Early Minnesota Wild Line Combinations

On my way home from classes this morning, I was listening to Paul Allen and Michael Russo on the Nine to Noon show on KFAN for some preseason Minnesota Wild talk. Right now it looks as if Parise is playing with Granlund and Pominville, which puts Vanek down with Koivu and Coyle.

Now I know that many of us Wild rubes wanted to see Vanek with Pommer and Granny, however, according to an interview Russo did with Coach Yeo yesterday, he said that Parise playing with Granlund and Pommer was the lethal combination at practice thus far.

Russo also believes that come opening night, you will see Jared Spurgeon playing along side of Ryan Suter due to his outstanding play at the end of last season and in the playoffs. I couldn't agree more, however he has a lot of proven chemistry with Marco Scandella already, so why screw that up when it already is a pretty good combination?

                                                                                   That being said, I am not too sure if Jonas Brodin

is worthy of top line defense minutes right now. After his facial injury last season, his play really fell off and was not the dynamic defenseman pre injury. I think that his playing style should be well complementary of Scandella so I see no problem if these two start out the season together, giving Spurgeon the top line minutes he has earned.

Then you also have to address the third defensive pairing. Keith Ballard was plagued with injury for much of last season, so that was a disappointment for all you Gopher fans who follow the Wild as well. Ballard is almost a shoe in right away to be playing as a defender on that third pair, but who plays with him? As of right now, it looks as if Christian Folin will be along side him to open the 2014-2015 season, but I still say don't count out the hard hitting youngster, Matt Dumba. In his games with the Wild last season, before going back to juniors, Dumba proved that he had what it took to be a solid NHL defenseman, who holds a legit scoring threat on the blue line. However, in the one game Folin was able to suit up for Minnesota last season, he recorded an assist, his first NHL point, and was a plus three against the always tough St. Louis Blues. It will be interesting to see how the third defensive pairing plays out. Could Ballard even be the odd man out? I doubt it right now, but it is an 82 game season so lets see if he stays healthy, or is a little more present on the blue line when he is playing.

Transitioning back to the forwards, specifically lines three and four, you know almost for certain that Haula will be centering Nino on that line, but who will be the winger on the other side? Will it be Matt Cooke, or Jason Zucker? With Zucker being out most of last season with injury, he is a great unknown as to how he is going to preform this season, however, when he is healthy, he has shown us that he is deserving to play with the big club no matter what. I think you start Zucker on that third line with Haula and Nino and put Cooke down with Brodziak and Justin Fontaine. The Cooke-Brodziak-Fontaine was a line that had shown some chemistry last season, and sure, why not have a potential 20 plus goal scorer on the fourth line with Fontaine?

With training camp starting this Friday, it should be interesting to see how the lines pan out come October 9th when the Colorado Avalanche roll into town.

Time for the NHL to Embarass the Divers

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s/t Pro hockey talk... I really like the idea of exposing and publically humiliating the divers in the NHL. I am all in on that idea. In fact, let's have a wall of shame and expose the frauds weekly that cheapen the game of hockey.


I have a great idea. Let's have an end of the season dishonor award for the frauds that get caught diving and embellishing the most. I would suppose the players union won't let this happen, but if you don't want to get called out and publically humiliated, stop flopping and diving all over the ice. It's really that simple.

Dan Rosen - NHL.com -- The players in the session, including Ottawa Senators center Jason Spezza, Vancouver Canucks defenseman Kevin Bieksa and Toronto Maple Leafs defenseman John-Michael Liles, led an impassioned discussion on enforcing the diving/embellishment rule (Rule 64.1), [Colin] Campbell told NHL.com. He said the players want to distribute a list of divers around the League so it can be posted in all 30 dressing rooms and be delivered to the on-ice officials.

“They want to get [the list] out there,” Campbell said. “They want the player to be caught, whether it’s on the ice by the referee or by us on video. They are all tired of diving. The object is to make them stop eventually and, by doing that, they can get it out there around the League, embarrass them. The referees will know it, too, so the divers don’t get the benefit of the doubt.”

According to Elliott Freedman of SportsNet.ca the NHL seems to be moving away from exposing the divers and frauds. Again, diving to draw a penalty is cheating and poor sportsmanship.

