USA Hockey Shoots, Scores with NHL Network
Hockey Net Inks Three-Year Pact to Cover World Junior Tournament, Women's Tour
By Larry Barrett -- Multichannel News, 12/3/2008 5:19:00 AM
USA Hockey and the NHL Network announced a three-year partnership under which the all-hockey network will telecast the International Ice Hockey Federation World Junior Championship as well as upcoming Qwest Tour featuring the 2009-10 U.S. women’s national hockey team.
In each of the next three IIHF World Junior Championships, the NHL Network will provide live television coverage of all U.S. games and all games of the medal round, including all quarterfinal and semifinal games, the bronze-medal game and the gold-medal game.
Under the agreement announced Tuesday, the NHL Network also will televise four live games of the Qwest Tour. The broadcasts include Team USA’s contests against Canada, Oct. 16, 2009 in Spokane, Wash., Oct. 29, 2009 in Denver, Colo., and Dec. 30, 2009 in St. Paul, Minn. In addition, the NHL Network also will televise the final game of the Tour against Finland on Feb. 4, 2010 in Colorado Springs, Colo. just prior to the February 12 start of the 2010 Olympic Winter Games in Vancouver.
“We’re extremely pleased to showcase two of our most prominent teams—the U.S. National Junior Team and the U.S. Women’s National Team—on the NHL Network,” said Dave Ogrean, executive director of USA Hockey. “We look forward to a long and mutually beneficial relationship with the NHL Network.”
All games will be televised in high definition.
The NHL Network also will televise all games played by Team Canada in the preliminary round of the 2009 IIHF World Junior Championship. As part of the agreement, the NHL Network will produce at least two USA Hockey-themed programs per year.
