Archives for May 2017

“Matt Murray was sensational. He was by far my first star of the game.” – Mike Milbury

“The kid is lighting it up in the Stanley Cup Final.” – Keith Jones on Jake Guentzel

STAMFORD, Conn. – May 31, 2017 – NBC Sports continued exclusive coverage of its 12^th consecutive Stanley Cup Final tonight with Game 2 between the Nashville Predators and Pittsburgh Penguins on NBCSN. The Penguins won Game 2 by a score of 4-1, as Jake Guentzel broke a 1-1 tie with 19:50 remaining in the 3^rd Period, and Scott Wilson and Evgeni Malkin followed with back-to-back goals at 16:45 and 16:32, respectively.

Five-time Emmy Award-winning play-by-play commentator Mike ‘Doc’ Emrick, U.S. Hockey Hall of Fame member and analyst Eddie Olczyk, and Emmy Award-winning Inside-the-Glass analyst Pierre McGuire called Game 2 tonight from PPG Paints Arena in Pittsburgh, Pa. This marks the 11th consecutive year that Emrick, Olczyk and McGuire have combined to call the Stanley Cup Final for NBC Sports Group.

Coverage began on NBCSN at 6 p.m. ET with NHL Live. Kathryn Tappen hosted alongside analysts Jeremy Roenick and Anson Carter on-set outside of PPG Paints Arena. In addition, Paul Burmeister spoke with Stanley Cup Champion and Penguins Assistant GM Bill Guerin, D Ian Cole, Olympic silver medalist and National Champion Amanda Kessel, as well as Associate Coach of the University of Minnesota men’s hockey team Mike Guentzel. Brian Boucher spoke with Predators C Colton Sissons.

Coverage shifted inside the arena at 7:30 p.m. ET with host Liam McHugh, who was joined by analysts Mike Milbury and Keith Jones.

Post-Game

Milbury: “Matt Murray was sensational. He was by far my first star of the game. They have found a way to do what Pittsburgh has done in so many different ways, which is win under different circumstances.” 

Jones: “They did a very good job in adjusting to what was causing them problems in Game 1, and that came through big time in the third period of this game.”

Jones on Guentzel: “The kid is lighting it up in the Stanley Cup Final. He’s the calmest guy I have ever seen. He scored two huge goals in this game. Scored a huge goal in Game 1. And he sat there (being interviewed by Pierre) like he had be a 20-year veteran in the National Hockey League.”

Third Period

McGuire: “Nick Bonino has been tremendous. He has been a tower of power.”

Emrick: “Just an observation. It’s a spontaneous game, and there are mistakes, but I have not seen or Ian Cole or Nick Bonino make any of them tonight. What they have done has been perfect.”

Olczyk: “You talk about being red hot. Guentzel has scored the last three goals for the Penguins, when the opposing goalie was on the ice.”

Emrick: “That’s it. Two games to none, with an exclamation point on the night.”

Second Intermission

Milbury on Matt Murray: “He has been brilliant. He’s the best player on the ice tonight. It’s not even close. He had to be. If the Penguins are getting this kind of performance by Murray, they have to take advantage of it.”

Jones on Predators: “The game plan is perfect. They have had plenty of opportunities, but the discipline has been an issue.”

Second Period 

McGuire on P.K. Subban: “He’s got one mission and one mission only, make sure Crosby is not comfortable when he gets the puck.”

Olczyk on Sidney Crosby: “He’s the orchestrator and the ignitor. The Penguins need to get the puck on his stick and let him do his magic.”

First Intermission

Milbury on catfish: “I think it’s official. The catfish crotch concealment movement is alive and well… After the catfish was thrown on the ice here in Pittsburgh, within minutes our very own Pierre McGuire knew what lake it swam in and what school of fish it swam with.”

Jones: “P.K. Subban was unbelievable during the first period. He did so many things well. He’s got his mojo tonight.”

Jones: “It was an exciting period of hockey. The fans are into it, and the players are into it on the ice. When you get into that dressing room, the message to your team is ‘Continue to play. Don’t focus on the officials. They will figure it out.’ The officials need to get it together. They are in the locker room as well. They will figure this game out. They did not do a good job during the first period, but the players need to continue to play.”

