FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE - Jan 25, 2012

With Four Days of Comprehensive Hockey Coverage from Ottawa

                                     -HOCKEY CENTRAL crew sets up shop on the Rideau Canal for live daily news and analysis–

– Hazel Mae anchors Friday’s Sportsnet Connected live from the Canal –

– Multiplatform coverage on radio, digital and Sportsnet magazine for fans on the go –

– Friday Night Hockey hits the nation’s capital for OHL action as Ottawa hosts Sarnia –

TORONTO, ON (January 25, 2012) – As the game’s biggest stars assemble in Ottawa for 2012 NHL All-Star Weekend, Sportsnet brings fans to the heart of the hockey celebrations with four days of comprehensive, multiplatform coverage from the nation’s capital beginning Thursday, Jan. 26.

 

HOCKEY CENTRAL, Canada’s premiere destination for NHL news, analysis and debate, headlines Sportsnet’s All-Star coverage and will be front and centre at the National Arts Centre on the Rideau Canal. From Jan. 26-29, hosts Daren Millard and Jeff Marek will be joined by analysts Nick Kypreos, Doug MacLean, Scott Morrison, Damien Cox, John Shannon and Denis Potvin, as well as reporter Christine Simpson. Hazel Mae also joins in the festivities, hosting Sportsnet Connected on Friday, Jan. 27 at 6 p.m. ET.

Following Hazel’s live broadcast from the Canal, Sportsnet’s Friday Night Hockey features the Ontario Hockey League’s top scorer Tyler Toffoli and the Ottawa 67’s hosting the Sarnia Sting on Friday, Jan. 27 at 7 p.m. (ET)/4 p.m. (PT) on Sportsnet East, Ontario, West and Pacific. 

Below is a summary of Sportsnet’s complete NHL All-Star Weekend coverage: 

 

Thursday, Jan. 26

Sportsnet Connected: 6 p.m. local on Sportsnet East, Ontario, West and Pacific

Pre- and post-draft analysis from the 2012 NHL All-Star Player Fantasy Draft with Kypreos, Morrison, Shannon, Potvin, Cox and Marek.

HOCKEY CENTRAL TONIGHT: 11 p.m. local on Sportsnet East, Ontario, West, Pacific and ONE

Kypreos, Morrison, Shannon, Potvin and Millard provide a full 30-minute recap of the 2012 NHL All-Star Player Fantasy Draft while reporters Ian Mendes, Christine Simpson and Louis Jean bring all the player reaction. 

 

Friday, Jan. 27

HOCKEY CENTRAL at Noon: 12 noon ET on Sportsnet East and Ontario, and Sportsnet 590 The FAN

Kypreos, MacLean, Potvin and Millard live at the Rideau Canal.

Sportsnet Connected: 6 p.m. ET on Sportsnet East and Ontario

Live from the Rideau Canal, Sportsnet Connected host Hazel Mae and the HOCKEY CENTRAL crew will be joined by an exciting lineup of NHL All-Star players. 

Friday Night Hockey: 7 p.m. ET / 4 p.m. PT on Sportsnet East, Ontario, West and Pacific

Play-by-play announcer RJ Broadhead, analyst Sam Cosentino, and host Rob Faulds will be live at the J. Benson Cartage Centre for hard-hitting OHL action featuring Sarnia versus Ottawa.   HOCKEY CENTRAL host Jeff Marek, along with analysts Damien Cox and Hockey Hall of Famer and former 67’s defenseman Denis Potvin, preview Friday's game from the Canal. Another Hockey Hall of Fame legend, Brian Kilrea – former Coach and GM of the 67’s –makes a special guest appearance as part of the Friday Night Hockey broadcast.

Saturday, Jan. 28

HOCKEY CENTRAL SATURDAY: 6 p.m. ET / 3 p.m. PT on Sportsnet East, Ontario, West and Pacific

The one-hour edition features HOCKEY CENTRAL previewing the 2012 Molson Canadian NHL All-Star Skills Competition.  Additionally, the panel debates the state of the game and examines teams at the All-Star break as they venture into the second half of the season.  Trade speculation ahead of the 2012 NHL Trade Deadline Day will also be featured.  

Sportsnet Connected: 11 p.m. ET on Sportsnet East, Ontario, West and Pacific

HOCKEY CENTRAL files reports from Kypreos, MacLean, Cox and Millard as they discuss all the highlights from the NHL All-Star Skills Competition.  

 

Sunday, Jan. 29

Sportsnet Connected: 10:30 p.m. ET / 7:30 p.m. PT on Sportsnet East, Ontario, West and Pacific

The HOCKEY CENTRAL panel provides complete highlights from the 2012 NHL All-Star Game.  

 

Jan. 26-29 Multiplatform Coverage:

 

sportsnet.ca

Throughout NHL All-Star Weekend, sportsnet.ca  NHL editor Luke Fox keeps fans up-to-date on all the action with recaps and breaking news. Plus, in advance of the 2012 NHL All-Star Player Fantasy Draft, sportsnet.ca offers fans the opportunity to captain their own team for the fantasy draft and select the players they want for their line-up. The website will reveal the viewer-selected teams on Thursday, Jan. 26 before the 2012 NHL All-Star Player Fantasy Draft begins.  Fans can go to the following link at: http://www.sportsnet.ca/hockey/2012_nhl_all_star_fantasy_draft/.

Also on sportsnet.ca, Sportsnet's Jeff Marek and Puck Daddy editor Greg Wyshynski from Yahoo! Sports go toe-to-toe in Ottawa for a special All-Star edition of the Marek vs. Wyshynski  podcast on Thursday, Jan. 26 and Friday, Jan. 27, live at 2 p.m. ET. The podcasts will also be available for download on iTunes.

Sportsnet 590 The FAN / Sportsnet 960 The FAN

Sportsnet 590 The FAN offers up-to-the-minute updates as reporter David Alter provides interviews with players participating in the events in the nation’s capital. Sportsnet 960 The FAN also gets in on the action, providing interviews and updates from All-Star Weekend.

Sportsnet magazine

The latest edition of Sportsnet (Jan. 30, 2012; Vol. 02, No. 01) takes a look at Ottawa Senator Jason Spezza, who is part of the 2012 NHL All-Star roster and playing his best hockey ever. Plus, Road Trip alert: Sportsnet directs fans through All-Star Weekend in Ottawa, including where to stay, what to see, places to eat and of course – where to drink and be merry.

About Sportsnet

Sportsnet connects Canadian sports fans to their favourite teams and athletes, using five platforms: TV, Radio, Print, Online and Mobile. Sportsnet is Fuelled By Fans, and delivers storytelling on a local, regional, national and global level.  The multiplatform brand consists of Sportsnet, sportsnet.ca, Sportsnet 590 The FAN, Sportsnet 960 The FAN, Sportsnet magazine, Sportsnet Mobile and the Hockey Central app on the iPad and Playbook.  Sportsnet is the Canadian leader in NHL and MLB television broadcasts and is home to 162 Toronto Blue Jays games, plus MLB Playoffs and the World Series.  Sportsnet is an official broadcaster of the London 2012 Olympic Games, and also offers an exciting sports lineup including the NFL, the Rogers Cup tennis tournament, the Memorial Cup, and soccer programming with UEFA Champions League, Barclays Premier League, MLS Vancouver Whitecaps FC, and Canadian national team matches for men and women.  Sportsnet Connected is the network’s nightly news program, providing regional and national coverage of the day’s events in the world of sports.

 

Social Media Links:

Twitter: @SportsnetCanada

Facebook:  www.Facebook.com/Sportsnet

 

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