The Situation
On June 16, 2026, CBC and Rogers Sportsnet announced that they would be ending the iconic Hockey Night in Canada due to the inability to reach a new agreement.
Many Canadians, including myself, were upset with this change. I haven’t been able to watch a single NHL game this season because of my reliance on Hockey Night in Canada.
For a while, I loved coming home and winding down by watching hockey on a Saturday night, but now that is no longer possible unless I decide to pay the hefty cost of a Sportsnet subscription. After the end of their Hockey Night in Canada agreement, Sportsnet later announced significant price hikes for their services, making it even more inaccessible to watch NHL games in Canada.
Canada’s Game
Hockey has long been considered “Canada’s game,” and Hockey Night in Canada has been an important part of ensuring that all Canadians get to experience the game for free. It was an accessible way to be a fan of an expensive sport that many people cannot afford. Even back in 2014, families were beginning to find the sport was too expensive for their kids to play.
Playing hockey from childhood is not something that all families can afford. Going to games and buying jerseys is not something that everyone can afford. And now, even the subscription fees required to watch your team play from the comfort of your home are not something that everyone can afford.
The end of Hockey Night in Canada just made an exclusive game a lot more exclusive. This is a problem, especially when you consider the long-standing issues with hockey culture, including racism and misogyny. Hockey Night in Canada allowed diverse groups of people to enjoy the sport. Without it, there is more space for the harmful parts of hockey culture to thrive.
New Opportunities
Despite all of this, the end of the deal that served Canada its iconic Saturday nights of hockey brings a new opportunity to grow the sport even further. CBC is set to begin hosting Hockey Night in Canada once more, this time, not with Sportsnet and the NHL, but the PWHL.
The PWHL is still a relatively new league, only having begun playing on New Year’s Day in 2024. The league is growing every day by moving to larger arenas, expansion teams, and new broadcast deals.
Hockey Night in Canada, continuing the iconic trademark by broadcasting PWHL games, will be incredibly important in growing the league and inspiring Canadians from different walks of life.