NHL 2026-27 in Canada: where every game airs this season

If you set up your hockey viewing years ago and have not thought about it since, this is the season to look again. The national rights deal that ran from 2014-15 ended last spring, and the new agreement, reported at around $11 billion through 2037-38, was carved up differently. Some changes help viewers, some do not, and one of them means no single subscription of any kind now covers every game.

What changed this season

1. Hockey Night in Canada became Saturday Night Hockey. Sportsnet rebranded its Saturday show; the old name stays with CBC.
2. No NHL on CBC. That was the one place you could watch a national game with just an antenna. That route is gone.
3. Wednesdays belong to Prime Video. At least 26 national regular-season games a season, in English and French, plus two first-round and one second-round playoff series.
4. Monday Night Hockey moved behind Sportsnet+. It is not on the linear Sportsnet channels.
5. More than 150 regional blackouts were lifted. Games that used to be locked to one market now air nationally.
6. 84 games per team, with no Olympic break this year.

Where every game airs

Which channel carries your team

TSN's regional feeds are geographic: TSN4 serves most of Ontario, TSN5 the Senators' eastern market, and TSN3 the Prairies and the North. So a Leafs fan in Toronto following a full season needs TSN4, Sportsnet Ontario, the national Sportsnet feeds, Sportsnet+ on Mondays and Prime Video on Wednesdays.

How blackouts work now

A blackout is a licensing rule: when a team sells regional rights, the buyer gets exclusivity inside that territory, so the national feed goes dark there. The game is still on, just on the regional channel. With more than 150 blackouts lifted this season, fewer games disappear unexpectedly. The new kind of exclusivity is streaming: Prime Video Wednesdays and Sportsnet+ Mondays are country-wide, and no channel can reach them.

Following the Canadiens in French: the hardest case

A French-speaking Habs fan needs three names this season: TVA Sports for national French games, RDS for the 45 regional games, and Prime Video for its French-language Wednesday games. Our French TV guide covers the wider French lineup.

What it costs to follow the season

Sportsnet+ and TSN+ each cost roughly $250 a year at current rates, so streaming both is around $500, before Prime Video. Cable with a sports tier commonly runs well over $1,000 a year. A Wave IPTV yearly plan carrying the TSN, Sportsnet, RDS and TVA Sports channels is $80 for one screen. You would still need Prime Video for Wednesdays and Sportsnet+ for Mondays if you want those games; many fans simply skip them.

How to watch the season without a cable contract

1. Decide which games matter: your team's regional games, Saturday nights, the playoffs.
2. Get the channels: TSN 1 to 5, the Sportsnet regional feeds, RDS and TVA Sports. The Wave IPTV channel list shows what is included.
3. Add Prime Video if Wednesday games matter to you.
4. Test on a game night during the free trial, ideally on a busy Saturday.

The evergreen version of this guide, covering how Canadian hockey rights work in general, is how to watch NHL hockey without cable.

Is watching NHL hockey this way legal in Canada?

Watching through licensed broadcasters and their official apps is clearly legal. For IPTV services, legality depends on content licensing; read our legal explainer.

Rights details above reflect what broadcasters announced for 2026-27. Schedules change during the season; check the broadcaster's own schedule on game day.

A viewing plan for each Canadian team

The table above shows the channels. Here is what that means in practice for a fan who wants to see every game their team plays this season.

Toronto Maple Leafs

Regional games split between TSN4 and Sportsnet Ontario, with national games on the Sportsnet feeds. Monday games are on Sportsnet+ and Wednesday games on Prime Video, neither of which is a TV channel. A Leafs fan who wants everything needs TSN4, Sportsnet Ontario and the national Sportsnet channels, plus the two streaming services for the exclusive nights.

Montréal Canadiens

The most complex team to follow, because there are English and French versions of almost everything. English regional games are on TSN2; French regional games on RDS; national games on Sportsnet in English and TVA Sports in French; and Prime Video's Wednesday games in both languages. Decide first which language you want, then check those channels by name.

Ottawa Senators

English regional games on TSN5, French regional games on RDS, national games on Sportsnet, plus the Sportsnet+ and Prime Video exclusives. Because Ottawa sits on the language line, many Senators households switch between English and French broadcasts.

Winnipeg Jets

Regional games on TSN3, which covers the Prairies and the North. National games on Sportsnet, plus the streaming exclusives.

Vancouver Canucks, Edmonton Oilers and Calgary Flames

Regional games on Sportsnet Pacific (Canucks) or Sportsnet West (Oilers and Flames), national games on the other Sportsnet feeds, plus Sportsnet+ for Mondays and Prime Video for Wednesdays. Western fans benefit from evening start times for their own home games, while Eastern road games often start in the late afternoon.

