The National Hockey League Game of the Week is a branding used for regular season National Hockey League weekend games that are typically televised on a national broadcast network in the U.S.
The branding was previously used by NBC on Sunday afternoons, beginning at the weekend of the NFL Conference Championship games when it held NHL broadcast rights between the 2005–06 and 2020–21 seasons. During the 2016–17, NBC began to promote the Star Sunday brand on both the Game of the Week and its Sunday Night Hockey broadcasts on sister cable network NBCSN, focusing primarily on the NHL's star players. Star Sunday featured extensive pre-game, in-game and post-game coverage of each featured player. The first game under the new package featured the New York Rangers and the Detroit Red Wings on January 22, 2017, with Ryan McDonagh and Dylan Larkin the featured players of their respective teams.
Beginning with the 2021–22 season, ABC replaced NBC as the league's network broadcast partner. Since then, ABC has typically aired one game per weekend, usually on Saturday afternoons, beginning in February. Due to the current arrangement of ABC's sports programming being produced and co-branded by ESPN, the broadcasts carry the NHL on ESPN production and branding.
History Historically, there was game of the week broadcasts in the past but until NBC Sports took over broadcasting rights to the National Hockey League from ESPN and ABC they were never consistent.
NHL on NBC era Starting in , the most important games on primarily Sundays or Thursdays would be titled NHL on NBC Game of the Week which eventually got moved to only Sundays later that season.
Then as a part of the deal made between NBC and the NHL in , the game of the week package would add the NHL Thanksgiving Showdown to its schedule and this would continue until the 2020-21 season.
ESPN/ABC takes over In March 2021, after nearly 20 years away, ESPN announced it had reacquired broadcasting rights to the NHL and as a part of that deal ABC would take over rights to air the game of the week package.
ABC Hockey Saturday as is would be called would debut on November 26, 2021 with the Thanksgiving Showdown between the New York Rangers and the Boston Bruins. The Thanksgiving Showdown, however, only aired on ABC in its first year of the 7-year deal; the network traded it to TNT Sports in favor of airing Stadium Series games either on ABC or ESPN, starting in its second year.
ABC’s game of the week coverage consists of mostly of either doubleheaders or tripleheaders from Saturday afternoon to night which usually begins at the last weeks of the season which starts with a 30-minute pregame show.
Schedules 2000s 2005–06 season Date Time Away team Score Home team ScoreJanuary 14, 20062 P.M.NY Rangers3Detroit4Colorado4 (OT)Philadelphia3Dallas2 (SO)Boston1January 21, 20062 P.M. ETPhiladelphia2Pittsburgh1Detroit4Colorado33 P.M. PTSan Jose4Los Angeles3January 28, 20062 P.M.NY Rangers7Pittsburgh1Tampa Bay6Philadelphia0Detroit1 (SO)Dallas2February 4, 20062 P.M.Detroit3Colorado0N.Y. Islanders5 (SO)Pittsburgh4Dallas3 St. Louis4 (OT)April 8, 20062 P.M. ETNY Rangers4 (OT)Boston3St. Louis2Colorado43 P.M. PTAnaheim4Los Angeles2April 15, 20062 P.M.NY Rangers1Philadelphia4Boston3Atlanta4Dallas4 (OT) Minnesota3
2006–07 season Date Time Away team Score Home team ScoreJanuary 13, 20072 P.M.Pittsburgh5Philadelphia3Boston1NY Rangers3Los Angeles5St. Louis6January 28, 20073:30 P.M.Colorado1Detroit3Dallas1Anaheim4Philadelphia2Atlanta1February 11, 20073:30 P.M.Colorado5Dallas7Tampa Bay4New Jersey1Chicago5Columbus4February 18, 20073:30 P.M.Washington2Pittsburgh3Chicago1NY Rangers2San Jose2Dallas5March 4, 200712:30 P.M.Colorado4 (OT)Detroit3Philadelphia3Pittsburgh4 (SO)March 11, 200712:30 P.M.Boston6Detroit3Carolina1NY Rangers2 (SO)March 25, 200712:30 P.M.Boston1Pittsburgh5NY Rangers2 (SO)NY Islanders1April 1, 200712:30 P.M. ETDetroit4Columbus13 P.M. PTLos Angeles2San Jose6April 8, 20071 P.M.Buffalo3Philadelphia4Chicago2Dallas3
