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.
