TV Answer Man, I read your article about NHL TV shifting their games to ESPN+ so does that mean that NHL Center Ice isn’t available anymore either on satellite and cable? — Tom, Newport Beach, California.
Tom, you’re right. ESPN+, the streaming service for the sports network, this season will offer more than 1,000 out-of-market NHL games. Disney, which owns ESPN, purchased the rights from the NHL earlier this season. This has permitted the league to close NHL.TV, which started five years ago. (See our article, Does ESPN+ Really Have 1,000 NHL Games? for more details.)
So if NHL.TV is history, what about NHL Center Ice, you ask? That’s the league’s out-of-market package for cable and satellite operators.
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Well, the NHL Center Ice plan is alive and well. In fact, it’s available this year for as little as $59.99, which is less than half the price in previous full seasons. (The NHL reduced the price so it’s competitive with ESPN+ which is available for $69.99 for one year.)
Pay TV providers that offer the NHL Center Ice plan include Dish, Verizon, Charter Spectrum, Comcast and DIRECTV, among others. Like ESPN+, Center Ice offers up to 40 NHL games a week with both home and away broadcasts when available. (If you’re interested in order, consult your on-screen guide, or call your cable or satellite operator.)
The 2021-22 NHL season starts with Tuesday’s opening night matchups between Pittsburgh and Tampa Bay, and Seattle and Vegas.
Tom, hope that helps. Happy viewing, and stay safe!
Have a question about new TV technologies? Send it to The TV Answer Man at swann@tvpredictions.com. Please include your first name and hometown in your message.
— Phillip Swann
Hi Phillip, Recently I asked you about ESPN+ NHL games exclusively on the network. Like I said I have the Center Ice package & have Directv. My question was will games carried only on ESPN+ be available on center ice & you informed me they will. Well as I’m checking by guide tonight on Directv’s center ice lineup I don’t see the Colorado Avalanche vs. Washington Capitals game which is an ESPN+ broadcast. Please let me know what’ up with that?
Thanks, Rich Stempkoski
ESPN has 75 exclusive games. The 1000 out of market games are on Center Ice, too.
i would like to know why our state team detroit redwings are blackout in michigan this isn,t right we pay good money for this package.
Phil, You misunderstood me. With Directv I get ESPN & ESPN 2 but I don;t get ESPN PLUS which has exclusive rites to certain games. I thought since I paid for Center Ice I would get all of the out of market games like I usually have in the past. Tonight’s Colorado VS. Washington game is only on ESPN plus. This really upsets me as I should not have to pay for a streaming service since I already pay yearly for the center ice package.
Center Ice has always had exceptions for National broadcasts on NBC, etc. ESPN+ 75 exclusive games are like those.
It just upsets me that I have to pay separate for my Directv service then have pay for Center Ice now if I want to get ESPN plus which Directv don’t carry I have to dish out more money to get a streaming service. Gary Bettman made a bad deal here in my opinion. He should have thought of the customer first.
Thanks for responding Phil.
You bet!
Phil, you should be aware that…Center Ice for 2022 is NOT the Center Ice of past seasons. We are Red Wings fans, and while in Denver, CO, watched it on first DirecTV, later on Comcast Xfinity. In both cases a game (with VERY rare exceptions, and of course the blackout nonsense) would consist of two channels with each team’s feed (so we could watch “our” announcers) and, most importantly, both team’s pre/post game shows.
The “new” Center Ice, at (and maybe because of) lower-cost, at least for Spectrum (Charter) MAY be shown on two channels, but most of the time so far, both channels are showing just one team’s feed, not the two teams…and, most importantly, NO pre/post game shows from either channel.
Writing both NHL and Spectrum have resulted in boiler-plate responses talking about contracts and areas and other things…but calling friends who are on either DirecTV or Comcast Xfinity show that they are still getting the entire package, not a “lite” version.
Pretty disappointed in this, don’t like being ripped off (with no choice), and hope that you can spread awareness of this lesser service.
Thanks!!
I’ve been a DTV subscriber for 6 years. The Center Ice this year was $60 instead of $160.but now every night there’s games that aren’t available. Not blacked out. Just not available. They’re not on any channel.
When NHL.TV was available you still got ALL the games on Center Ice. I wonder if it’s cheaper this year because DTV knew you wouldn’t be getting all the games.
I’d like to call them but their customer service is horrible.
I agree with all of you that the “new” version of NHL Center Ice stinks!! I am paying for both NHL Center ICE (through Spectrum) and streaming ESPN+. That is the only way I can see MOST of the Detroit Red Wings broadcasts. But I am still upset that I can no longer see the pre-game and post-game shows that I used to get on Directv and later on NHL.tv. Is there anyone out there that is able to get both the pre-game and post-game shows if you are out-of-market? If you know of a way to do this, let me know because I really miss that part of the game experience.
We pay for Center Ice and cannot understand why many games are not available. They are not blacked out, not on ESPN+, listed on Center Ice but no viewing. Agree with Harry and Cindy. Miss the post game analysis. I do enjoy listening to all games via NHL app. ( when i need to block out the rotating announcers CHI is using).
ESPN+ for NHL games is about as useful as teats on a boar. My Avalanche games were blacked out I think 4 games in a row at last count. It’s not worth it to me anymore trying to find a VPN server that will help me watch the game. You have to clear your browser cache every time pick another server, etc. until you can find one. And sometimes you cannot find one. Also greedy companies are starting to not care about our online privacy and blocking VPN traffic no matter who you subscribe to.
The nail on the coffin for me was the Hulu Disney+ bundle. I will NOT give my money to a woke company that should just make safe movies to watch for kids. Instead Disney execs now being caught on a company video conference call admitting to want to inject as much sexuality education they can into their movies. (Source: Mike Huckabee YouTube channel episode) No thanks. Walt Disney is rolling in his grave over this. You can keep your ABCDEFG or whatever thing you support. I will not support you another moment of this. Yes it was a hard decision. No more Star Wars Movies, No more Avengers. No more any superhero movies. Not giving one more cent to it.