2007–08 season Starting this season, NBC aired these Game of the Week games on a national basis, in addition to carrying the national broadcasts of the Winter Classic on New Year's Day and the Stanley Cup Playoffs during the Spring. Date Time Away team Score Home team ScoreJanuary 20, 200812:30 P.M.Boston3NY Rangers1February 3, 20082 P.M.NY Rangers5Montreal3February 10, 20083:30 P.M.Anaheim3Detroit2February 17, 20083:30 P.M.Detroit0Dallas1March 2, 200812:30 P.M.Philadelphia4NY Rangers5 (SO)March 9, 200812:30 P.M.Pittsburgh4Washington2March 16, 200812 P.M.Philadelphia1Pittsburgh7March 30, 200812:30 P.M.NY Rangers1Pittsburgh3April 6, 200812:30 P.M.Chicago1Detroit4
2008–09 season Date Time Away team Score Home team ScoreJanuary 18, 200912:30 P.M.NY Rangers0Pittsburgh3February 8, 200912:30 P.M.Detroit2Pittsburgh0February 15, 200912:30 P.M.Philadelphia5NY Rangers2February 22, 200912:30 P.M.Pittsburgh2Washington5March 8, 200912:30 P.M.Boston3NY Rangers4March 15, 200912:30 P.M.Philadelphia1NY Rangers4March 22, 200912:30 P.M.Philadelphia3Pittsburgh1April 5, 200912:30 P.M.Minnesota2Detroit3April 12, 20092 P.M.Detroit0Chicago3
2010s 2009–10 season Date Time Away team Score Home team ScoreJanuary 17, 201012:30 P.M.Chicago4 (SO)Detroit3January 24, 201012:30 P.M.Pittsburgh2Philadelphia1January 31, 201012:30 P.M.Detroit1Pittsburgh2 (SO)February 7, 201012:00 P.M.Pittsburgh4Washington5 (OT)March 7, 201012:30 P.M.Detroit5Chicago4March 14, 201012:30 P.M.Washington4Chicago3March 21, 201012:30 P.M.NY Rangers1Boston2April 4, 201012:30 P.M.Detroit3Philadelphia4April 11, 201012:00 P.M.Boston4 (SO)Washington3
2010–11 season Date Time Away team Score Home team ScoreJanuary 23, 201112:30 P.M.Philadelphia4Chicago1February 6, 201112:30 P.M.Pittsburgh0Washington3February 13, 201112:30 P.M.Boston2Detroit4February 20, 201112:35 P.M.Washington2Buffalo112:40 P.M.Philadelphia4N.Y. Rangers212:45 P.M.Detroit2 (SO)Minnesota13:30 P.M.Pittsburgh2Chicago3 (SO)March 6, 201112:30 P.M.Philadelphia0NY Rangers7March 13, 201112:30 P.M.Chicago3Washington4March 20, 201112:30 P.M.NY Rangers5Pittsburgh2April 3, 201112:30 P.M.NY Rangers3 (SO)Philadelphia2April 10, 201112:30 P.M.Detroit4Chicago3
2011–12 season The Pittsburgh Penguins had an overall five network TV appearances during this season, making it the first NHL team in Pennsylvania and the first NHL team to have overall five network appearances in a regular season. Date Time Away team Score Home team ScoreJanuary 14, 201212:30 P.M.Chicago2Detroit3 (OT)January 22, 201212:30 P.M.Washington3Pittsburgh4 (OT)February 12, 201212:30 P.M.Washington2NY Rangers3February 19, 201212:35 P.M.Pittsburgh2Buffalo612:40 P.M.San Jose2Detroit312:45 P.M.St. Louis1Chicago33:30 P.M.Boston0Minnesota2March 4, 201212:30 P.M.Boston3NY Rangers4March 11, 201212:30 P.M.Boston2Pittsburgh5March 18, 201212:30 P.M.Pittsburgh2Philadelphia3 (OT)April 1, 201212:30 P.M.Philadelphia6Pittsburgh4April 7, 20121 P.M.Chicago3 (SO)Detroit2
2012–13 season Date Time Away team Score Home team ScoreJanuary 19, 20133:25 P.M.Chicago5Los Angeles23:35 P.M.Pittsburgh3Philadelphia1January 20, 201312:30 P.M.Philadelphia2Buffalo5February 3, 201312:30 P.M.Pittsburgh6Washington3February 10, 201312:30 P.M.Los Angeles2Detroit3February 17, 201312:30 P.M.Pittsburgh4Buffalo33:30 P.M.Los Angeles2Chicago3March 3, 201312:30 P.M.Chicago2 (SO)Detroit1March 10, 201312:30 P.M.NY Rangers4Washington1March 17, 201312:30 P.M.Boston1Pittsburgh2March 31, 201312:30 P.M.Chicago7Detroit1April 7, 201312:30 P.M.St. Louis1Detroit0April 14, 201312:30 P.M.Chicago2St. Louis0April 21, 20133 P.M.New Jersey1NY Rangers4April 27, 20133 P.M.04
