KCAL Los Angeles will air six Los Angeles Kings NHL games this season, while KDKA Plus in Pittsburgh, also part of CBS News and Stations, will broadcast two Pittsburgh Penguins preseason hockey games. 

Bally Sports West will produce the Kings telecasts on KCAL. Kings games were on KCAL, then known as KHJ, from 1967 to 1985, and in 1998-1999. 

“Everyone at KCAL and CBS Los Angeles is honored to be reunited with the L.A. Kings,” Joel Vilmenay, KCBS-KCAL president and general manager. said. “We are excited to enter into this mutually beneficial relationship with the team, which includes helping the Kings expand their reach on television and in the community, and also establishing a new marketing relationship that benefits the team and also adds value to our stations. In addition to the game broadcasts, we look forward to airing several half-hour specials over the course of the season and providing comprehensive coverage in our local sportscasts. This truly is a win for all concerned, especially Kings fans.”

Also Read: Warner Sets RSN Exit Plan, Will Sell AT&T SportsNet Channels in Pittsburgh and Houston to Local Pro Teams, Shutter Rocky Mountain

KDKA Plus, the on-air brand used by station WPKD Pittsburgh, will have the September 24 Penguins preseason game versus the Columbus Blue Jackets, at 1 p.m. and the September 28 game with the Buffalo Sabres, at 7 p.m. 

WPKD was The CW affiliate in Pittsburgh, known as WPCW, until it went independent September 1. It’s the sister station to CBS owned-and-operated KDKA. 

“Partnering with the Pittsburgh Penguins — a world-class organization — is another shining example of KDKA-TV’s commitment to serving the people of southwestern Pennsylvania more and better local content,” KDKA president and general manager Chris Cotugno said. “This move provides our region with a powerful platform to host unique and in-demand content for our viewers. We plan to continue to seek opportunities to provide programming focused on local sports, programming and entertainment, in addition to creating original local content and KDKA-TV News to air on KDKA Plus.”

Other local sports programming on KDKA Plus includes Steel City High School Football Showcase on Friday nights and D3 College Football on Saturdays. 

In a move that would seem to portend a stabilized relationship between bankrupt regional sports networks subsidiary Diamond Sports Group and the National Hockey League, the Los Angeles Kings have re-upped their contract with Bally Sports West. 

The Kings will also show six of their regular season games this upcoming season on Los Angeles' KCAL-TV.

Diamond's announcement Thursday didn't specify how long the agreement was for, much less what the NHL team is being paid. 

But it plays like good news for Diamond, especially after an NHL lawyer told a bankruptcy judge a month ago that the league might look for alternative local TV arrangements for its clubs falling under the Bally Sports umbrella should a restructuring plan for Bally Sports’s operator fail to emerge soon. 

At least the ownership group for one major-league pro team, Anschutz Entertainment Group, thinks Diamond and Bally Sports have a future. 

“We thoroughly enjoy working with our friends at Bally Sports. We are happy this agreement maintains consistency and continues to give our stakeholders informed and intimate coverage of our hockey club,“ Kings chief operating officer Kelly Cheesman said in a statement. “We also look forward to the expanded reach through multiple, convenient options.“ 

Diamond entered bankruptcy back in March, aiming to restructure over $8 billion in debt and renegotiate money-losing deals with individual pro team constituents. 

And it’s been a long, bloody six months since, with Diamond unable to come to terms with two Major League Baseball teams, the San Diego Padres and Arizona Diamondbacks. Meanwhile, the NBA’s Phoenix Suns and WNBA’s Phoenix Mercury, both under the ownership of Mat Ishbia, elected to not renew their Bally Sports deals. 

In addition to individual team drama, Diamond is suing the company from which it was spun off, Sinclair Broadcast Group, and it still faces arduous carriage renewal negotiations with top pay TV operators Comcast, Charter Communications and DirecTV. 

Epix has picked up the National Hockey League’s documentary series focusing on its January Winter Classic game, sources close to both parties confirmed.

The series, which ran on HBO for four seasons, will now appear on the premium series owned by Lionsgate Entertainment, MGM and Paramount Pictures. The network is expected to produce four documentary segments leading up the Jan. 1 outdoor game between the Washington Capitals and the Chicago Blackhawks, said sources.

Epix will also produce a four-segment series leading into the Stadium Series game Feb. 21 at Levi’s Field between the San Jose Sharks and Los Angeles Kings, according to sources.

Epix officials declined to comment on the matter and NHL officials could not be reached for comment.

HBO recently released a statement regarding its decision not to continue its 24/7 NHL Classic series: "Everybody at HBO enjoyed working with the NHL and its teams on 24/7 the past four years. It was an exciting endeavor and we’re very proud of the never-before-seen presentation of the world of hockey that 24/7 was able to capture. There was never an expectation that HBO would chronicle the lead-up to the Winter Classic every year. So we will not be involved with the NHL this season. We wish the NHL the very best and the door will always remain open."