FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Monday, April 10th, 2017

CHICAGO BLACKHAWKS RETURN TO STANLEY CUP PLAYOFFS ACTION THIS WEEK ON CSN CHICAGO

Round 1 Coverage vs. Nashville Predators Begins THURSDAY NIGHT (Apr. 13) LIVE from the United Center beginning at 5:00 PM CT;
Face-off at 7:00 PM featuring Hall of Famers Pat Foley and Eddie Olczyk with the game call!

CSN to Air Exclusive Local Coverage of Games 1, 3 & 4 in the Chicago Market (and Games 6-7 if nec.; Game 5 TBD)

FOR THE FIRST TIME EVER — Live streaming coverage of EVERY Blackhawks Stanley Cup Playoffs First Round telecast – including all Pre/Postgame Shows –
to be made available to authenticated subscribers on CSNChicago.com and via the NBC Sports app 

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

“Blackhawks Playoff Preview presented by Chevy” special airs Wednesday Night at 8:30 PM & 10:30 PM!

Chicago, IL (April 10, 2017) – CSN Chicago (CSN), the television home for the most games and the most comprehensive coverage of the 2016-17 National Hockey League Western Conference regular season champion Chicago Blackhawks, is ready to bring fans the thrilling excitement of the 2017 Stanley Cup Playoffs with exclusive, local Round 1 coverage of the Western Conference Playoffs as the Blackhawks take on the Central Division rival Nashville Predators.  CSN will be the exclusive local coverage home in the Chicago market to see Game 1 from the United Center and Games 3 & 4 from Bridgestone Arena (NOTE: If necessary, CSN will also carry Game 6 from Bridgestone Arena & Game 7 from the United Center; Game 5 is TBD).  Plus, every CSN Stanley Cup Playoff game telecast will once again be presented in a high-definition (HD) format.

In addition — EVERY Blackhawks/Stanley Cup Playoff Round 1 telecast on CSN, including surrounding Blackhawks Pre/Postgame Live coverage, will be accessible live via CSNChicago.com and the NBC Sports app to authenticated CSN Chicago subscribers.  The live streaming service is currently available to customers of Comcast/Xfinity, DIRECTV, DISH Network, AT&T U-verse, Mediacom, RCN, WOW!, Time Warner Cable and Charter among numerous other carriers.  For a full list of carriers and more information about CSN Chicago’s live streaming service of White Sox games, viewers are urged to visit the following link: http://www.csnchicago.com/live-faq.

CSN’s Blackhawks Stanley Cup Playoffs coverage gets underway with Game 1 Thursday, April 13 at 5:00 PM CT (or immediately following “Cubs Postgame Live”) with a special, Blackhawks-focused edition of SportsTalk Live presented by The Chevy Silverado LIVE from the United Center, featuring a detailed Blackhawks-Predators Game 1 discussion with a Blackhawks experts and a number of special guests.  At 5:30 PM, CSN will present a Blackhawks/hockey-centric edition of In the Loop presented by Comcast Business (featuring hosts Luke Stuckmeyer and Leila Rahimi also LIVE from the United Center).  Then at 6:00 PM, fans can look forward to a special ONE-HOUR United Center edition of Chevy Blackhawks Pregame Live with hosts Pat Boyle, Steve Konroyd, and Jamal Mayers with a complete Game 1 and overall series preview, plus detailed analysis and a number of player/coaches interviews.  Opening face-off for Game 1 is set for 7:00 PM featuring CSN’s Hall of Fame Blackhawks announcing tandem of Pat Foley and Eddie Olczyk with the expert play-by-play and analysis, plus – CSN’s Blackhawks reporter Chris Boden 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 (NOTE: CSN’s complete Stanley Cup Playoffs Round 1 coverage schedule is included in this release).

On Wednesday night (Apr. 12) at 8:30 PM & 10:30 PM, Blackhawks fans can look forward to a Stanley Cup Playoffs primer with Blackhawks Playoff Preview presented by Chevy.  This half-hour special, hosted by Pat Boyle, Steve Konroyd, and Jamal Mayers will provide a detailed, inside look at the Blackhawks vs. Predators first round match-up, a recap of every regular season battle against the Predators, 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 In The Loop (presented by Comcast Business at 6:30 PM, GMC at 10:00 & State Farm at 10:30PM) for the latest Blackhawks playoffs news, social media highlights, viral videos and much more, along with CSN Fast Break nightly at 12 midnight for a full recap of every Stanley Cup Playoffs match-up, including game recaps, next game previews, up-to-the-minute team/player updates, interviews and numerous playoff highlights from around the league.  Plus – host David Kaplan and a panel of Blackhawks/NHL experts will deliver the hottest Stanley Cup discussion and game breakdowns every weeknight on SportsTalk Live presented by The Chevy Silverado (check your channel guide for specific times or visit CSNChicago.com for detailed listings).

