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Rough start for NBC's hockey coverage, at least in the Philadelphia area

As if the indignity of watching the Kings raise their championship banner wasn't enough, a lack of communication had Flyers fans in a mild panic before Saturday's season opener.

As if the indignity of watching the Kings raise their championship banner wasn't enough, a lack of communication had Flyers fans in a mild panic before Saturday's season opener.

The network opened its hockey window Saturday afternoon by showing Kings fans going crazy, then some American Idol finalist sing the national anthem and the first few minutes of the Kings-Blackhawks game while Flyers fans wondered where was Lauren Hart.

It wasn't until 3:35 p.m. that NBC mentioned the network was switching to the Flyers-Penguins, which fans didn't know hadn't started yet. Calls to the station were met with busy signals. At 3:36, an alert appeared that "The Flyers Game is starting soon. Stay Tuned!"

A minute later, they finally went to the Wells Fargo Center and the puck dropped on the Flyers season at 3:39.

About 15 seconds in, an advertisement crawled across the screen for Flyers tickets. You knew they wouldn't forget that.