NBC Sports will televise the Vegas Golden Knights twice in the first week of the NHL season. The Nashville Predators will be featured three times in the first month. The Arizona Coyotes, Calgary Flames, Colorado Avalanche, Winnipeg Jets and Tampa Bay Lightning will appear on NBC before Sidney Crosby’s Pittsburgh Penguins.
The network’s changing strategy will be revealed today when it announces a record 109-game regular-season schedule with a greater diversity in team selection than in the past.
“It’s a new world,” Sam Flood, president and executive producer of NBC and NBC Sports, told USA TODAY Sports. “We need to embrace and celebrate those teams more than we ever have before. It doesn’t take away from those great Pittsburgh-Philadelphia games and Bruins-Canadiens games. We will keep doing those, but we have to lean into some different matchups.”
NBC also will announce that the All-Star Game, scheduled for San Jose on Jan. 26, will be broadcast in prime time on a broadcast network for the first time since 1997.
The Wednesday Night Rivalry format will be replaced by Wednesday Night Hockey, the change that will create most of the schedule diversity on NBC Sports Network. Wednesday Night Hockey will feature 17 doubleheaders. Tampa Bay, Colorado, Toronto, Vegas, Edmonton, Nashville and Winnipeg will all have multiple appearances on that night.
“Sometimes I think, through no fault of anyone, we were looking at the ratings through a core group of teams,” Flood said. “Rivalry Night was successful but some of (the rivalries) don’t have the juice they once did when we started this 12 or 13 years ago.”
NBC plans to bring a roaming studio, and some of their top talent, to many of the doubleheader sites to add more flavor to the broadcasts.
Flood said one objective of the new strategy is “to show what’s happening in the newer markets.”
More than 60% of the Wednesday Night Hockey games will feature a Western Conference team.
NBC is not abandoning the traditionally strong markets: The Stanley Cup champion Washington Capitals will appear eight times on Wednesday Night Hockey. The Penguins will be on seven times.
The NHL has been criticized in the past for not celebrating its stars enough, and NBC’s 2018-19 lineup will pay homage to star quality.
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Wed., Oct. 17 N.Y. Rangers Washington NBCSN 7 p.m.
Boston Calgary NBCSN 9:30 p.m.
Wed., April 3 St. Louis Chicago NBCSN 8 p.m.
Calgary Anaheim NBCSN 10:30 p.m.
Still 7 games for the McDavid show.
Last edited by sureLoss; 08-13-2018 at 07:50 AM.
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NBC has tried to promote “rivalries” in the past but I think these are all but dead in the NHL. A strategy of showcasing the game and different teams makes sense to me.
Calgary on NBC? Yikes, it's like we made the playoffs or something.
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I just hope the Flames have a better showing. Last time I remember them on NBCSN/VS during the regular season was that terrible game in Chicago where they were up 5-0 and ended up losing 6-5.
Wow, that game was in 2009, so its been close to 10 years without a game on in the US. (NHLN not withstanding). I could be missing one since then, but close enough
This is very good news to me. It's been a while since we were on NBC/NBCSN. Our last time was back in 2015 when Anaheim eliminated us. That was on NBCSN. Freakin' Corey Perry pulled a Paul Pierce SMH.
Also, correct me if I'm wrong but this was the last time we were on NBC, this happened: (I know we'll never be on NBC unless we make the Stanley Cup Final, but this is just me throwin' back. Would really love for our Flames to be on NBC. One day.) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fqje98Rit_A
Finally, would love for Doc Emrick to call one of our two games. Too bad, NBC wants him doing the popular teams. IIRC also this was the last time he called a Flames game: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4n6C...&frags=pl%2Cwn
Last edited by TheRealPepman; 08-13-2018 at 12:00 PM.
This is very good news to me. It's been a while since we were on NBC/NBCSN. Our last time was back in 2015 when Anaheim eliminated us. That was on NBCSN. Freakin' Corey Perry pulled a Paul Pierce SMH.
Also, correct me if I'm wrong but this was the last time we were on NBC, this happened: (I know we'll never be on NBC unless we make the Stanley Cup Final, but this is just me throwin' back. Would really love for our Flames to be on NBC. One day.) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fqje98Rit_A
Finally, would love for Doc Emrick to call one of our two games. Too bad, NBC wants him doing the popular teams. IIRC also this was the last time he called a Flames game: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4n6C...&frags=pl%2Cwn
I Loved that. In my opinion, Noodles was brought in to send a message to Detroit who were taking liberties with Kipper the whole series.
The hilarious part is that Noodles still hasn't served that suspension. I remember back when I think Chicago had to use the emergency goalie and they asked Noodles in a radio spot the next morning if he could come out from between the benches and put on the pads. He says I'd love to but I still have a 5 game suspension to serve.
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