I am so mad. The only reason my family and I love hockey is because of Hockey Night in Canada. Being immigrants, we couldn't afford to spend extra money on Sportsnet when I was young so we caught whichever games we could on the weekends. I remember being a toddler sitting down with my family in front of our big box TV to watch Canucks games on HNIC, not knowing a thing about what was going on but having a great time anyway because I was with my family and they were excited, so I was too. My sister was a superfan so dedicated, she'd listen to Canucks radio broadcasts to keep up with the games we couldn't watch. She'd literally close her eyes and imagine the games in her head until we finally got to the point where we could pay for Sportsnet. I was a teenager by that point, but my love for the game had existed years before that.
In all that time, hockey became a bonding activity for my family, for us to bond with one another and with our community here in Canada, in Vancouver. The Canucks practically became a part of our family. We all fell in love with this sport and this team because we were given opportunities to enjoy it without spending money we didn't have. Now Sportsnet is taking that same opportunity away from new fans all so they can strongarm people into subscribing to their overpriced Sportsnet+. The loss of HNIC and Sportsnet650 is heartbreaking to me personally, but it's also a great loss for the hockey community and the growth of the game and league. Everyone deserves to enjoy hockey, to find their love for this sport and all that comes with it– the community, the excitement, the heartbreak and joy. They are taking this away from us and anybody else who could've found a home with hockey like my family and I did. Fuck you, Sportsnet. Fuck you, Rogers.
