NBC Sports Group details Stanley Cup Final coverage

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The NBC Sports Group will surround the 2011 NHL Stanley Cup Final with primetime coverage of every game on NBC and VERSUS as well as pre- and postgame coverage nationally on VERSUS and locally in Boston on Comcast SportsNet New England. NBC will broadcast Games 1-2, and, if necessary, Games 5-7, while VERSUS will present exclusive coverage of Games 3-4 of the series. The battle is between Western Conference Champion Vancouver Canucks and the Eastern Conference Champion Boston Bruins.


To wrap up each night of coverage during the series, there will be a Hockey Central postgame show on VERSUS with the latest highlights, news, analysis and player interviews, live on-location from either the TD Garden in Boston or Rogers Arena in Vancouver. They’ll be hosted by either Bill Patrick or Liam McHugh with Keith Jones and Jeremy Roenick serving as analysts as well as Darren Pang working as the in-arena reporter. Before coverage of Games 3-4 on VERSUS there will be a Hockey Central pregame show 30 minutes prior to puck-drop with Bill Patrick as host alongside Keith Jones and Mike Milbury.

Mike ‘Doc’ Emrick (play-by-play) and Eddie Olczyk (analyst) will anchor NBC and VERSUS’ game coverage with analyst Pierre McGuire stationed “inside-the-glass.” NBC’s studio show will feature host Liam McHugh and analyst Mike Milbury for Games 1-2 and Dan Patrick with Mike Milbury for Games 5-7, if necessary.

For viewers in and around Boston, Comcast SportsNet New England’s nightly coverage of the series will begin every evening at 6 p.m. ET with Chevrolet SportsNet Central. Anchors/reporters Mike Giardi and Kevin Walsh along with CSNNE.com Bruins insider Joe Haggerty will provide extensive nightly reports. The Boston Globe’s Kevin Paul Dupont, 98.5 The Sports Hub’s Bob Beers and NBC Sports Group hockey analysts are expected to contribute to Comcast SportsNet’s nightly and game-night coverage.

NBCSports.com and VERSUS.com will create a single destination for fans. The NBC Sports Group consolidated NHL content from both the NBCSports.com and VERSUS.com’s hockey sections onto the NBCSports.com site. ProHockeyTalk, one of NBCSports.com’s “Sports Talk” platforms, will include ProFootballTalk, CollegeFootballTalk, HardBallTalk, ProBasketballTalk and ProGolfTalk.

Some of the features on NBCSports.com during the final include online-only videos featuring VERSUS and NBC Sports commentators previewing upcoming games and wrapping-up all of the NHL action that day. “Star-Cam,” which follows marquee players in NBC games, and “Net-Cam,” provides a unique perspective from behind the goalie. ProHockeyTalk, which recently had its most-trafficked month ever, will update the 2011 Stanley Cup Final news around the clock.

Fans can also keep up with the NHL Stanley Cup Final through a variety of NBC Sports and VERSUS social media platforms throughout the postseason.

Content will include:
Behind the Scenes: Through the joint “NHL on NBC and VERSUS” Facebook page and @NHLonNBC_VS on Twitter, fans receive exclusive behind-the-scenes photos, interviews and video.

Commentator Tweets: Various NBC and VERSUS commentators will provide Twitter content throughout the Final, including occasional in-game Tweets.

Fan Questions: Fans will have the opportunity to ask questions to NBC and VERSUS commentators via Facebook and Twitter.

Team Tabs: Fans who “Like” the joint NBC and VERSUS Facebook page will have the opportunity to play a variety of games and upload fan photos based around each of their favorite teams who made the playoffs. As teams advance in the playoffs, new and more difficult games will challenge fans.

News: Fans can follow NBC and VERSUS Facebook and Twitter accounts to receive the most up to date scores, reports and stories from around the NHL and ProHockeyTalk.

The full schedule (all times ET):

Wednesday, June 1
Game 1: Boston at Vancouver, 8 p.m. ET – NBC

Saturday, June 4
Game 2: Boston at Vancouver, 8 p.m. ET – NBC

Monday, June 6
Game 3: Vancouver at Boston, 8 p.m. ET – VERSUS

Wednesday, June 8
Game 4: Vancouver at Boston, 8 p.m. ET – VERSUS

Friday, June 10
Game 5 (if necessary): Boston at Vancouver, 8 p.m. ET – NBC

Monday, June 13
Game 6 (if necessary): Vancouver at Boston, 8 p.m. ET – NBC

Wednesday, June 15
Game 7 (if necessary): Boston at Vancouver, 8 p.m. ET – NBC