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For the first time ever, Flames games won’t air on CBC in 2026-27
Photo credit: Sergei Belski-USA TODAY Sports
Way, way back in 1980, the Atlanta Flames moved north and became the Calgary Flames. And ever since then, a good chunk of their regular season and playoff games have been available – for free – on the public airwaves courtesy the Canadian Broadcasting Corporations.
Saturday night hockey broadcasts began over the radio in 1931, originally run by the Canadian National Railway’s radio network. The broadcasts migrated to the CBC’s radio stations when that entity was formed in 1936, and they migrated to the newfangled technology known as television in 1952. Originally joined in progress following other programming, games began to be broadcast in their entirety in 1968.
By the time the Flames arrived in 1980 broadcasts rights were a bit complicated, but at least a handful of Flames games were broadcast throughout the season, typically on Saturdays. National double-headers began in 1990. Games began to be streamed for free on the CBC Gem website and app in 2018.
Next season, for the first time since the Flames arrived in Canada 46 years ago, they won’t have any games on CBC.
When Sportsnet won the national rights to broadcast NHL games in Canada starting with the 2014-15 season, they sub-contracted Saturday night broadcasts back to the CBC, which continued to air two (and sometimes three) games on the public airwaves on Saturdays – typically a 5 p.m. MT early game followed by an 8 p.m. MT late game. Sportsnet renewed their deal with the NHL for Canadian national games starting with the 2026-27 season, with their renewal announced back in March 2025.
On Tuesday, Sportsnet and CBC jointly announced that their partnership won’t be renewed.
After a successful 12-year partnership, Sportsnet and CBC today announced the public broadcaster will no longer carry NHL broadcasts after the current season as it moves forward with a new sports programming strategy following the unprecedented success of the Milano/Cortina Olympic Games. Watching hockey on Saturday night is a time-honoured tradition for Canadians, and Sportsnet is privileged to continue delivering that tradition. This has been a terrific partnership, and both parties look forward to continued opportunities to collaborate in the future.
The CBC announced later on Tuesday that their plans are to launch a Saturday night prime time series featuring Canadian athletes in high-profile events, building on their strong coverage of the Milano-Cortina Winter Olympics.
It’s the end of an era for hockey fans in Canada, and represents the closing of a period where at least some TV broadcasts for Canadian hockey fans were available over the airwaves for free.
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