TORONTO – There’s still more than a month to go before the puck drops on the 2014-2015 NHL season, but the sports networks were buzzing this week about the plethora of games that they’ll offer fans.
Courtesy of its mammoth $5.2 billion deal with the NHL, Rogers will deliver 350 national regular season NHL games across nine networks, including CBC, City, Sportsnet (East, Ontario, West, and Pacific), Sportsnet One, Sportsnet 360 and FX Canada (the first 200 of which were announced in June). In addition, the company locked up exclusive Canadian broadcast coverage of the Stanley Cup Playoffs, Stanley Cup Final, NHL All-Star Game, NHL Draft Lottery, NHL Draft, and the NHL Awards.
This week, Rogers-owned Sportsnet announced its package of 40 national and 16 regional Toronto Maple Leafs broadcasts, beginning October 8, opening night of the NHL regular season, with the Maple Leafs hosting the Montreal Canadiens. Its regional television broadcast schedule kicks off October 17 on Sportsnet Ontario as the Leafs take on the Detroit Red Wings. Sportsnet 590 The FAN will broadcast 41 Toronto Maple Leafs games this season, including the NHL season opener.
Sportsnet is also the official regional television broadcast rights holder for the Calgary Flames (including radio rights on Sportsnet 960 The FAN), Edmonton Oilers, and Vancouver Canucks.
Cross town rival TSN will air more than 130 regional NHL games this season, including 26 regional Toronto Maple Leafs games on TSN4, one of the sports network’s three new national feeds scheduled to debut Monday, starting October 14 when the Leafs host Colorado. To access these games, TSN subscribers with participating television service providers must live in the Leafs’ designated broadcast region. Radio coverage will be available on TSN Radio 1050 in Toronto.
Fifty three regular season Ottawa Senators games and pre-season matchups will be offered on TSN5, in addition to radio coverage on TSN Radio 1200 in Ottawa, beginning October 9 when the Senators visit Nashville. RDS’s suite of channels, which include RDS, RDS2, and RDSInfo, will air French-language coverage of 54 Ottawa Senators regular season games plus one pre-season matchup, with French-language radio coverage available on 94.5 Unique FM. RDS is also the official regional broadcaster of the Montreal Canadiens.
The networks’ regional Senators games will be available to TSN and RDS subscribers who live in the team’s designated broadcast region, which includes Eastern Ontario, Quebec, and Atlantic Canada.
TSN’s package of 60 regional Winnipeg Jets games will be available on TSN3, starting October 9 when the Jets take on Arizona, with radio coverage available on TSN Radio 1290 in Winnipeg.