The first example the NHL showed in its diving video was Tomas Plekanec’s head-snap in the Eastern Conference Final. The league wasn’t so sure about publicly naming those warned or fined, but the players pressed for it. Montreal’s centre is going to be closely watched at the start of the season

Related articles

• Enforcing the NHL's New Diving Rule

Calgary Herald: Scouts’ subterfuge played big role in Flames snaring Johnny Gaudreau at 2011 NHL draft

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Interesting story about former Boston College Eagles Johnny Gaudreau. Reading the article, I am sure that you will see a few familiar names thrown out in this article. Gaudrea is one of the most prolific players to play college hockey in some time. It will be interesting to see how he does with the Calgary Flames this season.

Scott Cruickshank, Calgary Herald — They liked him. They liked him a lot.

So they wanted to avoid tipping their hand. No easy thing in a world as small as hockey’s.

To keep their degree of admiration hidden, they didn’t approach the player — not even once — leading up to the 2011 National Hockey League draft. And they took secrecy one step further by not talking to the boy’s junior coach, either.

Why? Because they knew that Peter Chiarelli, general manager of the Boston Bruins, had an ownership stake in the USHL’s Dubuque Fighting Saints and, should they pick the brain of skipper Jim Montgomery, word of their interest could trickle back to Beantown.

But the Calgary Flames, with stealth, did their homework on Johnny Gaudreau.

Repeated viewings, of course. Also casual discussions with opposing coaches. These chats, by design, were kept lighthearted.

NCHC CBSSN TV Schedule

CBS’s expected NCHC college hockey schedule
Jan. 9 — Notre Dame at Western Michigan
Jan. 10 — Minnesota Duluth at North Dakota
Jan. 23 — Colorado College at North Dakota
Jan. 30 — North Dakota at Nebraska Omaha
Feb. 6 — Denver at Colorado College
Feb. 13 — St. Cloud State at Minnesota Duluth
Feb. 20 — North Dakota at Western Michigan
Feb. 20 — Denver at Colorado College
Feb. 27 — St. Cloud State at North Dakota
March 6 — North Dakota at Miami
March 6 — Denver at St. Cloud State

Playoff schedule NCHC semifinal game
NCHC semifinal game
NCHC championships game


Brad Schlossman has the schedule posted on his blog.


Perusing the fan message boards, it would appear that fans of other conference teams aren't too happy with the NCHC's TV schedule.

Video: Frankie Corrado Elbow on Johnny Gaudreau

First, Frankie Corrado is a bozo for his dirty elbow on Johnny Gaudreau. There's no excusing this type of hit. This is a dirty hit that needs to be eliminated from the game of hockey. Checking out his stats, Corrado is nothing more than a two-bit hack that will have a hard time cracking an NHL line up.

Chad Johnson Tweet - Wants to suit up for Habs so he can Fight Chara.

Yeah, let's think about this for a minute. I don't think that the Ocho Cinco has any idea how tough Zdeno Chara really is. Chara was ranked number one of the 10 toughest players in the NHL by the Bleacher Report in 2013.

As NHL training camp approaches I want to suit up for the HABS so I can fight Chara & Lucic...
— Chad Johnson (@ochocinco) September 15, 2014

Will the NHL Officials Enforce the New Diving Rule?

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Tony Gallagher from the Province has some questions about the NHLs new diving rule. I would hope that the officials will enforce this new rule and penalize the divers.

Tony Gallagher, the Province -- Take, for instance, the changes on diving infractions. A player will now be fined $2,000 for his second infraction and $3,000 for the next one until a maximum is reached of $5,000 per dive. Getting this blight out of the game is a noble endeavour. It has become a total stain on soccer and hockey was beginning to get into that arena, at least with some players. But the cynic will clearly ask how any official can be certain a player is diving. For starters, some of these guys are great at what they do, and even in watching some of the alleged examples of diving that TSN showed to illustrate the problem, you couldn’t be dead certain something was a dive or simply a player getting his feet tangled up as he tried to turn.

And an official will have to determine this on the fly, sometimes from as far way as 50 feet or more.

MY NCHC Predictions

I posted my predictions for the NCHC season at the Hockey Writers.

League Champion (Playoffs)

Before I get accused of being a homer, hear me out. I predict the University of North Dakota will be the NCHC playoff champion. Here’s why. During his 10 seasons at UND, head coach Dave Hakstol’s teams have a (.583) winning percentage before Christmas and (.697) winning percentage after the Christmas break.  Hakstol’s teams typically peak during the second half of the season, so a playoff championship isn’t out of the question.  UND returns one of the top defensive corps in the NCHC, and also one of the top goaltenders.


