CBC’s NHL Run Ends After 74 Years, And Free Hockey Goes With It

CBC is walking away from NHL broadcasts after more than seven decades, and that is a giant cultural shift for Canadian hockey fans. The move closes the book on an era when Saturday nights on free TV felt as fixed as the blue line. This is not just a rights story - it is a reminder that hockey’s most familiar stage is getting pricier and more fragmented. For a sport that sells itself as Canada’s winter heartbeat, this one hits like a bad change in the final minute.