NHL faces scheduling challenge as B.C., Alberta move to permanent daylight time

The NHL will have a fresh challenge when it comes to setting its 2026-27 schedule with British Columbia moving to permanent year-round daylight saving time this fall and Alberta expected to follow suit.

The change would eliminate twice-yearly clock changes in those provinces. The time gap between B.C. and Alberta and parts of Canada that still turn clocks back on Nov. 1 would then shrink by an hour.

Game times for sporting events could be impacted, along with long-standing traditions like hockey doubleheaders.

"We'll deal with it," NHL commissioner Gary Bettman said Tuesday before Game 1 of the Stanley Cup final in Raleigh, N.C. "It may impact some start times in Calgary, Edmonton and Vancouver.

"But we'll deal with it just as we deal with whatever things come our way that we don't get to control."

The NHL normally releases its schedule in mid-July. Regular-season play usually begins in early October. 

"Hockey is still a big draw," said Chris Zelkovich, an instructor at the Toronto-based College of Sports Media. "But if you throw roadblocks at people like starting games at (different or) inconvenient times, you are going to lose audience."

Although there are exceptions, Canadian teams based in the Eastern time zone -- the Toronto Maple Leafs, Montreal Canadiens and Ottawa Senators -- usually start their home games at 7 p.m. local time. 

That has previously set up doubleheader timing with the teams based in Alberta and B.C. -- the Calgary Flames, Edmonton Oilers and Vancouver Canucks -- who would normally be two or three hours behind the ET clock.

Trimming that time difference by an hour may require some strategic scheduling. There could be an overlap of games, or we could see later start times in the west to protect back-to-back TV windows.

"This is going to be a major adjustment," Zelkovich said of potential changes. "And if your team is a Stanley Cup contender, that may not matter. 

"But if they aren't, you might just say to yourself, 'Well, it's just not worth the trouble (to watch).'" 

The Winnipeg Jets are in the Central Time Zone, one hour behind ET.

A lost hour would also be felt when the Flames, Oilers and Canucks play road games along the U.S. West Coast. For example, if the puck drops around 9:30 p.m. Alberta time, games may not finish until after midnight in that province.

"Ensuring hockey games remain accessible for fans in Oil Country is our priority," Oilers president and chief revenue officer Stew MacDonald said in an email. "And any shift that results in later game start times is a concern — particularly as it creates challenges for families and young fans attending games or watching live broadcasts." 

The Flames declined to comment, while the Canucks did not return messages. 

When asked for comment, a Sportsnet spokesperson said the league sets the schedule and start times. A TSN spokesperson said the network had nothing to share.

"I don't think it fundamentally changes their business," said Mike Naraine, an associate sport management professor at Brock University. "It might, from an advertising perspective, cause (broadcasters) a little bit more (work). 

"It's not a problem, but just another thing that they just work through."

The CFL, which has nine teams across the country, also uses regular doubleheaders. The regular season ends Oct. 24, so the league won't really be impacted this year.

With files from Canadian Press sports reporters Donna Spencer, Joshua Clipperton, Gemma Karstens-Smith and The Associated Press.  

Picture Courtesy: THE CANADIAN PRESS/Darryl Dyck