Pens to launch "NHL in Russian" show on HD Radio

The Pittsburgh Penguins are launching a 30-minute Russian-language radio show devoted to Russian NHL fans that will air each week on the Penguins' new HD radio station (105.9 HD2).

"NHL In Russian" ("NXL Na Russkom") will also be streamed live on www.pittsburghpenguins.com and NHL.com. The show, created in partnership with the National Hockey League, will feature interviews with Russian NHL players and legends as well as NHL news and notes.

It will air at 8:30 a.m. ET on Tuesday mornings in the U.S. (4:30 p.m. in Moscow). It also will be repeated several times each week and be available via podcast.

"NHL in Russian" will debut on Nov. 24. Special guests on the inaugural show will be 2008-09 NHL scoring champion Evgeni Malkin and Russian hockey legend Igor Larionov.

The host will be Gera (George) Birman, a native of Ukraine who was been a Pittsburgh Penguins front-office employee for the past 10 years. In recent years, Birman has served as an interpreter for Malkin and been featured on a number of media interviews. Birman will be joined by Oleg Mejeritski of Sovietsky Sport and Alena (Alyonka) Larionov, currently a host of Pens TV.

"We know there is immense interest in NHL hockey in Russia, and we thought this would be a unique way to take advantage of current technology and create a show devoted to Russian fans," Penguins president David Morehouse said. "We believe there is a huge Russian fan base that will be interested in staying informed about Russian players and NHL news."

"The NHL's Russian-speaking fan base is passionate and growing," said Gregg Baldinger, director of NHL Radio. "By creating this innovative audio programming, the Penguins are providing greater access for Russian NHL fans to engage with the sport they love."

The Penguins recently became the first team in professional sports to launch an exclusive HD radio channel. Steve Mears and Tom Grimm host "Penguins Live" every weekday from 9:30 a.m-12 noon.