Comcast Sportsnet Releases Caps TV Sked

Comcast Sportsnet announced the television schedule for Washington Capitals games for the up-coming season, and WOW. What a difference a play-off run and a game-changing superstar makes. For a long-time Washington hockey fan like myself, I can’t recall a higher percentage of televised games since the old Home Team Sports days. My grandparents held season tickets, but when the price went up and you could catch every game on cable, we stopped going to the Capitals Center and started watching the games from their living room, my grandfather teaching me the nuances of the game amidts loud calls for Al Koken to shut his pie hole and Mike Gartner to slam one through the five-hole.

Well, as history tends to be cicular, Comcast Sportsnet will televise 73 of the 82 games, with 50 of them available in HD. That means I can teach my son the nuances of the game, amidst calls for Al Koken to shut his pie hole, and Ovie to slam one through the five-hole. Particularly amazing, at least in the Washington television market, is the high amount of HD games.

Excerpts from the presser:

“It is fantastic to see Comcast SportsNet offer so many games in HD,” said Capitals majority owner Ted Leonsis. “Comcast SportsNet is a great partner, and we look forward to working with them to provide our fans with the most entertaining and best broadcast in the NHL. Our TV ratings increased significantly last year, and we look forward to continued growth this season.”

Comcast SportsNet will preview the Washington Capitals season with Caps Week on the network beginning Monday, Oct. 6. Leading up to the regular-season opener, the network will treat viewers to daily features and interviews within SportsNite and Washington Post Live, along with re-airing some of the most exiting games from last year’s historical run to the playoffs. Capitals Postgame Live, with comprehensive postgame coverage, is scheduled to air following each game on the network.

Last season Comcast SportsNet and the Washington Capitals saw record-setting audience numbers in the Washington, D.C. and Baltimore viewing areas. Capitals ratings climbed significantly during the course of the season. Notably, Capitals ratings between Dec. 26, 2007, when head coach Bruce Boudreau arrived, and the end of the regular season jumped 166% over the same period last season in the D.C. market. For the entire 2007-’08 regular season, Capitals ratings increased 75% on Comcast SportsNet from the prior year.

 The television schedule: