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2012 Stanley Cup Finals begin tonight - schedule

By April MacIntyre May 30, 2012, 18:50 GMT

US President Barack Obama (R) delivers remarks welcoming the Boston Bruins, behind the Stanley Cup, in the East Room of the White House. EPA/MICHAEL REYNOLDS

Tune in alert for the NHL Stanley Cup finals:

The NBC Sports Group’s exclusive coverage of the 2012 Stanley Cup Final begins tonight with Game 1 between the Eastern Conference Champion New Jersey Devils and the Western Conference Champion Los Angeles Kings at 8 p.m. ET.

Game 1: Kings @ Devils, 8 p.m. ET – NBC

NHL Live Begins at 7:30 p.m. ET on NBC Sports Network

Bob Costas to Open Game 1 Live from Prudential Center

Al Michaels to Present Taped Segment on Kings for Game 3

Coverage begins every game night on NBC Sports Network at 7:30 p.m. ET with a half-hour pre-game show, NHL Live (NOTE: Yesterday’s press release incorrectly stated that NHL Live would start at 7 p.m. ET). NBC Sports Network will also present a half-hour post-game show after every game of the series.

Twenty three-time Emmy Award-winner Bob Costas will open tonight’s Game 1 broadcast on NBC live from the Prudential Center in Newark, N.J. On Monday night prior to Game 3, which will be played at Staples Center in Los Angeles, Sunday Night Football play-by-play voice and longtime Kings season-ticket holder Al Michaels will present a taped piece on the Kings.

2012 STANLEY CUP FINAL SCHEDULE

All 2012 Stanley Cup Final games will air exclusively on NBC or the NBC Sports Network. Following is the full schedule (all times ET and subject to change):

Wednesday, May 30
  

8 p.m.
 

L.A. Kings @ New Jersey Devils (Game 1)
 

NBC

Saturday, June 2
  

8 p.m.
 

L.A. Kings @ New Jersey Devils (Game 2)
 

NBC

Monday, June 4
  

8 p.m.
 

New Jersey Devils @ L.A. Kings (Game 3)
 

NBC Sports Network

Wednesday, June 6
  

8 p.m.
 

New Jersey Devils @ L.A. Kings (Game 4)
 

NBC Sports Network

Saturday, June 9
  

8 p.m.
 

L.A. Kings @ New Jersey Devils (Game 5) *
 

NBC

Monday, June 11
  

8 p.m.
 

New Jersey Devils @ L.A. Kings (Game 6) *
 

NBC

Wednesday, June 13
  

8 p.m.
 

L.A. Kings @ New Jersey Devils (Game 7)*
 

NBC

COMMENTATORS: Emmy-award winner Mike ‘Doc’ Emrick (play-by-play), Eddie Olczyk (analyst) and Pierre McGuire (‘Inside-the-glass’ analyst) will call the action during each game. The studio team will feature host Liam McHugh and analysts Mike Milbury and Keith Jones, the latest highlights, news, analysis and player interviews, live on-location from either the Prudential Center in Newark, N.J. or the Staples Center in Los Angeles. The team will cover intermission reports during games, and pre-game and post-game coverage on NBC Sports Network. Additionally, Jeremy Roenick and Darren Pang will conduct on-ice segments and demonstrations as part of the coverage.

Yesterday, NBC Sports conducted a conference call with Emrick, Olczyk, McGuire and executive producer Sam Flood. Following are highlights:

Emrick on the Atmosphere: “This is our best time of year. How’s that for an understatement? ...You see bearded people, you see people with goatees, because that’s a part of our tradition. You see smiles on every face because of the anticipation of living up to a lifetime dream – and that’s getting your name on a trophy that you can’t keep, and getting a ring that’s too big to wear, and having the experience, and to be referred to as a Stanley Cup Champion for the rest of your life. It’s fun being in this atmosphere, and it’s a thrill having the chance again to sit with the same people that we have the prior seven years of NBC’s coverage, and watch this through to the conclusion.”

Olczyk on the Kings: “It’s an unbelievable time of year. You see the finish line and there are only two participants remaining – the L.A. Kings and the New Jersey Devils… The L.A. Kings can play any way you want. They can play defensive style, they can play a skilled game, or they can play a smash mouth... They have great size, great skill, and, oh yes, they have one of the best goaltenders in the entire National Hockey League…”

McGuire on the Devils: “This has been an aggressive year for the Devils. They are clearly not a no-name team and they’re much better than that. Everybody knows their unbelievably skillful goaltender. (Martin) Brodeur, at 40 years of age, is doing such amazing things. This is a team that hasn’t gotten enough respect, and I think they’re going to cause a lot of problems in this Stanley Cup Final.”

Flood on NBC’s Production: “There’s some fun and different things we can do, being at the Stanley Cup Final, but our mission remains the same, which is to be true to the game of hockey, to honor the game of hockey, and to celebrate the greatest players in the final stage of the season… It’s about storytelling. It’s about what’s going on on the ice and making sure we have every angle covered, and we have every piece of equipment imaginable to make sure that happens.”