Dec. 17, 2009

CHICAGO – The Big Ten Network is enhancing its live coverage of men’s ice hockey this season with the addition of pregame, intermission and post-game shows in conjunction with its Friday and Saturday telecasts in January, February and March.

Overall, the network is quadrupling its live men’s ice hockey coverage with the studio shows, nine telecasts and more than 20 live streamed games in 2009-10.

In addition, the network has added a pair of former WCHA stars to its lineup, including former University of Wisconsin captain and current Chicago Blackhawks winger Adam Burish and former Golden Gopher and retired NHL veteran Darby Hendrickson.

Burish and Hendrickson will rotate as studio analysts for the network’s pre- and post-game shows when they debut in January. Each will work alongside studio host Rick Pizzo, who played goaltender at the NCAA Division III level.

Burish, a native of Madison, Wis., captained the Badgers’ 2006 national championship team and assisted on both goals in the Badgers’ 2-1 victory in the national championship game against Boston College. A four-year NHL veteran, Burish is currently sidelined with a torn ACL in his knee and isn’t expected to rejoin the Blackhawks until April.

Hendrickson was the 1992 WCHA Rookie of the Year for the University of Minnesota.  He scored 37 goals and registered 45 assists in two seasons for the Golden Gophers before embarking on an 11-year NHL career. The Richfield, Minn., native also represented the United States in the 1994 Olympic Games. Most recently, Hendrickson has served as a hockey commentator for Minnesota Wild broadcasts on FSN North.

“Adam and Darby both have a tremendous level of experience, knowledge and passion for college hockey, particularly in this part of the country, and that makes them a perfect fit for us,” said Quentin Carter, coordinating producer for studio production.

The network, available to 75 million homes in the United States and Canada, will televise a regular-season contest every Friday or Saturday, beginning with the North Dakota-Minnesota matchup on Friday, January 15. The second semifinal of the CCHA Tournament will air live at 8 PM ET on Friday, March 19. The network makes its selections in cooperation with the regional sports networks which have existing rights arrangements with both the CCHA and the WCHA.

A complete television and streaming game schedule can be found at www.bigtennetwork.com.

Although the conference does not sponsor ice hockey, Big Ten member schools have combined to win 22 NCAA championships throughout history. Four different Big Ten schools have won national championships during the last 11 seasons including Michigan State in 2007, Wisconsin in 2006, Minnesota in 2002 and 2003 and Michigan in 1998.

About the Big Ten Network: The Big Ten Network is the first internationally distributed network dedicated to covering one of the premier collegiate conferences in the country. With approximately 350 live events, and nearly all of them in HD, the network is the ultimate destination for Big Ten fans and alumni across the country, allowing them to see their favorite teams, regardless of where they live. The network operates 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, showcasing a wide array of classic-to-current sports and televising more Olympic sporting events and women’s sports than has ever been aired on any other network. Original programming highlights activities and accomplishments of some of the nation’s finest universities. Each year, the network offers between 35 and 40 football games, 105 regular season men’s basketball games; 55 women’s basketball games; dozens of Big Ten Championship events; studio shows; coaches’ shows; and classic games. Available to all cable and satellite providers nationwide and in Canada, the network currently has agreements with more than 300 affiliates, including AT&T U-Verse, Atlantic Broadband, Cablevision, Charter, Comcast, Cox (Cleveland, Arizona, Arkansas, Kansas, Omaha), DirecTV, DISH Network, Insight, Mediacom, Rogers Cable (Canada), Shaw Cable and Shaw Direct (Canada), Time Warner Cable and Verizon FiOS. For updated information on the Big Ten Network, go to www.BigTenNetwork.com.