FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Monday, April 11th, 2016

DEFENDING STANLEY CUP CHAMPION CHICAGO BLACKHAWKS RETURN TO PLAYOFFS ACTION THIS WEEK ON COMCAST SPORTSNET

First Round Coverage vs. St. Louis Blues Begins WEDNESDAY NIGHT (Apr. 13) beginning at 5:30 PM CT; Face-off at 8:30 PM featuring Hall of Famers Pat Foley and Eddie Olczyk with the game call!

Comcast SportsNet to Air Games 1, 2 & 4 exclusively in the Chicago Market (Games 5-7 if nec. still TBD);

CSNChicago.com to provide LIVE video stream of EVERY Blackhawks post-game press conference, plus exclusive behind-the-scenes video from team practices and post-game reports from Blackhawks “Insider” Tracey Myers;

“SportsNet Central: Blackhawks Playoff Preview” special airs TOMORROW NIGHT at 10:30 PM

Chicago, IL (April 11, 2016) – Comcast SportsNet, the television home for the most games and most comprehensive coverage of the defending Stanley Cup Champion Chicago Blackhawks, is ready to bring fans the thrilling excitement of the 2016 Stanley Cup Playoffs with exclusive first round Western Conference Playoffs action as the Blackhawks take on the Central Division rival St. Louis Blues.  Comcast SportsNet will be the exclusive television home in the Chicago market to see Games 1 & 2 from Scottrade Center, along with Game 4 from the United Center.  Details regarding Games 5-7 (if nec.) are still TBD.  Plus, every Comcast SportsNet Stanley Cup Playoff game telecast will also be presented in a high-definition (HD) format.

Comcast SportsNet’s Blackhawks Stanley Cup Playoffs coverage gets underway with Game 1 Wednesday, April 13 at 5:30 PM CT with a special, Blackhawks-focused edition of SportsTalk Live presented by The Chevy Silverado featuring host David Kaplan with live remote talkbacks from Scottrade Center.  Following SportsNet Central presented by Comcast Business at 6:30 PM, fans can look forward to a live Blackhawks Playoff Preview feature-driven special at 7:00 PM (hosted by Chris Boden with live hits from St. Louis), which leads into a special ONE-HOUR edition of Chevy Blackhawks Pregame Live with hosts Pat Boyle, Steve Konroyd, and Jamal Mayers at 7:30 PM with a complete Game 1 preview, analysis and interviews.  Opening face-off for Game 1 is set for 8:30 PM featuring Comcast SportsNet’s Hall of Fame Blackhawks announcing tandem of Pat Foley and Eddie Olczyk with the expert play-by-play and analysis, plus – Comcast SportsNet’s Blackhawks beat reporter Luke Stuckmeyer and CSNChicago.com Blackhawks “Insider” Tracey Myers will provide in-stadium reports throughout the first round for all CSN telecasts. Immediately following every playoff game, Blackhawks Post Game Live presented by HawkAuto.com will feature live locker room interviews, detailed analysis, along with head coach Joel Quenneville’s post-game press conference and numerous player interviews. (Comcast SportsNet’s complete First Round coverage schedule is included in this release.)

TOMORROW NIGHT (Tue, Apr. 12) at 10:30 PM, Blackhawks fans can look forward to a Stanley Cup Playoffs primer with SportsNet Central: Blackhawks Playoff Preview.  This half-hour special, hosted by Pat Boyle, Steve Konroyd, and Jamal Mayers will provide a detailed, inside look at the Blackhawks vs. Blues first round match-up, a recap of every regular season battle against the Blues, along with the very latest player status updates, a recap of the regular season featuring key highlights, plus – player/coaches interviews and an overview of the entire Stanley Cup Playoffs picture with analysis on both conferences.

Throughout the playoffs, viewers are also urged to tune in nightly to SportsNet Central (presented by GMC at 10:00 & 10:30PM and presented by CLR at midnight; times may vary due to airing of live events) for the most in-depth Stanley Cup Playoffs coverage, including game recaps, next game previews, up-to-the-minute team/player updates, interviews and numerous playoff highlights from around the league.

