Caps' McPhee, Pens' Shero guest on 'NHL Hour'

NEW YORK – Washington Capitals vice president and general manager George McPhee and Pittsburgh Penguins executive vice president and general manager Ray Shero are today’s guests on NHL Hour With Commissioner Gary Bettman on NHL.com and SIRIUS XM Radio at 6 p.m. ET.

The Capitals, who defeated the Boston Bruins 4-1 Tuesday to set a franchise record with their 11th straight victory, are home to the defending Stanley Cup champion Penguins on Sunday in the NHL on NBC Game of the Week beginning at noon ET. The contest reignites the rivalry between two teams who staged a memorable seven-game duel in the 2009 Stanley Cup Playoff Eastern Conference Semifinal and between two players -- Washington's Alex Ovechkin and Pittsburgh's Sidney Crosby -- who traded hat tricks in Game 2 of that set.

As one media member put it, "The two top stars in a series dripping with talent have not only lived up to the hype, they've surpassed it."

The architects of those teams will discuss the 2009-10 season and will preview the much-anticipated match-up.

McPhee's Capitals established a club record with 108 points last season on the way to their second consecutive Southeast Division title.  Ovechkin won the Hart Trophy as NHL MVP and the Rocket Richard Trophy as the League's top goal scorer for the second straight season. Shero's Penguins are 7-3-0 record in their past 10 games and Crosby, coming off a hat trick Monday night against Buffalo, is tied for the League lead in goals with 37 -- one more than Ovechkin.

NHL Hour with Commissioner Gary Bettman now broadcasts live on Thursdays from 6 p.m. to 7 p.m. ET on NHL Home Ice (XM Channel 204 and on SIRIUS Channel 208 as part of the “Best of XM” programming package) and NHL.com. The show will re-air on SIRIUS XM Radio, with archived shows available for download via podcast on NHL.com.

The show encourages fans to call in with questions for the Commissioner. To submit questions to NHL Hour call 1-877-645-6696.

NHL Hour with Commissioner Gary Bettman is a production of NHL Radio.