I think my top three will probably go like this, as of right now. Thoughts.
1. Miami
2 UND
3. SCSU

Weekend of Injuries for the NFL

Redskins' DeSean Jackson will not return vs. the Jaguars after suffering a shoulder injury. http://t.co/EqtjTOSuwb https://t.co/jENi9xJYpq
— theScore (@theScore) September 14, 2014

Ouch! RGIII looks like he going to be out for a while after he dislocated his ankle. As you can see, RGIII wasn't the only one that was injured this weekend. The list keeps growing as the day evolves.

The @Redskins announce @RGIII is being evaluated for a left ankle injury and his return is questionable.
— FOX Sports Live (@FOXSportsLive) September 14, 2014

And there's more injures. Here's your week two fantasy football injury updates. 

Rams' Tavon Austin exits game vs. Buccaneers with a knee injury. His return is questionable. http://t.co/ZOZFCeBuGr pic.twitter.com/LH4N4NIxqS
— theScore (@theScore) September 14, 2014

Buccaneers' Gerald McCoy exits game vs. the Rams with a hand injury and will not return. http://t.co/cZNxtW7CMa pic.twitter.com/AeWQ31rqFv
— theScore (@theScore) September 14, 2014

Badgers Blog: Mike Eaves believes Big Ten hockey will grow within next 10 years

Hey, the more the merrier. Right? I think it's a great idea. I think there's a lot of room for expansion in college hockey.

Jeff Potrykus, Journal Sentinel Madison – Mike Eaves believes the first season of the Big Ten men’s hockey conference was a success.

“What we saw from our students, they identified with the Penn States, the Ohio States and the Michigan States,” UW's veteran coach Eaves told the UW athletic board on Friday. “So even if they didn’t know much about hockey, they knew those schools and they would tend to come to our games.”

Eaves went on to say that he believes the Big Ten will expand from its current base of six teams sometime within the next five to 10 years.

The six teams are UW, Michigan, Michigan State, Ohio State, Minnesota and Penn State.

“I know that Indiana and Illinois have great club (programs),” Eaves said. “Northwestern has had a group get together looking at the (possibility), which makes a lot of sense because Chicago has great hockey.”

According to Eaves, former UW defenseman Chris Chelios is involved in the group studying the feasibility of adding men’s hockey at Northwestern.

NHL Bans the Spin-o-rama

#484259909 / gettyimages.com

The NHL has banned the spin-o-rama. I think this is actually a good rule. Thoughts. Here's what former NHL official Paul Stewart has this to say on his blog.

Paul Stewart, Hockey Buzz -- Rule 24 – Penalty Shot The 'Spin-O-Rama' move, as described in Section 24.2 of the 2013-14 NHL Rule Book, will no longer be permitted either in Penalty Shot situations or in the Shootout.

There is a longstanding rule about not a shooter being allowed to move the puck backwards in such situations. As such, there is a justification for declaring the spin-o-rama illegal in penalty shots and shootouts.

From a broader perspective, however, isn't the supposed purpose of the shootout for added entertainment value to decide regular season games in lieu of ties? There's a slippery slope here in banning a certain move.

My question is this: How many people were actually clamoring for this new rule in the first place, apart from some goaltenders and coaches of teams that scored upon on a penalty shot or shootout? I know plenty of traditionalists who argue to this day that the shootout itself should be scrapped. By comparison, what's the population of shootout enthusiasts who were pushing for a spin-o-rama ban?

From Sportsnet.CA

In shootouts, coaches no longer have to submit a list of their first three shooters. Players are also no longer able to do a "spin-o-rama" on penalty shots or in a shootout.

NHL Rules: Stricter Penalties for Diving/Embellishment

One of the best things that I have seen all day. The NHL has decided to penalize players who dive to draw a penalty on the ice. Anyone think that the Montreal Canadiens are going see a few of their players receiving extra scrutiny. Boston Bruins forward Brad Marchand might be lighter in the wallet. 

Rule 64 – Diving / Embellishment

The supplementary discipline penalties associated with Rule 64.3 (Diving/Embellishment) will be revised to bring attention to and more seriously penalize players (and teams) who repeatedly dive and embellish in an attempt to draw penalties. Fines will be assessed to players and head coaches on a graduated scale outlined below.

