NHL Network is a defunct

Canadian Canadians () are people identified with the country of Canada. This connection may be residential, legal, historical or cultural. For most Canadians, many (or all) of these connections exist and are collectively the source of their being ''C ...

English language English is a West Germanic language that developed in early medieval England and has since become a English as a lingua franca, global lingua franca. The namesake of the language is the Angles (tribe), Angles, one of the Germanic peoples th ...

Category B specialty television channel broadcasting

ice hockey Ice hockey (or simply hockey in North America) is a team sport played on ice skates, usually on an Ice rink, ice skating rink with Ice hockey rink, lines and markings specific to the sport. It belongs to a family of sports called hockey. Tw ...

programming. The channel's primary focus was on the

National Hockey League The National Hockey League (NHL; , ''LNH'') is a professional ice hockey league in North America composed of 32 teams25 in the United States and 7 in Canada. The NHL is one of the major professional sports leagues in the United States and Cana ...

(NHL), although it occasionally aired games from other leagues, such as

minor league Minor leagues are professional sports leagues which are not regarded as the premier leagues in those sports. Minor league teams tend to play in smaller, less elaborate venues, often competing in smaller cities/markets. This term is used in Nort ...

and international circuits, to fill its schedule. The channel went on the air on October 4, 2001 and was owned by the NHL Network Inc., a venture consisting of the

and two of its Canadian member franchises, CTV Specialty Television Inc. (a division of

Bell Media Bell Media Inc. (Canadian French, French: ) is a Canadian media conglomerate that is the mass media subsidiary of BCE Inc. (also known as Bell Canada Enterprises, the owner of telecommunications company Bell Canada). Its operations include nati ...

and

ESPN Inc. ESPN Inc. is an American multinational sports media conglomerate majority-owned by the Walt Disney Company, with Hearst Communications as an equity stakeholder. Founded by Bill Rasmussen in 1979, it owns and operates local and global cable and ...

), and Insight Sports Ltd.CRTC ownership chart for NHL Network
The network's ownership structure, which gave the league only an 11.6% interest, was due in part to foreign ownership restrictions for Canadian broadcasters, which prevented the NHL (which, during the channel's existence, was owned by 30 member franchises, of which at least 23 were based in the

United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

) from exercising majority ownership directly. The network's Canadian operations were managed by Bell-owned TSN, the now-former cable rightsholder of the NHL in Canada. Following

Rogers Communications Rogers Communications Inc. is a Canadian communications and media company operating primarily in the fields of wireless communications, cable television, telephony and Internet, with significant additional telecommunications and mass media ass ...

' acquisition of sole national media rights to the NHL in Canada, the Bell Media staff members who operated the network were laid off in July 2015, and NHL Network was shut down entirely on September 1, 2015. The network's U.S. version was not affected by the shutdown; its operations were migrated to the

Secaucus Secaucus ( ) is a town in Hudson County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. As of the 2020 United States census, the town's population was 22,181, an increase of 5,917 (+36.4%) from the 2010 census count of 16,264, which in turn reflected an in ...

New Jersey New Jersey is a U.S. state, state located in both the Mid-Atlantic States, Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern United States, Northeastern regions of the United States. Located at the geographic hub of the urban area, heavily urbanized Northeas ...

facilities of

MLB Network MLB Network is an American television sports channel dedicated to baseball. It is primarily owned by Major League Baseball, with TNT Sports (United States), TNT Sports, Comcast's NBC Sports Group, Charter Communications, and Cox Communications h ...

as part of a wider partnership between the league and

MLB Advanced Media MLB Advanced Media, L.P. (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 Chief executive of ...

History

In November 2000, the

Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission The Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC; ) is a public organization in Canada tasked with the mandate as a regulatory agency tribunal for various electronic communications, covering broadcasting and telecommunic ...

