TORONTO (AP) \u2014 \u201cHockey Night in Canada,\u201d 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.<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
The two sides did not extend the partnership for the 2026-27 season, the first year of Rogers\u2019 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.<\/p>\n
\u201cAfter 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,\u201d Sportsnet and the CBC said Tuesday in a joint statement. \u201cWatching hockey on Saturday night is a time-honoured tradition for Canadians, and Sportsnet is privileged to continue delivering that tradition.\u201d<\/p>\n
While the CBC still holds the \u201cHockey Night in Canada\u201d trademark and could incorporate the brand into future coverage, it\u2019s the first time the traditional program won\u2019t be available to Canadian viewers via the public broadcaster.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s definitely a bit of an end of an era,\u201d CBC Sports executive director Chris Wilson said in a phone interview. \u201cBut we\u2019re choosing to look at it more as an opportunity as opposed to a loss.<\/p>\n
\u201cBut (we) fully understand that it\u2019s going to take an opportunity away from some Canadians to see it on CBC. But that\u2019s unfortunately where we landed, and we\u2019re excited for the next chapter.\u201d<\/p>\n
The CBC first aired \u201cHockey Night in Canada\u201d on television in 1952. It was a Saturday night mainstay for generations of hockey fans.<\/p>\n
Broadcasters like Dick Irvin, Bob Cole, Ron MacLean, Don Cherry, Dave Hodge and Foster Hewitt \u2014 to name a few \u2014 helped provide the soundtrack that Canadians would cherish.<\/p>\n
Traditional baby blue blazers \u2014 complete with a puck and stick \u201cHockey Night in Canada\u201d logo on the jacket pocket \u2014 were as familiar as the announcers\u2019 voices.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe CBC\u2019s 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,\u201d Hodge said in a phone interview. \u201cObviously, hockey is on both of those as well. And lately it has come that it\u2019s almost indistinguishable that a game is on this channel or that channel, they all look the same.<\/p>\n
\u201cNobody wears any baby blue jackets with \u2018Hockey Night in Canada\u2019 crests to identify it as a Saturday night game. I think that this was coming. It was inevitable.\u201d<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
The telecom giant and the CBC agreed on a sublicensing deal for English-language broadcasts of \u201cHockey Night in Canada,\u201d and a separate French-language deal was made with TVA.<\/p>\n
Under the setup, Sportsnet produced the games, retained editorial control and managed the advertising.<\/p>\n
The CBC\u2019s 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.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt was the original appointment television for Canada every Saturday night,\u201d said James Nadler, chair of the radio and television arts media program at Toronto Metropolitan University.<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
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