NHL Network is an American sports-oriented cable and

satellite A satellite or artificial satellite is an object intentionally placed into orbit in outer space. Except for passive satellites, most satellites have an electricity generation system for equipment on board, such as solar panels or radioiso ...

television network A television network or television broadcaster is a telecommunications network for distribution of television program content, where a central operation provides programming to many television stations or pay television providers. Until the mid ...

that is a

joint venture A joint venture (JV) is a business entity created by two or more parties, generally characterized by shared ownership, shared returns and risks, and shared governance. Companies typically pursue joint ventures for one of four reasons: to acces ...

between the

National Hockey League The National Hockey League (NHL; french: Ligue nationale de hockey—LNH, ) is a professional ice hockey sports league, league in North America comprising 32 teams—25 in the United States and 7 in Canada. It is considered to be the top ranke ...

(which owns a controlling 84.4% interest) and

NBCUniversal NBCUniversal Media, LLC is an American multinational mass media and entertainment conglomerate corporation owned by Comcast and headquartered at 30 Rockefeller Plaza in Midtown Manhattan, New York City, United States. NBCUniversal is primar ...

(which owns the remaining 15.6%). Dedicated to

ice hockey Ice hockey (or simply hockey) is a team sport played on ice skates, usually on an ice skating rink with lines and markings specific to the sport. It belongs to a family of sports called hockey. In ice hockey, two opposing teams use ice ...

, the network features live game telecasts from the NHL and other professional and collegiate hockey leagues, as well as NHL-related content including analysis programs, specials and

documentaries A documentary film or documentary is a non-fictional motion-picture intended to "document reality, primarily for the purposes of instruction, education or maintaining a historical record". Bill Nichols has characterized the documentary in term ...

History

Launched on October 1, 2007, the NHL Network was developed out of a

between the NHL and cable provider

Comcast Comcast Corporation (formerly known as American Cable Systems and Comcast Holdings),Before the AT&T merger in 2001, the parent company was Comcast Holdings Corporation. Comcast Holdings Corporation now refers to a subsidiary of Comcast Corpora ...

, as part of a broadcast rights agreement that resulted in the NBC Sports Network (then known as Outdoor Life Network) acquiring partial cable television rights to regular season, and

Stanley Cup The Stanley Cup (french: La Coupe Stanley) is the championship trophy awarded annually to the National Hockey League (NHL) playoff champion. It is the oldest existing trophy to be awarded to a professional sports franchise in North America, an ...

playoff The playoffs, play-offs, postseason or finals of a sports league are a competition played after the regular season by the top competitors to determine the league champion or a similar accolade. Depending on the league, the playoffs may be eithe ...

and finals games from the National Hockey League. It became the third sports-oriented cable network devoted to programming from and controlled by one of the

Major professional sports leagues in the United States and Canada The major professional sports leagues in the United States and Canada commonly refer to the highest men's professional competitions of team sports in those countries. The four leagues traditionally included in the definition are Major League Base ...

, following the

National Basketball Association The National Basketball Association (NBA) is a professional basketball sports league, league in North America. The league is composed of 30 teams (29 in the United States and 1 in Canada) and is one of the major professional sports leagues i ...

-owned

NBA TV NBA TV is an American sports-oriented pay television network owned by the National Basketball Association (NBA) and operated by Warner Bros. Discovery through its sports unit. Dedicated to basketball, the network features exhibition, regula ...

(which launched in March 1999) and the

National Football League The National Football League (NFL) is a professional American football league that consists of 32 teams, divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National Football Conference (NFC). The NFL is one of the majo ...

-owned

NFL Network NFL Network (occasionally abbreviated on-air as NFLN) is an American sports-oriented pay television network owned by the National Football League (NFL) and is part of NFL Media, which also includes NFL.com, NFL Films, NFL Mobile, NFL Now and NF ...

(which launched in November 2003);

Major League Baseball Major League Baseball (MLB) is a professional baseball organization and the oldest major professional sports league in the world. MLB is composed of 30 total teams, divided equally between the National League (NL) and the American League (A ...

would launch its own sports channel, MLB Network, on January 1, 2009. NHL Network 2009

On June 1, 2015, ''

The Globe and Mail ''The Globe and Mail'' is a Canadian newspaper printed in five cities in western and central Canada. With a weekly readership of approximately 2 million in 2015, it is Canada's most widely read newspaper on weekdays and Saturdays, although it ...

