• December 6, 2010

The National Hockey League (NHL) and NBC Sports on Sunday night launched the national TV tune-in campaign for the 2011 Bridgestone NHL Winter Classic. The effort, featuring a 30-second spot, aired during the network's "Sunday Night Football" broadcast of the Pittsburgh Steelers versus Baltimore Ravens game.

In the ad, starring Pittsburgh Penguins captain Sidney Crosby and Washington Capitals captain Alex Ovechkin, Crosby walks onto Heinz Field and spots Ovechkin on the opposite end. The two stare each other down while the day turns into night and the weather conditions worsen from rain to snow, with the football field transforming into a sheet of ice. Narration is by Bob Costas, who will host the 2011 Bridgestone NHL Winter Classic for NBC Sports.

The ad will air on NBC Universal platforms NBC, USA, CNBC and MSNBC as well as on CBC, Versus, RDS, NHL Network, NHL.com and via online and social media platforms, through the New Year's Day broadcast of the Winter Classic at Heinz Field.