WHL ON ROOT SPORTS SCHEDULE ANNOUNCED

Calgary, AB. – The Western Hockey League (WHL) and ROOT SPORTS™ today announced the 10-game broadcast schedule that will bring LIVE WHL action into 3.7 million homes across five U.S. states during the 2011-12 WHL Regular Season.  The WHL and ROOT SPORTS are in their third season of a multi-year broadcast agreement in which ROOT SPORTS serves as the WHL’s exclusive U.S. Northwest cable home.

One of the premier development League’s in the World, the Western Hockey League will showcase the top rated NHL prospects LIVE every Friday night on ROOT SPORTS.  The broadcast schedule will feature all five WHL U.S. based Clubs: Everett Silvertips, Portland Winterhawks, Seattle Thunderbirds, Spokane Chiefs and Tri-City Americans.  WHL on Root Sports ‘Friday Night Hockey’ begins Friday, January 6 as the Tri-City Americans host WHL U.S. Division rivals the Seattle Thunderbirds at the Toyota Center in Kennewick, WA.

“The WHL on ROOT SPORTS ‘Friday Night Hockey’ broadcasts will not only allow the WHL to continue showcasing the World’s finest junior hockey talent to a broad U.S. television audience, but also feature storied rivalries in our U.S. Division,” commented WHL Commissioner Ron Robison.  “Hockey fans in the Pacific Northwest can look forward to a highly entertaining WHL schedule once again this season on ROOT SPORTS.”

“The WHL has done a tremendous job of building a loyal and dedicated fan base and we look forward to continuing our partnership and having the opportunity to reward those fans in showcasing the league’s talent to the viewers across the ROOT SPORTS five-state region,” stated Mark Jorgensen, Senior Vice President/General Manager of ROOT SPORTS.

The WHL on ROOT SPORTS ‘Friday Night Hockey’ will continue to feature the play-by-play of Ian Furness with analysis provided by former WHL and NHL player Kevin Sawyer.

2011-12 WHL on ROOT SPORTS ‘Friday Night Hockey’ Broadcast Schedule

For full broadcast details visit: http://www.whl.ca/whl-tv-broadcast-schedules

ABOUT ROOT SPORTS™

ROOT SPORTS™ (formerly FSN Northwest) is the cable home of the Seattle Mariners, Seattle Seahawks, Seattle Sounders FC, Portland Timbers, Washington Huskies, Washington State Cougars, Oregon State Beavers, Gonzaga Bulldogs and Seattle University Redhawks. The network reaches more than 3.7 million viewers across five states, including Washington, Oregon, Idaho, Montana and Alaska, and delivers more than 350 live events each year – all of which are also available in high definition.

ROOT SPORTS is owned and operated by DIRECTV Sports Networks LLC, which operates regional sports networks in the Northwest, Pittsburgh and Rocky Mountain regions. The three networks combined reach more than 8.7 million viewers across 18 states and own exclusive programming and distribution partnerships with more than 25 teams and conferences. DIRECTV Sports Networks is a controlled subsidiary of DIRECTV, the world’s most popular television service.

About the WHL

Western Hockey League (WHL) is the largest major junior hockey league in the world today with 22 member Clubs throughout Western Canada and the U.S. Pacific Northwest.  The WHL attracts over 4 million spectators each season to regular season and playoff games and is a world leader in player development and scholarship opportunities.  Each season the WHL is one of the top leagues from which players are selected from in the NHL Entry Draft.  Currently over 20% of all NHL players are graduates of the WHL.  The WHL is also a leading provider of post-secondary scholarships with over 400 scholarships awarded each year to current and graduate WHL players, more than any other league in North America. The WHL is a member of the Canadian Hockey League (together with the Ontario Hockey League and Quebec Major Junior Hockey League) which consists of 60 member clubs from coast to coast in Canada and the northern United States.