Sportsnet debuts ‘Saturday Night Hockey’ as NHL’s long run with HNIC comes to close

TORONTO — A new era in Canadian NHL broadcasting kicked off Saturday night on Sportsnet with a new show title, a splashy introduction, and the familiar presence of longtime host Ron MacLean.

The NHL version of “Hockey Night in Canada” is out after nearly 75 years on television. Its replacement – “Saturday Night Hockey” – has arrived in its place after Rogers Communications and the CBC did not renew their sublicensing agreement.

The first Saturday of the NHL season felt much like previous broadcasts in the marquee time-slot.

The show began with a montage of highlights, vintage clips and fan shots. The Backstreet Boys’ 1997 hit “Everybody (Backstreet’s Back)” provided the soundtrack.

MacLean and panellists Kevin Bieksa, Elliotte Friedman and newcomer Colby Armstrong discussed the matchups before rinkside host Kyle Bukauskas touched on the evening’s transition ahead of the Toronto Maple Leafs’ home game against the Ottawa Senators.

“A Saturday night from coast to coast to coast, this night will always belong to Canada with hockey being the conduit,” he said.

Slick graphics were accompanied by a new show logo that featured the title in big block letters. A Rogers logo sat at the top and an NHL logo was at the bottom.

MacLean made a single “Hockey Night” reference in the pre-game portion of the program after the panellists discussed how some players were settling in to the new campaign.

“And that’s Saturday,” MacLean said. “It’s kind of like a trial balloon. You use these games on “Hockey Night in Canada” as it was called and now Rogers “Saturday Night Hockey” to test your playoff mettle. We’re early on.”

The four-game slate also included Montreal at Pittsburgh, Seattle at Edmonton and Calgary at Vancouver.

It was the first time since Hockey Night’s television debut in 1952 that NHL games weren’t available to Canadian viewers via the public broadcaster. The program has been a Saturday-night mainstay for generations of hockey fans.

The CBC plans to broadcast Professional Women’s Hockey League games on “Hockey Night in Canada” this season.

When Rogers secured a 12-year deal with the NHL that started in 2014, it partnered with the CBC to continue Hockey Night.

The current campaign is the first season of Rogers’ new 12-year, $11-billion deal with the league. Sportsnet is part of Rogers Sports & Media, which is a subsidiary of Rogers Communications.

“Saturday Night Hockey” will feature an NHL doubleheader each Saturday with at least one Canada-based team in each matchup.

A number of significant changes were announced in the off-season on the Canadian NHL broadcasting front.

Sportsnet lifted 150 regional blackouts and now has a national schedule in Canada of more than 550 games. Monday Night Hockey games will stream exclusively on Sportsnet+, the network said, noting service subscribers would get that content as part of their package.

Rogers added three new digital channels with the exclusive content to Rogers Xfinity TV packages that have Sportsnet. However, for those who subscribe to Sportsnet through other TV providers, they’ll have to shell out an additional $12.99 per month for an add-on package.

Bell Media’s TSN/RDS will still broadcast some regional games this season and the Amazon Prime Monday Night package has shifted to Wednesdays.

TVA Sports also secured French-language rights for 12 years via a sub-licensing deal between Rogers and Quebecor. Sportsnet also cancelled “Hockey Night in Canada: Punjabi Edition” after an 18-year run.

The Friends of Canadian Media organization has started a “Write Your MP” campaign to support a policy direction to the CRTC to explore anti-siphoning regulations in Canada.

“Canadians are increasingly losing free or affordable access to major cultural and sporting events as global streaming platforms and private broadcasters secure exclusive rights,” the opening of the group’s template letter reads. “Events that once united us like the Stanley Cup Finals are moving behind paywalls.”

A Dec. 5 matchup between the Montreal Victoire and expansion PWHL Hamilton side will be the first women’s hockey game to be featured on “Hockey Night in Canada.”

“Yes, it’s going to be different,” CBC Sports executive director Chris Wilson said in an interview this week. “But it’s going to be really exciting, really inclusive and really accessible to a large number of Canadians.”

Hockey Night will return as part of CBC Sports Primetime, CBC’s new weekly Saturday night sports show that launched this weekend.

“It’s so cool to put women’s hockey on the map and especially on that big of a platform,” Vancouver Goldeneyes defender Caroline (KK) Harvey said Friday at a PWHL media day. “It’s going to be unbelievable.”

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 3, 2026.