Calgary, AB. – The Western Hockey League (WHL) and FSN Northwest today announced a new multi-year broadcast agreement that will see FSN Northwest serve as the WHL’s exclusive Pacific Northwest cable broadcast home starting with the current 2009-10 season through to the 2011-12 WHL season.  FSN Northwest will broadcast a minimum of 10 WHL regular season games each year on their cable network.

 

The WHL on FSN Northwest broadcasts will bring LIVE WHL action into 3.4 million homes across five U.S. states including Washington, Oregon, Idaho, Montana and Alaska.  The premier developmental League in Western Canada and the Northwest United States, the Western Hockey League will once again showcase the top rated NHL prospects throughout the season. 

 

The 2009-10 WHL on FSN Broadcast schedule will feature all five WHL U.S. based Clubs: Everett Silvertips, Portland Winterhawks, Seattle Thunderbirds, Spokane Chiefs and Tri-City Americans.  The 2009-10 WHL on FSN television broadcast schedule begins Friday, January 8^th as the Seattle Thunderbirds host WHL U.S. Division rivals the Everett Silvertips at the ShoWare Center in Kent, WA.

 

“Our new multi-year agreement with FSN Northwest is another indication of the tremendous growth the WHL is experiencing in the U.S. Pacific Northwest market,” comment WHL Commissioner Ron Robison, “We look forward to showcasing our five U.S. based Clubs and the world’s finest junior hockey talent to FSN audiences through the Western United States.”

“We are proud to be able to bring the excitement of the WHL to all of our viewers across FSN Northwest’s five-state region,” stated Mark Jorgensen, Vice President/Station Manager of FSN Northwest.  “The feedback we received from fans last season was tremendous, and we look forward to our enhanced partnership with the WHL for years to come.”

2009-10 WHL on FSN Northwest Broadcast Schedule

FSN Northwest is the cable home of the Seattle Mariners, Seattle Seahawks, Seattle Storm, Portland Beavers, Portland Timbers, Washington Huskies, Washington State Cougars, Oregon State Beavers and Gonzaga Bulldogs. The network delivers more than 350 live events each year – all of which are also available in high definition on FSN HD – to more than 3.4 million cable and satellite homes in Washington, Oregon, Idaho, Montana and Alaska. FSN Northwest is based in Bellevue, WA, and is a subsidiary of DIRECTV Sports Networks, which also operates the regional sports networks FSN Pittsburgh and FSN Rocky Mountain (and sub-region FSN Utah). The three networks combined reach more than 8.5 million viewers across 17 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.

 The Western Hockey League (WHL) is the largest major junior hockey League in the world today with 22 member Clubs throughout the U.S. Pacific Northwest and Western Canada.  Five WHL Clubs are based in the Pacific Northwest and play in the WHL U.S. Division:  Everett Silvertips; Portland Winter Hawks; Seattle Thunderbirds; Spokane Chiefs and Tri-City Americans.  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.