Feeling Lucky? TSN To Broadcast NHL Draft Lottery Next Week

The NHL Draft Drawing will be held at 8:00pm ET Monday and will be broadcast live on TSN, Versus, NHL Network and XM Satellite Radio. It also will be streamed live on NHL.com and TSN.ca. This marks just the second time the lottery will be broadcast live; the only other occasion was in '05, when Sidney Crosby was the presumed No. 1 pick. TSN's 30-minute "Scotiabank NHL Draft Lottery" program will begin at 8:00pm and originate from the net's studios in Toronto (NHL). In Toronto, William Houston reported Versus will air TSN's feed of the proceedings. While the lottery will take place "behind closed doors" in N.Y., TSN "will have a camera in the room." The net will also build a three-hour NHL playoff preview show around the lottery. NHL Senior VP/Broadcasting John Shannon noted that the lottery show "extends interest in hockey for non-playoff teams beyond the end of the season" (Toronto GLOBE & MAIL, 4/3).

SID VICIOUS: In Pittsburgh, Shelly Anderson reports Monday's Rangers-Penguins game drew a 7.2 local rating, the "highest on a Versus telecast in Pittsburgh." The rating represented a 33% increase over the 5.4 season average and a 20% increase over the January 14 Penguins-Rangers game, which earned a 6.0 rating (PITTSBURGH POST-GAZETTE, 4/3).