Milbury on officiating during first period: “This is a nightmare for coaches and players. They set an unthinkable standard. You just don’t know what to expect. There were several examples of that in the course of the first period. The officials were putrid during the first period. They need to be a lot better than that.”

First Period

Olczyk on goal by Pontus Aberg: “You are not going to see a prettier goal than that. You talk about skill level, it doesn’t get any better than this. Beautiful play.”

McGuire: “Perfect example of why Nashville is so good. That’s a second-round draft pick coming in and working some magic. Aberg had the Game 5 winner against Anaheim, and once again shows why he is such a talented player.”

 Olczyk on Matt Irwin’s hit on Matt Cullen: “It looked like it was directly square into the numbers. That is a penalty without a doubt. Look at Irwin, he looks really quick to see where the official is. Talk about getting your hand caught in the cookie jar. He took a look first to see where the official was.”

Olczyk: “That’s what makes Pittsburgh so dangerous. You turn the puck over 10 feet inside the blue line, and next thing you know they are off to the races and creating chances.” 

Pre-Game on NBC (8 p.m. ET)

Jones on Crosby: “I think he is the best player in the league down low. You can see it in everything he does. He can knock pucks down, knock defensemen down, and set up goals.”

Milbury on Trevor Daley: “This year he has to be labeled as the best defenseman on the Pittsburgh Penguins. He has a team high in minutes, and we don’t expect to see anything less tonight. He’s a guy the team can rely on in every situation, during penalty kills, and power plays.”

Olczyk on Predators: “They were the better team without question in Game 1. But as we all know in playoff hockey, the best team doesn’t always win come Stanley Cup Playoff hockey time. In Game 1, the best team did not win.”

NHL Live on NBCSN (6-8 p.m. ET)

Carter on Jake Guentzel: “His hockey IQ is what allows him to play with guys like Sidney Crosby. He can think about the game at the same level as Crosby does, and has a lot of success playing with Sidney because of that. That said, when Guentzel scored the goal in Game 1, he was playing with Matt Cullen, a fourth-line center. Guentzel is smart enough to know what other guys strengths are on the ice. He wasn’t leading on the ice, he came from behind. It’s another example of how smart Guentzel is. By showing that patience and that poise, not getting ahead of the play, coming underneath, and using his speed, his skill level just took over.”

Roenick on Guentzel: “Jake Guentzel couldn’t have been more effective in Game 1. With the first shot after 37 minutes, he responded to Mike Sullivan’s challenge. These kids don’t sit and pout when their coach challenges them. They get up, fight, battle and make their coach proud of them.”

Milbury on Game 1: “Nashville completely dominated the game. You couldn’t expect any of those things to happen, let alone a catfish concealed inside a guy’s pants. I have no recollection of any game like that ever before.”

Roenick on Game 1: “It was one of the strangest games I’ve ever seen. Definitely one for the ages.”

Boucher on Game 1: “Luck was not on the Predators side. This is a team that played fantastic hockey in Game 1. They deserved a better fate than what they had in that game. The goal by Subban was taken back because of the off-side call. If you ask many of the Nashville Predators, they still believe that was an inconclusive replay.”

–NBC SPORTS GROUP–

Golf Channel Notable Quotes
NCAA Men’s Golf Championships
Team Match Play, Semifinals
Tuesday, May 30, 2017
Rich Harvest Farms
Sugar Grove, Ill.

Semifinal Matches Results:
Oregon defeated Vanderbilt   3-2
Oklahoma defeated Illinois    3½ – 1½

Championship Match
Oregon vs. Oklahoma

Golf Channel Wednesday / NCAA Team Championship Schedule (all times ET)
Golf Central Pre Game        1:30-4 p.m. ET
Championship Match           4-8 p.m. ET
Golf Central                          8-9 p.m. ET

On the semifinal matches
Bob Papa – “Tremendous theater here today at Rich Harvest Farms.”

