McDonald's has renewed its relationship as an official league partner with the National Hockey League and will become title sponsor of "Hockey Day in America," six hours of live programming on Feb. 20 on NBC, including four games.
The fast-food giant will also be sponsor of the 2011 NHL All-Star Game.
As part of its sponsorship pact, terms of whcih were not disclosed, McDonald's will support NHL's media properties, NHL Network and NHL.com, as well as its media rights holders, NBC and Versus.
On Hockey Day, NBC Sports will broadcast four NHL games, featuring eight teams from some of the most avid U.S. hockey markets. The first three games will be broadcast regionally with staggered starts, allowing for live look-ins. The fourth contest, Pittsburgh at Chicago, will be broadcast nationally. All will be streamed live on NBCSports.com.
The program, hosted from Chicago's Millennium Park, will also include stories about people who love hockey, from parents who take their kids to games at sunrise, to the amateur U.S. Pond Hockey Championships.
The NHL's rights deals with NBC and Versus expire at the end of the 2010-11 season.
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