2013–14 season
Date Time Away team Score Home team ScoreJanuary 19, 201412:30 P.M.Boston2Chicago3 (SO)January 26, 201412:30 P.M.NY Rangers7New Jersey3February 2, 201412:30 P.M.Detroit5Washington6 (OT)March 1, 20148 P.M.Pittsburgh1Chicago5March 2, 201412:30 P.M.Philadelphia5 (OT)Washington4March 9, 201412:30 P.M.Detroit0NY Rangers3March 16, 201412:30 P.M.Philadelphia4Pittsburgh3March 30, 201412:30 P.M.Boston4 (SO)Philadelphia3April 6, 201412:30 P.M.St. Louis2Chicago4April 12, 20143 P.M.Philadelphia4 (OT)Pittsburgh3April 13, 201412:30 P.M.Detroit3St. Louis0
2014–15 season
Date Time Away team Score Home team ScoreJanuary 18, 201512:30 P.M.NY Rangers5Pittsburgh2February 8, 201512:30 P.M.Chicago4St. Louis2February 15, 201512:30 P.M.Pittsburgh1Chicago2 (SO)February 22, 201512:30 P.M.Washington2Philadelphia33:30 P.M.Boston6Chicago2February 28, 20158 P.M.NY Rangers2Philadelphia4March 8, 201512:30 P.M.Detroit3Boston5March 15, 201512:30 P.M.Detroit5Pittsburgh1March 22, 201512 P.M.St. Louis1Detroit2 (OT)April 5, 201512:30 P.M.Pittsburgh1Philadelphia4April 11, 20153:11 P.M.San Jose1Los Angeles43:20 P.M.Minnesota2St. Louis4
2015–16 season NBC was supposed to air the Pittsburgh-Washington match-up on January 24, but however, the game was postponed due to hazardous weather, so the network instead selecting St. Louis-Chicago game as their match-up and it aired in the Primetime slot. Date Time Away team Score Home team ScoreJanuary 24, 201612:30 P.M.PittsburghWashingtonPPDJanuary 24, 20167 P.M.St. Louis0Chicago2February 7, 201612 P.M.Philadelphia2Washington3February 14, 20163:30 P.M.Boston5Detroit6February 21, 201612:30 P.M.Pittsburgh4Buffalo33:30 P.M.Chicago1Minnesota6February 27, 20168 P.M.Detroit5Colorado3February 28, 201612:30 P.M.Washington2Chicago3March 13, 201612:30 P.M.Pittsburgh5NY Rangers3April 3, 201612:30 P.M.Boston4Chicago6April 9, 20163 P.M.Pittsburgh1Philadelphia3
2016–17 season
During the season, NBC's Star Sunday concept was added to the Game of the Week package. The first game under the new brand took place on January 22, 2017, in a game between the New York Rangers and the Detroit Red Wings.
Date Time Away team Score Home team ScoreJanuary 15, 20171:00 P.M.Philadelphia0Washington5January 22, 2017*NBC selected Ryan McDonagh and Dylan Larkin as featured Star Sunday players for the game.12:30 P.M.N.Y. Rangers1Detroit0February 5, 2017*NBC selected Jeff Carter and Alexander Ovechkin as featured Star Sunday players for the game.12 P.M.Los Angeles0Washington5February 12, 2017*NBC selected Henrik Zetterberg and Devan Dubnyk as featured Star Sunday players for the game.3 P.M.Detroit3Minnesota6February 19, 201712:30 P.M.Washington1N.Y. Rangers23:30 P.M.Detroit5Pittsburgh2February 25, 20178 P.M.Philadelphia2Pittsburgh4February 26, 2017*NBC selected David Pastrnak and Tyler Seguin as featured Star Sunday players for the game.12:30 P.M.Boston6Dallas3March 12, 2017*NBC selected Eric Staal and Duncan Keith as featured Star Sunday players for the game.12:30 P.M.Minnesota2Chicago4March 26, 2017*NBC selected Mikko Koivu as featured Star Sunday player for the game. No Red Wings player was selected; instead Joe Louis Arena was selected as the Red Wings' representative to mark the network's final game at the venue.12:30 P.M.Minnesota2Detroit3(OT)April 2, 2017*NBC selected Patrice Bergeron and Brent Seabrook as featured Star Sunday players for the game.12:30 P.M.Boston3Chicago2April 8, 20173 P.M.Washington3Boston1
(*) Designated as a Star Sunday game.
2017–18 season