On Oregon defeating Vanderbilt 3-2
Papa – “Last year it was the home course advantage in Eugene. Sulman Raza has taken that match play game on the road to Rich Harvest Farms.”
Lanny Wadkins – “You get him in these matches and he becomes superman. I have not seen him miss a shot. He drives it like a machine, straight and long, and his iron play has been spectacular and he’s putting solid. I don’t see any flaws in his game. It’s like where has this guy been since last year’s NCAA?”
Wadkins – “Some performance today by Sulman Raza.”
Wadkins – “He [Sulman Raza] has got some incredible intestinal fortitude. He stood up last year in the final and against the fifth ranked amateur in the world today.”
Curt Byrum – “From what I’ve seen, he [Sulman Raza] has nerves of steel today.”
Papa – “Sulman Raza hasn’t been in the lineup all year for Oregon, but when gets into to match play, after last years’ experience he becomes a different player.”

Oregon coach Casey Martin speaking with Golf Channel’s Billy Ray Brown on advancing to Wednesday’s championship match
Casey Martin – “It is unbelievable. So grateful. Vanderbilt is an amazing team. Incredible year. To get to play them and beat them, like Oklahoma State too, was awesome. So proud of Raza, and the way he played down the stretch. And Wyndham and Norman coming back today, and all of the guys. It is hard to put into words. Wow.”
Martin – “I guess there is something to never quitting. I told the guys that, and they bought in. I kept telling them the weather is tough, but never quit. Hang in there somehow. And we got it done in match play. It will be a great match tomorrow and I’m really stoked that we get a chance to defend.” 

Oregon’s Sulman Raza speaking with Golf Channel’s Curt Byrum after winning the deciding point to send Oregon to the championship match
Raza – “I’ve always enjoyed playing against the competitor himself. In match play, you can be a lot more aggressive time to time, honestly. I think that is why I’m a lot better in match play. I can plot my way how I want to go about a hole depending on how my competitor is playing the hole. There are a lot of different ways to win in match play and it suits my game.”

Oregon’s Wyndham Clark speaking with Golf Channel’s Billy Ray Brown after his match
Wyndham Clark – “The wind was tough at the beginning and at the end. The middle part, you had to take advantage of it. I just didn’t want to make mistakes and I wanted him [Will Gordon] to have to beat me.”

Vanderbilt’s John Augenstein speaking with Golf Channel’s Notah Begay following the match after holing out for birdie on the first extra hole to defeat Oregon’s Edwin Yi
John Augenstein – “The final putt I really wasn’t thinking about making by any means. Just trying to get it close, but yeah, I put it on a good line and it went in.”

On Oklahoma defeating Illinois 3 ½ – 1 ½
Wadkins – “Oklahoma got off to a quick start and really played solid golf all day.”
Steve Burkowski – “Really impressive performance by the Sooners.”

Oklahoma Coach Ryan Hybl speaking with Golf Channel’s John Cook following the match
Ryan Hybl – “He [Rylee Reinertson] was the MVP today. He won both of his matches, and just did a phenomenal job all day long. All of our guys did a great job. We got off to a good start. Unlike this morning, we got off to a great start this afternoon. We had some Sooner magic this morning and built off of that this afternoon.”

-NBC Sports Group-

Vaughn Captured the 2017 NCAA Women’s Golf Individual Championship; Strom Secured the Final Point for Arizona State to win Team National Championship

SUGAR GROVE, Ill., May 31, 2017 – Arizona State senior Monica Vaughn and sophomore Linnea Strom received exemptions to the LPGA Tour’s Marathon Classic presented by Owens Corning and O-I in July as a result of their performances at the 2017 NCAA Division I Women’s Golf Championships at Rich Harvest Farms in Sugar Grove, Ill.

Vaughn overcame a two-shot deficit during Monday’s final round of the individual stroke play championship to win the individual national championship. Vaughn recorded a final round 1-under par 71 to post a 54-hole total of 1-over par, claiming the sixth individual title in Arizona State history. She earned an automatic exemption as a result of winning the individual national championship.

“This will be my very first LPGA event, my first professional event I’ve ever played in, so that’s huge for me,” said Vaughn. “I’m lucky to be there with my teammate. It’s going to be a blast. We’ll just give it our best show and see how it goes.”

