At a time when people are paying more money than ever to attend hockey games, there are new surprising initiatives that are bound to get more eyeballs on the action.
Utah Hockey Club owner Ryan Smith announced fans in Utah and in six neighboring states will be able to watch all of the team’s remaining regular-season and potential Stanley Cup playoff games for the cost of just $1. The limited time offer, which fans can access until the end of March, will see all of the team’s games on the UtahHC+ streaming service. And it has to be a thrill for fans to watch the team battle for a playoff spot in its first season of operation.
Meanwhile, the WHL announced that, starting with the 2025 WHL playoffs, the league partnered with streaming service Victory+ to watch games for free, with no geo-restrictions. The Victory+ service already hosts the games of the Anaheim Ducks and Dallas Stars, albeit for regional viewers only.
WHL & Victory+ Announce Historic New Streaming Deal
The <a href="https://chl.ca/whl/article/victory-and-whl-come-together-on-most-comprehensive-streaming-deal-in-junior-hockey-history/">WHL and Victory+</a> have partnered on a new streaming deal that will give fans free access to regular-season and playoff games. This historic partnership is a multi-year deal and will provide fans from across the globe the ability to stream the WHL starting on March 28, 2025. Victory+ is owned by Western Canadian tech company A Parent Media Co. Inc. (APMC) and is the leading free, ad-supported streaming service for live and on-demand sports content.
These announcements are nothing but great news not only for the sport but for Utah and the WHL. This will only grow the game and create new fans for both parties.
Utah fans will get a fantastic view of their team as it pushes for a playoff berth – it's only four points out of the second wild-card spot. If the team does qualify for the post-season – which only happened once for the Arizona Coyotes in the 12 seasons since making the Western Conference final – fans get a more accessible look at the action as the team tries to win a series at the first time of asking.
WHL and NHL prospect fans from all corners of the world will be able to tune into playoff games without paying a single penny. It's too bad this wasn't around when Connor Bedard tore up the league, but there are still some high-end draft prospects in the WHL, such as Roger McQueen, Carter Bear and Ben Kindel.
Any way you cut it, these programs will serve as a reward for diehard hockey fans and new fans of the game. And who knows – other teams and other leagues could soon follow suit. But for now, hockey fans should be thrilled with these initiatives.
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