The abbreviated 2013 NHL regular season will open with regional action on NBC Opening Day.
NBC will air two NHL telecast windows on the opening weekend of the season, according to the NBC Universal media website. On January 19, the first day of the season, the network will air Blackhawks/Kings and Penguins/Flyers regionally at 3 PM ET.
The following day, the network will air a yet-to-be-announced game at 12:30 PM ET.
The 2013 NHL regular season is contingent on the players’ union ratifying a new collective bargaining agreement. National Hockey League owners imposed a lockout of players in September and canceled the first three months of the regular season before the two sides reached a tentative agreement on Sunday.
The ongoing 2012-13 NHL lockout is the fourth work stoppage in league history (one players’ strike and three owner-imposed lockouts). During Gary Bettman‘s two decade tenure as commissioner, NHL owners have imposed a lockout and canceled games every single time the league’s collective bargaining agreement has expired.
(Schedule information from NBC Universal Media Village via twitter.com/ehornick)
