BOSTON — NESN, New England’s most watched sports network, will deliver live and exclusive high definition (HD) coverage of up to 72 Boston Bruins games during the 2010/11 season, the network’s 26th season covering Bruins hockey.
The season gets started in historic fashion as the Bruins travel to Prague in the Czech Republic with two games against the Phoenix Coyotes on Saturday, Oct. 9 and Sunday, Oct. 10. NESN’s coverage will begin with WB Mason Bruins Face-Off Live at 11:30 AM on Saturday and at 9:30 AM on Sunday.
"Over 25,000 Bruins fans showed up at TD Garden in September to get an early glimpse of Tyler Seguin and the Bruins rookies," said Joel Feld, NESN’s executive vice president of programming and executive producer. "NESN knows there is a level of fan passion and excitement this year that will make our coverage more exciting than ever. With the return of our veteran broadcast team and the debut of The Big Bad Bruins Show with Kathryn Tappen, NESN is the definitive source for all Bruins action, news and information."
The Broadcast Team
Jack Edwards (play-by-play) and Andy Brickley (color analyst) return for their sixth season together in the NESN broadcast booth. They will be joined by reporter Naoko Funayama who enters her third season with the network. Kathryn Tappen will once again lead NESN’s studio team as host of WB Mason Bruins Face-Off Live, NESN’s intermission coverage and Bruins Overtime Live presented by Ace Ticket. She will once again be joined by former Bruins favorites Mike Milbury, Barry Pederson and Gord Kluzak.
The Bricks: 2010/11 Bruins Season Preview
Andy Brickley will set the stage for the regular season on Thursday, Oct. 14 at 7:00 p.m. with The Bricks: 2010/11 Bruins Season Preview, a half-hour special that will look ahead to the coming season and introduce Bruins fans to the team’s exiting offseason additions. Brickley will also make his preseason predictions about the Bruins and the rest of the league and look back at the team’s season-opening trip to Prague.
The Big Bad Bruins Show with Kathryn Tappen
NESN will launch a new weekly show called The Big Bad Bruins Show on Saturday, Oct. 23 at 6 p.m. Hosted by Kathryn Tappen, the Original NESN Entertainment production will feature in-depth, one-on-one conversations with Bruins players, a regular segment with Bruins President Cam Neely and weekly reports from reporter Naoko Funayama.
The Instigators with Mike Milbury
The Instigators with Mike Milbury will return for its third season on Thursday, Oct. 28 at 10:30 p.m. Milbury holds back nothing when sharing his opinions on the hottest issues and latest controversies in the NHL. Jack Edwards and Andy Brickley will once again mix it up with Milbury on a regular basis along with other special guest commentators, including another episode this winter featuring former Bruins coach and hockey icon Don Cherry.
NESN.com
NESN’s in-depth coverage of the Bruins also extends online with NESN.com’s Bruins beat writer Doug Flynn providing daily Bruins news and analysis along with a live blog during every game. Jack Edwards, Andy Brickley, Kathryn Tappen and Naoko Funayama will also contribute regularly over the course of the season. NESN.com offers the network’s best Bruins highlights and interviews in addition to interactive fan forums, polls, photo galleries, quizzes and Top 10 Bruins prospect lists.
NESN National
NESN’s Bruins coverage also extends to fans outside New England who subscribe to a sports package that includes NESN National, the network’s national television service. NESN’s pre and post-game shows, Bruins in 2 replays, Bruins Classic games, The Bricks, The Big Bad Bruins Show and The Instigators are all available to NESN National subscribers throughout the season. NESN’s Bruins game broadcasts can also be enjoyed outside New England by purchasing the NHL Center Ice package.