The second exemption to the Marathon Classic was given to a member of the winning national championship team as decided by the head coach. Strom clinched the team national championship for Arizona State on Wednesday over Northwestern by earning the third and deciding point in the championship match of the team match play competition. After seeing her lead cut to one on the 11^th hole, Strom won four consecutive holes to defeat Northwestern’s Stephanie Lau to give ASU their eighth national team title. Head coach Missy Farr-Kaye announced on Golf Central following the conclusion of play Wednesday evening that Linnea Strom would be the recipient of the second exemption to the Marathon Classic.

“It [the exemption] came as a surprise, and I’m really happy to have the opportunity to play in an LPGA event,” said Strom. “I’ve very excited to do that with Monica, and it’s going to be a lot of fun and to see how it is out there with the professionals.”

The 2017 Marathon Classic presented by Owens Corning and O-I will take place Thursday-Sunday, July 20-23 at Highland Meadows Golf Club in Sylvania, Ohio. Golf Channel will air all four rounds of coverage in primetime.

Golf Channel’s coverage of the NCAA Men’s Golf Championships concludes today with defending national champion Oregon taking on Oklahoma in the championship match. Live coverage of the match airs on Golf Channel from 4-8 p.m. ET.

-NBC Sports Group-

Pre-Game Coverage Starts at 6 p.m. ET on NBCSN; Includes Features on Pittsburgh’s Jake Guentzel and Nashville’s Ryan Ellis

Transcript – NBC Sports Stanley Cup Final Media Conference Call

Game 1 of Stanley Cup Final Averages 5 Million Viewers, Up 22% vs. Last Year

Doc Emrick & Pierre McGuire Make Sandwiches at Pittsburgh’s Iconic Primanti Bros. – “Doc’s Old School Pitts-burger” & “Inside The Bread with Pierre”

STAMFORD, Conn. – May 31, 2017 – NBC Sports continues its coverage of the 2017 Stanley Cup Final from PPG Paints Arena in Pittsburgh, Pa., with Game 2 tonight at 8 p.m. ET on NBCSN, when Sidney Crosby and the Pittsburgh Penguins host P.K. Subban and the Nashville Predators. Pre-game coverage begins tonight at 6 p.m. ET on NBCSN with a special two-hour edition of NHL Live.

NBCSports.com and the NBC Sports app – NBC Sports Group’s live streaming product for desktops, mobile devices, tablets, and connected TVs – will provide streaming coverage of 2017 Stanley Cup Final.

Five-time Emmy Award-winning play-by-play commentator Mike ‘Doc’ Emrick, U.S. Hockey Hall of Fame member and analyst Eddie Olczyk, and Emmy Award-winning ‘Inside-the-Glass’ analyst Pierre McGuire will provide commentary from Pittsburgh. This marks the 11th consecutive year that Emrick, Olczyk and McGuire will combine to call the Stanley Cup Final for NBC Sports.

Host Liam McHugh will anchor pre-game, intermission and studio coverage on-site throughout the series, alongside analysts and former players Mike Milbury and Keith Jones. In addition, Kathryn Tappen and Paul Burmeister will host coverage from outside sets in Pittsburgh and Nashville, alongside analysts and former players Jeremy Roenick, Brian Boucher, and Anson Carter.

Game 1 of the 2017 Stanley Cup Final on NBC, in which the Pittsburgh Penguins held on for an exciting 5-3 victory over the Nashville Predators at PPG Paints Arena in Pittsburgh, Pa., averaged a Total Audience Delivery of 5.038 million viewers, up 22% vs. last year’s Game 1 between the Penguins and San Jose Sharks (4.132 million).

Despite neither Nashville (#29) nor Pittsburgh (#23) being a Top 20 TV market, the contest was the third-most watched Game 1 since NBC Sports began televising the Stanley Cup Final in 2006, behind only Boston-Chicago in 2013, which are the #9 and #3 TV markets, respectively, and Chicago-Tampa Bay (#11) in 2015. Click here for more information.
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TRANSCRIPT – NBC SPORTS STANLEY CUP FINAL MEDIA CONFERENCE CALL

 

On Tuesday afternoon, NBC Sports Group’s lead NHL broadcast team of Mike ‘Doc’ Emrick (play-by-play), Eddie Olczyk (analyst), and Pierre McGuire (‘Inside-the-Glass’ analyst), as well as NBC Sports Group executive producer Sam Flood, reviewed Monday’s Game 1 and took a look ahead to the rest of the Stanley Cup Final on a media conference call. Following are excerpts from the call. Click here for the full transcript.

