HOCKEYCENTRAL PRESENTS SEASON PREVIEW AND FANTASY DRAFT SPECIALS THIS TUESDAY

30-minute Hockeycentral Fantasy Draft precedes two-hour Hockeycentral Season Preview

TORONTO (October 4, 2010) – Will a Canadian team finally hoist the Stanley Cup? The Hockeycentral Season Preview will debate this amongst other topics on Tuesday, October 5 at 8 p.m. (ET)/8 p.m. (PT) on Rogers Sportsnet East, Sportsnet Ontario, Sportsnet West and Sportsnet Pacific. Sportsnet will lead the preview show with the Hockeycentral Fantasy Draft Show at 7:30 p.m. (ET)/7:30 p.m. (PT).

Daren Millard, RJ Broadhead and Don Taylor host the two-hour preview show featuring Hockeycentral analysts Nick Kypreos, Doug MacLean, John Shannon, Mike Brophy and Garry Valk who will provide expert analysis for the up-coming season, on all the teams including the six Canadian squads. Millard, Kypreos and MacLean will discuss the hot-button issue for each Canadian team while Broadhead, Brophy and Shannon tells viewers “who to watch” on each of the Canadian teams. Taylor and Valk will present their predictions for the Vancouver Canucks. In addition, Toronto Maple Leafs GM Brian Burke will connect with the panel to discuss his team heading into the new season.

Connected reporters Arash Madani, Ian Mendes, Louis Jean, Gene Principe, Roger Millions and Dan Murphy will also take an in-depth look at all six Canadian teams including:

•Madani discussing the “Dion Phaneuf Era” with the Toronto Maple Leafs’ new captain and some of his fellow blue liners.

•Mendes going one-one-one with Ottawa Senators goaltender Pascal Leclaire, who the organization hopes is the solution between the pipes in the nation’s capital.

•Jean exploring the Montreal Canadiens’ goaltending decision and asks if “The Price is Right” or a major faux-pas?

•Will the youth movement, led by Taylor Hall, live up to the pressure from Edmonton Oilers fans starving for a return to glory? Principe investigates further.

•Has the Calgary Flames’ Darryl Sutter learned from his past mistakes or will history repeat itself? Millions goes deeper into the topic.

•Vancouver Canucks netminder Roberto Luongo tells Murphy why the summer to forget will be the winter to remember on the west coast.

The Hockeycentral panel will review the key off-season changes and discuss which team improved the most. They will also deliberate the fall-out from the Ilya Kovalchuk contract and whether the Chicago Blackhawks can repeat as the champs. Finally, the analysts will present their Stanley Cup predictions, including those from a few celebrities.

The Hockeycentral Fantasy Draft Show will be anchored by Millard, Kypreos and Brophy. Kypreos and Brophy will present their sleepers and who they expect to have a breakout season. The panel will focus on who should be drafted after automatics like Alexander Ovechkin and Sidney Crosby, plus players around the league weigh in with their choice. Kypreos and Brophy will also break down their top fantasy goaltenders and power forwards who will post big numbers in both points and penalty minutes.

For all the scores, highlights, breaking news and inside stories from the NHL tune in to Hockeycentral, Hockeycentral Tonight, Sportsnet Connected and log on to sportsnet.ca. “Your home team. First.”

-END-