Lifetime inks hockey deal

By VARIETY STAFF

NEW YORK --- Lifetime Television will sponsor the USA Women's Hockey National Team during its fall and winter tour in preparation for the February 1998 Winter Olympics in Nagano, Japan.

The highlight of the sponsorship will be Lifetime's live coverage of the USA and Canada game on Dec. 17. Lifetime and Marquee Prods. will produce the game.

Lifetime is looking for advertisers to sponsor a series of on-air vignettes featuring team members discussing their lives.

Lifetime has just completed its first year of scheduling games of the WNBA (Women's National Basketball Assn.).

The network will also run "First Superstars," a 60-minute special covering the careers of famous femme athletes on Sept. 25 at 7 p.m., with Geena Davis as host.