(CRTC) granted approval to former NHL executive Jim Gregory on behalf of a corporation to be incorporated (formed later as The NHL Network Inc.) to launch ''The Hockey Channel'', described as "a national English-language Category 2 specialty television dedicated exclusively to all aspects of the game of hockey". The channel was launched on October 4, 2001 as NHL Network. Its success led the league to create a sister network in the United States in 2007 with many of the same programs. Even as

Rogers Media Rogers Media Inc., operating as Rogers Sports & Media, is a Canadian subsidiary of Rogers Communications that owns the company's mass media and sports properties. Operations Current television brands owned by Rogers include two television sys ...

took over as national television rightsholder of the NHL in Canada beginning in the 2014–15 season, NHL Network remained operated from the facilities of TSN and featured some of its talent. League sources reported that due to the preparations needed for its first season as rightsholder, Rogers was unable to immediately take over the channel, but that Rogers would reconsider its role in NHL Network the following season. TSN could have, alternatively, remained the operating partner of NHL Network beyond the 2014–15 season. On June 1, 2015, ''

The Globe and Mail ''The Globe and Mail'' is a Newspapers in Canada, Canadian newspaper printed in five cities in Western Canada, western and central Canada. With a weekly readership of more than 6 million in 2024, it is Canada's most widely read newspaper on week ...

'' columnist David Shoalts reported that NHL Network in Canada would cease operations on September 1, 2015.

staff members who operated NHL Network on behalf of the partnership were laid off on July 1, 2015. In August 2015, the NHL announced that

would take over the U.S. NHL Network and operate it from the broadcast facilities of

Secaucus, New Jersey Secaucus ( ) is a Town (New Jersey), town in Hudson County, New Jersey, Hudson County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. As of the 2020 United States census, the town's population was 22,181, an increase of 5,917 (+36.4%) from the 2010 United St ...

, as well as the league's websites, and digital properties such as GameCenter Live (due to Rogers' rights deal, it will not handle distribution of the service in Canada). The CRTC formally revoked the NHL Network's license at its request on September 17, 2015. In 2021, ESPN, the part owner of TSN, regained the rights to the NHL programming along with

Turner Sports TNT Sports is the division of Warner Bros. Discovery in the United States that is responsible for Sports broadcasting, sports broadcasts on its parent company's streaming service, Max (streaming service), Max, and primarily the TruTV, TBS (Americ ...

in the United States.

Logos

Image:NHLNetwork.png, Silver logo used from 2005 - 2007. Original logo from 2001 - 2005 used original NHL logo colours; black and orange Image:Nhlnetwork.svg, Logo used from 2007 to 2009 Image:NHL Network 2009.png, Logo used from 2009 to 2011 Image:NHL Network 2011.svg, Logo used from 2011 to 2012 Image:NHL Network 2012.jpg, Final logo used from 2012 to 2015

Programming

NHL Network featured a variety of programming related to ice hockey, primarily from the NHL, including live and tape-delayed games from present and past seasons, documentaries, news and analysis series.

Programs

* ''NHL Live'' - The network's premiere "pre-game" show. It airs Monday through Friday from 5:00pm–7:00pm Eastern Time. The show is broadcast from atop of the NHL Store in New York, NY, and is hosted by E.J. Hradek, Steve Mears, and

Bill Pidto Bill Pidto (born April 20, 1965) is an American journalist who is currently an anchor for MSG (TV network), MSG Network's coverage of New York Rangers road games and select New York Knicks games. He was formerly a radio personality on Mad Dog Ra ...

