If you’ve tried to catch a regular-season NHL game recently, you’ve probably had the same problem as many sports fans: you can’t find it anywhere. However, Telus is now telling its TV subscribers it’s not their fault.
Telus sent a message to OptikTV subscribers Friday afternoon, spotted by Rob Williams, National Sports Editor at MobileSyrup’s sister sites Daily Hive and Offside, that explains why some games are missing by blaming Rogers and the new broadcasting rights deal.
“The decision, made by Rogers, impacts broadcasting access for the 2026-2027 NHL hockey season,” says Telus. “Here’s what you need to know to cheer on your favourite sport and team: NHL Monday Night Hockey has moved from Amazon Prime Video to Sportsnet+. These games are now exclusive to Sportsnet+ and are not included in your Sportsnet channel subscription.”
Telus sent out an email to customers today, helping them find NHL hockey games that are no longer available on cable television. https://t.co/kzbpzYXgRD
— Rob Williams (@RobTheHockeyGuy) October 30, 2026
“NHL Wednesday Night Hockey has moved from your Sportsnet theme pack to Amazon Prime Video. These games are now exclusive to Amazon Prime Video and are not included in your Sportsnet Channel subscription.”
So why would Telus point out something everyone has known (and complained about) all season? The most likely reason is that Telus has been getting an influx of complaints about why they can’t find their favourite team’s game on a Wednesday or Monday night.
Fan frustration seems to be at a boiling point. The cost to be able to even go to games in person is insanely high, and with the amount of (very expensive) subscriptions that one fan needs to be able to go and even watch all 84 games for their team, it could push fans to sail the high seas and skip the subscriptions, if you catch my drift.
It’s especially prevalent in markets where TSN is the main regional broadcaster, where fans already have to subscribe to both TSN and Sportsnet. The Ottawa Citizen pointed out that without paying for cable and satellite and strictly using streaming services, the absolute lowest price to watch all 84 Ottawa Senators games, which includes adding and cancelling the most basic streaming plans at exactly the right time, is $519.61.
Another thing is that Rogers is now into its second consecutive 12-year media rights deal with the NHL, and Prime Video signed a sub-licensing agreement to show NHL games on Wednesday. Meanwhile, CBC recently announced the end of its Hockey Night in Canada broadcast after its simulcast agreement with Rogers ended. Each market also has its own regional broadcaster. So for now, this pretty backwards streaming method will stick around for the next dozen years, unless something changes and the league needs a new broadcaster in Canada.
Update Nov. 2, 2026, at 2:56 p.m. ET: Corrected some details about the Prime Video and CBC sub-licensing deals.
Source: Rob Williams (Twitter)
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