CBC’s Hockey Night in Canada to air eight PWHL games

CBC’s Hockey Night in Canada will return with eight Saturday-night broadcasts of Professional Women’s Hockey League games this season, shifting the long-running program from its previous NHL coverage after CBC and Rogers did not extend their sublicensing agreement. Each broadcast is to feature a Canadian team, and the first is scheduled for Dec. 5, when Montreal hosts Hamilton. The package places PWHL games in a Saturday-night television slot long associated with NHL hockey. CBC retains the Hockey Night in Canada brand, while Rogers, which holds Canadian NHL broadcast rights, did not renew the arrangement that had allowed CBC to show NHL games. The reports describe the PWHL broadcasts as filling part of the space left by the end of CBC’s NHL coverage. The Dec. 5 matchup between the Montreal Victoire and Hamilton’s expansion franchise is scheduled as the first PWHL game under the CBC agreement. The PWHL’s fourth season is set to open that day with three games, including Seattle at Vancouver and San Jose hosting Minnesota. The remaining six teams are scheduled to begin their seasons Dec. 6. The league’s complete schedule was expected to be released Friday, Sept.