FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Monday, December 30th, 2019
NBC SPORTS PRESENTS 2020 BRIDGESTONE NHL WINTER CLASSIC® FEATURING STARS & PREDATORS AT COTTON BOWL ON NEW YEAR’S DAY AT 1 P.M. ET ON NBC
Mike “Doc” Emrick, Eddie Olczyk, Pierre McGuire and Brian Boucher Call the Action
Mike Tirico Hosts On-Site with Kathryn Tappen, Mike Milbury, Keith Jones, and Patrick Sharp; Tirico to Interview Members of 1999 Stanley Cup Champion Stars
“Playing in the Winter Classic is an experience and an honor. It’s more than just a regular-season game.” – Patrick Sharp
NBC Sports Partners with Dude Perfect on Hockey Trick Shot Video From Cotton Bowl Featuring Tyler Seguin and Jamie Benn
NHL Doubleheaders on NBCSN; Devils-Isles and Blues-Avs on Thursday Night, Followed by Red Wings-Blackhawks and Predators-Ducks on Sunday
STAMFORD, Conn. – Dec. 30, 2019 – NBC Sports presents the 12th installment of the NHL’s signature regular-season game on New Year’s Day, as Tyler Seguin and the Dallas Stars face off against Roman Josi and the Nashville Predators in the 2020 Bridgestone NHL Winter Classic® at the Cotton Bowl in Dallas, Texas, on Jan. 1, 2020, at 1 p.m. ET on NBC.
Seven-time Emmy Award-winner Mike ‘Doc’ Emrick, U.S. Hockey Hall of Fame member Eddie Olczyk, and ‘Inside-the-Glass’ analysts Pierre McGuire and Brian Boucher will have the call from the Cotton Bowl.
Mike Tirico will host the network’s on-site Winter Classic pre-game coverage alongside the NHL Live studio team of host Kathryn Tappen, and analysts Mike Milbury, Keith Jones and Patrick Sharp.
Since its inception in 2008, the NHL Winter Classic telecasts on NBC represent the most-watched single NHL game telecasts on record.
Patrick Sharp played in two Winter Classics as a member of the Blackhawks (2009 and 2015) and Brian Boucher was a member of the Flyers and served as the backup goaltender for the 2010 Winter Classic at Fenway Park. Following are comments from Sharp and Boucher on the significance of the Winter Classic:
Boucher: “Aside from the Stanley Cup Final, the Winter Classic was my most anticipated game and one of my top memories as a player. There is truly nothing like playing the game outdoors – the Winter Classic brought back so many great memories from my childhood playing on outdoor rinks and ponds in Rhode Island. Knowing your team is slated to play in the Winter Classic makes the lead-up to the game almost as good as the game itself.”
Sharp: “Playing in the Winter Classic is an experience and an honor. It’s more than just a regular-season game. You have to earn the right as an organization to play in the Winter Classic. It was a big deal as a player and for the Blackhawks. Looking back, the 2009 Winter Classic put our young team on the big stage and it prepared us for bigger playoff matchups down the road. That game felt like the beginning of good things to come in Chicago.”
Following are highlights from NBC Sports’ coverage of the 2020 NHL Winter Classic:
Mike Tirico to interview members of 1999 Stanley Cup Champion Stars team: Tirico will interview members of 1999 Stanley Cup Champion Stars team on-site during intermission of coverage on NBC. The Cup marks the only championship for the franchise.
Tim Layden feature on Cotton Bowl: NBC Sports journalist Tim Layden takes viewers through the history of the Cotton Bowl, highlighting the notable sporting and cultural events that have taken place in the confines of the illustrious stadium.
Dude Perfect hockey trick shot video: NBC Sports has partnered with trick shot extraordinaire group Dude Perfect ahead of this year’s Winter Classic. Today at 6 p.m. ET, Dude Perfect will release a hockey trick shot video on their YouTube channel which features Stars players Tyler Seguin and Jamie Benn.
Dan + Shay: Grammy Award-winning duo Dan + Shay will headline the entertainment for the 2020 NHL Winter Classic, with their performance airing live on NBC during the first intermission.
The Predators (18-14-6, 42 pts) enter the Winter Classic looking bounce back from a pair of losses to Pittsburgh in a home-and-home series last weekend. Captain Roman Josi leads the team with 39 points (14g/25a) and is on a career-high seven-game point streak.
Dallas (22-14-4, 48 pts) are coming off a pair of wins against Colorado and Arizona over the weekend. The Stars are led offensively by Seguin (11g/21a) and the goaltending tandem of Ben Bishop and Anton Khudobin has combined to allow the fewest goals in the Western Conference (99).
