FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Monday, December 22nd, 2014

NBC PRESENTS 2015 NHL WINTER CLASSIC ON NEW YEAR’S DAY AS WASHINGTON CAPITALS HOST CHICAGO BLACKHAWKS AT NATIONALS PARK IN NATION’S CAPITAL

“The Winter Classic is a destination for hockey fans and non-hockey fans. It’s more than a hockey game.” – Pierre McGuire

“You can see the players enjoy it when they are playing in it, and they sure enjoy talking about it when it’s over with smiles on their faces.” – Mike “Doc” Emrick

2015 NHL Winter Classic Conference Call Transcript – Emrick, McGuire & Flood

CSN Chicago & CSN Mid-Atlantic To Provide Comprehensive Winter Classic Regional Coverage

NBCSN’s NHL Coverage Continues This Week With Blues-Avalanche Tuesday at 8 p.m. ET

Saturday Night NHL Doubleheader on NBCSN – Capitals at Penguins at 7:30 p.m. ET, Followed by Sharks-Kings at 10 p.m. ET

STAMFORD, Conn. – Dec. 22, 2014 – Some of the NHL’s biggest stars take center stage in our nation’s capital on New Year’s Day on NBC, when Alex Ovechkin and the Washington Capitals host Patrick Kane and the Chicago Blackhawks in the 2015 NHL Winter Classic from Nationals Park, home of Major League Baseball’s Washington Nationals, on Jan. 1, 2015, at 1 p.m. ET.

Emmy Award-winning play-by-play commentator and Sports Illustrated 2014 Media Person of the Year Mike ‘Doc’ Emrick, analyst Eddie Olczyk and Emmy Award-winning ‘Inside-the-Glass’ analyst Pierre McGuire will have the Winter Classic call from Washington, D.C.

NHL Live host Liam McHugh will be on-site at Nationals Park 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, The Weather Channel on-camera meteorologist and storm tracker Jim Cantore will be on-site to provide weather updates and conduct interviews throughout the game, a role he has held at previous NHL Winter Classics.

This week’s NHL coverage begins tomorrow with a Central Division showdown between T.J. Oshie and the St. Louis Blues, and Nathan MacKinnon and the Colorado Avalanche at 8 p.m. ET on NBCSN. Coverage continues Saturday, Dec. 27, with a doubleheader on NBCSN, as Sidney Crosby and the Pittsburgh Penguins host Ovechkin and the Capitals at 7:30 p.m. ET, followed by a visit by Logan Couture and the San Jose Sharks to Los Angeles to face Jonathan Quick and the Kings at 10 p.m. ET.

Tuesday’s coverage begins at 7 p.m. ET with NHL Live, hosted by Kathryn Tappen alongside Milbury and Jones. McHugh anchors NHL Live on Saturday night at 6:30 p.m. ET with Roenick and Jones.

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

Last Thursday, Doc Emrick, Pierre McGuire and executive producer Sam Flood previewed the 2015 Winter Classic on a media conference call. Following are quotes from Thursday’s call:

Emrick on players’ enthusiasm for the Winter Classic: “We’ve had sun delays in Philly, we had snow start-to-finish last year in Ann Arbor, rain-to-sleet-to-snow in Buffalo, and not only have the crews adjusted, but the players have played. They enjoy it when they are playing in it and they sure enjoyed talking about it when it’s over, with smiles on their faces.”

McGuire: “The Winter Classic is really a destination location for hockey fans and non-hockey fans. It’s more than a hockey game. The Capitals are a huge part of Washington D.C.’s sports fabric, and you’ve got a great team in the Chicago Blackhawks. If we have the right conditions for this Winter Classic in Washington, it could be one of the more memorable games.”

Emrick on holding Winter Classic in Washington D.C.: “The Blackhawks and the Capitals are probably both hopeful that the President comes to the game…the last sitting President to attend a Capitals game was Bill Clinton. But what I think they would like is for him to come to the game, and then maybe come to his house in June or July after one of them wins the Stanley Cup.”

