NHL Network, NHL.com and NHL Radio dedicate six hours of programming to 2009 Trade Deadline Day

NEW YORK/TORONTO – The countdown is on to the 2009 NHL Trade Deadline. Whether at work or play, NHL fans will have the opportunity to stay connected to all the action leading up to and throughout Trade Deadline Day 2009 through unprecedented coverage by the NHL Network, NHL.com and NHL Radio.

Wednesday, March 4 at 3:00 p.m. ET marks the deadline for teams to bolster their rosters for their 2009 playoff runs. Beginning at noon that day, the League's three media platforms will simulcast six hours of trade deadline-focused programming that will keep fans informed while providing exclusive access to the League's movers and shakers and, for the first time, a behind-the-scenes look at how a trade officially goes down.

The coverage begins with Don LaGreca, Bill Clement, Billy Jaffe and Jim Fox hosting a special, three hour edition of NHL Live from NHL Radio, which can be heard on XM 204 and Sirius 208 (in the U.S.).The SIRIUS XM Radio call-in show originates every weekday from The NHL Store Powered by Reebok in New York City. Breaking trade news, in-depth analysis and interviews with players and Club management will bring the news of the day to listeners as well as those viewing the HD broadcast on NHL Network and the live stream on NHL.com.

Immediately following NHL Live, NHL Network will begin a three-hour NHL Trade Deadline Special.Hosts Brian Duff, Gary Green and Craig Button, along with Clement and Eric Duhatschek, will keep fans abreast of the flurry of closing-minutes activity that traditionally beats the deadline buzzer. With NHL.com still streaming the video and NHL Radio broadcasting the audio over SIRIUS XM Radio, the Trade Deadline Special will provide interviews with traded players and the general managers who made the major moves.

The show will be the first ever to provide a glimpse into the NHL's Central Registry trade office. Viewers will be able to watch a transaction become finalized through a trade call among the participating general managers and the League officials charged with ensuring that the move complies with all trade and Salary Cap regulations.

What's more, all day long, NHL Network and NHL.com will run a ticker alerting viewers to all of the deals being reported -- with notification as soon as those trades are deemed official by the League. NHL.com also will maintain a trade tracker of those reported deals, so the League's official website will be the one-stop online destination for fans to get caught up on all the news of the day.

Of course, in the days leading to the Trade Deadline, NHL.com will continue to provide breaking news stories, features on memorable trade deadlines and deals of the past and interviews with GMs facing tough decisions this year. Visitors to NHL.com also can sign up to receive Deadline Day trade alerts that will send notification of deals directly to their mobile phones and/or PDAs.

During Trade Deadline week, the NHL Network is offering a free preview to more than 34 million subscribers of multiple distributors in the United States, such as DIRECTV, DISH Network®, AT&T U-verse, Verizon, Cox Communications, Grande Communications and TVMAX, from Monday, March 2 through Saturday, March 7.