FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Wednesday, December 26th, 2018
BRUINS & BLACKHAWKS FACE OFF IN 2019 BRIDGESTONE NHL WINTER CLASSIC® ON NEW YEAR’S DAY AT NOTRE DAME STADIUM ON NBC
2019 NHL Bridgestone Winter Classic® – Boston Bruins vs. Chicago Blackhawks – Tuesday, Jan. 1, at 1 p.m. ET on NBC
NBC Sports Chicago Surrounds NHL Winter Classic With Special On-Site Coverage from Notre Dame Stadium
Transcript – 2019 NHL Bridgestone Winter Classic Media Conference Call
NHL Conference-Leading Lightning Host Flyers on Thursday at 7:30 p.m. ET on NBCSN
New Episode of Road To The NHL Winter Classic™ Debuts Thursday at 5:30 p.m. ET, Encores at 11 p.m. ET Following Flyers-Lightning
STAMFORD, Conn. – December 26, 2018 – NBC Sports presents the 11th installment of the NHL’s signature regular-season game on New Year’s Day, as Brad Marchand and the Boston Bruins face off against Patrick Kane and the Chicago Blackhawks in the 2019 Bridgestone NHL Winter Classic® at Notre Dame Stadium in South Bend, Ind., on Jan. 1, 2019, at 1 p.m. ET on NBC.
Mike Tirico will host the network’s Winter Classic pre-game coverage alongside the NHL Live studio team of host Kathryn Tappen, and analysts Mike Milbury, Keith Jones and Jeremy Roenick. Six-time Emmy Award-winner and La Fontaine, Ind., native Mike ‘Doc’ Emrick, U.S. Hockey Hall of Fame member Eddie Olczyk, and ‘Inside-the-Glass’ analyst Pierre McGuire will have the call from Notre Dame Stadium.
NBC Sports’ coverage of the NHL this week begins Thursday, as Steven Stamkos and the NHL-leading Tampa Bay Lightning host Claude Giroux and the Philadelphia Flyers at 7:30 p.m. ET on NBCSN. Pre-game coverage begins at 6:30 p.m. ET with NHL Live, hosted by Tappen alongside analysts Anson Carter and Jones.
NBCSports.com and the NBC Sports app — NBC Sports Group’s live streaming platforms for desktops, mobile devices, tablets, and connected TVs — will provide live streaming coverage of this week’s NHL action.
2019 BRIDGESTONE NHL WINTER CLASSIC® – BRUINS-BLACKHAWKS – TUESDAY, JAN. 1, AT 1 P.M. ET ON NBC
The 2019 NHL Winter Classic will mark Chicago’s fourth and Boston’s third appearance in the annual New Year’s Day game. The Blackhawks are 0-3-0 all-time in the Winter Classic, with their most recent loss coming against the St. Louis Blues in the 2017 NHL Winter Classic at Busch Stadium in St. Louis, Mo. Boston defeated the Philadelphia Flyers, 2-1, at Boston’s Fenway Park in 2010, and lost 5-1 to the Montreal Canadiens in 2016 at Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, Mass.
The Bruins (20-13-4, 44 pts) are 6-4-0 in their last 10 games, with wins coming against Anaheim and Nashville. David Pastrnak paces the team with 23 goals and 47 points, while Marchand ranks first in assists (29) and second in points (41). The Blackhawks (13-20-6, 32 pts) rattled off a season-high three consecutive wins last week before falling to the Florida Panthers, 6-3, on Sunday. Kane leads Chicago in points (44) and ranks tied for first in goals (17) through 39 games.
Last week, Emrick, Olczyk, McGuire, Tirico and NBC Sports executive producer Sam Flood, previewed the upcoming NHL Winter Classic on a media conference call. Click here for a full transcript.
NBC SPORTS CHICAGO SURROUNDS NHL WINTER CLASSIC WITH SPECIAL ON-SITE COVERAGE FROM NOTRE DAME STADIUM
NBC Sports Chicago’s game day coverage of the NHL Winter Classic will be highlighted by a special one-hour, on-field remote edition of Blackhawks Pregame Live presented by ChevyDrivesChicago.com at 11 a.m. CT, featuring host Pat Boyle, along with analysts Steve Konroyd, Jamal Mayers, Adam Burish, and Patrick Sharp. In addition to a complete game preview, player match-up overviews, and on-field pregame reports, Blackhawks Pregame Live will also feature live coverage of the tailgate festivities with Blackhawks fans, along with scheduled pregame interviews with Blackhawks and NHL executives.