Emrick on rebirth of hockey in Pittsburgh and Nashville: “It’s not that long ago that the players of the Predators bought season tickets and gave them out. They bought suites because they had to protect the franchise from being moved. In Pittsburgh, Mario rescued the franchise, not once but twice — once on the ice and once in the boardroom, or this might have been a casualty. And these rebirth stories are magnificent. That’s why it’s so wonderful to think about what’s going on in Nashville, and to think about now eight, nine years later, after the Mario rescue here, in Pittsburgh.”

McGuire’s reaction to Game 1: “The number one thing (Pittsburgh’s) Coach Sullivan has to do is make an in-series adjustment in terms of how they move the puck out of their own zone… Nashville is a legit team; they’re not Cinderella. They’re a really, really good team. The St. Louis Blues found that out, the Anaheim Ducks found that out, and the Chicago Blackhawks surely found it out. And after Game 1 Pittsburgh now knows it, too.”

Olczyk: “Go back to round one. Yes, they took out the Columbus Blue Jackets…even though it was five games officially in the record book, it was more like six-and-a-half games or seven because of how hard Columbus and Pittsburgh played in those five games. So it takes its toll. I think (Game 1) had a lot to do with just the energy level being low (for Pittsburgh) and how Nashville, how they played for a good 50-some minutes of that game where they dictated the terms. And that doesn’t happen to the Penguins very often.”

McGuire looking ahead to Games 3 and 4 in Nashville: “It’s more than just a hockey game in Nashville. It’s an event…as loud as any building I’ve ever experienced. So clearly they’ve done a masterful job both in the building and outside of the building. And the drafting’s been phenomenal. The coaching is excellent. The management has been really solid. I just think it’s built to last.”

 

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STANLEY CUP FINAL GAME 2 – PREDATORS-PENGUINS – TONIGHT AT 8 P.M. ET ON NBCSN

The defending Stanley Cup champion Penguins won Game 1 by a score of 5-3 on Monday night in Pittsburgh, despite a smothering defensive effort by the Predators. The Penguins scored three times in a 4:11 span late in the first period to take a 3-0 lead, but lost that lead during a 37-minute stretch in which they did not record a shot on goal. Jake Guentzel, who had not scored since the second round, snapped Pittsburgh’s shotless streak and netted the go-ahead goal with 3:17 remaining in regulation (his league-leading 10th of the postseason), while Nick Bonino added an empty-netter to seal the win.

Nashville outshot Pittsburgh 26-12, including 9-0 in the 2nd period. The 12 shots by the Penguins were the fewest by any team to win a Stanley Cup Final game since the 1967 expansion. The Game 1 winner of the last five Stanley Cup Finals has gone on to win the series.

DOC EMRICK & PIERRE MCGUIRE MAKE SANDWICHES AT PITTSBURGH’S ICONIC PRIMANTI BROS. – “DOC’S OLD SCHOOL PITTS-BURGER” & “INSIDE THE BREAD WITH PIERRE”

On Tuesday, Doc Emrick and Pierre McGuire took a trip to Pittsburgh’s iconic Primanti Bros. to make their own sandwiches. The duo made their sandwiches at the original Primanti Bros. 18^th Street location in Pittsburgh’s Strip District. Pre-game coverage tonight will include a feature with Emrick and McGuire from Primanti’s. Emrick and McGuire both have Pittsburgh ties – Emrick has been a lifelong Pirates fan, while McGuire won two Stanley Cups as a member of the Penguins’ coaching staff in 1991 and 1992.

“Doc’s Old School Pitts-Burger” pays homage to his Pirates fandom with Pirates-yellow mustard, and pickle chips which harken the green hues of the grass and home run fence at PNC Park. We go “Inside The Bread with Pierre” and find a combination of Cajun chicken and American cheese, in honor of McGuire’s French-Canadian and American roots.  Click here for a picture of Emrick and McGuire sampling their Primanti’s creations.

 

• “Doc’s Old School Pitts-Burger” – Pitts-burger, mustard, pickle chips and provolone served Primanti-style with French fries, slaw and tomato;

 

• “Inside The Bread with Pierre” – Cajun chicken, American cheese, served Primanti-style with French fries, slaw and tomato.

