The Canadian Broadcasting Corporation will stop broadcasting National Hockey League games following the expiration of its partnership with Rogers Sportsnet [1].
This shift marks the end of one of the most enduring cultural institutions in Canadian media. For decades, the network served as the primary home for the sport, making the loss of these broadcasts a significant change for national viewership.
The change takes effect for the 2026-27 NHL season [2]. This effectively ends the "Hockey Night in Canada" broadcast on the network, a tradition that has lasted between 74 and 75 years [1], [3].
According to reports, the partnership concluded because the rights agreement between CBC and Rogers Sportsnet expired in 2026 [4]. The NHL has decided to consolidate its Canadian broadcasts exclusively with Sportsnet [4], [5].
"The end of an era for Canadian hockey fans," Annie Bergeron-Oliver said [6].
The move signals a transition toward specialized sports networks and away from the broad reach of public broadcasting. The Hockey News staff said, "It's definitely a sad day" [7].
While the games will no longer appear on the public broadcaster, the NHL's presence in the Canadian market remains anchored by the Sportsnet agreement. The transition ensures that the league's media rights are centralized under a single corporate entity, rather than split between a private network and a public one.
“The end of an era for Canadian hockey fans.”
The departure of the NHL from CBC reflects a broader global trend in sports media where leagues favor consolidated, high-value contracts with private cable and streaming giants over partnerships with public broadcasters. By moving exclusively to Sportsnet, the NHL gains a streamlined distribution model, while CBC loses a cornerstone of its cultural programming that historically guaranteed massive national audiences.
