In Canada, Watching the N.H.L. Has Become Expensive and Cumbersome

Games behind paywalls and exorbitant costs forcing a drop in attendance — even to watch Connor McDavid in Edmonton — have only compounded the loss of a Saturday night ritual. Attendance has fallen in several markets, including Edmonton , where Connor McDavid has an astonishing 49 points in 20 games and is on pace to challenge Wayne Gretzky’s single-season scoring record of 215 points. This week, The Globe and Mail reported that three TV providers had filed a complaint with the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission asking Rogers Sportsnet to reverse its decision to put more than 50 Monday night N.H.L.

games behind a paywall on its streaming service for an extra $13 a month. Further increasing the cost and complexity of watching hockey, Wednesday night games are on Prime Video. TSN broadcasts some regional games with blackouts, and a subscription to NHL Centre Ice is needed to watch out-of-market games.

In June, the CBC and Rogers Sportsnet announced that the national broadcaster would no longer air N.H.L.