FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Monday, December 28th, 2015

NBC SPORTS PRESENTS 2016 BRIDGESTONE NHL WINTER CLASSIC® FEATURING MONTREAL CANADIENS VS. BOSTON BRUINS ON NEW YEAR’S DAY ON NBC

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

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

Eastern Conference Final Rematch on Wednesday Night Rivalry – Rangers-Lightning – 8 p.m. ET on NBCSN, Followed by Flyers-Sharks at 10:30 p.m. ET

Predators-Blues Kicks Off This Week’s NHL Coverage Tomorrow at 8 p.m. ET on NBCSN

STAMFORD, Conn. – Dec. 28, 2015 – NBC Sports presents an NHL Original Six matchup on New Year’s Day in one of the most iconic events in all of sports, 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. On Dec. 15, Emrick, Olczyk, McGuire, Mike Milbury, and executive producer Sam Flood previewed the 2016 Winter Classic on a media conference call. Click here for the full transcript.

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. In addition, NBC’s intermission coverage will include a feature on P.K. Subban, and a look back at the history of the Canadiens-Bruins rivalry.

NBC Sports will provide comprehensive digital and social media coverage in the days leading into the NHL Winter Classic and throughout the game, promoting behind-the-scenes and interactive content across its social media platforms.

Montreal (20-14-3, 43 pts) and Boston (19-12-4, 42 pts) sit in third and fourth place, respectively, in the Atlantic Division, in which first-place Florida (44) and sixth-place Tampa Bay (39) are separated by only five points. The Winter Classic marks the fourth of five meetings between the rivals this season. The Canadiens have won two of three meetings, but Boston earned a 3-1 come-from-behind win in their last matchup on Dec. 9, courtesy of three third-period goals.

This week’s NHL coverage also features a rematch of the 2015 Eastern Conference Final on Wednesday Night Rivalry, when Steven Stamkos and the Tampa Bay Lightning host Henrik Lundqvist and the New York Rangers at 8 p.m. ET on NBCSN. Coverage continues with the Wednesday Nightcap at 10:30 p.m. ET, when Claude Giroux and the Philadelphia Flyers visit Joe Pavelski and the San Jose Sharks. This week’s NHL slate on NBCSN begins tomorrow at 8 p.m. ET, when David Backes and the St. Louis Blues host Pekka Rinne and the Nashville Predators.

Kenny Albert (play-by-play) and Brian Boucher (‘Inside-the-Glass’ analyst) will have the call of Predators-Blues, John Forslund (play-by-play) and Brian Engblom will call Rangers-Lightning, and Jim Jackson (play-by-play) and Chris Therien (“Inside-the-Glass” analyst) will provide commentary for Flyers-Sharks. Tomorrow night’s coverage begins at 7 p.m. ET with NHL Live, hosted by Kathryn Tappen alongside Roenick and Jones. Liam McHugh anchors Wednesday’s studio coverage with Boucher and Jones.


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 Bruins and Canadiens prepare for their New Year’s Day showdown.


WEDNESDAY NIGHT RIVALRY – RANGERS-LIGHTNING – 8 P.M. ET ON NBCSN

The Rangers and Lightning square off in a rematch of the 2015 Eastern Conference Final this week on NBCSN’s Wednesday Night Rivalry. This marks the second time the teams will meet since last year’s Eastern Conference Final, when the Lightning defeated the Rangers in seven games. Last month, the Lightning ended the Rangers’ nine-game winning streak with a 2-1 victory in Tampa, as Valtteri Filppula scored a shorthanded goal with 1:05 remaining to break a 1-1 tie. The Rangers have not won a road game since Nov. 21 (0-5-2), and face the Predators tonight in Nashville, while Tampa Bay hosts Montreal tonight.


WEDNESDAY NIGHTCAP – FLYERS-SHARKS – 10:30 P.M. ET ON NBCSN

The Flyers (15-13-7, 37 pts; 6th in Metropolitan Division) visit the Sharks on Wednesday night in the second game of a three-game California road trip, after falling 4-2 to the Ducks in Anaheim on Sunday. Captain Claude Giroux has gone without a point in five games after recording 15 points (5g/10a) in his previous 10 games. This marks the second meeting of the season between the two clubs. Last month, Martin Jones made 34 saves in a 1-0 overtime win for the Sharks in Philadelphia. The Sharks (17-15-2, 36 pts; 4th in Pacific Division) are coming off a 5-3 win in Los Angeles last week, and have recorded a point in four of their last five games entering their matchup with Colorado tonight.


PREDATORS-BLUES – TOMORROW NIGHT AT 8 P.M. ET ON NBCSN

The Blues (22-12-4, 48 pts; 2nd in Central Division) host the Predators in St. Louis tomorrow night for the second time in the past two weeks. On Dec. 17, Backes and Vladimir Tarasenko scored third-period goals to lead the Blues to a 2-1 win. Tarasenko currently ranks second in the NHL in goals (22), while goaltender Jake Allen, who made 27 saves in the win, is tied for the league lead in shutouts (5).

Nashville (17-12-6, 40 pts; 5th in Central Division) goaltender Pekka Rinne is tied for the league lead in appearances (30), and the team has been led offensively by a pair of defensemen. Roman Josi currently leads the club with 26 points, followed by fellow blueliner Shea Weber (25).

Following is NBC Sports Group’s upcoming NHL coverage:

Date Coverage Network Time (ET)
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.
Thur., 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 Philadelphia    

 

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-