people now expect on New Year’s Day to be able to sit and watch what is a true spectacle in hockey.”

Emrick on unlikely heroes of past Winter Classics: “I was just noticing yesterday, going over the offensive heroes of these past games, and with the exception of Sidney Crosby, there’s no one on the marquee that winds up being the hero.  It was Jirí Hudler at Wrigley Field; Eric Fehr in Pittsburgh; Marco Sturm at Fenway; Mike Rupp at Philadelphia; Tyler Bozak in Ann Arbor; and Troy Brouwer at Nationals Park…one of the unpredictable elements, but the fun thing about anticipating this, is which Bruin or Montréal Canadien is going to wind up being the hero.”

McGuire on the Canadiens-Bruins rivalry: “As a kid growing up in Montreal, the Bruins and the Canadiens was a must-watch every single night…last year, I think we witnessed the best-played outdoor game ever between the Washington Capitals and the Chicago Blackhawks, and I really believe this year has got a chance to rival that, only because of the depth and the quality of both teams.”

Olczyk on the Canadiens: “But their defensive core is pretty solid, and I think when you can defend, you’re going to be in a lot of hockey games…what the Canadiens have been able to do without the reigning MVP (injured goaltender Carey Price) has been pretty solid.”

Milbury on the Canadiens-Bruins rivalry: “It’s really about the fans.  They make the rivalry.  They are the ones that get juiced up… you get that jolt of adrenaline because you know your fans are watching. You don’t want to let them down when you’re playing against Montreal…it’s really a tribute to the fans and how much they invest in it and how much they require the players to invest.”

Click here for the full Winter Classic conference call transcript.

******************************************************************************


MIKE MILBURY SERVES AS COACH FOR CANADIENS-BRUINS ALUMNI GAME – NEW YEAR’S EVE AT 3:30 P.M. ET ON NBCSN

NBC Sports Group NHL studio analyst and former Boston Bruins head coach and defenseman Mike Milbury will serve as a coach for the Bruins in the 2016 NHL Winter Classic Alumni Game, which will take place Thursday, Dec. 31, at 3:30 p.m. ET on NBCSN.

Milbury will be joined behind the bench by former Bruins head coach and long-time NHL commentator Don Cherry. More than 40 former players and coaches are scheduled to participate in the renewal of this legendary rivalry in this unique outdoor setting. Those returning for the Bruins include Ray Bourque, Cam Neely, Terry O’Reilly and more. Yvan Cournoyer, Jacques Demers and Guy Lafleur lead the Canadiens alumni with a roster that includes Larry Robinson, Guy Carbonneau, Jose Theodore and Mats Naslund, among many other notable names.

Click here for more information on the Alumni Game.

 

CSN NEW ENGLAND TO PROVIDE COMPREHENSIVE WINTER CLASSIC REGIONAL COVERAGE

CSN New England will provide comprehensive regional coverage leading up to and through the Winter Classic on New Year’s Day.

CSN New England will present a one-hour pre-game show on New Year’s Day on-site at Gillette Stadium beginning at noon ET, featuring Mike Felger, along with Mike Giardi, Joe Haggerty and Kevin Walsh. Additionally, the pre-game show will feature live interviews with NHL and Bruins guests throughout the hour. Immediately following the game, CSN New England will feature a one-hour post-game show from Gillette with commentary and analysis of the game.

Earlier in the day at 10 a.m. ET, CSN New England will feature an encore presentation of the 2010 NHL Winter Classic at Fenway Park, which featured the Bruins and Philadelphia Flyers. CSN New England will have an on-site presence from Gillette Stadium on Dec. 30 and 31 as the two teams prepare for their New Year’s Day showdown.


CANADIENS-WILD – TOMORROW AT 8 P.M. ET ON NBCSN

NBCSN presents an interconference clash between the Canadiens and Wild tomorrow night at 8 p.m. ET, which marks the first of two meetings between the teams this season. Montreal (20-11-3, 43 points) holds a slight lead in the close Atlantic Division standings, just one point clear of Boston, and four points ahead of fifth-place Ottawa. The Habs are hoping to snap a three-game losing skid in which they’ve scored just three goals, and play the second game of their season-high eight-game road trip tonight in Nashville against the Predators.

Minnesota has been one of the hottest teams in the league, and had its nine-game point streak snapped on Saturday night in a 3-2 loss to Nashville. Over their past nine games, the Wild have allowed just 12 goals, and rank third in the NHL for the fewest goals allowed this season (73). Minnesota has been led offensively during the past few weeks by Zach Parise, who is in the midst of a seven-game point streak (4g/6a). Minnesota begins a four-game homestand tonight against the Western Conference-leading Stars.


SHARKS-KINGS – TOMORROW AT 10:30 P.M. ET ON NBCSN

The Kings host the Sharks tomorrow night in a matchup of the top two teams in the Pacific Division. Los Angeles (20-10-2, 42 points) holds an eight-point advantage ahead of a six-team logjam in the division, with second-place San Jose (16-15-2, 34 points) separated by just five points from seventh-place Anaheim. Following a six-game road trip, the Kings return to Los Angeles where they’ve won their last six games. The Kings are tied for the fewest goals allowed in the NHL (70), and boast a balanced offense, with five players with at least seven goals scored this season.

The Sharks close out a five-game road trip in Los Angeles tomorrow, and are coming off a 4-3 overtime loss to the Blackhawks in Chicago last night. Joe Pavelski leads the club in all offensive categories, with 33 points in 33 games, while defenseman Brent Burns’ 12 goals are tied for the most in the NHL among blueliners.

Following is NBC Sports Group’s upcoming NHL coverage:

Date Coverage Network Time (ET)
Tues., December 22 NHL Live NBCSN 7 p.m.
Montreal at Minnesota NBCSN 8 p.m.
San Jose at Los Angeles** NBCSN 10:30 p.m.
NHL Overtime* NBCSN 1 a.m.
Tues., December 29 NHL Live NBCSN 7 p.m.
Nashville at St. Louis NBCSN 8 p.m.
NHL Overtime* NBCSN 10:30 p.m.
Wed., December 30 NHL Live NBCSN 7 p.m.
Wednesday Night Rivalry – N.Y. Rangers at Tampa Bay NBCSN 8 p.m.
Wednesday Nightcap – Philadelphia at San Jose** NBCSN 10:30 p.m.
NHL Overtime* NBCSN 1 a.m.
Thurs., December 31 Winter Classic Alumni Game NBCSN 3:30 p.m.
Fri., January 1 2016 NHL Winter Classic – Montreal at Boston NBC 1 p.m.

*immediately following game coverage
**subject to local blackout in San Jose and Philadelphia      

2014-15 REGULAR SEASON COVERAGE ON NBC & NBCSN

NBC Sports Group will deliver coverage of 103 NHL regular-season games during the 2014-15 season, featuring 14 games on NBC and 89 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 2014-15 NHL season with in-depth news, analysis and original programming on the teams that matter most.

-NBC SPORTS GROUP-