NHL Center Ice

NHL Center Ice is an out-of-market sports package that is distributed by most cable and satellite providers in the United States and Canada.

The package allows its subscribers to see up to 40 out-of-market NHL games a week using local and national television networks.

NHL Center Ice includes Canadian broadcasts, such as The NHL on TSN and CBC's Hockey Night in Canada. It also has included out-of-region games broadcast on NBC.

Occasionally, French-language feeds from RDS may be used if no English-language broadcast is available.

Broadcasts from Rogers Sportsnet are also shown. 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.

A free preview is usually shown during the first three weeks of the NHL season and right after (or a few weeks after) the All Star Game (or the Olympic break in years when the Winter Olympics occur).