. The show provides viewers with a recap of the previous night's action and a preview of what's to come later on. During the show, the hosts will interview players, broadcasters, general managers, and coaches. They also read tweets on the air from Twitter followers. Before the show wraps up, the hosts will provide predictions on who they think will win games on each night with a segment called "The Shootout". * '' NHL on the Fly'' - This is the network's signature primetime show providing viewers with live look-ins on the early-evening games, highlights, analysis, and news. The show begins nightly at 7:00pm Eastern Time and is predominantly hosted by Mark Roe and Andi Petrillo. It's occasionally hosted by E.J. Hradek as well. Analysis is provided by former NHL players and coaches including Kevin Weekes, Bob Errey, Dave Reid, Jamie McLennan, Craig Button, Jamal Mayers, Barry Melrose, and Kelly Chase. Inside information from around the league, such as rumours involving trades, hiring and firing of coaches is provided by Bob McKenzie and Darren Dreger from TSN. * '' NHL Tonight'' - The network's late-night show provides viewers with live look-ins on the late-evening games, highlights, analysis, and news. The program was formerly known as 'NHL On The Fly: Final' until 2011. The show airs nightly beginning at 10:00pm Eastern Time. It's also predominantly hosted by Mark Roe and Andi Petrillo. It's occasionally hosted by E.J. Hradek as well. Analysis is provided by former NHL players and coaches including Kevin Weekes, Bob Errey, Dave Reid, Jamie McLennan, Craig Button, Jamal III Mayers, Barry Melrose, and Kelly Chase. Inside information from around the league, such as rumours involving trades, hiring and firing of coaches is provided by Bob McKenzie and Darren Dreger from TSN. * ''Pioneers'' - A documentary series that gives viewers a closer, more in-depth look at hockey's biggest legends. The show includes interviews with the subject of their documentary and archival footage from their playing days. * ''Frozen In Time'' - A series dedicated to showing the most memorable moments from players, coaches, teams, and special events in hockey history. * ''Top 10'' - A show that counts down the most memorable goals, saves, performances, and players. * ''Classic Series'' - A 60-minute series showing the best playoff series in NHL history. * ''Vintage Games'' - A whole NHL game from the past shown in its entirety. * ''NHL All Access'' - A behind-the-scenes look at the NHL, featuring exclusive game coverage, interviews with players, and much more. * ''NHL Cool Shots'' - A behind-the-scenes look at NHL players and their lives away from the rink. * ''Encore Game'' - An encore presentation of a game from the night before. Airs daily beginning at 12:00pm Eastern Time.

Live games

Unlike its sister network in the United States, there are currently no live games on the NHL Network in Canada per the conditions of the NHL/

Sportsnet Sportsnet is a Television in Canada, Canadian English-language Discretionary service, discretionary sports broadcasting, sports specialty channel owned by Rogers Sports & Media. It was established in 1998 as CTV Sportsnet, a joint venture betw ...

deal.

Alternate programming

The following programs aired when the network was broadcasting a live game in the United States, but unable to do so in Canada. * ''24CH'' - A behind-the-scenes look at the Montreal Canadiens franchise. * ''Caps Red Line'' - A behind-the-scenes look at the Washington Capitals franchise. * ''Becoming Wild'' - A behind-the-scenes look at the Minnesota Wild franchise. * ''Pittsburgh Penguins: In The Room'' - A behind-the-scenes look at the Pittsburgh Penguins franchise. * ''Behind The B'' - A behind-the-scenes look at the Boston Bruins franchise. * ''Oil Change'' - A behind-the-scenes look at the Edmonton Oilers franchise.

Special event coverage

* NHL Winter Classic - Complimentary coverage of the outdoor games that have been held on New Year's Day since 2008. The games have been held at the following locations since its inception: **

2008 2008 was designated as: *International Year of Languages *International Year of Planet Earth *International Year of the Potato *International Year of Sanitation The Great Recession, a worldwide recession which began in 2007, continued throu ...

- Ralph Wilson Stadium -

Orchard Park, New York Orchard Park is an incorporated Administrative divisions of New York#Town, town in Erie County, New York, United States. It is an outer ring suburb southeast of Buffalo, New York, Buffalo. As of the 2010 United States census, 2010 census, the po ...

2009 2009 was designated as the International Year of Astronomy by the United Nations to coincide with the 400th anniversary of Galileo Galilei's first known astronomical studies with a telescope and the publication of Astronomia Nova by Joha ...

Wrigley Field Wrigley Field is a ballpark on the North Side, Chicago, North Side of Chicago, Illinois. It is the home ballpark of Major League Baseball's Chicago Cubs, one of the city's two MLB franchises. It first opened in 1914 as Weeghman Park for Charl ...