Also, throughout the playoffs, Comcast SportsNet’s comprehensive website, CSNChicago.com, will provide fans with even more exclusive Blackhawks/Stanley Cup Playoffs content including the following:

  • CSNChicago.com will stream EVERY Blackhawks postgame press conference LIVE (sponsored by HawkAuto.com) providing insider access to coach Joel Quenneville addressing the media as it happens.
  • CSNChicago.com Blackhawks “Insider” Tracey Myers will be on-site — for EVERY Blackhawks playoff game — filing stories and video for each game and team practices, plus Myers will provide up-to-the-second Tweets via @TramyersCSN throughout the playoffs.  In addition, Blackhawks digital reporter/producer Charlie Roumeliotis (@CRoumeliotis) will also provide Blackhawks opponent perspective/reports on days of home games, along with providing Blackhawks and NHL playoff reports/features on the beat with Myers.  Follow @CSNBlackhawks on Twitter for full team coverage, giveaways, fan photos and game day news straight from the United Center. Fans are also urged to follow Eddie Olczyk (@EddieOlczyk), Jamal Mayers (@jamalmayers), Pat Boyle (@CSNBoyle), and Luke Stuckmeyer (@LukeStuckmeyer) for even more Blackhawks/NHL insider coverage.
  • Video highlights from every Blackhawks playoff game, including in-game highlights after each period.  Pre-game interviews from morning skates will also be provided, as well as extensive post-game reaction from the locker room and analysis from the “Blackhawks Postgame Live” presented by HawkAuto.com.
  • “Blackhawks Pulse,” a one-stop social media hub that reveals the latest trending topics and player buzz from Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.  Plus, “Blackhawks Pulse” aggregates all Blackhawks player tweets, along with fan tweets that utilize the hashtag #HawksTalk. For additional 24/7 team updates on Twitter, fans are urged to follow @CSNBlackhawks.
  • Push Alerts: CSN Chicago will deliver Blackhawks push notifications for breaking team and player news, “Insider” reports, plus game reminder alerts via CSN Chicago’s SportsTalk app for iOS and Android devices.
  • BlackhawksTalk, CSNChicago.com’s high-velocity, real-time, comprehensive Blackhawks news and opinion section featuring original commentary, reporting and aggregation. BlackhawksTalk is under the banner of NBC SportsTalk, NBC’s successful digital franchise on NBCSports.com that includes ProFootballTalk, HardballTalk, ProBaskteballTalk, ProHockeyTalk, CollegeFootballTalk and GolfTalkCentral. SportsTalk was extended to CSNChicago.com through the creation of BlackhawksTalk, BullsTalk, CubsTalk, WhiteSoxTalk, BearsTalk, ChiFireTalk, PrepsTalk, IrishTalk and B1GTalk, which contains interactive content and continually updated insights from the network’s digital and on-air talent.
  • CSNChicago.com and ChicagoBlackhawks.com will collaborate in content creation and distribution throughout the playoffs to provide fans in-depth player interviews and features plus behind-the-scenes access to everything going on and off-the-ice within the Blackhawks organization.
  • CSNChicago.com, NBC Sports and ProHockeyTalk.com will also produce Blackhawks and NHL content in tandem this season, which will include on-camera segments and digital reports.
  • Yahoo: Via the Yahoo Sports – NBC Sports Network digital alliance, CSNChicago.com’s Blackhawks content will be available via sports.yahoo.com.
  • Blackhawks Stanley Cup Playoffs coverage on CSNChicago.com is presented by Toyota.

