ELK RIVER, Minn. -- FOX Sports North, in conjunction with the Minnesota Wild, announced Wednesday new firsts for Hockey Day Minnesota 2014, presented by Wells Fargo, on Saturday, Jan. 18, 2014. With more than 16 hours of original programming scheduled, the eighth annual event will include coverage from across the state of Minnesota, including three outdoor high school games at "The Handke Pit" in Elk River.
For the first time, Hockey Day Minnesota 2014 programming will be televised nationally. "State of Hockey" residents can catch blanket coverage, beginning at 9:00 a.m., on FOX Sports North; the rest of the United States has the opportunity to watch on FOX Sports 2. The lineup of Hockey Day features two boys high school games, and the Gophers vs. Ohio State matchup will be simulcast on the national network. All of the games televised live on FOX Sports 2 will also be streamed on FOX Sports GO for iOS devices. In addition, the Gopher hockey game will also be streamed live on BTN2Go.
In another first for the unofficial hockey holiday, FOX Sports North will offer viewers an interactive social media experience on FOX Sports North PLUS, integrating traditional TV with live social media updates. The hockey community will be encouraged to join the Hockey Day Minnesota celebration by using #HDM2014 across multiple social platforms, including Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. Text and photo content will be incorporated into the broadcast and featured on a custom "squeeze back" screen on FOX Sports North PLUS throughout the day.
FOX Sports North PLUS channel listings: Click Here
FOX's Phantom Cam is revolutionizing game telecasts, and for the first time, it will be used for a high school telecast. On Hockey Day Minnesota, the matchup between Rochester Lourdes and Cloquet/Esko/Carlton will be shown. The state-of-the-art camera will also be used as part of the Minnesota Wild telecast. With the ability to record up to 5,000 frames per second, Phantom Cam is able to show live game action in never-before-seen slow-motion detail. A typical slow-motion camera records at 380 frames per second or less. The Phantom Cam frame rate allows the broadcast to slow video down with clarity to show things the human eye and other cameras cannot pick up.
Phantom Cam preview: Click Here
Additional Hockey Day Minnesota details, including the complete list of on-air talent and special features planned, will be announced at a later date.
The Hockey Day Minnesota 2014 schedule is as follows:
10:00 a.m. -- Rochester Lourdes vs. Cloquet/Esko/Carlton (boys) at Handke Pit, Elk River
1:30 p.m. -- Elk River vs. Stillwater (boys) at Handke Pit, Elk River
5:00 p.m. -- Minnesota Golden Gophers vs. Ohio State at Mariucci Arena
8:00 p.m. -- Minnesota Wild vs. Dallas Stars at Xcel Energy Center (FSNorth/PLUS only)
11:00 p.m. -- Elk River vs. Anoka (girls) at Handke Pit, Elk River (delayed broadcast)