Incident #	Player Fine(s)			Head Coach Fine(s)
1	Warning			N/A
2	$2,000			N/A
3	$3,000			N/A
4	$4,000			$2,000
5	$5,000			$3,000
6	$5,000			$4,000
7	$5,000			$5,000
8	$5,000			$5,000

Related articles

• NCAA Hockey: Penalize Player Embellishment

Interesting Tweets about the NCHC TV Deal

@MiamiO_Fan Not sure where you got that, but that's not accurate. We'll be announcing TV next week
— The NCHC (@TheNCHC) September 10, 2014

You have to love some of the fans from the NCHC. I wonder if there's a black helicopter landing in that fan's back yard. That being said, I really like the fact that the league engages the fans in a respectful and prompt manner. You can't say that about all of the leagues in college hockey.

@MiamiO_Fan Okay, he's just guessing. We'll have full TV schedule for release next week. Haven't announced anything yet...
— The NCHC (@TheNCHC) September 10, 2014

@gmonteith Only road games not included are non-conference road games
— The NCHC (@TheNCHC) September 11, 2014

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• National Collegiate Hockey Conference Social Media Guide
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Minnesota Wild: Nino Niederreiter signed to a Three-Year Contract

And then there was one RFA left to sign. This is good news for the Minnesota Wild. The Wild didn't want to go into training camp with Nino Niederreiter unsigned. Nino's deal is worth 8 million dollars over 3 years. So the Wild have him signed through the 2016-17 season. That leaves Darcy Kuemper as the only unsigned restricted free agent.

BREAKING: #mnwild agrees to terms with @thelnino25 on a three-year contract. More coming to http://t.co/QO5q0O9vrQ pic.twitter.com/L5ITxslRFq
— Minnesota Wild (@mnwild) September 11, 2014

Winnipeg Sun: Blake Wheeler is a leader and wants Evander Kane to join him

#481763057 / gettyimages.com

It interesting to see how this turns out during training camp. I suppose the fans shouldn't look too deeply into this. I would imagine that Wheeler and Kane will be "fine" during the season.

Ted Wyman, Winnipeg Sun -- Evander Kane needs to step up his game and be a leader.

Good for Wheeler. This is a player who has developed into leader himself over the last few seasons. He led the Jets in scoring last season and was the team's best player down the stretch, showing a great deal of character in the process. It would be a surprise if he’s not named an assistant captain this season.

The Jets need players who aren't afraid to speak their minds, even if they are stating the obvious, and they need players who are going to hold one another accountable. The Jets have missed the playoffs every year they've been in Winnipeg and the players should be demanding of each other if they ever hope to change that trend.

While Wheeler doesn't wear a letter, yet. Sometimes an older player on the team has to call out fellow teammates. In my opinion, that's part of the job description of a team leader. Personally, I am not so sure I would have used the print media to do this, but that's Wheeler's choice.


Kane sent out this tweet in response.

@BiggieFunke you could have just thrown me a text. #youcanfindmeatthetopofthecircle
— Evander Kane (@EKane9JETS) September 10, 2014

#453131628 / gettyimages.com

Former Boston College recruit Sonny Milano has signed a three-year entry level deal with the Blue Jackets. Milano was set to play for the Boston College Eagles this fall, but backed out of his commitment.

NHL.com -- Left wing Sonny Milano signed a three-year, entry-level contract with the Columbus Blue Jackets, the team announced Thursday.

Milano, a first-round pick (No. 16) of the Blue Jackets in the 2014 NHL Draft, will play for the Plymouth Whalers of the Ontario Hockey League in 2014-15. He also will be one of 25 players representing the Blue Jackets at the eight-team Traverse City Prospect Tournament, scheduled Friday through Tuesday, in Traverse City, Mich.

"Sonny Milano is a skilled, dynamic player and we're very happy to add him to the exciting group of prospects within our organization," Blue Jackets general manager Jarmo Kekalainen said. "We are looking forward to watching his development and helping him grow both on and off the ice in the years to come."

UND Hockey Tickets: Single-game hockey tickets on sale Friday, Sept. 12

For those that are wondering... You can buy your single-game tickets tomorrow.

GRAND FORKS, N.D. – Single-game tickets for University of North Dakota men’s and women’s hockey will go on sale on Friday, Sept. 12, beginning at 10 a.m. Central.

 

Nearly 800 single-game seats are available for every men’s hockey home game on the 2014-15 schedule, with additional seats available for exhibition games and holiday series when class is out of session on the UND campus. Single-game men’s hockey tickets cost $40 (adult) and $25 (youth) for Friday games and $45 (adult) and $30 (youth) for Saturday games. Exhibition games cost $25 (adult) and $10 (youth).

 

All single-game women’s hockey tickets cost $7 (adult) and $5 (youth).

