NHL raises curtain on 2016 Honda NHL All-Star festivities with primetime television special

NEW YORK – Hockey fans will get their first glimpse of the 2016 Honda NHL® All-Star festivities in Nashville with NHL All-Star Friday Night: Live in Music City, a primetime television special featuring live roundtable discussions with NHL All-Star players, performances from top country music stars and a few surprises. Hosted by Kimberly Perry, lead singer of the Grammy Award and CMA Award-winning group The Band Perry, and NHL broadcaster Kathryn Tappen, the one-hour telecast will broadcast live from the Honda Stage at Bridgestone Winter Park in downtown Nashville on Friday, Jan. 29 at 7 p.m. CT / 8 p.m. ET on NBCSN in the U.S. and Sportsnet in Canada.

With the NHL All-Star takeover of downtown Nashville as the backdrop, the primetime special will feature performances from Aaron Lewis, Kristian Bush, Big & Rich, John Hiatt and Lee Brice from the outdoor Honda Stage at Bridgestone Winter Park in the heart of downtown Nashville. The broadcast also will feature interviews and appearances from NHL All-Star players Matt Duchene of the Colorado Avalanche, Johnny Gaudreau of the Calgary Flames, Roman Josi, Pekka Rinne and Shea Weber of the Nashville Predators, Brandon Saad of the Columbus Blue Jackets, Steven Stamkos of the Tampa Bay Lightning, P.K. Subban of the Montreal Canadiens and more. Country music legend and Honda NHL All-Star Game celebrity coach Vince Gill and Josi will give viewers a tour of the Gibson Guitar Factory.

IMG, a global leader in sports, fashion and media, will produce hour-long program under the direction of Steve Mayer, NHL Executive Vice President and Executive Producer of Programming & Creative Development.

The 2016 Honda NHL® All-Star celebration marks the first time Nashville has hosted the NHL All-Star festivities, which will take place at Bridgestone Arena. Live television coverage of the League's midseason showcase during the 2016 Honda NHL All-Star Skills Competition™ and 2016 Honda NHL® All-Star Game will be broadcast by NBCSN in the U.S. and on CBC, Sportsnet and TVA Sports in Canada. The 2016 Honda NHL All-Star Skills Competition™ will begin at 7 p.m. ET/6 p.m. CT on Saturday, Jan. 30, and the 2016 Honda NHL® All-Star Game will start at 5 p.m. ET/4 p.m. CT on Sunday, Jan. 31.

NHL Network™ and NHL.com will provide comprehensive coverage of the 2016 Honda NHL® All-Star festivities. Follow the NHL on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and Snapchat ('nhl') and join the conversation via the official hashtags #NHLAllStar and #NHLFanFair.