NHL on NBC and Daytona 500 preps

A pair of press releases as we hit the 6pm hour in the East -



NASCAR on FOX’s broadcasters Darrell Waltrip, Larry McReynolds, Jeff Hammond and Mike Joy joined FOX Sports Chairman David Hill and President Ed Goren to preview this weekend’s Daytona 500 action and FOX Sports’ coverage of the 2009 season.

Darrell Waltrip on Jimmie Johnson’s chances of making NASCAR history and winning a fourth straight Points Championship: “Three in a row is pretty special because only one other person, Cale Yarborough, has ever done it in the history of NASCAR. If you win four championships in a row, you have put yourself in a class by yourself. Until somebody proves to me they have what it takes to do what he and Chad Knaus can do, which is make no mistakes in the last ten races, I’m going to bet on Jimmie Johnson.”

David Hill on the economic state of NASCAR : “We have been very gratified that advertisers are stepping up to the plate. It’s like every year - sponsors come and sponsors go. We’re very, very comfortable about where we are. Any sports’ popularity is going to be related to the number of people who sit and watch it. NASCAR’s popularity remains strong. We had an increase in ratings last year and we’re hoping that we get an increase in ratings this year.”

Larry McReynolds on how Jimmie Johnson uses the regular season to prepare for the Chase for the Championship: “Before the Chase format, you used to win the championship one race at a time. That’s not true anymore. You win the championship now in 10 races. You have the luxury in those first 26 races to get yourself in only the top-12. When the final 10 get there, you want to have done all of your homework, preparation and be ready to attack.”

Mike Joy on how NASCAR’s drivers make opportunities for themselves: “There are several start-up teams, like Joe Nemechek’s and Jeremy Mayfield’s, that didn’t exist 30 days ago. In Mayfield’s case, he didn’t arrive with an established team for the Daytona 500, so he put a team together. Every person working on his car now was laid off last fall by a team. Every problem creates an opportunity somewhere else.”

Jeff Hammond on the unique relationship between Jimmie Johnson and crew chief Chad Knaus: “When it comes to Jimmie Johnson and Chad Knaus, they have the most one-dimensional team. They’re all thinking alike, they all react as one. They don’t beat themselves. They are about as perfect a race team you could draw on paper.”



RANGERS HOST ARCHRIVAL FLYERS IN NHL GAME OF THE WEEK, SUNDAY ON NBC

“There are no two ways about it, these teams hate each other and always will. -- NBC's Milbury on Flyers-Rangers

Ovechkin Faces Malkin & Crosby as Penguins at Capitals Flexed Into Feb. 22 Game of the Week


NEW YORK - Feb. 12, 2009 - The New York Rangers will host their fierce rival the Philadelphia Flyers in the NHL Game of the Week, Sunday, 12:30 p.m. ET on NBC, presented in high definition. Mike "Doc" Emrick (play-by-play), Eddie Olczyk (analyst) and Pierre McGuire (inside-the-glass reporter) call the action. McGuire will pull double duty, hosting NBC's studio show alongside analyst Mike Milbury on site at Madison Square Garden. NBC's NHL coverage is produced by Sam Flood, the son of a hockey coach and former captain of the Williams College hockey team.

With a win last night, the Ranger pulled even with the Flyers in the Eastern Conference standings with the Flyers holding three games in hand. The Rangers, losers of five of their last six, seek to rebound against a Philly team that has won its last two on the road. Jeff Carter leads the Flyers with 34 goals and 58 points, both career bests. His 34 goals rank second in the NHL. The Rangers are led by their stellar netminder Henrik Lundqvist, a three-time Vezina Trophy finalist.

MCGUIRE ON THE RANGERS TROUBLES: "Everybody's in a funk for the Rangers at the same time. They need to find a way to score goals, that's obvious. Even earlier in the season, when they were winning, it was with team defense and goaltending. Their puck movement from their defense, supposedly a strength, has been a glaring weakness. And they miss Jaromir Jagr. He and Marty Straka opened up so much room for everyone else on the ice."

MILBURY ON THE RIVALRY: "There are no two ways about it, these teams hate each other and always will."

PENGUINS AT CAPITALS FLEXED INTO FEB. 22 "GAME OF THE WEEK": The Sunday, Feb. 22 contest between the Pittsburgh Penguins and Washington Capitals has been selected for the "NHL Game of the Week" on NBC. Puck drop is at 12:30 p.m. ET. The game features some of the game's brightest young stars including Evgeni Malkin and Sidney Crosby of the Penguins, and Alex Ovechkin of the Capitals, who rank 1-3 respectively in the NHL in points.

MCGUIRE ON OVECHKIN: "He's the best player in the world. You have to go all the way back to 'Rocket' Richard to find a player like him."

NBCSPORTS.COM & NHL.COM PRESENT "STAR-CAM": NBCSports.com and NHL.com will offer a "Star-cam" in conjunction with NBC broadcasts, which will follow one player on each team throughout each of his shifts. Following the game, NBCSports.com will present a post-game show with game highlights and highlights from "Star-cam" and "Net-cam," along with analysis from McGuire and Milbury.

FLEX SCHEDULING & CONSISTENT 12:30 PM ET START TIME: For the first time, "Game of the Week" broadcasts have a consistent start time – 12:30 p.m. ET on Sundays (except for April 12, 2 p.m. start time). For the second straight season, the NHL and NBC will utilize flex scheduling and will be able to select from up to four games on Sunday afternoons. Thirteen days prior to the scheduled games (on Mondays), NBC, in conjunction with the NHL, will select one of those games as the "Game of the Week" to be broadcast during the NBC window. The other games will remain available to the teams' regional carrier but will not be televised during NBC's broadcast window.

NBC will also broadcast weekend games throughout the NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs and up to five Stanley Cup Final games.

REMAINING 2009 NHL GAME OF THE WEEK REGULAR SEASON FLEXIBLE SCHEDULE
(All Games Announced At Least 13 Days Prior)

Sunday, Feb. 15, 12:30 p.m. ET
Philadelphia @ New York Rangers

Sunday, Feb. 22, 12:30 p.m. ET
Pittsburgh @ Washington

Sunday, March 8, 12:30 p.m. ET
Boston @ New York Rangers
Pittsburgh @ Washington
Phoenix @ New York Islanders
Colorado @ Chicago

Sunday, March 15, 12:30 p.m. ET
Philadelphia @ New York Rangers
Detroit @ Columbus
Boston @ Pittsburgh

Sunday, March 22, 12:30 p.m. ET
Philadelphia @ Pittsburgh
New Jersey @ Boston
Los Angeles @ Chicago

Sunday, April 5, 12:30 p.m. ET
Minnesota @ Detroit
Pittsburgh @ Florida
Atlanta @ Washington

Sunday, April 12, 2 p.m. ET
New York Rangers @ Philadelphia
Detroit @ Chicago
Boston @ New York Islanders
St. Louis @ ColumbusDon't forget to add "The Crowe's Nest" to your RSS Feeds. If you'd like to be a guest contributor, please email us at jcrowe6@cox.net