It’s more than a game. It’s NHL Face-Off! The 2013-14 NHL season officially begins on CBC’S HOCKEY NIGHT IN CANADA on Tuesday, October 1 in Montreal as the Canadiens host their longtime rivals, the Toronto Maple Leafs. CBC has a doubleheader to begin the season, but the party gets started well before the first puck is dropped. Molson Canadian NHL Face-Off, the league’s annual season-opening celebration, comes to Montreal’s Place des Festivals on Oct. 1 beginning at 3 p.m. ET with a free, family-friendly hockey, entertainment and community festival.
Award-winning broadcaster and hockey fanatic, George Stroumboulopoulos (@Strombo), host of CBC’s George Stroumboulopoulos Tonight will be in Montreal to host the big event which features a live performance from Grammy® Award-winning rock band Kings of Leon (@KingsOfLeon) who will take the stage at approximately 6:45 p.m. ET. CBC’S HOCKEY NIGHT IN CANADA pre-game show, Hockey Tonight, will broadcast two songs from the Kings Of Leon performance live, with the entire performance available via live streaming at CBCSports.ca. Kings Of Leon’s new album, Mechanical Bull, will be released Sept. 24. Viewers can join the conversation by using #NHLFaceOff leading up to and throughout the entire season-launch week.
Hockey Tonight, with host Ron MacLean, alongside the Studio 42 Crew featuring P.J. Stock (@PJStockHNIC), Elliotte Friedman (@FriedgeHNIC), Kevin Weekes (@KevinWeekes) and Andi Petrillo (@andipHNIC) at the Chevrolet I-Desk, will cover the opening of a new NHL season live at 6:30 p.m. ET (3:30 p.m. PT) on CBC-TV. This familiar group of insiders and analysts will lead viewers from pre-game to the final horn every Saturday night throughout the NHL season. Glenn Healy will be providing analysis from between the benches in Montreal for the Oct. 1 season-opener, but will re-join the Studio 42 Crew on a weekly basis throughout the season.
The always-candid Don Cherry (@CoachsCornerCBC) returns to share his unique - and often controversial - thoughts on Coach’s Corner presented by Budweiser alongside MacLean during the first intermission of the Prime East game as well as at the end of the first period of the Prime West game each week.
Familiar voices return to call the action on the ice this season for CBC’S HOCKEY NIGHT IN CANADA broadcasts, including play-by-play commentators Jim Hughson, Mark Lee (@MLeeCBC), Bob Cole, Dean Brown (@PxPOttawa) and Rick Ball. Providing analysis from the broadcast booth are Craig Simpson (@HNICSimmer), Kelly Hrudey (@KellyHrudey), Garry Galley and Greg Millen (@GregMillen). Reporting from rink-side with added insight and interviews throughout the season are Scott Oake (@ScottOake), David Amber (@DavidAmber), Cassie Campbell-Pascall (@CassieCampbell) and Mitch Peacock (@MitchPeacock1).
Wrapping up the night each Saturday is After Hours with hosts Oake and Hrudey as they welcome the NHL’s biggest names following the Prime West game. Fans will have the opportunity to interact with the hosts and their guests by submitting questions via Twitter.
The second game of CBC’S HOCKEY NIGHT IN CANADA opening night doubleheader features the Winnipeg Jets visiting the Edmonton Oilers at 10 p.m. ET (7 p.m. PT), live on CBC-TV and online at CBCSports.ca. In addition to the all-Canadian match-ups, CBC will have coverage from the United Center in Chicago as the Blackhawks raise their 2013 Stanley Cup championship banner.
Also performing at Molson Canadian NHL Face-Offare Toronto-based indie rock band The Beaches (@thebeaches) and local Montreal rap group Loco Locass (locolocass.net). CBC Montreal will be on-site kicking off the festivities with a special live radio broadcast of Homerun (@cbcHomerun), the afternoon drive show beginning at 3 p.m. ET with host Sue Smith. Attendees will have the chance to meet Smith and the rest of the Homerun team, take a photo with CBC’s Peter Puck and win some great prizes. In addition, CBC News Montreal’s Andie Bennett (@AndieCBC) and Douglas Gelevan (@DGelevan) will be broadcasting live prior to the start of the Toronto/Montreal game on CBC News Montreal at 5 p.m., 5:30 p.m. and 6 p.m.
