With days to go before the first preseason games, the regional TV broadcasters for Canada’s seven NHL teams have released their schedules, and we now have an almost full accounting of where every game will be broadcast.
There are few changes from last year. The regional broadcasters for each team are the same (Sportsnet for the Canucks, Flames and Oilers, TSN for the Jets, Senators and Canadiens, and both for the Leafs) and the splits are about the same, with between 36 and 40 national games where Sportsnet also has the regional rights, and between 22 and 32 national games for teams where Sportsnet doesn’t.
Here’s the national/regional split by team:
- Canucks: 36/46
- Oilers: 40/42
- Flames: 39/43
- Jets: 22/60
- Leafs: 40/42
- Senators (English): 27/55
- Senators (French): 30/52
- Canadiens (English): 32/50
- Canadiens (French): 22/60
In French, TVA Sports retains national rights and RDS still has the regional rights for the Canadiens and Senators.
But that could change next season. The Flames and Oilers TV and radio contracts are up in 2020. And though it would be a surprise if Sportsnet didn’t renew its TV rights, there might be a fight for the Oilers’ radio contract, currently held by Corus’s CHED, against Bell Media’s TSN Radio.
Here’s how it all breaks down per team.
Vancouver Canucks
- Regional TV broadcaster: Sportsnet (until 2023)
- Radio broadcaster: Sportsnet 650 (until 2022)
National games (36 total):
- 14 on Hockey Night in Canada
- 1 on Hockey Day in Canada
- 15 on Sportsnet
- 5 on Sportsnet One
- 3 on Sportsnet 360 (all also available on another channel)
- 1 on City Vancouver
(Three matches are on multiple channels)
Regional games (46 total):
- 46 on Sportsnet Pacific
Preseason coverage:
- 5 games on Sportsnet One (2 of them also on Sportsnet Pacific)
- 2 games (including other half of a split-squad game) untelevised
So far, Rogers isn’t planning to need the overflow channel Sportsnet Vancouver Hockey channel for Canucks games.
Edmonton Oilers
- Regional TV broadcaster: Sportsnet (until 2020)
- Radio broadcaster: Corus/630 CHED (until 2020)
National games (40 total):
- 10 on Hockey Night in Canada
- 1 on Hockey Day in Canada
- 16 on Sportsnet
- 9 on Sportsnet One
- 2 on both Sportsnet and Sportsnet One
- 2 on Sportsnet 360
Regional games (42 total):
- 38 on Sportsnet West
- 3 on Sportsnet Oilers
- 1 on both channels
Preseason games:
- 2 on Sportsnet One (both against Vancouver)
- 5 untelevised in Oilers region
Of the seven preseason games, only the two against Vancouver will be available on TV locally. Two others against Winnipeg will be broadcast by the Jets team on TSN3, and two against Calgary and one against Arizona aren’t being broadcast on TV, it appears.
This is the last season of a 10-year rights deal with Sportsnet for regional TV matches, as well as the end of its radio deal with Corus. Bell Media owns a TSN Radio station in Edmonton that would love to get Oilers games.
Calgary Flames
- Regional TV broadcaster: Sportsnet (until 2020)
- Radio broadcaster: Sportsnet 960 The Fan (until 2020)
National games (39 total):
- 14 on Hockey Night in Canada
- 1 on Hockey Day in Canada
- 10 on Sportsnet
- 6 on Sportsnet 360
- 7 on Sportsnet One
- 1 on Sportsnet and Sportsnet One
Regional games (43 total):
- 38 on Sportsnet West
- 5 on Sportsnet Flames
Preseason coverage:
- 1 split-squad game against Vancouver on Sportsnet West and Sportsnet One
- 2 games against Winnipeg on TSN3 in the Jets region
- 5 games (including the other split-squad game) untelevised
Like with the Oilers, this season is the last for the Flames’ TV and radio deals.
Winnipeg Jets
- Regional TV broadcaster: TSN (until 2021)
- Radio broadcaster: TSN 1290 (until 2021)
National games (22 total):
- 11 on Hockey Night in Canada
- 1 on Hockey Day in Canada
- 9 on Sportsnet
- 1 on Sportsnet One
Regional games (60 total):
- 60 games on TSN3
Preseason coverage:
- All 7 games on TSN3
Toronto Maple Leafs
- Regional TV broadcaster: Shared between Sportsnet and TSN
- Radio broadcaster: Shared between Sportsnet 590 The Fan and TSN 1050 (41 games each)
National games (40 total):
- 24 games on CBC (Hockey Night/Day in Canada)
- 14 on Sportsnet
- 2 on Sportsnet One
National games in French (34 total):
- 34 on TVA Sports
Regional games (42 total):
- 16 games on Sportsnet Ontario
- 26 games on TSN3
Preseason coverage:
- 2 national games on Sportsnet
- 2 national games on Sportsnet One
- 4 games on TSN4
Because the Leafs are owned by Maple Leafs Sports and Entertainment, the team’s broadcast rights are split evenly between TSN and Sportsnet. Each gets 41 radio games and 26 regional TV games, but Sportsnet’s contract with the NHL allows it to upgrade 10 of those TV games to national.
And because the Leafs are Canada’s Team, Sportsnet has apparently already decided that it will get absolute priority for CBC on Hockey Night in Canada.
