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06/16 18:38 CDT ?Hockey Night in Canada' NHL broadcasts won't return to CBC
next fall
?Hockey Night in Canada' NHL broadcasts won't return to CBC next fall
TORONTO (AP) --- "Hockey Night in Canada," a program featuring NHL games that
has been part of the national fabric for nearly 75 years on CBC television,
will not return to the public broadcaster next season.
A sublicensing agreement between Rogers Communications and the CBC that allowed
the show to air on the network expired at the end of the Stanley Cup playoffs.
The two sides did not extend the partnership for the 2026-27 season, the first
year of Rogers' 12 year, $11 billion broadcast rights deal with the NHL. The
CBC previously aired national games on Saturdays, along with all four playoff
rounds each year.
"After a successful 12-year partnership, Sportsnet and CBC today announced the
public broadcaster will no longer carry NHL broadcasts after the current season
as it moves forward with a new sports programming strategy following the
unprecedented success of the Milan-Cortina Olympic Games," Sportsnet and the
CBC said Tuesday in a joint statement. "Watching hockey on Saturday night is a
time-honoured tradition for Canadians, and Sportsnet is privileged to continue
delivering that tradition."
While the CBC still holds the "Hockey Night in Canada" trademark and could
incorporate the brand into future coverage, it's the first time the traditional
program won't be available to Canadian viewers via the public broadcaster.
"It's definitely a bit of an end of an era," CBC Sports executive director
Chris Wilson said in a phone interview. "But we're choosing to look at it more
as an opportunity as opposed to a loss.
"But (we) fully understand that it's going to take an opportunity away from
some Canadians to see it on CBC. But that's unfortunately where we landed, and
we're excited for the next chapter."
The CBC first aired "Hockey Night in Canada" on television in 1952. It was a
Saturday night mainstay for generations of hockey fans.
Broadcasters like Dick Irvin, Bob Cole, Ron MacLean, Don Cherry, Dave Hodge and
Foster Hewitt --- to name a few --- helped provide the soundtrack that
Canadians would cherish.
Traditional baby blue blazers --- complete with a puck and stick "Hockey Night
in Canada" logo on the jacket pocket --- were as familiar as the announcers'
voices.
"The CBC's interest in sports has basically been in amateur sports for quite a
while, and other professional sports are on sports channels (like) Sportsnet or
TSN," Hodge said in a phone interview. "Obviously, hockey is on both of those
as well. And lately it has come that it's almost indistinguishable that a game
is on this channel or that channel, they all look the same.
"Nobody wears any baby blue jackets with ?Hockey Night in Canada' crests to
identify it as a Saturday night game. I think that this was coming. It was
inevitable."
Things began to change when Rogers first secured a 12 year, $5.2 billion rights
deal with the league in 2013, with many games available on the Sportsnet
broadcast platform.
The telecom giant and the CBC agreed on a sublicensing deal for
English-language broadcasts of "Hockey Night in Canada," and a separate
French-language deal was made with TVA.
Under the setup, Sportsnet produced the games, retained editorial control and
managed the advertising.
The CBC's inclusion helped broaden the reach across the country. It also kept
the tradition intact and allowed the broadcaster to promote some of its own
programming.
"It was the original appointment television for Canada every Saturday night,"
said James Nadler, chair of the radio and television arts media program at
Toronto Metropolitan University.
The NHL postseason ended Sunday night when the Carolina Hurricanes beat the
Vegas Golden Knights to win the Stanley Cup. The 2026-27 regular season will
likely begin in late September.
___
AP NHL: https://apnews.com/hub/nhl