 

Note the following first round schedule of games and additional coverage information on Comcast SportsNet:

CHICAGO BLACKHAWKS vs. ST. LOUIS BLUES on COMCAST SPORTSNET

* Game 1: Wed, April 13, 8:30 PM – Blackhawks at Blues (Scottrade Center)

(NOTES: Blackhawks/Stanley Cup Playoffs coverage on Comcast SportsNet begins at 5:30 PM with a special Blackhawks-focused edition of SportsTalk Live hosted by David Kaplan (also airing on CSN+HD), which will be followed by SportsNet Central at 6:30 PM; Blackhawks Playoffs Preview at 7:00 PM, leading into Blackhawks Pregame Live at 7:30 PM & Blackhawks Postgame Live will immediately follow the game. An expanded edition of SportsNet Central with even more comprehensive Blackhawks/Stanley Cup Playoffs coverage follows Postgame Live; game replay at 12:30 AM)
ADDITIONAL BLACKHAWKS NOTE:  Game 1 will also be joined in progress on CSN+ immediately following Cubs Postgame Live (viewers urged to visit CSNChicago.com for exact channel locations in their area).
IMPORTANT BULLS NOTE:  The Bulls vs. Philadelphia game (LIVE STREAM available on CSNChicago.com & the NBC Sports Live Extra app) will now move to CSN+2, which can be found on NBC Chicago’s 5.2 digital channel Cozi TV on Comcast/Xfinity cable systems throughout the Chicago area on ch. 341; Cozi TV is also available on RCN ch. 50, Mediacom ch. 105, WOW ch. 130, AT&T U-verse ch. 695/1695 HD; in addition, viewers can watch this game on DIRECTV ch. 665-2/665-2 HD among others (coverage begins at 6:30 PM with tip-off at 7:00 PM; viewers urged to visit CSNChicago.com for exact CSN+2 channel location in their area).

* Game 2: Fri, April 15, 7:00 PM – Blackhawks at Blues (Scottrade Center)
(NOTES: SportsTalk Live at 5:00 PM; SportsNet Central at 6:00 PM; Blackhawks Pregame Live at 6:30 PM/Blackhawks Postgame Live after the game; followed by an expanded edition of SportsNet Central with even more comprehensive Blackhawks/Stanley Cup Playoffs coverage; game replay at 11:00 PM on CSN+HD)
ADDITIONAL BLACKHAWKS NOTE:  Game 2 will also be joined in progress on CSN+ immediately following the White Sox at Tampa Bay game (viewers urged to visit CSNChicago.com for exact channel locations in their area).
IMPORTANT WHITE SOX NOTE:  The White Sox at Tampa Bay game will now move to CSN+/CSN+HD (first pitch at 6:00 PM; viewers urged to visit CSNChicago.com for exact CSN+ channel location in their area).

* Game 3: Sun, April 17 at approx. 4:30 PM – ‘Blackhawks Post Game Live’ on Comcast SportsNet

* Game 4: Tue, April 19, 8:30 PM – Blackhawks vs. Blues (United Center)

(NOTES: SportsTalk Live at 5:00 PM; SportsNet Central at 6:00 PM; Blackhawks Pregame Live at 8:00 PM/Blackhawks Postgame Live after the game –both shows live from the United Center; followed by an expanded edition of SportsNet Central with even more comprehensive Blackhawks/Stanley Cup Playoffs coverage; game replay at 12:30 AM on CSN)

IMPORTANT CUBS NOTE:  The Cubs at St. Louis game (coverage begins at 6:30 PM) will air on the both the main CSN channel location and CSN+/CSN+HD from 7:00-8:00 PM.  At 8:00 PM, the game will move exclusively to CSN+/CSN+HD for the remainder of the telecast. Viewers urged to visit CSNChicago.com for exact channel locations in their area.

* Game 5:  Thu, April 21 (Time TBD) – Blackhawks at Blues (Scottrade Center) (if necessary)
(PRECISE GAME DAY COVERAGE DETAILS ARE TBD)

* Game 6:  Sat, April 23 (Time TBD) – Blackhawks vs. Blues (United Center) (if necessary)
(PRECISE GAME DAY COVERAGE DETAILS ARE TBD)

* Game 7:  Mon, April 25 (Time TBD) – Blackhawks at Blues (Scottrade Center) (if necessary)
(PRECISE GAME DAY COVERAGE DETAILS ARE TBD)

 ALL TIMES ARE CENTRAL TIME

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