The National Hockey League is an ice hockey professional league in North America. There are 32 teams in the league, 25 of which are in the United States, and seven in Canada. It is regarded as one of the best in the world. In fact, it is one of the major professional sports leagues in the United States. But who is in the National Hockey League? And what are the teams’ different names? Let’s find out!
NBC and Versus sign ten-year broadcast deal for American cable and broadcast rights
NBC and Versus have announced a 10-year broadcast and cable rights deal with the National Hockey League. The deal will cost an estimated US$2 billion, and will give Versus a share of the revenues from telecasts. Versus will receive $75 million per season for their broadcast rights. NBC will pay no rights fees and will receive revenue sharing from the NHL, but the name of the network will change to NBC within 90 days.
NBC Sports announced a 10-year television deal with the NHL, keeping the NHL exclusively on NBC and VERSUS. NBC will also continue to air the NFL games on VERSUS and its cable service. NBCUniversal also announced it would purchase 50% of Universal Studios Orlando from Blackstone, extending the network’s long-term commitment to the theme park industry.
NBC and Versus announce a multibillion dollar ten-year broadcast deal. Versus and NBC Sports are the top dogs for the new venture, and the NHL is no exception. The new network will be built around superstars such as Sidney Crosby and Alex Ovechkin. The NHLVERSUS team has the potential to win the Stanley Cup, a first for the network in American cable.
NBC has regional rights for Canucks, Oilers, Flames and Leafs
The Canucks are among the four teams with regional TV rights. This means that 26 games will air on NBC, 34 on TSN and 13 on Rogers. The Canucks’ games against the Flames and Oilers will be national broadcasts. All games against the Leafs will be national in both English and French. There will be a few regional games that will be broadcast on Rogers.
For broadcasting games, Sportsnet has regional rights for the Oilers, Flames and Canucks. The network will carry regular season games for the Flames, Oilers and Leafs. The network will also carry national games. And for its part, the Flames and Leafs will be on Sportsnet in the future. Sportsnet’s regional rights are worth $1.65 billion annually, which will help it attract more viewers.
NHL games will be televised on NBC. Throughout the playoffs, NBC will carry 120 hours of NHL coverage on Monday nights. The Canucks and Oilers will have regional rights to NBC. Leafs and Canucks games will be on Sportsnet and TSN in their respective markets. The Buffalo Sabres and Jets will be on Sportsnet.
Versus has national rights for Montreal Canadiens
The Canadiens’ move to Versus from Bell is one of many tidbits about the new television deal. The new deal with Versus brings the team to the entire country, not just Quebec, B.C., Alberta, Saskatchewan, Manitoba, eastern and western Ontario, and territories. However, the team will continue to play in their home city of Montreal, and they will remain a part of Montreal’s fan base no matter where they go.
The Canadiens have a history of rivalry. They often shared the division with the Toronto Maple Leafs, and they often played each other in post-season play. In fact, the two teams have met more than once in the post-season, including 16 games between the two teams. They have one of the largest fan bases in the NHL, and they were the only team in Canada from 1939 to 1970.
The new deal with Versus brings the team to the national stage, but the deal is not perfect. The Canadiens will be playing the same opponents as before. RDS will continue to air 60 Habs games a year, while TVA will carry 22. However, TVA will also continue to offer pre-season coverage of Montreal Canadiens games, ensuring the team stays relevant in the market.