Hockey Night in Canada

Hockey Night in Canada (often abbreviated Hockey Night or HNiC) is a long-running program of broadcast ice hockey play-by-play coverage in Canada. With roots in pioneering hockey coverage on private radio stations as early as 1923, it gained its current name as the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (CBC) formed in 1936, and by that time had solidified its focus on the National Hockey League (NHL). Transitioning to television in 1952, the program became a Canadian Saturday night cultural fixture and was an exclusive mainstay of CBC Sports through the 2013-14 NHL season. The program continued to be broadcast on CBC Television and expanded to several other outlets in a cross-licensing arrangement following Rogers Media's acquisition of exclusive NHL television rights in Canada beginning in 2014-15; the CBC maintains ownership of the Hockey Night in Canada brand itself.

Saturday NHL broadcasts began in 1931 on the CNR Radio network, and debuted on television in 1952. Initially games were aired once a week, but doubleheader games had debuted in 1995 at 7:30 pm and 10:30 pm (ET) start times. Since 1998, the games begin at 7:00 pm and 10:00 pm (ET). The broadcast features various segments during the intermissions and between games, as well as pre-game and post-game coverage of games that day, and player interviews. It also shows the hosts' opinions on news and issues occurring in the league.

Ahead of the 2014–15 season, Rogers Media had secured exclusive national multimedia rights to NHL games and would sub-license Saturday night and playoff games to the CBC. In addition, the HNiC brand would be licensed to Rogers for Sportsnet-produced Saturday NHL broadcasts airing on CBC Television, as well as the Rogers-owned Citytv and Sportsnet outlets. This sub-license agreement runs through the end of the Rogers deal with the NHL.