 

Although men’s hockey season tickets have once again sold out, fans can add their names to the season-ticket waiting list by joining the UND Champions Club and making a refundable $100 ticket deposit. Each year in the early summer, approximately half of the accounts on the waiting list are offered season tickets.

 

Tickets can be purchased at the UND Box Office at Ralph Engelstad Arena or via UNDsports.com/Tickets.

Battle of California: Koivu Announces Retirement

You may have seen this already, maybe not. Going against my better judgment, I probably shouldn't even link this silly article. I know it's an attempt to be funny, but as a member of the SB Nation I am not impressed, not one bit. This person is definitely not Down Goes Brown. Meh.

Jared Dobias, Battle of California -- At age 44, future hall of famer and Team Sweden Olympic Gold Medal winner Mikko Koivu announced his retirement today. Koivu was a bit of a journeyman in his 14-season career, first being drafted by the Anaheim Ducks in 2004 before playing seven seasons with the Montreal Canadiens starting in 2007, another eight seasons for the Minnesota Wild, and then coming back to finish his career with Anaheim in 2011 where he played six more seasons.

Michael Russo, wasn't impressed either. An unfunny Onion, I agree.

Minnesota Wild Announce New ECHL Affiliate

There has been a lot of hockey news in the past day or so, and more coming from the Minnesota Wild camp today as well, and no it isn't anything about the Darcy Kuemper situation. The Wild have announced an affiliation with the ECHL's Alaska Aces.

The Aces have been very successful as a franchise in the past few seasons, winning three Kelly Cup Championships in the past nine seasons, including this past season.

Included in the agreement, according to wild.com, the Aces will serve as a resource for developmental efforts for both Iowa (AHL) and Minnesota.

UND fans may take notice at a familiar face on the Aces roster, and now in the Minnesota Wild system, Evan Trupp. Trupp played four years at UND and was a member of the Aces for their championship winning team last season.

NCHC to Launch its Own Digital Network: NCHC.tv

An exciting announcement from the NCHC today. Here's the official Press Release.
Here's the link to the Frequently Asked Questions, for those that are wondering, you will be able to watch the games on your smart phones.

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. – Looking for a way to watch your favorite NCHC team when they’re playing on the road? Now you can, and even more!

As the National Collegiate Hockey Conference enters its second season of competition, the conference continues to strive to be innovative and at the forefront with fan engagement. With this in mind, the NCHC has partnered with NeuLion to launch its own digital network, NCHC.tv, beginning with the upcoming 2014-15 season, NCHC Commissioner Josh Fenton announced Wednesday, Sept. 10. In doing so, the NCHC becomes the first single-sport NCAA conference to offer a fully integrated digital network.

NCHC.tv will allow fans to watch nearly all of their team’s games live, both home and on the road, while also viewing other NCHC action occurring at the same time. In addition to the live games, fans who subscribe to the network will have access to other live events, as they are produced, and will be able to access archived games and condensed games. Live audio of the games is also included with a subscription.

NCHC.tv will also feature free on-demand video content, without a subscription, from all eight NCHC programs and the conference itself. Among the free on-demand video available on the network will be game highlights, mid-week and post-game press conferences, conference features, such as the Top 5 Goals of the Week, and unique hockey features from the NCHC members.

“We are extremely excited to provide an innovative and integrated concept to our passionate NCHC fan base! The creation of NCHC.tv helps build the brand of the conference and improve the overall fan interaction and experience,” Fenton said. “This significant step forward is a credit to the vision of our member schools for wanting to create something that distinguishes our conference. We look forward to working alongside NeuLion to build the network and content long into the future.”

The integrated approach to video content allows NCHC fans to access their favorite team’s video, as in years past, but fans also now have the option to enjoy video content from the other seven members of the conference and the NCHC, all in one place, helping unite and strengthen the conference brand.

Each team’s website, as well as NCHCHockey.com, will have a NCHC.tv player embedded on it that will show a limited amount of free archived and on-demand video, while subscription-based live games and other content will be viewed directly on the digital network. All free archived and on-demand content will also be available on the network. NCHC.tv will be accessible via NCHCHockey.com and each member school’s men’s ice hockey website.

Fans that subscribe to NCHC.tv through the conference package will have access to watch over 100 games live throughout the season, including over 70 conference games and over 30 non-conference games from seven different venues, allowing fans to watch nearly every home and road conference game of their favorite team. The only games not available on the NCHC digital network are non-conference road games and NCHC contests with rights restrictions due to television agreements. Also, due to rights restrictions, games originating from the University of Denver’s Magness Arena will not be shown, however on-demand video of Denver’s content will be available through NCHC.tv.

