'Major shock': Canadians grapple with loss of CBC's Hockey Night in Canada tradition

Canadians are grappling with the loss of a cultural touchstoneafter CBC announced Tuesday its Hockey Night in Canada broadcasts have come to an end.

"It came as a major shock," Craig Baird, host of the Canadian History Ehx podcast, told CBC News.

"It's not just a show, it's a part of our culture. It's woven into the fabric of Canada."

The national broadcaster said it was unable to come to an agreement on a new sublicensing deal with rights-holder Rogers Sportsnet on the NHL games, including its staple Saturday night double-header broadcasts.

Canadians lamented the loss on social media, with X users calling it "devastating," the "end of an amazing era" and a "sad, sad day for hockey in Canada."

Some on social media blamed corporate greed or insufficient government funding and expressed frustration that they'll now have to pay to watch NHL hockey. Others took the opportunity to renew calls to defund CBC.

Baird says HNIC's cultural impact was "massive" in its nearly century-long run.

"Every great Canadian hockey player was either listening to Hockey Night in Canada on the radio, picturing themselves on the ice, or they were watching Hockey Night in Canada," he said.

CBC started broadcasting NHL games on radio in 1936 and televising them in 1952.

CBC will no longer air NHL games in 'end of an era' as broadcast deal expires

Baird says a lot of Canadians bought their first TV sets so they could watch the games, which pushed CBC to be creative in its programming. The show was even credited with inventing the instant replay, which revolutionized sports programming in 1955.

From 1968 to 2008, its classic theme song was often referred to as Canada's "second national anthem."

"It's kind of like the Mr. Dressup theme song,