The forecast calls for a high temperature of 84 degrees in Chicago today. Yet my hockey-obsessed son and I will be at the United Center tonight to watch the Blackhawks raise another Stanley Cup banner.
I had to wait nearly 50 years to see one Stanley Cup winner, and he gets two in four years.
If it seems last season ended yesterday, that’s because it did. However, if you’re a hockey fan, it never is too early to start another season.
It all kicks off tonight with Washington at Chicago on NBC SN.
Coming off a strong playoff run in the ratings department, NBC SN is bumping up its coverage this year.
From NBC SN:
NBCSN will launch a pair of new programs – NHL Rivals and NHL Top 10 – on Tuesday, Oct. 9, expanding NBC Sports Group’s NHL coverage with programming focused on hockey’s historic rivalries and some of the game’s most-debated topics.
The debut episode of NHL Rivals on Oct. 9 (video preview above) will feature the Chicago Blackhawks and St. Louis Blues, who have been division rivals since 1970 and face off on Wednesday Night Rivalry on Oct. 10 at 8 p.m. ET. NHL Rivals will also air each week at 6:30 p.m. ET leading into NHL Live, NBC Sports Group’s live pre- and post-game show.
NHL Top 10, which will premiere each week following NHL Rivals, will dive deep into some of the most timeless debates hockey fans have discussed for decades. The weekly countdown program will run the gamut of hockey “bests,” including top goal-scorers and U.S.-born players, as well as the toughest places to play in the NHL and top Olympic moments. It will feature commentary and analysis from current and former players, broadcasters and writers.
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During a teleconference last week, I asked NBC SN executive producer Sam Flood about the increased coverage of the NHL.
Flood: “I think what happened last year speaks for itself. The Wednesday Night Rivalry idea that we worked on in the league in creating a unique schedule of games on Wednesday nights. And surrounding that last year we had an hour pregame before every game. We started doing that about a month into the season. And we realized that more and more people are coming to consume hockey earlier. These rivalry shows that we’re creating for this year, these half hour documentary style shows are an offshoot of that. We just think the hockey fan wants more hockey and we’re going to be the home of hockey. We’re going to super serve those fans and make sure they know you tune to the NBC Sports network and you get the very best coverage imaginable.”
The puck drops tonight for real. And it goes all the way until next June. Enjoy, hockey fans.
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