Game times across the country

With seven Canadian teams across four time zones, start times vary a lot. A rough guide:

Saturday doubleheaders typically pair an early Eastern game with a late Western one. For fans in Atlantic Canada and Newfoundland, the late game runs well past midnight; for fans in British Columbia, the early game can start before supper. On channels that support it, catch-up lets you watch from the opening faceoff when it suits you. Our catch-up guide explains how.

The playoffs

For many households, the playoffs are what matter most. Under the new arrangement, Sportsnet carries most playoff games nationally in English, Prime Video has a small number of series as described above, and French-language national coverage sits with TVA Sports. The exact split for each round is announced as the bracket is set, so check the broadcaster schedule in April.

Practical tips for playoff season:

• Test your setup in March, during a busy regular-season night, not on the first night of the playoffs.
• Put the main TV on ethernet for the spring.
• Start the stream early. Playoff nights bring the heaviest demand of the year on every network.
• Keep a backup version of the channel in your favourites, next to the main one.
• If your plan ends in spring, renew before the playoffs, not during a series.

Regional blackouts, explained with an example

Imagine the Flames are playing the Canucks on a Tuesday. Sportsnet West holds the Flames' regional rights and Sportsnet Pacific holds the Canucks'. A fan in Calgary watches on Sportsnet West; a fan in Vancouver watches on Sportsnet Pacific; a fan in Toronto may be able to watch the national feed if one exists that night, or may not see the game at all if it is regional only. Nothing is broken in any of these cases; each region simply sees the broadcaster that holds the rights there.

The good news this season is that with more than 150 blackouts lifted, fewer games are locked to a single region than before. Fans living outside their team's home market, such as an Oilers fan in Halifax, will find more games available nationally.

Fans living outside their team's market

Canada has millions of hockey fans who live far from their team: Leafs fans in Calgary, Habs fans in Vancouver, Jets fans in Toronto. Following a team from another region means:

• National games are straightforward: the Sportsnet national feeds carry them everywhere.
• Regional games depend on which channel your service carries. A lineup that includes all the TSN and Sportsnet regional feeds lets you choose your team's feed wherever you live.
• The streaming exclusives on Monday and Wednesday work anywhere in Canada with those subscriptions.

This is one of the areas where a complete channel lineup makes the biggest difference. Check the regional feeds you need on the channels list, then confirm them during the free trial.

Setting up your TV for hockey season

1. List your team's channels using the table above: the regional English feed, the French feed if you want it, and the national Sportsnet feeds.
2. Create a "Hockey" favourites group in your player with those channels in order.
3. Add TVA Sports and RDS to the group if you watch in French.
4. Set your device to your own time zone so the guide shows correct puck-drop times.
5. Connect the main TV by ethernet if you can.
6. Choose the HD version of each channel that plays most smoothly on your connection.
7. Decide on Sportsnet+ and Prime Video for Monday and Wednesday games, which are streaming-only.
8. Test on a Saturday doubleheader during your trial.

Once set up, finding tonight's game takes two button presses. Our player apps comparison covers players with the best favourites and guide features.

Picture and sound for hockey

Hockey is one of the hardest sports to broadcast well: a small, fast puck on a bright white surface, with constant camera movement. A few settings help:

• Motion smoothing: a low setting, or off, usually looks more natural. Try the TV's "Sports" mode and compare.
• Brightness: ice can look washed out in very bright modes. "Standard" or "Natural" picture modes often look best.
• Frame rate: sports channels often broadcast at higher frame rates, which keep the puck sharper. A capable streaming device handles them smoothly.
• Sound: a soundbar brings out crowd atmosphere and commentary. If commentary seems out of step with the picture, see our lip-sync guide.

What a full season costs, compared

Whichever route you choose, the Monday and Wednesday streaming exclusives need their own subscriptions. Prices for third-party services change, so check current rates before deciding. Our pricing page shows every Wave IPTV plan, including multi-screen options for households where two games are on at once.

Watching more than one game on busy nights

On nights with several Canadian teams playing, many fans want to follow two games:

• Two TVs on a two-screen plan, one game each.
• Multi-view in players that support it, with two games side by side on one screen (two streams).
• TV plus tablet, the main game on the TV and a second on a tablet.
• Catch-up to watch the second game afterwards, on channels that support it.

Each stream counts as a screen on your plan, and each HD stream needs roughly 10 Mbps. See multiple TVs in one home.

Hockey season questions

Five hockey households, five setups this season

• A Leafs family in Mississauga: TSN4, Sportsnet Ontario and the national feeds on IPTV, plus Prime Video they already had for Wednesday games. Two screens so the basement TV can show another game.
• A Habs couple in Sherbrooke: RDS and TVA Sports in French, a French favourites group, and Prime Video's French Wednesday games.
• An Oilers fan in Halifax: benefits from the lifted blackouts, with more national Oilers games than before; Sportsnet West for the regional ones; catch-up for late Western starts.
• A Jets family in Brandon: TSN3 and the Sportsnet national feeds; the main TV wired for Saturday doubleheaders.
• A Canucks retiree in Nanaimo: Sportsnet Pacific for regional games, which start conveniently in the evening; a simple favourites list with five channels.

