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ECHL Signs National Television Deal

November 16, 2007 - ECHL (ECHL) News Release


PRINCETON, N.J. - The ECHL announced on Friday that for the sixth year in a row and for the first time in the United States, the NHL Network will showcase Premier 'AA' Hockey League teams and players each week with the ECHL Game of the Week.

The ECHL Game of the Week will be available in more than 80 million homes across America including through agreements with Cablevision, Comcast, Cox Communications, DIRECTV, DISH Network and Time Warner Cable.

"The ECHL brand now has a media platform for the entire nation to experience from the confines of their living rooms," said Glen Thornborough, ECHL Senior Vice President of Marketing/Business Development. "With the inclusion of the ECHL Game of the Week, into the NHL Network schedule, our fans from across the nation have the opportunity to experience the excitement and quality of ECHL action every Saturday night."

The ECHL Game of the Week will air each Saturday at 7 p.m. ET and will be rebroadcast each Sunday at 1 p.m. ET. Fans can visit the NHL Network web site at www.NHLNetwork.ca to check the schedule.

The first of 21 scheduled ECHL Game of the Week telecasts will be Saturday at 7 p.m. ET when the Florida Everblades host the Mississippi Sea Wolves in a game originally played Oct. 19 at Germain Arena.

The 2008 Chase Chevrolet ECHL All-Star Game presented by Jackson Rancheria and Bud Light at Stockton Arena will be broadcast live from Stockton, Calif. and the Stockton Arena on Jan. 23 at 9 p.m. ET, marking the sixth year in a row that NHL Network has telecast the game live.

NHL Network, which launched in Canada in 2001, gives viewers unprecedented 24-hour access to the most comprehensive hockey coverage, both on and off the ice. NHL Network will broadcast 50 live regular-season games in addition to classic games, documentaries, instructional shows, highlights and more.

NHL Network has broadcast the Kelly Cup Finals each of the past four years and will again feature extensive coverage of the Kelly Cup Playoffs in April and May.

2007-08 NHL Network ECHL Game of the Week Broadcast Schedule

Games are subject to change

Nov. 17
Alaska at Idaho from Nov. 9

Nov. 24
Utah at Idaho from Nov. 16

Dec. 1
Pensacola at Florida from Nov. 24

Dec. 8
TBD

Dec. 15
Fresno at Idaho from Dec. 8

Dec. 22
Cincinnati at Wheeling from Dec. 15

Dec. 29
TBD

Jan. 5
Las Vegas at Idaho from Dec. 22

Jan. 12
South Carolina at Florida from Jan. 5

Jan. 19
Johnstown at Elmira from Jan. 11

Jan. 23
2008 ECHL All-Star Game Live

Jan. 26
2008 ECHL All-Star Game Encore

Feb. 2
Alaska at Idaho from Jan. 19

Feb. 9
Bakersfield at Stockton from Feb. 1

Feb. 16
Augusta at Florida from Feb. 9

Feb. 23
Gwinnett at Elmira from Feb. 15

Mar. 1
Phoenix at Idaho from Feb. 16

Mar. 8
Trenton at Wheeling from Mar. 1

Mar. 15
Bakersfield at Idaho from Feb. 29

Mar. 22
Reading at Elmira from Mar. 14

Mar. 29
Stockton at Idaho from Mar. 22

Apr. 5
Gwinnett at Florida from Mar. 29

Apr. 12
Fresno at Idaho from Apr. 4

Kelly Cup Playoffs (Dates and Times TBD)

NHL Network
As the definitive hockey destination, NHL Network offers viewers a 24-hour all-access pass to complete hockey coverage both on and off the ice, including live NHL games featuring stars such as Sidney Crosby and Alexander Ovechkin. The network's daily signature show - NHL On The Fly - offers fans exclusive live look-ins to NHL games, including goals, shootouts, extended highlights, stellar saves, features, interviews, pre- and post-game reports, team press conferences, expert analysis from a variety of hockey insiders and former players, plus special event coverage from the NHL All-Star Game, NHL Stanley Cup Final and NHL Entry Draft. Additional NHL Network programming includes international and amateur hockey, player profiles, interview shows and youth-oriented programs. NHL Network is operated out of Canada and is available in the United States by contacting digital cable or satellite providers.

ECHL
The league officially changed its name to ECHL on May 19, 2003.

ECHL began in 1988-89 with five teams in four states and has grown to be a coast-to-coast league with 25 teams playing in 17 states and British Columbia in 2007-08.

There have been 333 former ECHL players who have gone on to play in the NHL after playing in the ECHL, including a record 47 in 2005-06 and 26 in 2006-07. There have been 188 former ECHL players who have played their first game in the NHL in the past five seasons. The ECHL has affiliations with 26 of the 30 teams in the NHL in 2007-08, marking the 11th consecutive season that the league has had affiliations with at least 20 teams in the NHL.

The ECHL is represented for the seventh consecutive year on the National Hockey League championship team in 2007 with Anaheim assistant coach Dave Farrish, players Francois Beauchemin and George Parros and broadcasters John Ahlers and Steve Carroll.

The ECHL has affiliations with 26 of the 29 teams in the American Hockey League in 2007-08 and for the past 17 years there has been an ECHL player on the Calder Cup champion. In each of the last two seasons there have been more than 225 players who have played in both the ECHL and the AHL and there were over 800 call-ups involving more than 500 players. In the last five seasons the ECHL has had more call-ups to the AHL than all other professional leagues combined with over 2,000 call-ups involving more than 1,000 players since 2002-03.

Further information on the ECHL is available from its website at ECHL.com.

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The opinions expressed in this release are those of the organization issuing it, and do not necessarily reflect the thoughts or opinions of OurSports Central or its staff.


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