POSTED: Friday May 22nd 2009
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

CHICAGO HOSTS DETROIT IN CONFERENCE FINAL GAME 4, SUNDAY ON NBC

NBC Viewership for Stanley Cup Playoffs up 23% “The home ice crowd in Chicago is a huge ally for the Blackhawks.” – NBC’s McGuire

NEW YORK – May 21, 2009 – The defending Stanley Cup
champion Detroit Red Wings, who won the first two games of this
best-of-seven series on home ice (Game 3 is tomorrow night), visit
“Original Six” rival the Chicago Blackhawks in Game 4 of the Western
Conference Final Sunday, 3 p.m. ET on NBC. Hockey Hall of Famer 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
in Chicago.



“Chicago can definitely get back in this series,” said McGuire. “The
home ice crowd in Chicago is a huge ally for the Blackhawks. It’s going
to be really important for them to score early and keep the crowd in it.



“I don’t think Chicago has been overmatched; they can play with
Detroit. It’s going to be key for Patrick Kane to find a way to break
down Nicklas Lidstrom and Brian Rafalski.”



The Blackhawks have captivated the Windy City in reaching the
Conference Final for the first time in 14 years. Detroit is seeking to
advance to the Stanley Cup Final for the second year in a row. The
teams opened NBC’s 2009 schedule on New Year’s Day in the NHL Winter
Classic from historic Wrigley Field, which became the most-viewed NHL
regular season game in 34 years.



NBC VIEWERSHIP SHOWS 23 PERCENT INCREASE: NBC Sports’ broadcast of the
Stanley Cup Playoffs has averaged 1.8 million viewers, a 23 percent
increase over last year (1.4 million) through the first weekend of the
Conference Final.



NBCSPORTS.COM and NHL.COM
PRESENT “STAR-CAM”: NBCSports.com and NHL.com will offer a “Star-cam”
in conjunction with NBC Sports’ broadcasts, which will follow one
player on each team throughout each of his shifts. Following the game,
NBCSports.com will present a post-game show with game highlights and
highlights from “Star-cam” and “Net-cam,” along with analysis from
McGuire and Milbury.



STANLEY CUP FINAL ON NBC: NBC Sports will broadcast coverage of up to
five Stanley Cup Final games (Games 1, 2, 5, 6 and 7). Dates will be
announced by the NHL at the conclusion of the two Conference Final
series.



ON NBC SPORTS’ COVERAGE:

ESPN.com: “The NHL has never looked or sounded better in its free, on-the-air history.”



ON THE INSIDE-THE-GLASS POSITION CREATED BY NBC PRODUCER SAM FLOOD:

Newsday: “Innovative…now widely copied.”



Toronto Sun: “One of the best recent innovations in hockey telecasts.”



WHAT THE CRITICS ARE SAYING ABOUT NBC’S COVERAGE:

ON EMRICK:

NY Daily News: “The top spot among hockey broadcasters.”



NY Post: “His dead-on descriptions, devoted application of history and
superb sense of all moments are superior in the chronicles of any form
of live broadcasting.”



ON MILBURY:

Boston Globe: “Never shy with an opinion…a quote machine.”



Philadelphia Inquirer: “Pierre McGuire’s verbal sparring with Milbury has been nothing short of classic theater.”



NY Daily News: “Mike Milbury has brought reality—and a sharp edge—
to the Peacock’s NHL studio. He also has displayed something many
analysts—in all sports—lack: guts.”



ON MCGUIRE:

Toronto Sun: “Excels as an ice-level analyst.”



Newsday: “A bundle of energy and a born schmoozer.”


       

         Members of the media can get more information about NBC
Universal and its programming on the NBC Universal Media Village Web
site at www.nbcumv.com.

# # #

Keywords · Stanley Cup · Detroit Red Wings · Chicago Blackhawks · NBC Sports

Name: Brian Walker
Organization: NBC
Email:
Phone: +1.212-664-5533
URL: http://www.nbcuni.com

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