'' columnist David Shoalts reported that NHL Network in Canada would cease operations on September 1, 2015; national media rights to the NHL in Canada had been acquired by Rogers Communications beginning in the 2014–15 season, and the Bell Media employees who managed the network's Canadian arm on behalf of the NHL were laid off that July. In August 2015, it was announced that the NHL had reached a six-year deal with

Major League Baseball Advanced Media MLB Advanced Media (MLBAM) is a limited partnership of the club owners of Major League Baseball (MLB) based in New York City and is the Internet and interactive branch of the league. Robert Bowman, former president and CEO of MLBAM, indicated in ...

(MLBAM) to take over the management of the NHL's digital properties, as well as NHL Network. Operations and production of NHL Network's programming was shifted from

Toronto Toronto ( ; or ) is the capital city of the Canadian province of Ontario. With a recorded population of 2,794,356 in 2021, it is the most populous city in Canada and the fourth most populous city in North America. The city is the anch ...

to the

Secaucus, New Jersey Secaucus ( ) is a town in Hudson County, New Jersey, United States. As of the 2010 United States census, the town's population was 16,264,MLB Network. There has been minor talent sharing between the networks, and MLB Network cross-promoted an

NHL Stadium Series The Stadium Series is one of the series of regular season outdoor games played in the National Hockey League (NHL). This event is distinct from the NHL's other two series of outdoor games, the NHL Winter Classic and NHL Heritage Classic outdoor ...

game at Coors Field by building a scale hockey rink in its Studio 42 (which itself is designed to resemble a scaled baseball field). For much of the 2015–16 season, NHL Network studio programs originated from redecorated versions of MLB Network's existing studio sets (enabled by a lack of major overlap between the two leagues' regular seasons). In April 2016, coinciding with the start of the

playoffs The playoffs, play-offs, postseason or finals of a sports league are a competition played after the regular season by the top competitors to determine the league champion or a similar accolade. Depending on the league, the playoffs may be eit ...

, NHL Network introduced its own 1,200 square-foot set, "The Rink". The network will continue to operate under the league's new television contract consortium of

ESPN ESPN (originally an initialism for Entertainment and Sports Programming Network) is an American international basic cable sports channel owned by ESPN Inc., owned jointly by The Walt Disney Company (80%) and Hearst Communications (20%). The ...

and Turner Sports beginning with the 2021–22 season (which excludes NBCUniversal). NHL Network will continue to nationally air selected games not broadcast by either ESPN or Turner. SiriusXM NHL Network Radio launched in 2013.

Carriage agreements

Comcast, owners of the league's former cable partner NBCSN, is also the largest cable television provider in the United States. The company was contractually obligated to carry NHL Network on its systems by the summer of 2007 at the latest, so it would be available in time for the

2007–08 NHL season The 2007–08 NHL season was the 91st season of operation (90th season of play) of the National Hockey League (NHL). It began on September 29, 2007, and the regular season ended April 6, 2008. The Stanley Cup playoffs ended on June 4, with th ...

. Both Comcast and the NHL had an option to terminate their contract after the 2006–07 season, which would have voided Comcast's obligation to launch a U.S. version of NHL Network, but opted to proceed with the launch. Since its official launch in the United States, the NHL Network announced on October 8, 2007 that it would begin being carried that month on

Cablevision Cablevision Systems Corporation was an American cable television company with systems serving areas surrounding New York City. It was the fifth-largest cable provider and ninth-largest television provider in the United States. Throughout its e ...

Charter A charter is the grant of authority or rights, stating that the granter formally recognizes the prerogative of the recipient to exercise the rights specified. It is implicit that the granter retains superiority (or sovereignty), and that the re ...

Cox Communications Cox Communications, Inc. (also known as Cox Cable and formerly Cox Broadcasting Corporation, Dimension Cable Services and Times-Mirror Cable) is an American digital cable television provider, telecommunications and home automation services. It i ...

DirecTV DirecTV (trademarked as DIRECTV) is an American multichannel video programming distributor based in El Segundo, California. Originally launched on June 17, 1994, its primary service is a digital satellite service serving the United States. I ...

Dish Network DISH Network Corporation (DISH, an acronym for DIgital Sky Highway) is an American television provider and the owner of the direct-broadcast satellite provider Dish, commonly known as Dish Network, and the over-the-top IPTV service, Sling ...

