Western Canadian NHL teams face unusual start times with permanent daylight time

CALGARY · The shift to permanent daylight time in Alberta, British Columbia and Manitoba has created a schedule of unusually late puck drops and varied start times for Western Canada's NHL teams this season. The Calgary Flames will play eight games starting at 9 p.m., while the Edmonton Oilers have seven such late starts. The change, which ends the biannual clock shift, has introduced significant variety into game times for players and fans alike, driven by broadcast considerations. Flames captain Mikael Backlund acknowledged the adjustment, saying professional athletes will adapt. "Professional athletes got to do what we got to do to get ready," Backlund said. "There's caffeine out there."

Flames forward Ryan Strome, a father of three young children, said the late starts mean his family cannot attend. "They always want to come to games, and the nine o'clock games they definitely can't come to," Strome said. "That's probably the biggest adjustment, is that my tickets will be free those nights because my family can't go." Flames president and chief executive officer Robert Hayes said the team is focusing on what it can control. "It's out of our control," Hayes said. "A decision was made by the province … and decisions were made by others that this is the time we're going to start hockey games."

Calgary will have two 9 p.m. home games at the Saddledome, on Dec. 26 against the Vancouver Canucks and Jan. 16 against the Los Angeles Kings. The team also benefits from eight afternoon games starting at 2:30 p.m. or earlier, compared to five such games in the 2025-26 season. "We've got more afternoon games. That's going to be exciting for families," Hayes said. "And then the 9 o'clock games, hopefully that just means, and I'll couch my words here, a greater party atmosphere, if you will, for a Saturday night 9 o'clock game that happens to be on." Only once before an Eastern road trip starting Dec. 10 do the Flames have back-to-back games starting at the same time.

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In Edmonton, the Oilers' seven 9 p.m. starts include a Nov. 7 game against the Canucks and a March 6 matchup with the Chicago Blackhawks at Rogers Place. Oilers defenceman Jake Walman, who is from Toronto, said his family will feel the impact more than he will. "I don't think I'll notice as much as my family at home watching," Walman said. "They'll probably be struggling to watch that one." Teammate Trent Frederic plans to adjust his sleep routine for the late contests. "Sounds weird, but I'll try to go to bed a little bit later the night before, probably take a later nap, eat my lunch a little bit later than normal," Frederic said.

Frederic emphasized the importance of naps for recovery after late games. "The naps are big, or at least they are for myself," he said. "A lot of times after games, the later games, you're going to bed late, you're still wired, so it's just important to kind of stick with getting the good naps." The provincial policy changes have also affected the Winnipeg Jets and Vancouver Canucks. Manitoba announced its move to permanent daylight time on Sept. 17, the same day NHL training camps opened. The following day, the league adjusted a dozen Jets home games, pushing them back by one hour, with none starting later than 7:30 p.m. local time.

Manitoba will align with Toronto's time zone starting Nov. 1. On the road, however, Jets fans will see some very late starts, including a 10 p.m. game on Feb. 13 in Vancouver and a 9:30 p.m. start on Dec. 2 against the Utah Mammoth. The Canucks face their own scheduling quirks, with road start times including 4:45 p.m. and 7:40 p.m. A seven-game road trip in late January features five different start times ranging from noon to 6 p.m. Canucks winger Brendan Gallagher said the variety will be a change. "One hundred per cent it's going to be different," Gallagher said. "It's something that we've never really been through."

Gallagher said players will adapt their routines but the core task remains unchanged. "We'll have plans, and you probably tinker with it a little bit, but it's not going to change too much," he said. "Once the puck drops, it's still hockey and you've got a job to do. You try to stick to what your routine is as best you can." Backlund noted the overall variety in the Flames' schedule this year. "Looking at the calendar, looking at the schedule, it looks like it's a big variety this year," the Flames captain said. The season continues with the Flames' next 9 p.m. start scheduled for Dec. 26 at home against Vancouver.

With files from The Canadian Press, CityNews and CBC News