NATIONAL HOCKEY LEAGUE'S 2008-2009 REGULAR SEASON BROADCASTING INFORMATION
Over 300 games will be televised nationally as all 30 teams will make at least one appearance during the 2008-2009 season on either
NBC,
CBC,
Le Réseau des Sports' (RDS),
Versus or
The Sports Network (TSN).
The NHL Network plans to show
75 games in the United States and
40 across Canada. No full broadcast schedule has been finalized for both the NHL Network and NBC, but will be announced soon.
A quick breakdown of what is in store for each of the national television broadcasters...
After signing a new six-year broadcasting contract with the NHL on June 3, 2008,
The Sports Network (TSN) will show
70 games during the 2008-2009 regular season, all in high definition. With the launch of
TSN 2 on August 29, 2008, games may also been seen there on what was called TSN's alternate feed. This would especially be the case during days of doubleheader coverage when the first game may not end before the second game is scheduled to begin. For the first time in 10 years, TSN will also show preseason games this fall with each of the six Canadian NHL teams each making one appearance.
The Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (CBC) has
69 games planned for their regular season
Hockey Night in Canada coverage, including 25 of them being all-Canadian matchups. The network that has traditionally shown NHL games on Saturday nights for over 50 years will have a new theme song after CBC's broadcast rights to its very famous predecessor had expired.
CTVglobemedia Inc. acquired the rights to "The Hockey Theme" on June 9, 2008. As a result,
TSN and RDS will now feature the song in their NHL broadcasts starting this fall. CTVglobemedia owns
Canadian Television (CTV) and a share of TSN and RDS. "The Hockey Theme" will also be featured during the 2010 Winter Olympic Games in Vancouver.
Speaking of
RDS, the French-language broadcast network will show
all 82 Montréal Canadiens games across all of Canada. They will also showcase for Francophone viewers the 57th NHL All-Star Game in Montréal on January 25, 2009 as part of the Canadiens' centennial season anniversary celebration. CBC and Versus will show the game for Anglophone viewers.
Versus will broadcast
56 games in their fourth season of national cable television coverage in the United States, including October 5, 2008 when the second day of two
NHL Premiere games in Europe are played. The New York Rangers and Tampa Bay Lightning square off in Prague, Czech Republic while the Ottawa Senators and Pittsburgh Penguins play in Stockholm, Sweden.
American viewers will have
NBC once again provide over-the-air national television contests starting on New Year's Day with
no fewer than 10 games in 2009. The second edition of the
Winter Classic kicks off their fourth season of coverage with an Original Six matchup between the defending Stanley Cup champion Detroit Red Wings and the Chicago Blackhawks from Wrigley Field in Chicago. CBC and RDS will show the game for Canadian viewers. The Rangers and Penguins face off in Pittsburgh during NBC's second broadcast of the season scheduled for January 18, 2009. The remaining 8 games in the following 10 Sundays are "flex games" in which the league and NBC will finalize which games they'll show on those days.
For more on the league-wide national television schedules, see these news sources below. If you want to access individual team broadcasting schedule information, see the opening post of this thread and click on the team game schedule thread of your choice.
National Hockey League official site (August 14):
League releases TV schedules for 2008-2009
The Sports Network's (TSN) NHL page (August 14):
TSN announces 2008-2009 NHL broadcast schedule
2008-2009 NHL on TSN schedule
NHL: Hockey Lives Here (video clip)
CBC Sports' hockey page (August 14):
Hockey Night in Canada unveils season schedule
Versus' NHL page (August 14):
Versus announces schedule for 2008-2009 NHL regular season
Much to see on Versus this season
Versus' 2008-2009 broadcast schedule
Kukla's Korner blog (August 15):
The Eye on the Media 2008-09 National TV Guide: Team-by-Team Network TV Schedules
2008-2009 NHL game schedule information thread
2008-2009 NHL game schedule information thread
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