Who knew that in the midst of all of the NFL news, the NHL would take over Thursday? You have the new HBO 24/7 series announced today. And CBC has announced that Hockey Night in Canada will be returning this Saturday with the first of two preseason games. I say good! Hockey is back and there’s a buzz from puckheads all over the US and Canada waiting for the NHL’s return.
We have the press release from CBC regarding one of North America’s longest running series on broadcast television.
THE BIGGEST STARS GET SET TO SHINE ON THE BIGGEST STAGE AS CBC’S HOCKEY NIGHT IN CANADA RETURNS FOR 58TH SEASONCBC’S HOCKEY NIGHT IN CANADA returns with a dynamic line-up on and off the ice with the game’s best match-ups and all of the exclusive features Canadians have come to know and love!Following two pre-season games on Saturday, September 25 and Saturday, October 2, the regular season begins with NHL Face-Off on October 7. Hockey Tonight will be live from the Air Canada Centre and the NHL Face-Off festivities at Dundas Square in downtown Toronto at 6:30 p.m. ET/ 3:30 p.m. PT, followed by the resumption of two classic rivalries: the Montreal Canadiens and Toronto Maple Leafs at 7 p.m. ET/ 4 p.m. PT, and the Calgary Flames and Edmonton Oilers at 10 p.m. ET/7 p.m. PT. The action continues on Saturday, October 9 starting at 3 p.m. ET with Columbus taking on San Jose live from Stockholm, Sweden, part of 2010 NHL Premiere. Hockey Tonight with host Ron MacLean will kick-off the evening at 6:30 p.m. ET/3:30 p.m. PT followed by three signature games: Ottawa at Toronto and Montreal at Pittsburgh at 7 p.m. ET/4 p.m. PT and Los Angeles squaring off against Vancouver at 10 p.m. ET / 7 p.m. PT. CBC will have full coverage as the Canucks kick-off their season-long 40th anniversary celebrations.CBC’S HOCKEY NIGHT IN CANADA’s schedule includes action-packed special events such as the 2011 NHL Winter Classic between the Washington Capitals and Pittsburgh Penguins; the NHL Heritage Classic matching Montreal against Calgary outdoors from McMahon Stadium; the 2011 NHL All-Star SuperSkills and 58th NHL All-Star Game and the much-anticipated Hockey Day in Canada, the 11th annual day-long celebration of the game featuring three all-Canadian match-ups and coverage from Whitehorse, Yukon on February 12.CBCSports.ca will provide live and on-demand streaming of all CBC’s HOCKEY NIGHT IN CANADA broadcasts and special features, including Morning Highlights and the interactive iDesk, featuring analysis by Jeff Marek, Scott Morrison and Tim Wharnsby, along with blogs and breaking news. The highly popular Hockey Night in Canada app for iPhone and iPod Touch will once again offer users live streaming of every CBC game broadcast, as well as provide fans with instant access to live box scores, statistics and results from all NHL games.Coach’s Corner is back every Saturday night, with the one-and-only Don Cherry set to begin his 31st season with CBC’s HOCKEY NIGHT IN CANADA. The Hotstove also returns, with more candid debate and discussion of the current issues from around the NHL. Pierre LeBrun, Glenn Healy and Mike Milbury will all be regular contributors. P.J. Stock will keep fans abreast of all of the night’s scores and highlights, and on Coast to Coast, Kelly Hrudey and Milbury will breakdown key plays from around the league. At 1 a.m. ET/10 p.m. PT, After Hours with host Scott Oake caps off the full night of hockey with live, in-depth post-game interviews featuring NHL players and personalities.Jim Hughson, Bob Cole, Mark Lee and Dean Brown will provide hockey fans from across the country with the very best in play-by-play. Expert analysts Craig Simpson, Greg Millen, Kevin Weekes, Gary Galley, Hrudey and Milbury all return this season, and rinkside reporting duties and expert analysis will be provided by Elliotte Friedman, Cassie Campbell-Pascal, and Oake.Plus, three exciting fantasy pools will keep Canadians in the game this season, each with a unique way to win great prizes: the Fantasy Hockey Pool returns for another full season of intense competition, giving fans the opportunity to build their ultimate teams to compete for points; Hockey Night’s Winning tests fans mettle with the challenge of picking winning match-ups and keeping their own streaks alive; and the Star Selector live pool gives fans a chance to select players live online as the game happens.Hockey fans who can’t wait until Saturday nights to watch CBC’S HOCKEY NIGHT IN CANADA can tune into HNIC Radio on SIRIUS Satellite Radio beginning on Oct. 4 on SIRIUS Satellite Radio’s Channel 97 and Channel 127 airing Monday through Friday from 3 to 6 p.m. ET with an encore performance from 7 p.m. to 10 p.m. ET and again from 11 p.m. to 2 a.m. ET. Host Jeff Marek, one of sports talk radio’s brightest stars, will return alongside rotating co-hosts Hrudey, Morrison and Simpson along with the newest addition to the team, the AHL on CBC’s Brad May.CBC’s complete broadcast schedule for the 2010-11 season is available at CBCSports.ca.
Back later.
