FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Thursday, June 25th, 2020

NEW EPISODE OF NBC SPORTS REGIONAL NETWORKS’ ‘SPORTS UNCOVERED’ PODCAST SERIES, “MARATHON ON ICE,” AVAILABLE NOW

Fourth Installment of Six-Part Series Delves into the Storied History of the Philadelphia Flyers – Pittsburgh Penguins 2000 Stanley Cup Semifinal Five-Overtime Game

NBC Sports Philadelphia Production Includes Interviews with Keith Jones, Brian Boucher, Keith Primeau, Rick Tocchet, Mark Recchi, Chris Therien, and Others; Introduction from Mike Tirico

Original Storytelling Franchise, Which Launched May 28, Explores New and Forgotten Aspects of Well-Known Sports Topics

STAMFORD, Conn. – June 25, 2020 – NBC Sports Regional Networks’ six-episode podcast anthology series, “Sports Uncovered,” which re-examines some of the most memorable and compelling storylines and events in sports history, continues today with the debut of Marathon on Ice, the story of the Philadelphia Flyers and Pittsburgh Penguins five overtime game during the 2000 NHL Eastern Conference Semifinals. The episode is available here.

Marathon on Ice, narrated by Marc Zumoff, delves into the storied history of the Philadelphia Flyers and Pittsburgh Penguins, and the significant impact the five-overtime game had on the players, coaches, broadcasters and fans during the series and the ripple effect this game had on both franchises. The Penguins led the series, 2-1, when the teams took the ice for Game Four on May 4, 2000, in Pittsburgh. After 6 hours and 56 minutes, and five overtimes, the Flyers’ Keith Primeau scored to end the game, the longest NHL game in modern history. The Flyers went on to win the series, 4-2.

Following are highlighted quotes from Marathon Ice:

“Man, somebody end this thing, seriously. I’m going to die.” – Keith Jones, former Flyer and current NBC Sports Philadelphia hockey broadcaster and NHL on NBC Studio Analyst

“I got an IV after the fourth period. And I went out, and I started, and I completely seized up. I completely cramped up and I’m standing on the ice going, ‘I can’t move now.’” – Mark Recchi, former Flyer

“But I honestly don’t know if I could’ve played another period. The way I was feeling, the adrenaline got me through up to that point, but I think midway thought the fourth overtime, and going into the fifth, I really started to feel the cramps come on and once they come on, you know there’s no stopping it.” – Brian Boucher, former Flyer and “Inside the Glass” Analyst, NHL on NBC 

“It was gonna take a miraculous effort to score a goal in the game so you just kinda survived and in surviving you embraced the fact that it was becoming an historic game” – Keith Jones

“They shut everything down because they didn’t have any more popcorn or hot dogs in the stadium, so I remember our trainers bringing in a ton of pizza in between periods.” – Bob Boughner, former Penguin and current San Jose Sharks head coach

“We had gone through all the power bars that we had and granola bars and all the snacks that were in the locker room. We were basically running on fumes at this point, yet we were almost giddy.”  – Brian Boucher

“At the time, it was just a goal that allowed us to win a playoff game. But as I was pacing in the hallway afterwards, I just thought to myself. Years from now, this is going to have a lot more meaning than what it does still today because of the longevity of the game, and it has. It’s kind of taken on a life of its own.” – Keith Primeau, former Flyer

“Stanley Cup Playoff overtime hockey is the greatest thing going because every shot, is essentially a game winning shot. So, you’re watching 5 periods of on the edge of your seat action, you know where any shot, or deflection or redirection could be the thing that ends it. So yeah, you thought you were witnessing something that was special, for sure.”- Pat Boyle, NBC Sports Chicago anchor and former Comcast SportsNet Philadelphia broadcaster

“We were definitely two very different teams. We were very much blue collar, jovial, good time kind of group. They were very highly skilled, offensively talented, potent team. So, we stacked up well against them, but if you were to say who was the more talented team, at the end of the day I wouldn’t even consider it close.” – Keith Primeau

“There were a lot of fans, especially young kids that their mom or dad was not leaving, and that kid was getting some shut eye during play. So, you would often look up at the crowd during a faceoff and you can see a kid or wife or husband leaning on the person beside them. And it was almost like they were taking turns, when one of the individuals would watch for a little bit then they take a nap and come back.”- Keith Jones

“It’s tough physically to play in a game like that but really the mental fatigue that comes with a game like that it’s indescribable truthfully. So much pressure just knowing that you cannot make a mistake that’s probably the toughest part, but your adrenaline is going so much that it gets you through it.”- Brian Boucher

An original storytelling audio franchise, “Sports Uncovered” utilizes exclusive, in-depth interviews with prominent participants, witnesses and experts to explore new, underreported or forgotten aspects of well-known topics, personalities and events centered in each of the NBC Sports Regional Networks markets, but that have had national impact and relevance.

Upcoming “Sports Uncovered” episodes include: an in-depth look at New England Patriots head coach Bill Belichick and the story behind former Oakland Raider Barret Robbins’ Super Bowl disappearance. The debut episode which launched May 28, detailed Michael Jordan’s NBA return, and the second installment covered how the University of Oregon ignited a uniform craze that revolutionized college football, and last week Sean Taylor: The NFL Superstar We Didn’t Get to Know debuted.

NBC Sports’ Mike Tirico introduces each episode of “Sports Uncovered.” The list of notable guests featured throughout the series includes: basketball greats Dominique Wilkins, Chris Mullin and Steve Kerr; Heisman Trophy winner Doug Flutie and finalist Joe Harrington; Pro Football Hall of Famers Joe Gibbs and Tim Brown.

Click here for the “Sports Uncovered” series. Episodes are available for download now on all major podcast platforms, including: NBCSports.com/podcasts, NBC Sports’ Scores app, Apple, Stitcher, Spotify, Google Podcasts, TuneIn and iHeart. Following is the full “Sports Uncovered” schedule:

 

RELEASE DATE NETWORK TITLE
May 28 Chicago “I’m Back”
June 11 Northwest “The Uniform Craze That Revolutionized College Football”
June 18 Washington “Sean Taylor, the NFL Superstar We Didn’t Get to Know”
June 25 Philadelphia “Marathon on Ice”
July 9 Bay Area “The Mysterious Disappearance that Changed a Super Bowl”
July 16 Boston “The Bill Belichick You Don’t Know”

 

– NBC SPORTS REGIONAL NETWORKS –