FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Friday, January 15th, 2021

NBC SPORTS TO PRESENT FIRST-EVER NHL QUADRUPLEHEADER ON MARTIN LUTHER KING, JR. DAY

Quadrupleheader on Monday, Jan. 18, Begins at Noon ET on NBCSN; Day-Long Coverage to Spotlight Martin Luther King, Jr. Day Features and Interviews

Season Two of Hockey Culture with Anson Carter Debuts on Martin Luther King, Jr. Day with Willie O’Ree Interview

This Sunday – First NHL on NBC Matchup of Season Between Alexander Ovechkin and Capitals vs. Sidney Crosby and Penguins at Noon ET on NBC

Penguins-Flyers Opening Night Matchup is NBCSN’s Most-Watched NHL Regular-Season Game on Record

13-Year Veteran Dominic Moore Makes Studio Analyst Debut on Monday

STAMFORD, Conn. – Jan. 15, 2021 – NBC Sports presents its first-ever NHL quadrupleheader on Martin Luther King, Jr. Day this Monday, Jan. 18, beginning at Noon ET on NBCSN, with a matinee between the Columbus Blue Jackets and Detroit Red Wings. The evening tripleheader on NBCSN features Patrice Bergeron and the Boston Bruins facing the New York Islanders at 5 p.m. ET, Jack Eichel and the Buffalo Sabres against Claude Giroux and the Philadelphia Flyers at 7:30 p.m. ET, and the nightcap between Max Pacioretty and the Vegas Golden Knights hosting Phil Kessel and the Arizona Coyotes at 10 p.m. ET.

During daytime studio coverage of Blue Jackets-Red Wings, Paul Burmeister hosts alongside analysts Keith Jones and 13-year NHL veteran Dominic Moore, who will make his NBC Sports studio analyst debut on Monday.

Kathryn Tappen anchors studio coverage throughout the evening with analysts Anson Carter, Patrick Sharp and Moore.

Sunday’s NHL on NBC matchup, the first of a record 16 to air throughout the season, features an all-time rivalry when Alex Ovechkin and the Washington Capitals face Sidney Crosby and the Pittsburgh Penguins at Noon ET. Tappen, Jones and Sharp anchor studio coverage.

HOW TO WATCH

  • TV – NBC, NBCSN
  • Streaming – NBC Sports app and NBCSports.com
Date Coverage Commentators Time (ET) Network
Sun., January 17 Washington at Pittsburgh John Forslund, Eddie Olczyk, Brian Boucher Noon NBC
Mon., January 18 Columbus at Detroit Kenny Albert, Pierre McGuire Noon NBCSN
  Boston at New York Islanders John Forslund, Brian Boucher 5 p.m. NBCSN
  Buffalo at Philadelphia Kenny Albert, Pierre McGuire 7:30 p.m. NBCSN
  Arizona at Vegas John Forslund, Joe Micheletti 10 p.m. NBCSN
  NHL Overtime Kathryn Tappen, Anson Carter, Patrick Sharp 12:30 a.m.* NBCSN

*Immediately following game coverage

PENGUINS-FLYERS OPENING NIGHT MATCHUP IS NBCSN’S MOST-WATCHED NHL REGULAR-SEASON GAME ON RECORD

Wednesday’s Opening Night tripleheader on NBCSN saw numerous viewership milestones. Below are highlights:

  • The first game of the 2020-21 NHL season between the Pittsburgh Penguins and Philadelphia Flyers averaged a Total Audience Delivery (TAD) of 972,000 viewers Wednesday night on NBCSN, making it the network’s most-watched regular-season game on record.
  • The Opening Night tripleheader on NBCSN, which also included Chicago at Tampa Bay and St. Louis at Colorado, averaged a TAD of 774,000 viewers, making it the network’s most-watched multi-game Opening Night on record and up 29% from last year’s doubleheader (600,000).
  • Digitally, the 2020-21 Opening Night tripleheader is NBC Sports’ most-streamed Opening Night on record with 17.3 million minutes and 285,000 unique devices, up 75% and 72%, respectively, vs. last year’s Opening Night doubleheader.

MARTIN LUTHER KING, JR. DAY COVERAGE HIGHLIGHTS

Throughout NBCSN’s Martin Luther King, Jr. Day NHL coverage, numerous features will be presented, including:

  • A tribute to Marlowe Stoudamire, a community leader in Detroit, Mich., who helped launch a grassroots program in the city that helped bring the sport of hockey over 30,000 children, who passed away earlier this year from COVID-19;
  • Anson Carter interviews Kim Davis, NHL Senior Executive Vice President, Social Impact, Growth Initiatives & Legislative Affairs;
  • A segment on the 2020 Willie O’Ree Community Hero Award recipient, Dampy Brar.

HOCKEY CULTURE SEASON TWO

Season Two of Hockey Culture debuts an interview with Hockey Hall of Famer Willie O’Ree on Monday. On the same day that marks the 63rd anniversary of O’Ree becoming the first black player to skate in an NHL game, Anson Carter speaks with the hockey icon and discusses his historic career, how he remains involved with the NHL and other mentorship programs, and the intersection between race and politics in modern-day America.

The conversation premieres on Hockey Culture’s dedicated YouTube Channel and will be featured throughout Monday’s NBCSN coverage.

WILLIE AVAILABLE TO STREAM FREE ON PEACOCK

Willie, a 90-minute documentary that chronicles the trailblazing life of Willie O’Ree, is available to stream free on Peacock. The documentary can be viewed here.

2020-21 REGULAR SEASON COVERAGE ON NBC SPORTS

NBC Sports is scheduled to present roughly 100 games featuring all 31 teams on NBC and NBCSN during the 2020-21 NHL regular-season, including a record 16 regular-season games on the NBC broadcast network. Click here for more info.

–NBC SPORTS–