Xfinity Comcast Cable Communications, LLC, doing business as Xfinity, is an American telecommunications company and division of Comcast Corporation used to market consumer cable television, internet, telephone, and wireless services provided by the c ...

and

Time Warner Cable Time Warner Cable, Inc. (TWC) was an American cable television company. Before it was acquired by Charter Communications on May 18, 2016, it was ranked the second largest cable company in the United States by revenue behind only Comcast, opera ...

through carriage agreements that were struck with each of the providers. DirecTV has aired NHL Network on channel 215 since October 31, 2007. NHL.com announced on January 12, 2009 that AT&T U-verse would begin carrying the channel. This was followed on June 2, 2009 with the announcement that NHL Network and Comcast had reached an agreement to carry the channel on the provider's Digital Classic Tier, which increased subscribership of the channel from the then-estimated two million subscribers in its placement on the "Sports Entertainment" tier to over 10 million on its Digital Classic package. In 2016,

Sling TV Sling TV is an American streaming television service operated by Sling TV LLC, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Dish Network. Unveiled on January 5, 2015, at the Consumer Electronics Show, the virtual multichannel video programming distributor a ...

became the first

over-the-top media service An over-the-top (OTT) media service is a media service offered directly to viewers via the Internet. OTT bypasses cable, broadcast, and satellite television platforms: the types of companies that traditionally act as controllers or distributor ...

to offer NHL Network.

Carriage disputes

In 2011, AT&T U-verse refused to carry NHL Network over a planned increase in retransmission payments.

Programming

Hockey telecasts

The NHL Network originally shared some programming with its now-defunct sister network in

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by to ...

, with the main differences in programming between the two networks being the carriage of domestically targeted commercials and live game telecasts. For those live NHL games aired throughout the season, they are primarily simulcasts of feeds from one of the team's regional rightsholders or Canadian rightsholder

Sportsnet Sportsnet is a Canadian English-language sports specialty channel owned by Rogers Sports & Media. It was established in 1998 as CTV Sportsnet, a joint venture between CTV, Liberty Media, and Rogers Media. CTV parent Bell Globemedia then was ...

, including CBC-aired ''

Hockey Night in Canada CBC Television has aired National Hockey League (NHL) broadcasts under the ''Hockey Night in Canada'' (often abbreviated ''Hockey Night'' or ''HNiC'') brand that is primarily associated with its Saturday night NHL broadcasts throughout its hi ...

'' coverage on Saturday evenings. In 2021, the network introduced its first original broadcasts, the '' NHL Network Showcase'', which is modeled after MLB Network's '' MLB Network Showcase'', and air on weekend afternoons. Until the 2021–22 season, NHL Network also carried selected first round games during the Stanley Cup Playoffs. NHL Network has also aired other hockey leagues and events, such as the

American Hockey League The American Hockey League (AHL) is a professional ice hockey league based in the United States and Canada that serves as the primary developmental league for the National Hockey League (NHL). Since the 2010–11 season, every team in the lea ...

, college hockey, and the

IIHF World Junior Championship The IIHF World Junior Championship (WJC), or simply the "World Juniors" in ice hockey circles, is an annual event organized by the International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF) for national under-20 ice hockey teams from around the world. It is t ...

Other programs

* '' NHL Tonight'' (formerly ''NHL on the Fly'') – NHL Network's signature show, which covers on- and off-ice NHL news with highlights, interviews and analysis. * ''NHL Now'' – A program that features interviews with NHL players and insight from NHL insiders. The program also shows viewers voicing their opinions from social media on noteworthy news from the day. * '' Hockey Central at Noon'' - Simulcast of

CJCL CJCL (590 AM, '' Sportsnet 590 The Fan'') is a Canadian sports radio station in Toronto, Ontario. Owned and operated by Rogers Sports & Media since 2002, CJCL's studios are located at the Rogers Building at Bloor and Jarvis in downtown To ...

/Toronto's NHL

-produced . * ''Top 10'' – A countdown program focusing on hockey-related topics, from great performances to memorable moments. * ''Frozen in Time'' – A retrospective program that features a look back at the greatest moments in the NHL from players, teams, and special events. * ''Classic Series'' – A collection of highlights from a past

Stanley Cup Playoff The season structure of the National Hockey League (NHL) is divided into the pre-season, regular season, and the Stanley Cup playoffs. In the pre-season, which is generally held during the last two weeks of September, each team plays several not-fo ...

series. * ''Vintage Games'' – NHL Network airs archived broadcasts of past NHL games in their entirety from the game's original broadcaster. * ''Pioneers'' – A profile series in which NHL legends discuss their groundbreaking careers. * ''NHL Movie Night/NHL Flicks'' – A movie program that airs hockey-related theatrical films. * NHL Network also has the right to air various

films from the winning teams from different years. * ''NHL Network Ice Time'' - A series designed for young people on the sport of hockey featuring instructions on the game and interviews with NHL Players and is hosted by Jackie Redmond.

