For a certain kind of hockey fan, September is sacred. After a long summer without the game, the preseason is the first taste — the first sight of your team back on the ice, the first look at the rookies fighting for a roster spot, the first chance to dream about the season ahead. And yet, year after year, the same frustration hits: you go looking for the exhibition game and it's simply not on. No national broadcast, nothing on your cable guide, just a void where the puck drop should be.
That gap is real, and it's structural. Preseason hockey lives in the awkward corners of the broadcast schedule — on regional feeds, specialty channels and team outlets that most cable packages don't fully carry. This guide explains exactly why preseason games are so hard to find, where they actually air, and how to find the right feed before puck drop.
Why Preseason Games Vanish From Cable
Preseason hockey is treated as low-priority broadcast inventory, and it shows. Several factors combine to make exhibition games genuinely hard to find:
- →Limited national interest — broadcasters reserve their flagship national slots for regular-season and playoff games, so only a few marquee exhibitions get a national window.
- →Scattered across regional feeds — most preseason games are carried, if at all, on the home team's regional Sportsnet or TSN feed, not the national channel you'd normally check.
- →Split-squad chaos — teams often play two preseason games on the same night with split rosters, doubling the feeds needed and overwhelming traditional scheduling.
- →Specialty and team outlets — some games appear only on a team's own local feed or a specialty channel that a basic cable package doesn't include.
- →Rookie tournaments off the grid — prospect showcases that precede the preseason are barely televised at all, surfacing only on regional or specialty feeds when they air.
The common thread: preseason coverage is spread thin across exactly the feeds that cable packages carry least. That's why it pays to know which feed carries your team's game before puck drop.
Where Preseason Hockey Actually Airs
| Source | What It Carries | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Regional Sportsnet feeds | Most home-team preseason games | Pacific, West, East, Ontario by market |
| TSN regional (TSN1–TSN5) | Regional exhibition packages | Split-squad and away games |
| National Sportsnet | A handful of marquee exhibitions | Usually big-name matchups only |
| Team specialty feeds | Split-squad & local-only games | Often skipped by cable entirely |
| Rookie / prospect tournaments | Limited regional or specialty airings | Hardest to find on traditional TV |
What to Expect From the Preseason
Preseason hockey is a different watch from the regular season — and that's exactly why dedicated fans love it. Here's what makes it worth chasing down:
Rookies & prospects
The first real look at draft picks and call-ups auditioning for a roster spot — future stars before anyone's watching.
New systems & lines
Coaches experiment with line combinations and tactics, offering early clues about how the season will unfold.
Split-squad doubleheaders
Two games in a night with split rosters means twice the hockey — if you have the feeds to catch both.
Battles for the crease
Backup goalie and depth competitions play out in real time, often the most compelling storyline of camp.
How to Find the Right Feed
The preseason problem isn't that games aren't broadcast — it's that they're broadcast on feeds you probably don't have. Each team announces its exhibition schedule with the broadcaster for every game, so start there.
A split-squad game may sit on a single regional Sportsnet feed while the other half of the roster plays on a team outlet. Note the broadcaster for each game, then check that the channel is in whichever service you use before puck drop.
Get Ready Before Training Camp Ends
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Find the regional feeds
Check the team's announced broadcaster for each exhibition game, then see whether that channel is in the list.
Check the EPG nightly
Preseason schedules shift fast — confirm each night's broadcaster on the team's official schedule.
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Frequently Asked Questions
Where can I watch NHL preseason games?
Only a fraction of NHL preseason games get a national broadcast. Most air on regional Sportsnet or TSN feeds, on a team's own streaming outlet, or not on traditional TV at all. Check the team's announced broadcaster for each game before puck drop.
Why are preseason games so hard to find on cable?
Broadcasters prioritise regular-season and playoff inventory, so exhibition games are scattered across regional feeds and specialty channels or skipped entirely. A typical cable package carries only a couple of these feeds, leaving most preseason games unavailable.
Are rookie tournament games televised?
Rookie showcases and prospect tournaments are rarely on main broadcasts and usually appear only on regional or specialty feeds when they air at all. The teams usually announce which feed, if any, will carry them.
Can I watch preseason hockey in 4K?
Preseason broadcasts are usually produced in HD, though select games on national feeds may be in 4K. Tivimate streams in the highest quality the source feed provides, with reliable HD as the baseline.
Is there a free Tivimate trial before subscribing?
Yes. Tivimate offers a 24-hour free trial with no credit card required, so you can look through the sports channels in the lineup before subscribing from $19.99 a month.
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