"Nothing has the pace or the urgency of playoff hockey, " said Mark Lazarus, chairman of NBC Sports, which will show games on its broadcast network and cable channels NBC Sports Network (formerly Versus) and CNBC.

WSJ: NHL Playoffs: Hockey Night in�� America?

Least relevant to the rest of the company is the media arm: the NBC network, 13 TV stations, the CNBC and MSNBC cable channels and related Web sites.

FORBES: The Jack Factor

Of course, the results were driven largely by the unit's cable channels--USA Network, Bravo, Sci Fi, CNBC, MSNBC, Oxygen and The Weather Channel--and the Summer Olympics, which aired across its network stable.

FORBES: Network Television