CALGARY — Your eyes do not deceive you — Hockey Night in Canada will in fact be looking a bit different — as women's hockey will be replacing its original NHL broadcast.After a joint statement was announced by Rogers Sportsnet and CBC back in June that the NHL will no longer be broadcast on CBC after a 75-year-long run, CBC had stated they would be replacing the slot with a "new Saturday night prime time show." According to the Daily Hive, the Professional Women’s Hockey League (PWHL) has announced it will be hosting a press conference Thursday in Toronto covering a "major announcement."PWHL reporter Adam Levine claims this announcement will be about the league's hockey games airing on Hockey Night in Canada, with another source confirming this to Offside. ."The Hockey Night in Canada brand is owned by CBC and will remain with the public broadcaster," stated a CBC spokesperson last June."We will continue to use the brand moving forward and will update on those plans when we have more details."The plans have definitely become more detailed, with the whole of the PWHL's five Canadian-based teams in Toronto, Montreal, Ottawa, Vancouver, and Hamilton being featured.Not just those, since the PWHL has 12 teams, which it had expanded in 2025 with Vancouver and Seattle, and in 2026 with Hamilton, Detroit, Las Vegas, and San Jose..Much more than the league being different come next season, many of Hockey Night in Canada's commentators will not be on the screen, including all Sportsnet employees, like Ron MacLean, Elliotte Friedman, and Kevin Bieksa.There has been a huge gap in CBC's Saturday night broadcast lineup due to the NHL's departure — seven hours' worth — with the PWHL season beginning in December and filling in some of that gap.Curling will also be a part of the Saturday lineup, as CBC just announced a deal with the Grand Slam of Curling and the Rock League.
