NHL Center Ice NHL Center Ice is an Out - of - Market Sports Package distributed by most cable and satellite providers in the United States and Canada . The package allows its subscribers to see up to forty out - of - market National Hockey League games a week using local and national television networks . NHL Center Ice features premier Canadian broadcasts , such as TSN . It also features out of region games broadcast on NBC . Occasionally , French - language feeds from RDS may be used if no English - language broadcast is available . Broadcasts from Rogers Sportsnet are also shown . Pay - per - view games ( e . g . Edmonton Oilers ) are included as well . For viewers subscribing via the Dish Network or DirecTV , both teams ' feeds are available for most games ; digital cable subscribers may be limited to only one feed and also have a smaller selection of high - definition games . Some providers offer high definition broadcasts when available . A number of providers put Center Ice on the same channels as MLB Extra Innings ; hockey often gets priority because the conflict occurs during April , at the end of the regular season and beginning of the playoffs . A free preview is usually shown during the first three weeks of the NHL season and after the All Star Game or Olympic break . Availability . NHL Center Ice is available with these cable and satellite providers : Blackout restrictions . NHL Center Ice blackouts , as with other sports packages , are intended to protect the rights of the league ' s national , regional , and local broadcast partners . In the United States , games broadcast by NBC or Versus are not included in the NHL Center Ice package . Additionally , NBC has been granted an exclusive window by the league , during which no other games can be televised in the United States . During this window , other games may be televised locally only by Canadian teams . For instance , if the Edmonton Oilers are playing the Atlanta Thrashers at the same time NBC is televising another game , the Oilers may choose to broadcast the game locally ( on Sportsnet West , for example ) , but the Thrashers are not permitted to televise the game . Additionally , the game would be available on NHL Center Ice in Canada , but not in the United States . The NBC blackout window typically lasts 2 . 5 hours from the start of its Game of the Week broadcast . Games televised by Versus are designated as exclusive or non - exclusive for blackout purposes . Exclusive broadcasts generally occur on Monday and Tuesday nights during the regular season . During these games , Versus has an exclusive window similar to NBC , which usually lasts 2 or 2 . 5 hours from the start of the Versus telecast . No other games may be televised in the United States during this time . Canadian teams may choose to air these games , and unlike the NBC exclusive window , the Canadian local telecasts are included in the U . S . NHL Center Ice package . During non - exclusive Versus telecasts , other teams may televise their games , but the Versus game may not be locally televised . Local / regional broadcast restrictions depend on the Center Ice subscriber ' s physical location . Every location in the United States and Canada falls in the territory of at least one NHL team , and some areas fall in multiple team territories . Additionally , each team may choose to televise its games on a regional sports network ( RSN ) , local broadcast / over - the - air ( OTA ) station , or can choose not to televise them . In cases where the local team broadcasts on an RSN ( i . e . FSN , Comcast , NESN , etc . ) , Center Ice subscribers in the team ' s territory will be blacked out of the opposing team ' s broadcast and must watch the game on the local RSN . ( Example : The Boston Bruins are playing the St . Louis Blues . The Bruins are televising on NESN , and the Blues are televising on FSN Midwest . Viewers in Bruins territory will be blacked out of the FSN Midwest feed and must watch the game on NESN . ) In cases where the local team broadcasts on an OTA station ( i . e . KPLR St . Louis , KDFI Dallas , AZTV Phoenix , etc . ) Center Ice subscribers who live within a 50 mile radius of the team ' s arena ( regardless of whether the team is home or away ) will be blacked out from the Center Ice feed of the game . Viewers who live in the team ' s territory but outside the 50 mile radius will not be blacked out from the Center Ice broadcast . ( Example : The Dallas Stars are playing the Chicago Blackhawks . The Stars are televising on KDFI , an OTA station , while the Blackhawks are televising on CSN Chicago . A viewer who lives in Stars territory , but more than 50 miles from the Stars ' arena , will not be blacked out of the CSN Chicago feed . A viewer in Stars territory who lives within the 50 mile radius will be blacked out of the Blackhawks feed and must watch the game on KDFI . ) If a team chooses not to televise a game locally , that team may choose to lift the Center Ice blackout . Many teams announce at the start of the regular season that all games not televised locally will not be blacked out on NHL Center Ice , while others make decisions on a case - by - case basis near the date of the game . ( Example : The Florida Panthers are hosting the Ottawa Senators . The Senators are televising on Sportsnet East , but the Panthers are not televising the game locally . Viewers in Panthers territory will not be blacked out of the Senators feed , provided that the Panthers have approved a blackout lift for the game ) .