 

Following is the full telecast schedule for the remainder of the 2017 Stanley Cup Final with networks and start times. Pre-game coverage will begin each night with NHL Live at 6 p.m. ET on NBCSN.

Date	Coverage	Network	Time (ET)
Wed., May 31	Game 2 – Nashville at Pittsburgh	NBCSN	8 p.m.
Sat., June 3	Game 3 – Pittsburgh at Nashville	NBCSN	8 p.m.
Mon., June 5	Game 4 – Pittsburgh at Nashville	NBC	8 p.m.
Thur., June 8	Game 5 – Nashville at Pittsburgh*	NBC	8 p.m.
Sun., June 11	Game 6 – Pittsburgh at Nashville*	NBC	8 p.m.
Wed., June 14	Game 7 – Nashville at Pittsburgh *	NBC	8 p.m.

*if necessary

NBCSPORTS.COM & NBC SPORTS APP

NBCSports.com and the NBC Sports app will stream all Stanley Cup Playoff games to desktops, tablets, and connected TVs. The NBC Sports app will stream coverage via “TV Everywhere,” giving consumers additional value to their subscription service, and making high-quality content available to MVPD customers both in and out of the home and on multiple platforms. Powered by Playmaker Media, the NBC Sports app is available on Apple iOS, Android and select Samsung devices, as well as on Amazon Fire, Apple TV, Chromecast, Roku, Win10, and Xbox.

 

–NBC SPORTS GROUP–

NBC Sports Group to be Home of USA Swimming Through 2024

Coverage Featured Across NBC, NBCSN, Recently-Announced Olympic Channel: Home of Team USA, and Streamed Live on Desktops, Mobile Devices, Tablets, and Connected TVs

Content Will be Presented As Part of Olympic Channel Partnership among NBCUniversal, IOC, and USOC

STAMFORD, Conn. – May 31, 2017 – NBC Sports Group and USA Swimming have partnered on a media rights agreement that provides NBC Sports Group with exclusive television and digital streaming rights through 2024, both parties announced today.

As part of the agreement, NBC Sports Group will present extensive annual coverage of the six-stop arena Pro Swim Series, Phillips 66 USA Swimming National Championships and Winter National Championships, plus the Pan Pacific Swimming Championships, a once-per-quad international competition featuring the United States, Australia, Canada and Japan.

Coverage of the events will be featured across NBC, NBCSN, and the recently-announced Olympic Channel: Home of Team USA. In addition to television, coverage will include simultaneous streams on desktops, mobile devices, tablets, and connected TVs. Content will be presented as part of the Olympic Channel partnership among NBCUniversal, the IOC, and the USOC.

“Swimming has provided countless signature moments at the Olympics, most recently in Rio with the astonishing and historic performances of Katie Ledecky, Simone Manuel, and, of course, Michael Phelps,” said Jim Bell, President, NBC Olympics Production and Programming. “With this deal, we’re excited to now be able to share even more of the sport that so many Americans love during the Games, and get to know some of the future stars in the pool.”

“Partnering with NBC through 2024 ensures that we can continue to grow TV and digital coverage of the sport,” said Mike Unger, USA Swimming Interim Chief Executive Officer. “NBC is a partner that has a shared interest in growing Olympic and swimming coverage and this extension helps us bring more swimming coverage to fans on TVs, computers, mobile devices and beyond.”

One of the most popular Olympic sports, swimming took center stage during the 2016 Rio Olympic Games, with the swim team winning 33 medals, including 16 gold. Among the memorable moments were Michael Phelps winning six medals before retiring as the most decorated Olympian in history with 28 medals; Katie Ledecky’s dominant performance in Rio, winning five total medals including four gold; and Simone Manuel tying for gold in the 100m freestyle to become the first African American woman to win an individual Olympic medal in swimming. Ledecky and Manuel are among the gold medalists expected to compete in most of NBC Sports’ coverage of these events, along with eight-time Olympic medalist Nathan Adrian, Rio 100m breaststroke champion Lilly King, and three-time Rio gold medal backstroke specialist Ryan Murphy.

Complete programming information will be announced at a later date.

–NBC SPORTS GROUP–