CBC’s ‘Hockey Night in Canada’ to return this season with PWHL games

 The CBC's long-running "Hockey Night in Canada" program will return this season in partnership with the Professional Women's Hockey League.

The network previously televised NHL games on the Saturday night broadcasts, but Rogers Communications and the CBC did not extend their sublicensing agreement for the upcoming season. 

The public broadcaster is pivoting to the PWHL, with a Dec. 5 matchup between Montreal and Hamilton set to be the first women's hockey game to be featured on Hockey Night. 

"Hockey is more than the NHL now," CBC Sports executive director Chris Wilson said Monday in an interview. "So for us to take the brand and spread it right now onto the PWHL for this coming season and maybe to other areas down the road, we're really optimistic that it will breathe life into the brand for the long term. 

"Yes, it's going to be different. But it's going to be really exciting, really inclusive and really accessible to a large number of Canadians."

The CBC first aired “Hockey Night in Canada” on television in 1952. The program has been a Saturday mainstay for generations of hockey fans.

“Hockey Night in Canada is a fixture in Canadian sports culture, and its Saturday night schedule has ritually captivated hockey fans for nearly a century,” PWHL executive vice-president of business operations Amy Scheer said in a statement. 

"Our partnership with CBC has been instrumental in the accessibility and growth of the league, and the opportunity to be part of this iconic brand represents another groundbreaking step for the PWHL to connect with our fans and forge new traditions together."

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

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 28, 2026.