McGuire on Ovechkin: “He’s a stand-alone star worldwide. It’s not just in Washington; it’s in Canada; it’s in Russia; it’s in Sweden; it’s in Finland; I’ve been with him in some of these countries.  It’s phenomenal the drawing power he has in more than just one city, but around the world.”

Click here for the full Winter Classic conference call transcript: http://nbcsportsgrouppressbox.com/2014/12/18/transcript-nbc-sports-group-2015-winter-classic-conference-call-with-doc-emrick-pierre-mcguire-and-sam-flood/

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

CSN CHICAGO & CSN MID-ATLANTIC TO PROVIDE COMPREHENSIVE WINTER CLASSIC REGIONAL COVERAGE

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

CSN Mid-Atlantic will provide expanded game-day coverage on New Year’s Day, including a 90-minute Winter Classic Pregame Live at 11:30 a.m. ET, and a one-hour post-game show. In addition, CSN Mid-Atlantic will look back at the 2011 Winter Classic between the Capitals and Penguins, and present Building of the Bridgestone Winter Classic, giving viewers an in-depth look at the logistics and preparation involved in hosting one of the NHL’s marquee events.

CSN Chicago will air extensive pre- and post-game coverage around the Winter Classic, beginning with Blackhawks Pregame Live at 11:30 a.m. CT. In addition, CSN Chicago will present a new edition of Blackhawks All-Access, taking viewers behind-the-scenes as the team prepares for the Winter Classic.


BLUES-AVALANCHE – TUESDAY AT 8 P.M. ET ON NBCSN

The Blues and Avalanche meet in Denver tomorrow night for the second time in two weeks. In their last meeting on Dec. 11, Oshie scored 1:03 into overtime to give the Blues a 3-2 win, despite 42 saves from Colorado goaltender Calvin Pickard. Colorado has recorded a point in five straight games (3-0-2), including a 2-1 shootout win in Detroit on Sunday. The Blues enter tomorrow’s game following a 3-2 overtime loss against the Sharks in San Jose on Saturday.

CAPITALS-PENGUINS – SATURDAY AT 7:30 P.M. ET ON NBCSN

Ovechkin’s Capitals and Crosby’s Penguins square off for the first time this season on Saturday night on NBCSN. Washington has recorded points in eight straight games (6-0-2), including a 4-0 win over the New Jersey Devils on Saturday. The Penguins lead the Metropolitan Division and Eastern Conference with 48 points and have one regulation loss in their last 10 games (7-1-2). Last Saturday, Crosby scored for the first time since missing three games with the mumps in a 3-1 win over the Florida Panthers.

Chris Cuthbert (play-by-play) and Anson Carter (Inside-the-Glass analyst) will call the action from CONSOL Energy Center in Pittsburgh, Pa.

SHARKS-KINGS – SATURDAY AT 10 P.M. ET ON NBCSN

The Sharks enter this week’s action with five straight wins and nine wins in their last 10 games to move into second place in the Pacific Division (19-11-4, 42 points), led by Logan Couture’s 10 points (5g/5a) in that span. The Kings (17-11-6, 40 pts) face the Sharks for the first time since opening night, when San Jose dealt Los Angeles a 4-0 defeat at STAPLES Center following the Kings’ 2014 Stanley Cup banner-raising ceremony. The Kings have won two straight games and face Calgary on Tuesday night.

Randy Hahn (play-by-play) and Jamie Baker (analyst) will call the action from Los Angeles.

Note: Saturday night’s Capitals-Penguins game is subject to local blackouts.

Date Coverage Network Time (ET)
Tues., December 23 NHL Live NBCSN 7 p.m.
St. Louis at Colorado NBCSN 8 p.m.
NHL Top 10 (Encore) NBCSN 11 p.m.
NHL Top 10 (Encore) NBCSN 11:30 p.m.
Sat., December 27 NHL Rivals – Penguins-Capitals (Encore) NBCSN 6 p.m.
NHL Live NBCSN 6:30 p.m.
Washington at Pittsburgh NBCSN 7:30 p.m.
San Jose at Los Angeles NBCSN 10 p.m.
Thurs., January 1 2015 Winter Classic – Chicago at Washington NBC 1 p.m.

 

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-