In addition to its live stream of every first round playoff telecast, 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 Stanley Cup Playoffs 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), Pat Boyle (@CSNBoyle), Steve Konroyd (@Stevekonroyd), Jamal Mayers (@jamalmayers), and Chris Boden (@CSNBoden) 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 Talk PODCAST” (presented by Vivid Seats) – Featuring Blackhawks Pre/Postgame Live host Pat Boyle, “Insider” Tracey Myers, and an array of special guests, CSN’s “Blackhawks Talk” podcast features in-depth Blackhawks discussion on the hottest topics and breaking news throughout the Stanley Cup Playoffs. Fans can download all of CSN’s podcasts at CSNChicago.com/podcasts and simply subscribe to them via iTunes, Google Play or Stitcher.  The podcasts can be played on any mobile device, laptop, or desktop computer.
  • 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/blackhawks) – CSNChicago.com’s high-velocity, real-time, comprehensive Blackhawks/Stanley Cup Playoffs news and opinion section featuring original commentary, reporting and social media aggregation. BlackhawksTalk contains interactive content with continually updated insights from the network’s talent, which includes the new #BlackhawksTalk podcast.
  • 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.
  • Fans can also follow and connect with CSN’s extensive Blackhawks coverage on Facebook (including numerous “Facebook Live” segments with CSN talent), Instagram and Snapchat at @CSNChicago
  • CSNChicago.com, NBC Sports and ProHockeyTalk.com will also produce Blackhawks and NHL content in tandem throughout the playoffs, which will include on-camera segments and digital reports.
  • 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 CSN/CSNChicago.com/NBC Sports app:

CHICAGO BLACKHAWKS vs. NASHVILLE PREDATORS on CSN CHICAGO

* Game 1: Thu, April 13, 7:00 PMBlackhawks vs. Predators (United Center)
LIVE STREAM also available on CSNChicago.com & the NBC Sports app
(NOTES: Blackhawks/Stanley Cup Playoffs Round 1 coverage on CSN begins at 5:00 PM (or immediately following “Cubs Postgame Live”) with a special Blackhawks-focused edition of SportsTalk Live from the United Center, which will be followed by UC Blackhawks-hockey centric edition of In the Loop at 5:30 PM; leading into a special ONE-HOUR edition of Blackhawks Pregame Live at 6:00 PM with Blackhawks Postgame Live immediately following the game.  In the Loop Prime immediately follows Postgame Live with even more comprehensive Blackhawks/Stanley Cup Playoffs coverage; game replay at 12:30 AM)

* Game 2: Sat, April 15 at approx. 9:30 PM – ‘Blackhawks Postgame Live’ on CSN & CSNChicago.com (LIVE from the United Center) (NOTE: CSN will replay Game 2 on Sunday, April 16 at NOON)

* Game 3: Mon, April 17, 8:30 PMBlackhawks at Predators (Bridgestone Arena)
LIVE STREAM also available on CSNChicago.com & the NBC Sports app
(NOTES: SportsTalk Live at 6:00 PM; In the Loop at 6:30 PM; Blackhawks All-Access playoffs special at 7:00 PM; One-hour edition of Blackhawks Pregame Live at 7:30 PM/Blackhawks Postgame Live after the game; followed by an expanded edition of CSN Fast Break with even more comprehensive Blackhawks/Stanley Cup Playoffs coverage; game replay at 12:30 AM)
IMPORTANT CUBS NOTE:  The Cubs vs. Milwaukee game will now move to CSN+/CSN+HD (also streaming live on CSNChicago.com/NBC Sports app) (Cubs Pregame Live at 6:30 PM, first pitch at 7:00 PM; viewers urged to visit CSNChicago.com for exact CSN+ channel location in their area).

* Game 4: Thu, April 20 (TIME TBD) Blackhawks at Predators (Bridgestone Arena)
LIVE STREAM also available on CSNChicago.com & the NBC Sports app
(PRECISE GAME DAY COVERAGE DETAILS ARE TBD) 

* Game 5:  Sat, April 22 (Time TBD) – Blackhawks vs. Predators (United Center Center) (if necessary)
(PRECISE GAME DAY COVERAGE DETAILS ARE TBD) 

* Game 6:  Mon, April 24 (Time TBD) – Blackhawks at Predators (Bridgestone Arena) (if necessary)
(PRECISE GAME DAY COVERAGE DETAILS ARE TBD) 

* Game 7:  Wed, April 26 (Time TBD) – Blackhawks vs. Predators (United Center) (if necessary)
(PRECISE GAME DAY COVERAGE DETAILS ARE TBD) 

ALL TIMES ARE CENTRAL TIME

CSN Chicago, a partnership between the Chicago Blackhawks (NHL), Chicago Bulls (NBA), Chicago Cubs (MLB), Chicago White Sox (MLB) and the NBC Sports Group, features over 275 live pro games in high definition each year.  In addition, CSN delivers extensive pre/post-game coverage for its core pro team partners, as well as the Chicago Bears, along with numerous entertaining local sports discussion/social media-focused programs via In the Loop and SportsTalk Live.  Through the network’s growing digital platform, CSNChicago.com, Chicago sports fans tap into the most comprehensive and dedicated 24/7 online destination for breaking news, up-to-the-minute game previews/recaps, highlights, multimedia video clips, and standout coverage from CSNChicago.com’s team of “Insiders.”  Follow the network on Twitter via @CSNChicago.

NBC Sports Regional Networks is NBC Sports Group’s portfolio of nine regional networks that delivers more than 2,200 live sporting events annually and original content to more than 43 million homes. Aligned within network groups in the East and West, the NBC Sports Regional Networks are: CSN New England, CSN Philadelphia, TCN, CSN Mid-Atlantic, SNY; and CSN Bay Area, CSN California, CSN Chicago, and CSN Northwest. For additional information, visit ComcastSportsNet.com. For more information on NBC Sports Group properties, including press releases, photos, talent and executive bios, headshots and logos, please visit NBCSportsGroupPressBox.com

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