Winter Classic at Notre Dame thrills Emrick, NBC broadcast crew

For Mike "Doc" Emrick, it was natural to become a Notre Dame fan. The university's football team was one of the few featured on local television when he was growing up in La Fontaine, Indiana, about 90 miles from South Bend.

"Notre Dame was on a lot, so I became a fan of theirs because I could see them a lot more," Emrick said Tuesday. "To be on the same field, where Knute Rockne coached for one season and was undefeated, and all the heroes of past and present, to have a hockey rink on it will be a great thrill for me."
It will be an experience for the entire NHL on NBC crew, including Emrick, Eddie Olczyk, Pierre McGuire and Mike Tirico, when they call the 2019 Bridgestone NHL Winter Classic featuring the Chicago Blackhawks against the Boston Bruins at Notre Dame Stadium on Jan. 1 (1 p.m. ET; NBC, TVAS, SN).
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Tirico, who announces Notre Dame football games for NBC, called Notre Dame Stadium a special place.
"It has an aura, and it'll be a great fit for the Winter Classic," Tirico said. "This Winter Classic is right in the middle of one of the most famous campuses in the world. That will add to the uniqueness of this event this time around."
Sam Flood, executive producer and president of production for NBC Sports and NBCSN, said he's most looking forward to the aerial view at the stadium.
"As I always like to say, the first replay ever blocked by a cloud was the first goal in the Winter Classic in Buffalo," Flood said. "[NBC Sports coordinating director] Charlie Dammeyer deploys longer lenses in the corners, which we find to be a better way to catch the action at the opposite end of the rink. It should be a dynamic way showcasing everything that's happening inside that rink."

The Blackhawks (10-19-6, 26 points), who are seventh in the Central Division, are having a frustrating season. But Olczyk, also a TV analyst for the Blackhawks, said Chicago can find motivation in the Winter Classic.
"It's the premier game on the calendar," said Olczyk, who missed the 2018 NHL Bridgestone Winter Classic between the Buffalo Sabres and New York Rangers at Citi Field while fighting Stage 3 colon cancer. "Regardless of where you are in the standings or what's taken place, this is what everyone's watching. You look for rallying points and you look for something to grab onto when you're struggling. And I think for a team like the Blackhawks, you'll look to this game and try to use it as something to catapult you into something positive."
The Bruins (18-12-4, 40 points), who have weathered several key injuries this season, are fourth in the Atlantic Division and hold the first wild card into the Stanley Cup Playoffs from the Eastern Conference.
McGuire said Boston will also be motivated by this game.
"They've found a way to be very relevant in the Eastern Conference because of really good coaching, a tremendous story in [goaltender Jaroslav] Halak, and young players who have taken advantage of opportunities," McGuire said. "The Bruins are coming and they're coming hard and will be relevant the rest of the year. This game will be a great departure point for them for the rest of the second half of the year."