As the players get set to begin training camp for the 2016-17 NHL season, the Devils and MSG Networks have announced the Devils broadcast schedule.
MSG, MSG+ and MSG+2 will broadcast the majority of the Devils’ schedule, 81 games with the lone exception being the Thursday, December 29 game at the Washington Capitals, the Devils lone appearance on NBCSN. In addition, the preseason game on Thursday, September 29 at Madison Square Garden versus the Rangers will be broadcast on MSG+ and the Saturday, October 1 game at home at Prudential Center against the Rangers will be broadcast on MSG+2.
The broadcast team will remain the same: Steve Cangialosi returns as the team’s play-by-play man while Devils legend Ken Daneyko steps back in the booth as the color commentator on all MSG-produced games. The Devils’ press release mentions that this is Cangialosi’s sixth season working as a play-by-play man for the Devils. He spent time as the studio host and fill-in play-by-play man for Mike “Doc” Emrick while Emrick worked national broadcasts, before taking over full-time for “Doc” in 2011.
John MacLean will return as the studio analyst for the Devils on the “Holy Name Medical Center Devils Game Night” pregame show and the “Devils Postgame Show Presented by JAG Physical Therapy.” He will also likely represent the Devils on MSG’s “Hockey Night Live” hockey-specific highlight show. Joining him on the pre- and post-game shows will be Deb Placey, also entering her sixth year with the Devils broadcast team. She will serve as the host and in-game reporter. If things continue like last year, MacLean will also serve as an in-game, between-the-benches, ice-level reporter. Stan Fischler will join “the coverage for select home games.”
All Devils games on MSG Networks will be presented by RWJ Barnabas Health. The pregame show will be 30 minutes long prior to every broadcast.