All 54 games of both the men’s and women’s hockey tournaments will be seen live on the networks of NBC Universal. This will mark the first time in U.S. television history that the entire Olympic women’s tournament will be televised. All Team USA hockey games and the gold medal games, both men’s and women’s, will be broadcast commercial-free and in their entirety. The women’s gold medal game will air live on President’s Day, Monday, Feb. 20, on NBC. The men’s gold medal game will air live on the final day of Olympic competition, Sunday, Feb. 26, on NBC.
"Our hockey coverage is a fan's dream come true, every U.S. game will be seen commercial free and in its entirety," Ebersol said. "Die-hard fans should mark their calendars for Wednesday, Feb. 22. It will be the single greatest day in hockey - all of the game's biggest stars will compete in the men's quarterfinals as the world's eight best teams all face off."
Bill Clement, the former NHL All-Star and "NHL on NBC" host, will host hockey coverage on USA, MSNBC and CNBC, his fourth Olympic broadcast assignment and third for NBC. Ray Ferraro, an 18-year NHL veteran and "NHL on NBC" studio analyst, will provide analysis alongside Clement for men's games. Cammi Granato, a 1998 Olympic gold medalist and 2002 Olympic silver medalist, will work with Clement for women's games. Ferraro and Granato were married in 2004.
Mike Emrick (play-by-play), John Davidson (analyst) and Pierre McGuire (reporter) will comprise the lead men's Olympic broadcast team. Emrick will pair with AJ Mleczko, a 1998 Olympic gold medalist and 2002 Olympic silver medalist, as the lead team on women's games, with McGuire reporting.
NBC HD
The Torino Games will feature the most high definition coverage in Olympic television history. For the first time, Olympic HD viewers will see a simulcast of the analog broadcast - same time, same broadcasters, same graphics - but in High Definition and in 5.1 surround sound.
Figure skating, hockey, long and short track speed skating, ski jumping, freestyle aerials and moguls, and the Opening and Closing Ceremonies will all be broadcast in 1080i high definition because those venues in Torino are wired for high definition coverage by the host broadcaster. From those venues where the host broadcaster is unable to provide a high definition signal, a 16:9 signal will be upconverted by NBC.
I wonder if HDNet will have the hockey games in HD like they did in Salt Lake?
Edited by LüZZo, 10 January 2006 - 07:18 PM.
