Best apps to watch ice hockey
The NHL is a North American story: ESPN in the United States, TSN and Sportsnet in Canada, with ABC taking the Stanley Cup Final free over the air.
How watching ice hockey actually works
We track 4 services that publish ice hockey rights across 1 region, 1 of which are free to air in their own market. They do not overlap the way people expect: ESPN lists 1 competition on its own rights page, and it is sold in 1 country — which is why "the best app" is a question about where you live before it is a question about price.
- Watch from any country, on the service licensed there
- Official apps only — no illegal streams, ever
- Prices as published by each service in Sep 2026
Why the app depends on your country
Sports rights are auctioned territory by territory and season by season. The same competition can sit with a different broadcaster in every market, and a subscription bought in one country is normally geo-blocked in the next — which is the single most common reason a service someone recommended online turns out to be useless where you are.
So the order that works is: find what is sold where you are, check whether the entry plan actually includes the matches you want, and only then compare prices. The table below starts that, and every service name opens its own plans page.
Get ice hockey onto the TV
The kit that turns a subscription into a living-room match — and, where free-to-air exists, the one thing that needs no subscription at all.
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Streaming stick
Turns any TV with an HDMI port into one that runs the streaming apps — Prime Video included.
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Indoor TV antenna
In the US a share of every ice hockey season airs on ABC, CBS, FOX or NBC — free over the air with an antenna, no subscription.
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Sound
TV speakers were not built for a stadium: a soundbar for the living room, or a portable speaker for the garden.
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Projector
A wall becomes the screen for the watch party. The Aurzen has Roku TV built in, so the apps run on the projector itself.
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Where ice hockey is sold, country by country
The markets this sport is best covered in, and which services are sold there. Your own country is pulled to the top of the list further down.
Canada
United StatesNorth America
ESPN TV · StreamingESPN's own streaming service: Select for the ESPN+ library, Unlimited for every network live.
- NHL
ESPN Select · $13.99/mo · $139.99/yr Plans & prices
ABC TV · FreeFree over the air — NBA Finals, Saturday Night Football and the Stanley Cup Final.
- NHL Stanley Cup Final
Over the air · Free Plans & prices
TSN TV · StreamingBell Media's sports network; TSN+ streams it without a TV package.
- NHL
TSN+ · CA$29.99/mo · CA$249.99/yr Plans & prices
Sportsnet TV · StreamingRogers' sports network — national NHL rights and the Blue Jays; Sportsnet+ streams it standalone.
- NHL (national, Hockey Night in Canada, playoffs)
Sportsnet+ · CA$29.99/mo · CA$249.99/yr Plans & prices
Before you subscribe
- Check the country, not the competition. A service that carries ice hockey at home may sell nothing where you are — the "Sold in" line on each provider page is the one that matters.
- Entry tier ≠ every match. Several services put part of the schedule on a higher plan or a separate pack; the plans table on each page spells out what the cheapest tier actually includes.
- Look for the term. The lowest advertised price is often a 12- or 24-month commitment, with a higher no-contract rate beside it.
- Prices move. Everything here was checked in Sep 2026 against the services' own sites, and sports prices change at season boundaries.
Common questions
Which app shows the most ice hockey?
Of the 4 services we track, ESPN publishes the most ice hockey rights: NHL. It is sold in United States, so it only helps if you are in one of those countries.
Can I watch ice hockey for free?
Yes, in some countries: ABC (United States). Free-to-air channels are geo-restricted to their own market, and the BBC additionally requires a UK TV licence to watch live.
Why does the right app depend on my country?
Sports rights are sold territory by territory. The same competition can sit with a different broadcaster in each country, which is why this page groups services by region and why a subscription bought abroad is normally geo-blocked at home.
Can I watch ice hockey on my phone?
Yes — every service listed here streams in its own iOS and Android app. Which one makes sense on a phone depends on how you pay: some sell a day pass or a prepaid voucher rather than a monthly plan.
A service appears above because it publishes rights to competitions in ice hockey — never as a claim that it carries one particular fixture, which is sold per territory and per season. Prices are the services' own published entry rates as of Sep 2026. sports24 isn't affiliated with any of them and doesn't resell subscriptions, and we never link to unofficial streams.