The end of Hockey Night in Canada on CBC: an era comes to a close after more than 70 years

The end of Hockey Night in Canada on CBC: an era comes to a close after more than 70 years

Public broadcaster CBC will no longer air NHL games as part of Hockey Night in Canada starting with the 2026-27 season, ending a sub-licensing agreement with Rogers that had been in place since 2014.

According to a joint statement from CBC and Rogers Sports & Media, the current agreement will end after the 2025-26 season and will not be renewed.

The decision means that the traditional Saturday night hockey programming on the public broadcaster will disappear from the network, while Rogers will retain all national broadcast rights for the National Hockey League in Canada under its new 12-year contract.

Introduced in 1952, Hockey Night in Canada has long been a staple of Canadian television. Since 2014, CBC had continued to broadcast games through an agreement allowing it to share rights with Sportsnet, while maintaining the show’s historic branding.

CBC will continue to use the Hockey Night in Canada brand, but without broadcasting NHL games. Saturday night games will now be exclusive to Sportsnet channels and Rogers’ digital platforms.

This decision marks the end of a continuous professional hockey presence on Canadian public television, a first in over 70 years.