CBC’S HOCKEY NIGHT IN CANADA’s robust online offerings at CBCSports.ca continue to expand with the addition of veteran hockey analyst and writer, Mike Brophy (@HockeyBroph) to the team. Brophy’s online features will be available alongside returning favourites including Elliotte Friedman’s popular weekly feature, 30 Thoughts, and senior writer Tim Wharnsby’s (@WharnsbyCBC) valuable insight and analysis of the latest news from around the league. In addition to informative articles and opinions, CBCSports.ca has video features and polls as well as occasional blogs, chats and more, featuring members of the CBC’S HOCKEY NIGHT IN CANADA broadcast team.
Prior to the start of the NHL regular season, CBC is launching a complimentary hockey portal, It’s More Than A Game, that will tell the stories of the game from all angles across the CBC network and from fans. The site focuses on the excitement and passion the sport evokes and the connections people have with the sport at all levels. The site will act as a hub for all hockey-related content produced across the entire network (TV, radio, online, social, regional and national) providing Canadians a one-stop-shop to not only experience hockey-related content, but to share their passion for the game by interacting with CBC. Once launched on Sept. 30, the site can be accessed at HockeyNightInCanada.ca/NHLFaceOff.
Hockey Night in Canada: 2nd Screen presented by Budweiser returns for another season beginning Saturday, Oct. 5, connecting fans at CBCSports.ca/2ndscreenwhere users earn points toward potential prizes through predictions, in-game trivia and online engagement. Viewers across the country can also connect with CBC’S HOCKEY NIGHT IN CANADA online at CBCSports.ca/HockeyNightInCanada, through Twitter (@hockeynight) and Instagram using #HockeyNight, Facebook and Pinterest. Fans can also stay up-to-date with the Hockey Night in Canada app for iOS, Windows 8, Blackberry 10 and Android as well as via Xbox and Google Currents.
Rob Pizzo (@RobPizzo) is back as host of Hockey Night in Canada Radio on SiriusXM beginning Monday, Sept. 30, providing comprehensive analysis throughout the 2013-14 NHL season from 3-5 p.m. ET every weekday on Sirius 207 and XM 92. Pizzo welcomes the biggest names in the game for in-depth discussion and insightful interviews on the latest storylines from the NHL. Hockey Night in Canada Radio on SiriusXM will have a special on-location broadcast from Molson Canadian NHL Face-Off in Montreal from 3-5 p.m. ET on Oct. 1.
Hockey Night in Canada Punjabi presented by Chevrolet with play-by-play commentator Harnarayan Singh (@IceSinghHNIC) alongside analysts Inderpreet Cumo (@InderpreetHNIC) and Bhola Chauhan (@BholaHNIC) continues this season with Punjabi-language broadcasts of each nationally televised game every Saturday night, beginning with the Oct. 5 doubleheader on CBC-TV. The Punjabi-language broadcasts are available live on select television channels including Bell Satellite TV (channel 232), Bell Fibe TV (ch. 233), Delta Digital TV (ch. 294), Rogers Digital TV (ch. 799), Shaw Digital TV (ch. 328) and Shaw Direct as well as online at CBCSports.ca.
As announced during the 2013 Stanley Cup Playoffs, CBC’S HOCKEY NIGHT IN CANADA has teamed up with CBCMusic.ca to find Canada’s next great hockey song through Hockey Night in Canada Song Quest. Canadians can submit their original inspirational, energetic and heart-pumping pop or rock songs at CBCMusic.ca/SongQuest beginning Saturday, October 5.
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About CBC/Radio-Canada
CBC/Radio-Canada is Canada’s national public broadcaster and one of its largest cultural institutions. The Corporation is a leader in reaching Canadians on new platforms and delivers a comprehensive range of radio, television, internet, and satellite-based services. Deeply rooted in the regions, CBC/Radio-Canada is the only domestic broadcaster to offer diverse regional and cultural perspectives in English, French and eight Aboriginal languages.
About CBC’s In-House Publicity Team
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For further information, please contact:
Simon Bassett, publicist, CBC
Simon.Bassett@cbc.ca 416.205.8533 (Office)/416.988.1590 (Mobile)
