NEW YORK - NBC's coverage of the National Hockey League will begin Jan. 14 with regional coverage of three games, most notably the Philadelphia Flyers and Peter Forsberg hosting his former team, the Colorado Avalanche.

The other two games include the New York Rangers at Detroit Red Wings and Dallas Stars at Boston Bruins.

The league released its television schedule Wednesday as it prepares to resume play after last season was wiped out by a lockout.

"We are looking forward to the launch of NBC's inaugural season as the network home of the National Hockey League and partnering with the NHL as they usher in this exciting new era," said Ken Schanzer, President of NBC Sports. "The newly-adopted rule changes, designed to improve the flow of the game, should prove to be very entertaining for hockey fans."

The NHL returns to TV on Oct. 5 when the Outdoor Life Network broadcasts the opening night game between the Philadelphia Flyers and the New York Rangers.

NBC Sports will present six weeks of NHL regular-season action: Jan. 14, Jan. 21, Jan. 28, Feb. 4, April 8 and April 15.

NBC Sports will televise the Pittsburgh Penguins — led by rookie sensation Sidney Crosby and team owner and captain Mario Lemieux — as they host the Flyers on Jan. 21.

(NBC Sports is a partner in the joint venture that runs NBCSports.com.)

OLN, which will broadcast 58 regular-season games primarily on Monday and Tuesday night, will also show the national television debut of top draft pick Sidney Crosby when the Pittsburgh Penguins take on the Buffalo Sabres on Oct. 10. The Wayne Gretzky-coached Phoenix Coyotes will be on the air on Oct. 11 when they face Dallas.

OLN, mostly known for showing Lance Armstrong and the Tour de France, takes over hockey cable broadcasts from ESPN this year after its parent company, Comcast Corp., paid $135 million for the broadcast rights. The cable network — available in 64 million households as compared to the 90 million that have ESPN — has a two-year deal to show NHL games.

OLN will also show early-round playoff games, the conference finals and the first two games of the Stanley Cup finals. NBC will then take over for the rest of the championship series.

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