Coming off a thrilling 4 Nations Face-Off break, hockey is now set to resume its regular season starting tomorrow. For St. Louis Blues fans, there’s even more excitement beyond Blues goaltender Jordan Binnington’s standout performance for Team USA. Notably, the first game as the regular season continues will be available over-the-air in the Kansas City market.
In a major announcement today, KCTV5 revealed that Saturday’s game between the Blues and the Winnipeg Jets will be the first of three games aired locally on over-the-air television. The contest will also be shown along with various Gray Media affiliate stations across the Midwest. Furthermore, the partnership between KCTV and the St. Louis Blues will feature Saturday’s game against Winnipeg, as well as the March 8 matchup against the Los Angeles Kings and the March 25 game against the Montreal Canadiens.
Saturday’s broadcast between the Blues and Jets marks a historic moment—it will be the first time in fifteen years that a Blues game will be presented for free on local television.
Commenting on the partnership, Blues President and CEO of Business Operations, Chris Zimmerman, emphasized the significance of the collaboration. “Considering our long-standing relationship with Gray Media and their presence across the Midwest, they are a perfect partner to help us explore our broadcasting options as part of our ongoing efforts to grow our reach among existing and future Blues fans,” Zimmerman said.
Zimmerman added, “The opportunity to deliver a package of local Blues broadcasts through over-the-air television was a valuable addition to our latest broadcast agreement.”
Echoing this sentiment, KCTV5 vice president and general manager Curtis Miles expressed his enthusiasm for bringing more hockey coverage to Kansas City sports fans.
“We know how much people love sports in Kansas City,” said Miles. “Broadcasting these Blues games is another great way for us to give local viewers what they want.”
The NHL 4 Nations Face-Off which concluded Thursday night saw the biggest stars of the NHL compete in a world cup-style tournament that shattered viewership records for the league. Building off the momentum, the broadcasts on KCTV5 will maintain the same high production quality, featuring the FanDuel Sports Network talent and crew, including play-by-play announcer John Kelly, analyst Jamie Rivers, and reporter Andy Strickland.
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