Immediately following the game telecast, fans can look forward to an expanded edition of Blackhawks Postgame Live presented by Hyundai at 2:30 p.m. CT on NBC Sports Chicago, highlighted by live coverage of the post-game press conferences, along with locker room player interviews and much more.
NEW EPISODE OF ROAD TO THE NHL WINTER CLASSIC™ DEBUTS THURSDAY AT 6 P.M. ET, ENCORES AT 11 P.M. ET FOLLOWING FLYERS-LIGHTNING
A new episode of the critically-acclaimed Road To The NHL Winter Classic™ docuseries, which takes viewers inside the dressing rooms and homes of the Boston Bruins and Chicago Blackhawks as they prepare to meet in the Winter Classic on Jan. 1., will debut on Thursday at 5:30 p.m. ET on NBCSN, leading into coverage of Flyers-Lightning on NBCSN. An encore presentation will air at 11 p.m. ET on NBCSN, immediately following coverage of Flyers-Lightning.
FLYERS-LIGHTNING THURSDAY AT 7:30 P.M. ET ON NBCSN
The Lightning (28-7-2, 58 pts) are 11-0-1 since Nov. 29 and currently own the top record in the Eastern Conference. Tampa Bay defeated Edmonton, 6-3, on Saturday to help push the Lightning’s point streak to 12 games. Nikita Kucherov recorded his first career five-point game in the victory.
The Flyers (15-16-4, 34 pts) defeated the New York Rangers, 3-2, in a shootout on Sunday, and improved to 3-1-0 in their last four games. Giroux leads Philadelphia in points (42).
Rick Peckham (play-by-play) and Brian Boucher (‘Inside-the-Glass’ analyst) will call Flyers-Lightning from Amalie Arena in Tampa, Fla.
Following is this week’s hockey schedule on NBCSN:
| Date | Coverage | Network | Time (ET) |
| Thurs., Dec. 27 | Road to the Winter Classic – Episode 1 (Encore) | NBCSN | 5:30 p.m. |
| Road to the Winter Classic – Episode 2 | NBCSN | 6 p.m. | |
| NHL Live | NBCSN | 6:30 p.m. | |
| Philadelphia at Tampa Bay^ | NBCSN | 7:30 p.m. | |
| NHL Overtime* | NBCSN | 10:15 p.m. | |
| Road to the Winter Classic – Episode 2 (Encore) | NBCSN | 11 p.m. | |
| Tues., Jan. 1 | 2019 Bridgestone NHL Winter Classic – Bruins vs. Blackhawks | NBC | 1 p.m. |
*Immediately following game coverage
^Subject to local blackout
2018-19 REGULAR SEASON COVERAGE ON NBC & NBCSN
NBC Sports will deliver coverage of a record 109 regular-season games during the 2018-19 season, highlighted by the debut of “Wednesday Night Hockey” on NBCSN, which will showcase the network’s most diverse schedule since it acquired NHL rights prior to the 2005-06 season, as well as NHL’s current and rising stars. All games will be streamed live on NBCSports.com and the NBC Sports app to authenticated users via TV Everywhere.
Click here for more information on NBC Sports Group’s comprehensive NHL coverage this season.
STREAMING COVERAGE ON NBCSPORTS.COM AND THE NBC SPORTS APP
NBCSports.com and the NBC Sports app — NBC Sports Group’s live streaming platforms for desktops, mobile devices, tablets, and connected TVs — will provide live streaming coverage of the 2018-19 NHL season via “TV Everywhere,” giving consumers additional value for their subscription service, and making high quality content available to MVPD customers both in and out of the home and on multiple platforms.
NBCSports.com and the NBC Sports app are powered by Playmaker Media and available on the iTunes App Store, Google Play, Windows Store, Roku Channel Store, Apple TV, Amazon Fire, Samsung Smart TVs, Xbox, and Chromecast.
– NBC SPORTS –