Chicago Chicago is the List of municipalities in Illinois, most populous city in the U.S. state of Illinois and in the Midwestern United States. With a population of 2,746,388, as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is the List of Unite ...

2010 The year saw a multitude of natural and environmental disasters such as the 2010 Haiti earthquake, the Deepwater Horizon oil spill, and the 2010 Chile earthquake. The 2009 swine flu pandemic, swine flu pandemic which began the previous year ...

Fenway Park Fenway Park is a ballpark located in Boston, Massachusetts, less than one mile from Kenmore Square. Since 1912, it has been the home field of Major League Baseball's (MLB) Boston Red Sox. While the stadium was built in 1912, it was substantia ...

Boston Boston is the capital and most populous city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Massachusetts in the United States. The city serves as the cultural and Financial centre, financial center of New England, a region of the Northeas ...

2011 The year marked the start of a Arab Spring, series of protests and revolutions throughout the Arab world advocating for democracy, reform, and economic recovery, later leading to the depositions of world leaders in Tunisia, Egypt, and Yemen ...

- Heinz Field -

Pittsburgh Pittsburgh ( ) is a city in Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, United States, and its county seat. It is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania#Municipalities, second-most populous city in Pennsylvania (after Philadelphia) and the List of Un ...

2012 2012 was designated as: *International Year of Cooperatives *International Year of Sustainable Energy for All Events January *January 4 – The Cicada 3301 internet hunt begins. * January 12 – Peaceful protests begin in the R ...

Citizens Bank Park Citizens Bank Park is a baseball stadium in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, in the city's South Philadelphia Sports Complex. Home to Major League Baseball's Philadelphia Phillies, the stadium opened April 3, 2004. It is named after Citizens Financi ...

Philadelphia Philadelphia ( ), colloquially referred to as Philly, is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania, most populous city in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania and the List of United States cities by population, sixth-most populous city in the Unit ...

**2013 - Cancelled due to lockout. **

2014 The year 2014 was marked by the surge of the Western African Ebola epidemic, West African Ebola epidemic, which began in 2013, becoming the List of Ebola outbreaks, most widespread outbreak of the Ebola, Ebola virus in human history, resul ...

Michigan Stadium Michigan Stadium, nicknamed "the Big House," is the American football stadium for the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor, Michigan. It is the largest stadium in the United States and the Western Hemisphere, the third-largest stadium in the wo ...

Ann Arbor, Michigan Ann Arbor is a city in Washtenaw County, Michigan, United States, and its county seat. The 2020 United States census, 2020 census recorded its population to be 123,851, making it the List of municipalities in Michigan, fifth-most populous cit ...

2015 2015 was designated by the United Nations as: * International Year of Light * International Year of Soil __TOC__ Events January * January 1 – Lithuania officially adopts the euro as its currency, replacing the litas, and becomes ...

Nationals Park Nationals Park is a baseball stadium along the Anacostia River in the Navy Yard (Washington, D.C.), Navy Yard neighborhood of Washington, D.C. It is the ballpark of Major League Baseball's Washington Nationals. Since its completion in 2008, it wa ...

Washington, D.C. Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly known as Washington or D.C., is the capital city and federal district of the United States. The city is on the Potomac River, across from Virginia, and shares land borders with ...

* NHL Heritage Classic - Complimentary coverage of the outdoor games that take place in Canada during selected seasons. The games have been held at the following locations since its inception: **

2003 2003 was designated by the United Nations as the International Year of Fresh water, Freshwater. In 2003, a Multi-National Force – Iraq, United States-led coalition 2003 invasion of Iraq, invaded Iraq, starting the Iraq War. Demographic ...

Commonwealth Stadium Commonwealth Stadium is an open-air, multi-purpose stadium located in the McCauley, Edmonton, McCauley neighbourhood of Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. It has a seating capacity of 56,302, making it the largest open-air stadium in Canada. Primarily ...

