With the Masters behind us, the National Hockey League steps into the sports spotlight with the beginning of the Stanley Cup playoffs.
A total of 16 teams -- eight from the Eastern Conference and eight from the Western Conference -- will embark in nearly two months of playoffs to determine the NHL's champion for the 2017-18 season. And you can watch some of the Stanley Cup playoff action on the NBC Universal family of networks. And that includes Golf Channel.
That's right. Two games in the Stanley Cup playoffs will air on Golf Channel.
The April 18 Game 4 between the New Jersey Devils and Tampa Bay Lightning will air at 7:30 p.m. Eastern on Golf Channel, followed by the Game 4 showdown between the San Jose Sharks and Anaheim Ducks at 10:30 p.m. Eastern.
An April 18 NHL doubleheader...on Golf Channel.
NHL: We don't expect any repercussions from our television partners for not sending players to the Olympic Games they pay billions to broadcast!
NBC: whoops we had to put two of ur playoffs games here pic.twitter.com/vbBT57tvDq
— Greg Wyshynski (@wyshynski) April 9, 2018
April 18 is a Wednesday, so it's not like Golf Channel is airing live tournament golf at the time, so the schedule was kind of clear. However, it's going to be super bizarre for Golf Channel regulars to turn on the network and see hockey on Wednesday night. Conversely, New Jersey, Tampa Bay, Anaheim and San Jose fans and NHL diehards are going to find it weird to go looking for Golf Channel for the NHL playoffs. Just like NCAA men's basketball tournament fans feel each year about TruTV.
More games could conceivably air on Golf Channel, depending on constraints like the length of playoff series and the availability of other NBC Universal networks, like CNBC, to air games.