On-air staff

Current on-air talent includes: *

Bruce Boudreau Bruce Allan Boudreau (born January 9, 1955) is a Canadian professional ice hockey coach currently serving as head coach of the Vancouver Canucks. He previously served as head coach of the Washington Capitals, Anaheim Ducks, and Minnesota Wild. ...

- studio analyst * Scott Braun - studio host * Fran Charles - studio host * Kendall Coyne Schofield - studio analyst * Ken Daneyko - studio analyst *

Elliotte Friedman Elliotte Friedman (born September 27, 1970) is a Canadian sports journalist. He currently serves as a hockey reporter for Sportsnet and as an insider for the NHL Network. He is a regular panelist on CBC's Hockey Night in Canada. Early life an ...

- network insider *

Lauren Gardner Lauren Gardner (born September 6, 1985) is an American sportscaster who is employed by the DAZN Group, MLB Network, and NHL Network. Sportscasting career Gardner interned at FOX Sports Rocky Mountain and ''Mile High Sports'' magazine. She h ...

- studio host and reporter *

Stu Grimson Stuart Grimson (born May 20, 1965) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey player. Grimson played in the National Hockey League from 1989 to 2002. During this time, he played for the Calgary Flames, Chicago Blackhawks, Mighty Ducks of Anah ...

- studio analyst * Scott Hartnell - studio analyst *

Jamie Hersch Jamie Hersch (born May 25, 1987) is an American journalist for the NHL Network and the MLB Network, where she hosts the NHL Network show ''On the Fly'' and on an occasion the MLB Network version '' Quick Pitch''. Early life and education Her ...

- studio host *

Billy Jaffe Billy Jaffe (born April 2, 1969) is an on-air ice hockey analyst for NESN, provides commentary for pre-game, post-game and intermission shows during Boston Bruins games. Jaffe also served as a hockey analyst for Sportsnet, and for select coverag ...

- studio analyst * Mike Johnson - studio analyst * Mike Kelly - network insider *

Brian Lawton Brian Robert Lawton (born June 29, 1965) is an American former professional ice hockey player, agent and general manager, who played 483 regular season games in the National Hockey League (NHL) between the 1983–84 and 1992–93 seasons. Draft ...

- studio analyst *

Bill Lindsay William Hamilton Lindsay (born May 17, 1971) is an American former professional ice hockey player. He played in the National Hockey League (NHL) for the Quebec Nordiques, Florida Panthers, Calgary Flames, San Jose Sharks, Montreal Canadiens and ...

- studio analyst * Barry Melrose - studio analyst *

Darren Pang Darren Robert Pang (born February 17, 1964) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey goaltender. He played his professional career with the Chicago Blackhawks of the National Hockey League (1984–85 and 1987–89). He is currently the lead ...

- studio analyst * Mark Parrish - studio analyst *

Jackie Redmond Jackie or Jacky may refer to: People and fictional characters * Jackie (given name), a list of people and fictional characters named Jackie or Jacky ** Jackie, current ring name of female professional wrestler Jacqueline Moore ** Jackie Lee ( ...

- studio host * Dave Reid - studio analyst *

Mike Rupp Michael Ryan Rupp (born January 13, 1980) is an American former professional ice hockey center. He has previously played in the National Hockey League (NHL) for the New Jersey Devils, Phoenix Coyotes, Columbus Blue Jackets, Pittsburgh Penguins,Ne ...

- studio analyst *

Siera Santos Siera Santos (born June 10, 1988) is an American sportscaster. She is a MLB Network personality who was hired to be one of the hosts of '' Quick Pitch'' after Heidi Watney left. Santos has also been a fill-in host for '' Off Base'', and is also an ...

- studio host *

Scott Stevens Ronald Scott Stevens (born April 1, 1964) is a Canadian professional ice hockey coach and former player. As a defenseman, Stevens played 22 seasons in the National Hockey League (NHL) for the Washington Capitals, St. Louis Blues and New Jers ...

- studio analyst *

Erika Wachter Erika may refer to: Arts and Entertainment * Hayasaka Erika (''Megatokyo)'' * Erika (''Friends'') * Erika (''Pokémon'') * Erika (''Underworld'') * Erika Itsumi ''(Girls und Panzer)'' * ''Erika'' (film), a 1971 Italian thriller film * "E ...

- studio host * Kevin Weekes - studio analyst

References

External links

NHL Network official website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Nhl Network (United States) National Hockey League on television NHL on NBC Joint ventures Television channels and stations established in 2007 English-language television stations in the United States Sports television networks in the United States NBCUniversal networks Secaucus, New Jersey