‘Hockey Night in Canada’ to Leave CBC After 75 Years of NHL Tradition

In a significant shift for Canadian sports broadcasting, “Hockey Night in Canada,” a cherished program that has showcased NHL games for nearly 75 years on CBC television, will not return next season. The end of an era comes as the sublicensing agreement between Rogers Communications and the CBC, which allowed the iconic show to air on the public broadcaster, expired following the conclusion of the Stanley Cup playoffs.

Both parties confirmed the non-renewal of their partnership for the 2026-27 season, a pivotal year as Rogers embarks on its 12-year, $11 billion broadcast rights deal with the NHL. Historically, the CBC has been the home of Saturday night national games and all four playoff rounds each year.

In a joint statement released on Tuesday, Sportsnet and the CBC noted, “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.” They added, “Watching hockey on Saturday night is a time-honoured tradition for Canadians, and Sportsnet is privileged to continue delivering that tradition.”

While the CBC retains the “Hockey Night in Canada” trademark and may incorporate the brand into future programming, this marks the first occasion that the traditional show will not be accessible to Canadian viewers through the public broadcaster.

Reflecting on the change, CBC Sports executive director Chris Wilson expressed a sense of nostalgia, stating, “It’s definitely a bit of an end of an era. But we’re choosing to look at it more as an opportunity as opposed to a loss. 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.”

“Hockey Night in Canada” first graced television screens in 1952 and has been a Saturday night staple for generations. Legendary broadcasters such as Dick Irvin, Bob Cole, Ron MacLean, Don Cherry, Dave Hodge, and Foster Hewitt have provided a soundtrack that resonates with Canadian hockey fans.

Hodge remarked on the evolution of sports broadcasting, noting, “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. 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.”

The landscape began to change in 2013 when Rogers secured a 12-year, $5.2 billion rights deal with the NHL, making many games available on the Sportsnet platform. The subsequent sublicensing agreement with CBC allowed for English-language broadcasts of “Hockey Night in Canada,” while a separate French-language deal was established with TVA. Under this arrangement, Sportsnet produced the games, maintained editorial control, and managed advertising, with CBC’s involvement broadening the program’s reach and preserving its longstanding tradition.

James Nadler, chair of the radio and television arts media program at Toronto Metropolitan University, encapsulated the significance of the program, stating, “It was the original appointment television for Canada every Saturday night.” With the NHL postseason concluding Sunday night as the Carolina Hurricanes triumphed over the Vegas Golden Knights to clinch the Stanley Cup, the focus now shifts to the anticipated start of the 2026-27 regular season, likely set for late September.

Note: This recap is an independently written summary based on publicly available reporting.