NBC Sports Chairman Bevacqua announced the move Friday, Jan. 22, 2021, in an internal memo to staff. (AP Photo/Chris Carlson, File)The NBC Sports Network, which is best known for its coverage of the NHL and English Premier League, will be going away at the end of the year. It changed its name to Versus in 2006 and then to NBC Sports Network six years later after Comcast bought NBC Universal in 2011. Bevacqua said in the memo that Stanley Cup playoff games and NASCAR races would be moving to USA Network this year. USA Network, which is available in 85.6 million homes, had already been airing early-round playoff games since 2012.

FILE - In this Jan. 24, 2016, photo, National Women's Hockey League All-Star players take time for a photo before an All-Star game at Harborcenter in Buffalo, N.Y. The National Women's Hockey League semifinals and final will air on NBC Sports Network in early February 2021. It will be the first time professional women's hockey games are shown live on a major television network in the U.S. (AP Photo/Gary Wiepert, File)Women’s professional hockey will be televised live in the U.S. by a major cable network for the first time when NBC Sports Network airs the National Women’s Hockey League semifinals and final in early February. “As the home of hockey in the U.S., NBC Sports is proud to showcase the NWHL to a national audience,” NBC Sports vice president of programming Michael Perman said. The NWHL fell short of completing its season last spring because of the pandemic.

Here’s the NBC and NBC Sports Network TV schedules for the 2020 NHL Stanley Cup qualifiers. ETSat., August 1Game 1 – Carolina vs. N.Y. Rangers – NBCSN – 12 p.m. ETMon., August 3Game 2 – Carolina vs. N.Y. Rangers – NBCSN – 12 p.m. ETRound Robin – Dallas vs. Vegas – NBCSN – 6:30 p.m. ETGame 3 – Carolina vs. N.Y. Rangers – NBCSN – 8 p.m.