Edmonton Edmonton is the capital city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Alberta. It is situated on the North Saskatchewan River and is the centre of the Edmonton Metropolitan Region, which is surrounded by Central Alberta ...

McMahon Stadium McMahon Stadium ( ) is a Canadian football stadium in Calgary, Alberta. The stadium is owned by the University of Calgary and operated by the McMahon Stadium Society. The stadium is located between the downtown core and the University of Calgar ...

Calgary Calgary () is a major city in the Canadian province of Alberta. As of 2021, the city proper had a population of 1,306,784 and a metropolitan population of 1,481,806 making it the third-largest city and fifth-largest metropolitan area in C ...

BC Place BC Place is a multi-purpose stadium in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. Located at the north side of False Creek, it is owned and operated by the BC Pavilion Corporation (PavCo), a Crown corporation of the province. The venue is currently ...

Vancouver Vancouver is a major city in Western Canada, located in the Lower Mainland region of British Columbia. As the List of cities in British Columbia, most populous city in the province, the 2021 Canadian census recorded 662,248 people in the cit ...

The next edition of the Heritage Classic was to take place in 2016 at

Investors Group Field Princess Auto Stadium (formerly IG Field) is an outdoor stadium in Winnipeg, Manitoba. The stadium, which opened in 2013, is located on the University of Manitoba campus next to University Stadium (Winnipeg), University Stadium. The stadium is h ...

Winnipeg Winnipeg () is the capital and largest city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Manitoba. It is centred on the confluence of the Red River of the North, Red and Assiniboine River, Assiniboine rivers. , Winnipeg h ...

, however, the

Winnipeg Jets The Winnipeg Jets are a professional ice hockey team based in Winnipeg. The Jets compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Central Division (NHL), Central Division in the Western Conference (NHL), Western Conference. The te ...

and the

Winnipeg Blue Bombers The Winnipeg Blue Bombers are a professional Canadian football team based in Winnipeg, Manitoba. The Blue Bombers compete in the Canadian Football League (CFL) as a member club of the league's West Division (CFL), West division. They play thei ...

couldn't reach an agreement on which date the game should be held, so it has been put on hold until the 2016-17 season. *

NHL All-Star Game The National Hockey League All-Star Game () is an exhibition ice hockey tournament that is traditionally held during the regular season of the National Hockey League (NHL), with many of the League's star players playing against each other. The ga ...

- Complimentary coverage of the showcase featuring the league's best players taking part in an exhibition game that is held at the halfway point of the regular season, except when it's an Olympic year. The 60th National Hockey League All-Star Game took place on Sunday, January 25, 2015 at

Nationwide Arena Nationwide Arena is a multi-purpose arena in the Arena District of Columbus, Ohio, United States. Since completion in 2000, the arena has served as the home of the Columbus Blue Jackets of the National Hockey League (NHL). It is one of two faci ...

Columbus, Ohio Columbus (, ) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of cities in Ohio, most populous city of the U.S. state of Ohio. With a 2020 United States census, 2020 census population of 905,748, it is the List of United States ...

, with Team Toews defeating Team Foligno, 17-12. * NHL Entry Draft - Complimentary coverage of the annual draft that takes place on the last weekend of June. The first round of the draft begins shortly after 7:00pm Eastern Time on Friday nights. Rounds 2 through 7 of the draft takes place on the Saturday beginning at 10:00am. The 2015 NHL Entry Draft will be held on June 26 and 27 at the BB&T Center in

Sunrise, Florida Sunrise is a city in central-western Broward County, Florida, Broward County, Florida, United States, and is a principal city of the Miami metropolitan area. The population was 97,335 at the time of the 2020 census. History Early history In ...

. * NHL Free Agent Frenzy - Complimentary coverage of free agency that usually begins on July 1.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Nhl Network (Canada) National Hockey League on television Former Bell Media networks Sports television networks in Canada Television channels and stations established in 2001 Television channels and stations disestablished in 2015 English-language television stations in Canada 2001 establishments in Canada 2015 disestablishments in Canada Defunct specialty television channels in Canada