The story
Launched on October 1, 2007, the NHL Network was developed out of a joint venture between the NHL and cable provider Comcast, as part of a broadcast rights agreement that resulted in the NBC Sports Network (then known as Versus) acquiring partial cable television rights to regular season, and Stanley Cup playoff and finals games from the National Hockey League. It became the third sports-oriented cable network devoted to programming from and controlled by one of the Major professional sports leagues in the United States and Canada, following the National Basketball Association-owned NBA TV (which launched in March 1999) and the National Football League-owned NFL Network (which launched in November 2003); Major League Baseball would launch its own sports channel, MLB Network, on January 1, 2009.
On June 1, 2015, The Globe and Mail columnist David Shoalts reported that NHL Network in Canada would cease operations on September 1, 2015; national media rights to the NHL in Canada had been acquired by Rogers Communications beginning in the 2014–15 season, and the Bell Media employees who managed the network's Canadian arm on behalf of the NHL were laid off that July.
In August 2015, it was announced that the NHL had reached a six-year deal with Major League Baseball Advanced Media (MLBAM) to take over the management of the NHL's digital properties, as well as NHL Network. Operations and production of NHL Network's programming was shifted from Toronto to the Secaucus, New Jersey facilities of MLB Network. There has been minor talent sharing between the networks, and MLB Network cross-promoted an NHL Stadium Series game at Coors Field by building a scale hockey rink in its Studio 42 (which itself is designed to resemble a scaled baseball field).
For much of the 2015–16 season, NHL Network studio programs originated from MLB Network's Studio 21 and Studio K, enabled by a lack of major overlap between the two leagues' regular seasons. In April 2016, coinciding with the start of the playoffs, NHL Network moved to a permanent 1,200 square-foot studio near Studio 21 known as "The Rink".
The network continues to operate under the league's new television contract consortium of ESPN and Turner Sports beginning with the 2021–22 season, continuing to air regional games and the NHL Network Showcase package.
From Wikipedia’s article on NHL Network (American TV channel), shared under CC BY-SA 4.0.4
