NHL Center Ice is an
out-of-market sports package distributed by most cable and satellite providers in the
United States and
Canada. The package allows its subscribers to see up to forty out-of-market
National Hockey League games a week using local and national television networks.
NHL Center Ice includes Canadian broadcasts, such as games broadcast on
Sportsnet, as well as
Hockey Night in Canada broadcasts on
CBC, Sportsnet, and
Citytv. It also has included out-of-region games broadcast on
ABC,
ESPN, and
TNT/TBS. Occasionally, French-language feeds from
TVA Sports may be used if no English-language broadcast is available.
Pay-per-view games (e.g.
Edmonton Oilers) are included as well. For some cable viewers and those subscribing via
Dish Network or
DirecTV, both teams' feeds are available for most games. Other cable subscribers may be limited to only one feed and also have a smaller selection of high-definition games.
Some providers offer
high definition broadcasts when available. A number of providers put Center Ice on the same channels as
MLB Extra Innings; hockey often gets priority because the conflict occurs during April, at the end of the regular season and beginning of the playoffs.
Games which are nationally televised in the U.S. on
ABC,
ESPN,
TNT,
TBS, or
NHL Network. (Subscribers get NHL Network for free when they buy Center Ice, unless they subscribe through Spectrum or Verizon Fios, which at this time do not include NHL Network as part of the Center Ice package.)
High-definition feeds of games originating on
MSG,
MSG+,
MSG Western New York, MSG2, and MSG+2 on Dish Network
OTA Broadcasts (Only shown when it is the only broadcast available for that game).
RDS and RDS2 (French-speaking Canadiens and Senators broadcast); these broadcasts are shown only when there is not an English broadcast available.
Availability
NHL Center Ice is available with these cable and satellite providers:
1 Indicates the channel is still in existence, but currently operates as a basic cable channel. 2 Star Channel was part of
Warner Communications'
QUBE interactive cable service, and was the precursor to present-day
The Movie Channel.