Sidney Crosby and Wayne Gretzky to make their National TV debuts on HDNet NEW YORK and DALLAS (Sept. 19, 2005)- The National Hockey League (NHL)and HDNet have announced the first two months of their live, high-definition television (HDTV) schedule for the 2005-06 regular season. The 52-game NHL on HDNet schedule begins Opening Night on Wednesday, Oct. 5th at 10 p.m. (ET) featuring Wayne Gretzky's debut behind the bench as his Phoenix Coyotes take on the Vancouver Canucks.The first week of the NHL on HDNet also features the intense Central Division rivalry between the St. Louis Blues and the Detroit Red Wings (Thursday, Oct. 6 at 8 p.m., ET). The NHL on HDNet will then showcase the much-anticipated national television debut of Pittsburgh's teenage hockey phenomenon, Sidney Crosby, as the Penguins battle the Boston Bruins (Saturday, Oct. 8 at 7:30 p.m., ET). The NHL adopted new rules this season to create more offensive flow, which will provide more excitement for fans and will further enhance the television viewing experience. In particular, the newly adopted shootout will make certain that every game has a winner. HDNet, a national high-definition telecast partner of the NHL, begins its fourth year of NHL coverage with a Thursday and Saturday schedule. HDNet will update its broadcast schedule bi-monthly so that it will be able feature the hottest players, teams and match ups. All NHL on HDNet broadcasts will be original HDNet productions. HDNet NHL game broadcasts are shot exclusively for presentation in the highest-quality 1080i high-definition format, giving viewers all the benefits of a 16:9 aspect ratio and high resolution picture without compromising the image to serve a standard-definition, 4:3 broadcast audience. "More and more viewers are discovering that hockey in HDTV is an incredible television experience," said Doug Perlman, Senior Vice President of Television and New Media. "The League's new rules and compelling storylines promise to make the NHL on HDNet can't-miss programming for hockey fans." "The NHL is back and we are excited to be part of what is sure to be an incredibly exciting season," said Mark Cuban, co-founder and president of HDNet. "No sport benefits as much from HDTV as hockey, and no one does HD better than HDNet." The live broadcast schedule through November 26th, 2005 is listed below (all times are Eastern). A complete schedule of programming, including encore presentations and additional games, as scheduled,is available at www.hd.net or at www.nhl.com. Day Date Visitor Home Time (ET) Wednesday 5-Oct Coyotes Canucks 10:00PM Thursday 6-Oct Red Wings Blues 8:00PM Saturday 8-Oct Bruins Penguins 7:30PM Thursday 13-Oct Predators Coyotes 10:00PM Saturday 15-Oct Lightning Penguins 7:30PM Thursday 20-Oct Rangers Islanders 7:00PM Saturday 22-Oct Hurricanes Capitals 7:00PM Thursday 27-Oct Blackhawks Red Wings 7:30PM Saturday 29-Oct Hurricanes Penguins 7:30PM Wednesday 5-Oct Coyotes Canucks 10:00PM Thursday 6-Oct Red Wings Blues 8:00PM Saturday 8-Oct Bruins Penguins 7:30PM Thursday 13-Oct Predators Coyotes 10:00PM Saturday 15-Oct Lightning Penguins 7:30PM Thursday 20-Oct Rangers Islanders 7:00PM Saturday 22-Oct Hurricanes Capitals 7:00PM Thursday 27-Oct Blackhawks Red Wings 7:30PM Saturday 29-Oct Hurricanes Penguins 7:30PM Thursday 3-Nov Capitals Flyers 7:00PM Saturday 5-Nov Stars Avalanche 9:00PM Thursday 10-Nov Flames Coyotes 9:00PM Saturday 12-Nov Capitals Devils 1:00PM Thursday 17-Nov Canucks Kings 10:30PM Saturday 19-Nov Avalanche Kings 10:30PM Thursday 24-Nov Kings Predators 8:00PM Saturday 26-Nov Canucks Coyotes 10:00PM