The Puck Drops Here: Verizon FiOS TV Customers Get Front Row Seats to Hard-Hitting Hockey Action With 'NHL Center Ice' and 'NHL Network'

NEW YORK - For die-hard hockey fans there is no such thing as watching too much hockey. Verizon is helping these fans get even more hockey programming, by adding NHL Center Ice to the FiOS TV lineup.  Also, Verizon will launch the NHL Network in the coming days.

NHL Center Ice is a subscription sports package that includes up to 40 out-of-market NHL games per week and select games from the first two rounds of the Stanley Cup Playoffs. As an added bonus, Verizon will broadcast select NHL Center Ice games in high definition (HD).  The price is $169 for the entire season.  

NHL Network is the first 24-hour network dedicated to the National Hockey League, with unprecedented access to the most comprehensive hockey coverage both on and off the ice.  NHL Network will broadcast 75 live regular-season games in 2008-09 - all in HD.  The programming brings hockey fans inside the game by offering original programming, documentaries, unparalleled analysis and highlights, live events, and the best in vintage games and features.  The network's signature daily live highlight show, "NHL On The Fly," airs nightly throughout the hockey season.

Hockey fans will be amazed by the lifelike viewing experience they'll have when watching NHL action on FiOS.

"There's no better way to experience sports than on FiOS TV, and there's no better way to catch NHL action than with NHL Center Ice and NHL Network," said Terry Denson, vice president - FiOS TV content and programming.  "The unrivaled, stunning picture-and-sound quality that FiOS TV delivers will make fans feel like they're in a rink-side seat.  And by providing hundreds of out-of-market games during the season, NHL Center Ice gives our customers a chance to enjoy matchups they would rarely see locally." 

Jody Shapiro, NHL senior vice president of distribution, said, "NHL Center Ice and NHL Network are two great examples of how we super-serve our fans with the NHL content they demand.  NHL Center Ice provides opportunities to see games from around the league regardless of location, while NHL Network provides complementary programming that enhances our live game broadcasts with analysis and unprecedented behind-the-scenes access. We are very pleased that Verizon FiOS customers will now have the opportunity to enjoy a full range of NHL TV viewing." 

Only Verizon delivers all-digital TV service over America's most advanced network that's all-fiber all the way to customers' homes.  For customers, that means receiving 100 percent digital quality on every channel, superior picture-and-sound quality, more and more high-definition programming, and more innovative interactive features.

Verizon's FiOS TV service offers a broad collection of all-digital programming, with more than 400 total channels and 11,000 video-on-demand (VOD) titles per month, 70 percent of which are free.  FiOS TV is currently available to more than 8.2 million homes in 14 states.

For more information on FiOS TV and additional details on the NHL Center Ice and NHL Network packages, consumers can visit www.verizon.com/fiostv or call their local Verizon sales office or 888-438-3467.

About Verizon
Verizon Communications Inc. (NYSE:VZ), headquartered in New York, is a leader in delivering broadband and other wireline and wireless communication innovations to mass market, business, government and wholesale customers.  Verizon Wireless operates America's most reliable wireless network, serving nearly 71 million customers nationwide.  Verizon's Wireline operations include Verizon Business, which delivers innovative and seamless business solutions to customers around the world, and Verizon Telecom, which brings customers the benefits of converged communications, information and entertainment services over the nation's most advanced fiber-optic network.  A Dow 30 company, Verizon employs a diverse workforce of more than 228,000 and last year generated consolidated operating revenues of $93.5 billion.  For more information, visit www.verizon.com.

About the NHL
The National Hockey League, founded in 1917, is the second-oldest of the four major professional team sports leagues in North America.  Today, the NHL consists of 30 Member Clubs, each reflecting the League's international makeup, with players from more than 20 countries represented on team rosters. According to a Simmons Market Research study, NHL fans are younger, more educated, more affluent, and access content through digital means more than any other sport. The NHL entertains more than 100 million fans each season in-arena and through its partners in national television (VERSUS, NBC, TSN, CBC, RDS, RIS, NASN, ASN and NHL Network) and radio (NHL Radio, Sirius XM Radio and XM Canada).  Through the NHL Foundation, the League's charitable arm, the NHL raises money and awareness for Hockey Fights Cancer and NHL Youth Development, and supports the charitable efforts of NHL players. For more information on the NHL, log on to NHL.com.

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