NHL All-Star Game Will Be First Under New Deal With Fox Network

The NHL’s five-year, $155-million deal with the Fox network--its first over-the-air network contract in 20 years--will begin with the telecast of the All-Star game, Jan. 21 at San Jose. Fox has the right to televise 16 games in the first three seasons of the agreement and 20 in the last two seasons. Some of those games might be in prime time.

Fox will provide regional coverage of six playoff games leading up to the Stanley Cup finals. It will televise at least two games in the finals, plus a seventh game, should one be necessary.

The NHL also extended its contract with ESPN for two years, through the 1998-99 season. It gave the cable network exclusive rights to the conference final and final games it telecasts. In addition, local blackouts of ESPN games will be lifted during the last two rounds of the playoffs. ESPN and ESPN2 will televise about 100 games this season.

*

Collective bargaining talks between the NHL and its players’ association are scheduled to resume Friday, probably in New York. No formal talks have been held for several weeks, even though the season is to open on Oct. 1. Players have been without a contract since last September, and the league is using a lockout threat as leverage to gain roster and cost reductions.