Below is NBC Sports’ NHL coverage this week:
| Date | Coverage | Network | Time (ET) |
| Wed., January 1 | 2020 Bridgestone NHL Winter Classic – Nashville vs. Dallas | NBC | 1 p.m. |
| Thurs., January 2 | NHL Live | NBCSN | 6 p.m. |
| New Jersey at New York Islanders | NBCSN | 7 p.m. | |
| St. Louis at Colorado | NBCSN | 9:30 p.m. | |
| NHL Overtime | NBCSN | 12 a.m.* | |
| Fri., January 3 | No. 15 Notre Dame vs. No. 19 Western Michigan | NBCSN | 7 p.m. |
| Sun., January 5 | NHL Live | NBCSN | 6:30 p.m. |
| Detroit at Chicago^ | NBCSN | 7:30 p.m. | |
| Nashville at Anaheim | NBCSN | 10 p.m. | |
| NHL Overtime | NBCSN | 12:30 a.m.* |
*Immediately following game coverage
^subject to local blackouts
THURSDAY – DEVILS-ISLANDERS AT 7 P.M. ET ON NBCSN
The Islanders (24-10-3, 51 pts) host the Devils (13-19-6, 32 pts) on Thursday in a matchup of Metropolitan Division and area rivals. The Isles enter the week following a 3-1 come-from-behind victory in Minnesota on Sunday, while the Devils notched a 4-3 overtime win against Ottawa on Sunday.
Brendan Burke will handle play-by-play duties alongside analyst AJ Mleczko and Emmy Award-winning ‘Inside-the-Glass’ analyst Pierre McGuire at Nassau Coliseum in Uniondale, NY.
THURSDAY – BLUES-AVALANCHE AT 9:30 P.M. ET ON NBCSN
The Avalanche (23-12-4, 50 pts) host the Blues (26-8-6, 58 pts) in a matchup of the top two teams in the Western Conference. The Blues beat the Jets on Sunday, 4-1, to extend their winning streak to eight games. The Avalanche face the Jets on Tuesday and are led by Nathan MacKinnon, who will be a Central Division captain for the 2020 Honda NHL All-Star Game and is fifth in the league in points (56).
Play-by-play commentator John Forslund and ‘Inside-the-Glass’ analyst Brian Boucher will call the action from Pepsi Center in Denver, Colo.
SUNDAY – RED WINGS-BLACKHAWKS AT 7:30 P.M. ET ON NBCSN
The Blackhawks (17-17-6, 40 pts) enter the week following wins against the Islanders and Blue Jackets over the weekend. Detroit (9-28-3, 21 pts) enter the week following a 2-1 loss to the Lightning in Tampa.
Chris Cuthbert will handle play-by-play duties alongside Emmy Award-winning ‘Inside-the-Glass’ analyst Pierre McGuire at United Center in Chicago, Ill.
SUNDAY – PREDATORS-DUCKS AT 10 P.M. ET ON NBCSN
This marks the first of two meetings in the month of January between the Predators and Ducks (16-18-5, 37 pts). Anaheim enters the week following a 2-1 overtime loss to the Flyers and are paced offensively by Jakob Silfverberg (13g/13a).
Play-by-play commentator Alex Faust and analyst Brian Hayward will call the action from Honda Center in Anaheim, Calif.
FRIDAY – COLLEGE HOCKEY – NO. 15 NOTRE DAME VS. NO. 19 WESTERN MICHIGAN AT 7 P.M. ET ON NBCSN
In a battle of two ranked teams, the No. 15 Fighting Irish (9-7-2) will look to continue their strong play at home this season where they have 7 victories. Senior forward Mike O’Leary leads the team with 17 points. The No. 19 Western Michigan Broncos (7-7-2) will return from the semester break hoping to end their current three-game losing streak.
Tony Simeone (play-by-play) and Anson Carter (analyst) will call Friday night’s game from Compton Family Ice Arena in South Bend, Ind.
OUR LINE STARTS – NBC SPORTS’ NEW WEEKLY NHL PODCAST – AVAILABLE NOW
NBC Sports’ new weekly NHL podcast – Our Line Starts – has launched and is available now on all podcast platforms. New episodes of Our Line Starts will be released each Wednesday and will highlight the top stories of each week, including behind-the-scenes content and interviews conducted by NBC Sports’ NHL commentators.
Our Line Starts joins NBC Sports’ growing roster of podcasts spanning the NFL, Premier League, NASCAR, and much more. Click here for more information.
2019-20 REGULAR SEASON COVERAGE ON NBC & NBCSN
NBC Sports is scheduled to present 110 games during the 2019-20 NHL regular season. All games will be streamed live on NBCSports.com and the NBC Sports app to authenticated users via TV Everywhere. Click here for more info.
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 2019-20 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–
