NEW YORK and DALLAS (Sept. 19, 2005)- The National Hockey League (NHL) and
HDNet have announced the first two months of their live, high-definition
television (HDTV) schedule for the 2005-06 regular season. The 52-game NHL
on HDNet schedule begins Opening Night on Wednesday, Oct. 5th at 10 p.m.
(ET) featuring Wayne Gretzky’s debut behind the bench as his Phoenix
Coyotes take on the Vancouver Canucks.
The first week of the NHL on HDNet also features the intense Central
Division rivalry between the St. Louis Blues and the Detroit Red Wings
(Thursday, Oct. 6 at 8 p.m., ET). The NHL on HDNet will then showcase the
much-anticipated national television debut of Pittsburgh's teenage hockey
phenomenon, Sidney Crosby, as the Penguins battle the Boston Bruins
(Saturday, Oct. 8 at 7:30 p.m., ET).
The NHL adopted new rules this season to create more offensive flow, which
will provide more excitement for fans and will further enhance the
television viewing experience. In particular, the newly adopted shootout
will make certain that every game has a winner.
HDNet, a national high definition telecast partner of the NHL, begins its
fourth year of NHL coverage with a Thursday and Saturday schedule. HDNet
will update its broadcast schedule bi-monthly so that it will be able
feature the hottest players, teams and match ups.
All NHL on HDNet broadcasts will be original HDNet productions. HDNet NHL
game broadcasts are shot exclusively for presentation in the
highest-quality 1080i high-definition format, giving viewers all the
benefits of a 16:9 aspect ratio and high resolution picture without
compromising the image to serve a standard-definition, 4:3 broadcast
audience.
“More and more viewers are discovering that hockey in HDTV is an incredible
television experience,” said Doug Perlman, Senior Vice President of
Television and New Media. “The League's new rules and compelling
storylines promise to make the NHL on HDNet can’t-miss programming for
hockey fans.”
“The NHL is back and we are excited to be part of what is sure to be an
incredibly exciting season," said Mark Cuban, co-founder and president of
HDNet. "No sport benefits as much from HDTV as hockey, and no one does HD
better than HDNet.”
All Times Are ET
October 2005
Wednesday 5-Oct / Coyotes @ Canucks / 10:00PM
Thursday 6-Oct / Red Wings @ Blues / 8:00PM
Saturday 8-Oct / Bruins @ Penguins / 7:30PM
Thursday 13-Oct / Predators @ Coyotes / 10:00PM
Saturday 15-Oct / Lightning @ Penguins / 7:30PM
Thursday 20-Oct / Rangers @ Islanders / 7:00PM
Saturday 22-Oct / Hurricanes @ Capitals / 7:00PM
Thursday 27-Oct / Blackhawks @ Red Wings / 7:30PM
Saturday 29-Oct / Hurricanes @ Penguins / 7:30PM
November 2005
Thursday 3-Nov / Capitals @ Flyers / 7:00PM
Saturday 5-Nov / Stars @ Avalanche / 9:00PM
Thursday 10-Nov / Flames @ Coyotes / 9:00PM
Saturday 12-Nov / Capitals @ Devils / 1:00PM
Thursday 17-Nov / Canucks @ Kings / 10:30PM
Saturday 19-Nov / Avalanche @ Kings / 10:30PM
Thursday 24-Nov / Kings @ Predators / 8:00PM
Saturday 26-Nov / Canucks @ Coyotes / 10:00PM
Paul Kukla founded Kukla’s Korner in 2005 and the site has since become the must-read site on the ‘net for all the latest happenings around the NHL.
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