It’s all about marketing, right?
A tripleheader on NBC and NBCSN Sunday gets taken to another level when packaged as “Hockey Day in America.” Sounds a bit more special, doesn’t it?
The network is planning some twists on a familiar tale, the 1980 U.S. hockey team.
Here’s the rundown from NBC:
*******
NBC Sports Group will celebrate hockey in the United States with “Hockey Day In America coverage this Sunday from the site of one of the most influential hockey games in U.S. history, when NBC and NBCSN present a hockey tripleheader with studio coverage on-site from Lake Placid, N.Y., on the 35th anniversary of the1980 “Miracle On Ice.”
Sunday’s Hockey Day In America coverage begins at noon ET on NBC with Alex Ovechkin and the Washington Capitals visiting Claude Giroux and the Philadelphia Flyers, followed by a rematch of the 2013 Stanley Cup Final at 3:30 p.m. ET between Milan Lucic’s Boston Bruins, and Patrick Kane’s Chicago Blackhawks. Coverage shifts to NBCSN at 7 p.m. ET for NHL Live, followed by an 8 p.m. ET puck drop between Zach Parise and the Minnesota Wild and Jamie Benn and the Dallas Stars, concluding an 11-hour block of NHL programming across NBC and NBCSN.
In addition to extensive Hockey Day In America coverage, NBCSN will present the latest iteration of the NHL Stadium Series on Saturday night at 10 p.m. ET, when Joe Pavelski and the San Jose Sharks host Jonathan Quick and the Los Angeles Kings at Levi’s Stadium, home of the NFL’s San Francisco 49ers, in Santa Clara, Calif. Pre-game coverage begins at 9:30 p.m. ET with NHL Live on-site from Levi’s Stadium.
HOCKEY DAY IN AMERICA COVERAGE ON NBC AND NBCSN
Hockey Day In America studio coverage will originate live from Lake Placid throughout the day on Sunday. Liam McHugh will anchor Sunday’s coverage, alongside analysts and former players Mike Milbury, Keith Jones and Jeremy Roenick.
NBC and NBCSN’s Hockey Day In America presentation will include interviews with members of the 1980 U.S. Olympic Team, as well as in-depth features surrounding Hockey Day In America, exploring hockey’s influence and impact in America. Feature stories and interviews include:
–1980 U.S. Olympic Team Forward Mark Wells – NBC Sports’ Jimmy Roberts sits down with Mark Wells to discuss the 1980 U.S. Olympic Team, his adversity in life after hockey, including a debilitating back injury and the sale of his 1980 Olympic gold medal, and how he’s now getting back on his skates.
–U.S. Sled Hockey’s Josh Sweeney – A U.S. Marine who lost his legs in an IED explosion in Afghanistan on 2009,Josh Sweeney brings viewers inside the role sled hockey played in his recovery, which ultimately led him to Sochi, where he scored the game-winning goal in the 2014 Paralympic gold medal final.
–Defending The Blue Line – NBC Sports profiles Defending The Blue Line, a foundation whose mission is to ensure children of military members are afforded every opportunity to play hockey, and the story of SFC Wade Scott, who was wounded in Afghanistan, and his two young boys who participate in the program.
–Pierre McGuire with Ryan Suter – NBC Sports Group’s Inside-The-Glass analyst Pierre McGuire sits down with Minnesota Wild defenseman Ryan Suter. Suter’s father Bob, who passed away in September, was a member of the 1980 U.S. Olympic Team, and will have his number raised to the rafters in Lake Placid this weekend.
–U.S. National Team Development Program – A profile of the program which has served as the launching pad for many NHL stars, including Patrick Kane, Zach Parise, Jimmy Howard and Ryan Suter, as well as budding stars like Jack Eichel.