NBC going all out in Chicago

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: NBC going all out with cameras, Costas for Classic : December 16, 2008 : BY LEN ZIEHM : The rink to be used for the NHL Winter Classic arrives at Wrigley Field today, and NBC -- which will broadcast the Jan. 1 game between the Blackhawks and Detroit Red Wings -- can't wait for the puck to drop. : ''It's the perfect place for a hockey game,'' NBC producer Sam Flood said. ''Wrigley Field's a baseball field of dreams, and now the hockey guys get to take it over.'' : Flood said NBC again will have a camera in an airplane above the stadium. : ''You never see a hockey game from that perspective,'' he said. ''But we'll have cameras everywhere -- from high up in the right-field bleachers to the scoreboard to rink level. And we'll have a roving camera that can go to some of the rooftop parties across the street. This is a game you want to shoot wide, so you can see the whole spectacle.'' : Last year's game in Buffalo was a true classic, with the Pittsburgh Penguins beating the host Sabres 2-1 on Sidney Crosby's goal in a shootout. With snowflakes falling in frigid weather, the unusual setting drew 3.7 million viewers for NBC. That made it the most viewed NHL game since 1996. : Having Wrigley Field as the venue could take the event to a new level. : ''Ratings are one thing, but buzz is a different thing,'' said Bob Costas, who again will be NBC's host for the Winter Classic. ''For a week after that [Buffalo] game, everywhere I went, it seemed people were remarking about that game, how different it seemed, how it jumped out from the sports landscape. Now, with Wrigley Field, we'll have a chance to do some historical stuff.'' : In addition to Costas, NBC will have Mike ''Doc'' Emrick handling the play-by-play and Eddie Olczyk as lead analyst. Olczyk handles those duties opposite Pat Foley on the Hawks' TV broadcasts on Comcast SportsNet and WGN. : Mike Milbury will be the studio analyst, with Pierre McGuire and former Hawks goaltender Darren Pang serving as inside-the-glass reporters. : ''I'm so envious of the guys who get the opportunity to play in that game, in arguably the greatest sports venue there has ever been,'' said Olczyk, whose 16-season playing career included time with the Hawks. ''Being a Chicago native and growing up a die-hard Cubs fan, being part of this on New Year's Day is going to be one of those moments in my lifetime that will be very special.'' : (Chicago Sun-Times)

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