Connor McDavid and Jim Hiller won't be seen on CBC anymore, and that shift just changed how fans across Canada watch the game.
This isn't a small tweak.
It's a full break.
For the first time in decades, NHL games are gone from CBC, ending a run that stretched back generations and defined Saturday nights across the country.
"As the sports rights world evolved, we did our best with Rogers to find a path forward," Chris Wilson, the executive director of CBC Sports, told CBC's The National. "We were unable to find a solution that satisfied both partners."
Now, everything moves behind a paywall.
Fans will need a Sportsnet subscription to watch, with no more free access on traditional television.
That's the new reality.
Another major blow just landed for hockey fans in Canada
This decision comes down to money and control.
Rogers locked in a 12-year, 11.2 billion deal to keep exclusive NHL rights in Canada, and this time, they're not sharing the stage.
No split broadcast.
No partnership.
Just one platform.
And it's a calculated move.
Viewership on CBC had dropped, while Sportsnet's numbers doubled over the same stretch. The audience already started shifting, and Rogers leaned into it.
But there's a cost.
" "They've got big plans and they have to monetize it as a business," he said. "We weren't able to find a number that made sense for both."
But viewership also figures in, according to a statement from Sportsnet, noting that HNIC viewership on CBC had reached a 12-year low this past season, down 70 per cent from 2014, while the audience on Sportsnet's platforms has doubled in that time.
"Rogers is no longer wanting to throw CBC a bone," said Michael Naraine, an associate professor of sport management at Brock University in St. Catharines, Ont. "
Sportsnet+ now sits at 29.99 per month, and that's a barrier for casual fans.
The ones who used to stumble into a game on a Saturday night.
The ones who grew into the sport by accident.
That pipeline just got cut.
Inside the league, this matters more than people think.
Because exposure drives growth.
And now, the NHL in Canada becomes a subscription product first, not a shared national broadcast.
CBC isn't walking away quietly.
They're shifting toward Olympic sports and leagues like the PWHL, trying to build something new with a different audience.
That's the pivot.
But it won't replace what was lost overnight.
Hockey Night in Canada wasn't just a broadcast.
It was part of the culture.
And now, it's officially gone.
Source : NHL fans will now have to pay to watch games on Sportsnet. What that means for Rogers - and CBC
Will putting NHL games behind a paywall hurt the league in Canada?
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