NBC Sports’ Weekend Programming

Some press releases from NBC Sports regarding the events it will air this weekend. We begin with this Sunday’s NHL Game of the Week involving the Chicago Blackhawks and the Washington Capitals.

TOP TWO SCORING OFFENSES MEET WHEN BLACKHAWKS HOST CAPITALS ON NBC SPORTS’ “NHL GAME OF THE WEEK” SUNDAY AT 12:30 PM ET

“Two explosive offenses.” – NBC Sports’ Eddie Olczyk

All Six of NBC Sports’ NHL Games in 2010 Decided by One Goal

NEW YORK - Mar. 9, 2010 - The Chicago Blackhawks, currently second in the Western Conference with 91 points, host the Washington Capitals, who lead the league and the Eastern Conference with 97 points, in a game between the league’s top scoring offenses at the United Center on Sunday, March 14 at 12:30 pm ET on NBC Sports.

Mike “Doc” Emrick (play-by-play), Eddie Olczyk (analyst) and Pierre McGuire (inside-the-glass reporter) call the action. McGuire will pull double duty, hosting NBC’s studio show alongside analyst Mike Milbury on site at United Center.

Sunday’s game features the league’s top two scoring teams and some of its most prolific individual scorers. Washington tops the NHL with a 3.88 goals per game average, while Chicago is number two at 3.22. The Capitals Alexander Ovechkin leads the NHL with 92 points (44 goals, 48 assists), while the Blackhawks Patrick Kane ranks eighth with 74 (26 goals, 48 assists). The league’s top two scoring defensemen will also take the ice with Washington’s Mike Green (64 points) and Chicago’s Duncan Keith (59 points).

OLCZYK: “Once we made the announcement (about this game), I felt that it had the opportunity to possibly have 15 goals in it -- two explosive offenses. A lot of it starts on the back end with guys like (defensemen) Mike Green and Duncan Keith on their respective teams. The biggest question marks for me with both of these teams is the goaltending. Is it going to be good enough and consistent enough moving forward towards the playoffs?”

CLOSE GAMES: All six of NBC Sports’ NHL games this season have been decided by one goal, and four needed extra time to determine a winner. On Sunday, March 7, the Red Wings defeated the Blackhawks in Chicago, 5-4, on the strength of five second-period goals. On Feb. 7, the Capitals defeated the Penguins, 5-4, in overtime on Mike Knuble's goal. In the game, Sidney Crosby scored twice for Pittsburgh and Alexander Ovechkin registered a hat trick for Washington. 

The week prior, on Jan. 31, the Penguins were on the winning end when they defeated the Red Wings in a Stanley Cup Final rematch, 2-1, via an overtime shootout. On Jan. 24, the Penguins defeated the Philadelphia Flyers, 2-1, on a power-play goal by Matt Cooke with 1:47 remaining. In NBC’s inaugural “Game of the Week” on Jan. 17, the Chicago Blackhawks needed a shootout to beat the Red Wings, 4-3, in Detroit. The Boston Bruins needed overtime to defeat the Flyers, 2-1, at Fenway Park on New Year’s Day in the 2010 NHL Winter Classic. 

NBCSPORTS.COM: NBCSports.com will again offer “Star-cam” this season, tracking a player from both teams throughout each of their shifts. Following the game, NBCSports.com will present bonus material, including “Star-cam” and “Net-cam” and bonus analysis from NBC Sports commentators.

FLEX SCHEDULING & CONSISTENT 12:30 PM ET START TIME: Again this year, “Game of the Week” broadcasts will consistently start at 12:30 p.m. ET on Sundays (except for Feb. 7 and Apr. 11, Noon ET start times). For the third straight season, the NHL and NBC Sports will utilize flex scheduling and will be able to select from up to four games on Sunday afternoons. At least 13 days prior to the scheduled games, the NHL and NBC Sports will announce one of those games as the "Game of the Week" to be broadcast during the NBC Sports window. The other games will remain available to the teams’ regional carrier but will not be televised during NBC Sports' broadcast window.

2010 NHL GAME OF THE WEEK REGULAR-SEASON FLEXIBLE SCHEDULE
(All Games Announced At Least 13 Days Prior)

Sunday, Mar. 21, 12:30 p.m. ET
New York Rangers @ Boston (Flexed)

Sunday, Apr. 4, 12:30 p.m. ET
Detroit @ Philadelphia

Sunday, Apr. 11, 12:00 p.m. ET
Boston @ Washington
New York Rangers @ Philadelphia
Detroit @ Chicago

NBC is also at the famed Blue Monster course at the Doral Golf Resort in Miami for this weekend’s CA Championships which also marks the debut of Rhode Island golfer Brad Faxon for the Peacock.

