CBC Hockey Exit Raises Public Access Alarm Bells

When the NHL disappears from a major public broadcaster, the first question is not nostalgia - it is access. Advocacy voices are already pointing out that fewer free, easy-to-find games can mean fewer casual fans getting pulled into the sport. That matters more than the suits in the boardroom like to admit, because hockey grows when it is visible and shrinks when it hides behind paywalls and fragmented coverage.