The digital network, powered by NeuLion, will give fans a unique action-packed hockey experience with high quality, HD live video on multiple devices. The network’s live and on-demand video will be available seamlessly across all mobile devices by putting the same web address (www.NCHC.tv) in any mobile browser. This is done through a responsive design technique that automatically detects the screen size and adjusts for optimal viewing. NCHC.tv also allows schools and fans to easily share video content across over 25 social media channels, including the ability to embed video players on third-party sites.

“We are excited to partner with the NCHC,” said Steven Brown, SVP of College for NeuLion. “Our expertise in creating digital destinations for major hockey leagues and throughout college athletics, coupled with the NCHC hockey content, will give their dedicated fan base a second-to-none digital experience with unlimited access to their favorite content, including high-quality live video, anytime and anywhere.”

Based in Plainview, N.Y., NeuLion is a leading digital video technology company powering live and on-demand content to viewers worldwide. NeuLion currently serves as the digital technology provider for four NCHC members – Miami, North Dakota, Omaha and Western Michigan – as well as over 150 NCAA schools and several conferences, such as the Big 12, the Big Ten Network, the Pac-12 and the Ivy League; which all use the NeuLion College Platform to deliver live and on-demand games, news, and information to their fans on multiple devices.

In addition to college, NeuLion powers the digital products for many of the major hockey leagues including the NHL, the AHL, the ECHL and other Canadian junior leagues like the OHL and WHL, as well as other sports leagues, teams and networks, such as the UFC, NBA, MLS and Univision.

While much of the on-demand video content will be free, there are several subscription packages from which fans can choose. To enjoy access to over 100 NCHC regular-season games that will be streamed live, fans can purchase the conference season package for $89.95, which offers the highest value among all streaming packages at well less than $1 per game. For fans who only want access to their favorite team’s games, including road contests at NCHC schools, season packages are available for $74.95. Monthly and single-event packages will be available at a later date.

Fans can sign up now for NCHC.tv and select their season subscription package at NCHC.tv. All fans that sign up for a conference season subscription prior to Sept. 25 will receive an $8 discount on their package ($81.95), further dropping the per-game price. Subscribers of a conference season package by Sept. 25 will also be automatically entered into a contest to win four Treasure Island VIP Club tickets and a complimentary hotel room in downtown Minneapolis on March 20-21 for the 2015 NCHC Frozen Faceoff. In addition, fans who subscribe prior to Sept. 25 will receive a 15 percent off discount code to be used on the NCHC’s Fan Shop by Oct. 30 (good on conference and school merchandise).

Any subscriber who signs up for a conference season package will automatically receive the NCHC Tournament games available on the network. A separate postseason package will be available closer to the end of the season for those who do not have a conference season subscription.

As of today, Sept. 10, fans will no longer be able to sign up for live streaming hockey subscriptions through a member school’s website and hockey subscriptions will no longer be automatically renewed. For fans of Miami, North Dakota, Omaha or Western Michigan who already have an existing subscription that allows access to hockey content through a member school, NeuLion will upgrade them to the conference level package on NCHC.tv for the remainder of their existing subscription. In advance of the full network launching, an email will be sent to the fan with their username and login for NCHC.tv, along with the expiration date of their current subscription. Once the current subscription expires, those fans would then have the option to select any of the packages (conference or school) available on NCHC.tv at the regular price. For fans with subscriptions through member schools that allowed access to other sports content in addition to hockey, they will still have access to that content through the member site for the duration of their subscription. New non-hockey subscription packages will then also be available at a different price point on the member websites.

The NCHC’s digital network will be officially launched prior to the start of the season with the official launch date to be announced at a later time. Along with links on NCHCHockey.com and member sites, once live, fans can access NCHC.tv directly at this link: www.NCHC.tv. For help or issues with subscribing, contact NCHCtv@neulion.com.

Subscribers will enjoy their first live games on Saturday, Oct. 4, when three exhibitions will be streamed through the network, while five more will follow over the next two days. The NCHC’s second season begins in earnest Friday, Oct. 10 with seven teams in action, four of which can be viewed on the NCHC’s digital network. Conference play then opens the following Friday, Oct. 17 as Omaha travels to Western Michigan and North Dakota heads to Colorado College, both of which will be available via a subscription on NCHC.tv.

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