PHIL MICKELSON TO DEFEND HIS TITLE AT WGC–CA CHAMPIONSHIP THIS WEEKEND ON NBC SPORTS

“The bigger hitters have the best chance to win.” – NBC Sports’ Brad Faxon

NEW YORK - Mar. 11, 2010 - Phil Mickelson will attempt to defend his title against a field that includes nine of the top 10 golfers in the world at the WGC-CA Championship at the TPC Blue Monster Course at Doral Golf Resort in Miami, Fla on NBC Sports this Saturday from 2-6 pm E.T. and Sunday from 3-7 pm E.T.

Host Dan Hicks and analyst Johnny Miller, in their 11th season together as NBC’s lead golf team, will anchor the coverage from the 18th hole tower. They are joined by tower reporters Brad Faxon, who is making his NBC Sports debut, and Gary Koch; course reporters Roger Maltbie, Dottie Pepper and Mark Rolfing; and interviewer/essayist Jimmy Roberts.

FAXON: “Doral has such a great reputation among the players. The biggest names have won here. After seeing the golf course, there’s very little rough. When you combine that w
ith the length of the course, the bigger hitters have the best chance to win.”

The field for the 2010 WGC-CA Championship includes nine of the top 10 golfers in the world - including Steve Stricker (No. 2), Mickelson (No. 3), Lee Westwood (No. 4) and Ian Poulter (No. 5) - and the 10 players at the top of the 2010 PGA TOUR money list, including No. 1 Camilo Villegas, who won last week at the Honda Classic. The historic TCP Blue Monster 18th hole, including its famous fountain, is regarded as one of the best holes in the world.

UPCOMING SCHEDULE: In addition to Doral, NBC Sports has coverage of the PGA TOUR for each of the next three weeks: the Transitions Championship; the Arnold Palmer Invitational; and the Shell Houston Open. Below is the upcoming schedule (all times ET):
 
Transitions Championship - Tampa Bay, Fla.Saturday, March 20 3-6 p.m.
Sunday, March 21 3-6 p.m.

Arnold Palmer Invitational - Orlando, Fla.
Saturday, March 27 2:30-6 p.m.
Sunday, March 28 2:30-6 p.m.

Shell Houston Open - Houston, Texas
Saturday, April 3 1-5 p.m.
Sunday, April 4 3-6 p.m.

And NBC Sports and sister network Universal Sports will combine to air the Paralympics from Vancouver.

NBC SPORTS AND UNIVERSAL SPORTS TO BROADCAST 2010 PARALYMPIC WINTER GAMES HIGHLIGHTS

GE To Be Presenting Sponsor of NBC Sports and Universal Sports’ Broadcast of the Vancouver 2010 Paralympic Winter Games

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. and NEW YORK - March 9, 2010 - NBC Sports and Universal Sports announced today the multiplatform broadcast coverage of the 2010 Paralympic Winter Games presented by GE. Coverage on NBC Sports will include a one-hour program recapping the Opening Ceremony on Saturday, March 13 (1-2 p.m. ET) and a two-hour highlights program on Saturday, April 10 (3-5 p.m. ET).

In addition to the coverage on NBC Sports, Universal Sports will broadcast a nightly two-hour show for nine straight nights dedicated to the daily competition of the 2010 Paralympic Winter Games starting on Monday, March 15 at 6 p.m. ET (re-air at 11 p.m. ET) and continuing nightly through Tuesday, March 23. 

Additionally, UniversalSports.com will offer on-demand re-airs of the Universal Sports television coverage, plus full-length event “rewinds.” 

The official site of the U.S. Paralympic Team, www.usparalympics.org, will also offer daily video and news highlights of the competition from Vancouver.

“The extensive coverage on NBC Sports and Universal Sports helps to raise the awareness of the Paralympics by telling the stories of these remarkable athletes, and demonstrates NBC Universal’s commitment to the Olympic movement in the United States,” said Gary Zenkel, president, NBC Olympics.

“We are thrilled that fans of Team USA will be able to stay connected to all the action in Vancouver and follow the accomplishments of Paralympians from throughout the world,”  said Scott Blackmun, U.S. Olympic Committee Chief Executive Officer. 

The Paralympic Winter Games is an elite sporting event for accomplished athletic champions spanning five different physical disability groups. Emphasizing the Paralympic values of courage, determination, inspiration and equality, the Paralympic Winter Games showcase participants' athletic achievements rather than their physical disability in five sports: alpine skiing, biathlon, cross country skiing, sled hockey and wheelchair curling. In Vancouver, a total of 600 athletes from approximately 40 countries will compete in these five sports.

Paralympic Broadcast Schedule on NBC Sports and Universal Sports:
(Note: All listed times are E.T.)

NBC Sports
Opening Ceremony highlights - Saturday, March 13, 1-2 p.m.
Paralympics recap - Saturday, April 10, 3-5 p.m. 

Universal Sports
Monday, March 15 - Tuesday March 23, 7 p.m. (re-air at 11 p.m.)

To learn more about U.S. Paralympics, visit www.usparalympics.org.

That’s it for this post.