The international sports landscape is relatively quiet this week as various winter Olympic sports prepare to kick off their seasons in the upcoming weeks, including curling, figure skating, skiing, and speed skating.
The CBC, a public broadcaster, announced significant changes to its Saturday night programming following Rogers’ decision to move NHL hockey exclusively behind a paywall. As part of its new lineup, the CBC’s iconic show, “Hockey Night in Canada,” will mark its 90th season with a twist by featuring the Professional Women’s Hockey League (PWHL). The CBC plans to broadcast a total of 26 PWHL games this season on both its TV network and the free CBC Gem streaming service, with eight games scheduled for Saturday nights.
The PWHL coverage will commence on December 5 with the season opener between the Seattle Torrent and the Vancouver Goldeneyes, followed by the debut of the revamped “Hockey Night” showcasing the Montreal Victoire against expansion team Hamilton at 7 p.m. ET. Additionally, a new flagship sports show titled “CBC Sports Primetime,” hosted by Andi Petrillo, will debut on Saturday nights, highlighting Canada’s Olympic athletes and top performers competing domestically and internationally.
Beyond hockey, the CBC will feature a variety of sports content, including cricket matches, Grand Slam of Curling, Grand Prix of Figure Skating, and World Tour for short track speed skating. Viewers can catch the action on both the TV network and CBC Gem. As for international sports highlights this weekend for Canadian fans, lacrosse Olympic qualifying is underway at the Pan-American Sixes Championships in Oshawa, while Canadian swimmers aim for more medals at the Swimming World Cup opener in Azerbaijan. Additionally, the Canadian men’s soccer team is set to face Peru in Montreal following a recent victory over Chile.