| Alt Name: | NHL '80 |
| Genre: | NHL hockey telecasts |
| Country: | United States |
| Language: | English |
| Num Seasons: | 1 |
| Location: | Various NHL venues |
| Camera: | Multi-camera |
| Runtime: | 180 minutes or until the game ends |
| Network: | Hughes Television Network |
NHL on Hughes is the de facto name of a TV program that broadcast National Hockey League games on the defunct independent Hughes Television Network during the 1979–80 season.[1] The program aired under the title The NHL '80.[2]
Hughes broadcast[3] eight Friday night games,[4] two Thursday night games[5] (on March 20 and April 3, 1980),[6] the All-Star Game,[7] some playoff games, and the first five games[8] of the Stanley Cup Finals[9] (the final game, Game 6, was broadcast by CBS). Hughes' broadcasts were distributed to about 55% of the United States[10] with a notable exception being the Florida Suncoast.
Hughes and the USA cable network technically, used CBC's Hockey Night in Canada feeds for the American coverage of the first five games of the Stanley Cup Finals. The first broadcast involved the Atlanta Flames against the Chicago Blackhawks on January 25.[11]
| Round | Teams | Games | Play-by-play | Color commentator(s) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| First round | Pittsburgh-Boston | Game 2 | ||
| New York Rangers-Atlanta | Game 4 | Jiggs McDonald | ||
| Quarterfinals | Buffalo-Chicago | Game 3 | Dan Kelly | Jim Craig[12] |
| Montreal-Minnesota | Games 6–7 | Dan Kelly | Mickey Redmond | |
| Semifinals | Philadelphia-Minnesota | Games 1, 3–4 Game 4 used (CBC's feed) | Dan Kelly (Games 1, 3, and first half of Game 4) Jim Robson (second half of Game 4) | Bill Clement (Game 1) Pete Stemkowski (Game 3) Gerry Pinder and Howie Meeker (Game 4) |
| Buffalo-New York Islanders | Games 3, 6 (CBC's feed) | Dan Kelly (second half of both games) Jim Robson (first half of Game 3) Bob Cole (first half of Game 6) | Gerry Pinder and Howie Meeker (Game 3) Gary Dornhoefer (Game 6) |
See main article: 1980 Stanley Cup Finals.
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