Before the puck drops

This is a season of real change in how Canadians watch hockey: a new national deal, no CBC games, two streaming-only nights and fewer blackouts. Take ten minutes now to map your team's games to channels and services, set up a hockey favourites group, and test your setup on a busy night. Then enjoy the 84-game ride from September to April, and the playoffs beyond.

The new deal in context

For a dozen seasons, Canadian national hockey rights sat in one long agreement that began in 2014-15. That deal put Hockey Night in Canada on CBC alongside Sportsnet, which is why generations of Canadians could watch Saturday games free with an antenna. The new agreement, which begins this season and runs into the late 2030s, changes three things that matter to viewers:

• Free Saturday hockey on CBC has ended. Saturday games are on Sportsnet.
• Streaming exclusives are now part of the regular season. Monday games on Sportsnet+ and Wednesday games on Prime Video do not appear on any TV channel.
• Blackouts are fewer. More than 150 games that used to be regional only now air nationally.

Regional rights, held by TSN, Sportsnet and RDS for the individual Canadian teams, follow their own separate agreements. That is why the regional picture looks familiar while the national one has changed so much.

Common mistakes this season

• Relying on an antenna for Saturday games. It no longer works for NHL hockey.
• Searching the guide for Monday or Wednesday games. They are streaming-only and will not appear in any channel guide.
• Assuming last season's setup still covers everything. Check your team's channels against the table in this guide.
• Forgetting the French feed. If you watch in French, RDS and TVA Sports matter as much as the English channels.
• Testing your setup on the first night of the playoffs. Test in the regular season, on a busy Saturday.
• Choosing a plan that ends in April. Make sure your plan covers the playoffs, or renew before they begin.

The season at a glance

A quick checklist for every fan

1. Find your team's row in the table and note its regional and national channels.
2. Check those channels by name on the channels list.
3. Decide whether you need Sportsnet+ for Mondays and Prime Video for Wednesdays.
4. Build a hockey favourites group and set your device time zone.
5. Test during the 24-hour free trial on a Saturday doubleheader.
6. Choose a plan that runs through the playoffs.

Ten minutes of planning now saves a lot of channel-hunting at puck drop. Enjoy the season.

French-language hockey, in more detail

For francophone fans, this season has its own map. National French-language games sit with TVA Sports, the Canadiens' regional French games with RDS, and Prime Video's Wednesday games include French commentary. A few practical points:

• Senators fans in the Ottawa–Gatineau region can follow regional games in French on RDS as well as in English on TSN5.
• Francophone fans of other teams rely mainly on TVA Sports for national games in French; regional games for teams outside Quebec are usually English only.
• Quebecers living elsewhere in Canada can still watch RDS and TVA Sports through any service that carries them; there is no need for a Quebec address.
• Bilingual households often keep both the English and French feeds of the same game in favourites and switch depending on who is watching.

Our French TV guide covers the wider French lineup, and the IPTV Québec page explains the service in French.

Data and internet for a full season

An 84-game season plus playoffs adds up. At roughly 2 to 3 GB per hour in Full HD and about three hours per game including the pre-game show, one fan watching every game uses around 500 to 750 GB across the season, more in 4K. On an unlimited home plan that does not matter. On a capped rural, satellite or 5G plan, choose HD versions of the channels and check your monthly usage after the first few weeks. Our internet speed guide explains the numbers, and the rural guide covers Starlink and fixed wireless.

Where to check schedules during the season

• The NHL's own schedule, which lists the Canadian broadcaster for each game.
• Sportsnet, TSN, RDS and TVA Sports schedules, which show which feed carries each game.
• Your team's website, which lists every game with its regional and national broadcaster.
• Your player's guide, once you know the channel, to confirm the start time in your time zone.

Checking on game day is the safest habit, because national broadcasters occasionally pick up or move games during the season.

If you only do three things this season

1. Know your team's three layers: its regional channel, the national Sportsnet feeds, and the Monday and Wednesday streaming nights.
2. Put your hockey channels in one favourites group, in English, French or both.
3. Test on a busy Saturday before the playoffs, with the main TV on a cable if possible.

That is enough to make sure you never spend the first period hunting for the game. Everything else in this guide is detail you can come back to when you need it.

Frequently asked questions

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Sources
• Sportsnet and Rogers announcements on the 2026-27 national NHL package and Saturday Night Hockey.
• NHL 2026-27 schedule release and team regional broadcast schedules (TSN, RDS, Sportsnet).
• NHL.com: official schedule
• Sportsnet
• TSN
• RDS
• TVA Sports