Ottawa Senators
- Regional TV broadcaster: TSN/RDS (until 2026)
- English radio broadcaster: TSN 1200 (until 2026)
- French radio broadcaster: Unique FM (under sublicense from Bell Media)
National games (English, 27 total):
- 19 games on Hockey Night/Day in Canada
- 8 games on Sportsnet
National games (French, 22 total):
- 22 games on TVA Sports
- 8 games untelevised
Regional games (English, 55 total):
- 55 games on TSN5
Regional games (French, 52 total):
- 25 games on RDS
- 26 games on RDS2
- 1 game on RDS Info
Preseason coverage (English):
- 4 games on TSN5
- 1 national game on Sportsnet One
Preseason coverage (French):
- 3 games on RDS
Montreal Canadiens
- English regional TV broadcaster: TSN (until 2022)
- French regional TV broadcaster: RDS (until 2026)
- English radio broadcaster: TSN 690 (until 2022)
- French radio broadcaster: Cogeco — 98,5fm et al (until 2023)
English national games (32 total):
- 22 games on Hockey Night in Canada
- 10 games on Sportsnet
French national games (22 total):
- 22 games on TVA Sports
English regional games (50 total):
- 50 games on TSN2
French regional games (60 total):
- 60 games on RDS
Preseason coverage (English):
- 1 national game on Sportsnet One
- 4 games on TSN2
- 2 games on TSN5
Preseason coverage (French):
- 1 national preseason game on TVA Sports
- 6 preseason games on RDS
Note that of the 22 games on TVA Sports, 21 are Saturday games, as usual, and the 22nd is the Sunday matinee game before the Super Bowl on Feb. 2. That game is also broadcast nationally in English on Sportsnet.
thanks for this Steve, Very complete except for one thing…I notice for the Leafs National games, you do stress CBC, but for the Habs you don’t. Should we take that to mean, that for Habs fans we’re stuck with games on CITY and their nearly non-existant signal for OTA peeps like myself ?
I mean are those Toronto suits anti-Habs ? With the exciting young team on the way back up, one would think it’s more Habs compared to the previous few seasons…The Leafs won’t be winning any Cups anyways in our lifetime much like TO hosting the F1 Grand Prix…Thanks
Yes, unless the Canadiens are playing the Leafs, or the Leafs aren’t playing, the Habs won’t be on CBC. Generally the Canadiens and Senators get Citytv and Sportsnet Saturday nights in one order or the other.
No, they’re just following the money. The Maple Leafs are still the most popular team in English Canada, and that means that’s where the advertising money goes, which means you give the Leafs the biggest network. Things could change if, say, late in the season the Canadiens are in a playoff push and the Leafs are long eliminated, but it looks like they’ve decided it’s just easier to train Leafs fans to always expect their team on CBC on Saturday nights.
Thanks, for this great list! As an American in western New York, a lot of this information doesn’t pertain to me (sorry to say), as Spectrum Cable no longer carries any Canadian channels in Rochester. It is still very interesting to see how the games are being broadcast regionally and nationally in Canada this coming season. Mr. Fagstein, keep up your always interesting blog, I’ll be reading!!
The U.S. is an entirely different animal when it comes to NHL games on TV, but there are several Canadiens games being aired nationally on NBCSN (three games this season) or NHL Network, including tonight’s game in Bathurst. The NHL Network schedule is here.
This team (the Leafs) with the exception of Matthews in 16-17 hasn’t won a Calder since Selby in 65-66, a Conn Smythe since Keon in 66-67 (you have to make the playoffs to qualify for that one), a Hart since Kennedy in 54-55, a Jack Adams since Burns in 92-93, with the exception of Mogilny in 02-03 hasn’t won a Lady Byng since Keon in 62-63. On top of that they’ve NEVER, EVER won either the Art Ross or the Jack Norris Trophies. As a team they haven’t won a Stanley Cup since 1967, they’ve NEVER won a President’s Trophy and the last time they won the Prince of Wales (the predecessor to the President’s Trophy) was in 1962-63. When they do make a rare appearance in the playoffs its usually followed by a quick exit. (First or second round). This is the team that the media and the Leaf’s propaganda machine would have people believe is the most popular hockey team in English Canada? Spare me the bullsh*t! Puleeeeeze! Let’s call it like it is; the Habs, the Packers and the Yankees are the most popular and beloved sports franchises the world over and for the CBC and the media weasels to claim otherwise is nothing but a bunch of garbage. btw., Anybody remember when the CBC decided to drop broadcasting the Leafs/Habs games 50/50? What happened? There was a mass exodus of viewers from CBC over to RDS where the Habs were. CBC put all their eggs in the wrong basket. Thanks to CBC’s stupidity an extra 50% of Canada can speak French now!
Those are very interesting yet irrelevant facts. The Leafs still have higher ratings in English Canada than the Canadiens, and that drives the decision of which team to put on CBC Television.
It looks like the Leafs actually have 39 national games (24 HNIC plus 9 Wed. 3 Sun. and 3 other games) and 43 regional games (17 on SN Ontario). That is a decrease of one national game from last season.
The discrepancy is the Dec. 31 game against the Minnesota Wild. Sportsnet’s schedule lists it as on Sportsnet Ontario, but the NHL’s official schedule lists it as a national game on Sportsnet.
Why the difference between the number of Sens and Jets national games? Both have TSN as their regional rights holders. It should be the same for both, no?
It’s up to how the various contracts are designed between the NHL, the team, and the national and regional broadcasters.