NHL Center Ice sounds great. You get hundreds of games, including several each night. But is the NHL Center Ice package worth the money? Find out what the catches are.
For any diehard hockey fan, NHL Center Ice is probably a must-have despite its $169 pricetag (typically). In the past, hockey fans could only get local hockey games and perhaps a few national broadcasts.
NHL Center Ice changed that. Now, for the price of a couple nice hockey arena tickets, you can watch hundreds of games. But there are some catches, and you might not get a refund if you cancel partway through the season. Before you click, "Buy," here is a review of the NHL Center Ice package.
Who Should Get NHL Center Ice?
You love hockey. You live hockey. There is no such thing as too much hockey. NHL Center Ice is perfect for you. You get several games nightly. Thanks to west and east coast teams, you can easily watch a least a couple full games every day. If you have picture-in-picture on your TV (hopefully, a big-screen TV), you can even watch more than one game at once. What heaven!
If you live in the States, or are a displaced Canadian living in the U.S., it can be especially rewarding to see Hockey Night in Canada on NHL Center Ice.
Who Shouldn't Get NHL Center Ice?
You enjoy waching hockey from time to time, or perhaps you love watching your local team. If you simply want to see a couple games weekly, you're better off watching OLN or your local sports network.
Since many of the games in your market will be blacked out, it will be frustrating if you order NHL Center Ice simply to see your local team. In fact, the NHL Center Ice official site even advises against ordering NHL Center Ice to see your home team. The NHL Center Ice FAQ states:
Q: IF I ONLY WANT TO WATCH MY HOME TEAM, SHOULD I PURCHASE NHL CENTER ICE?
A: No, NHL CENTER ICE is designed for you to be able to watch games other then just your home team. Local games are generally available on your RSN or over-the-air network.
Sure, there are times when you can catch the competing team's broadcast if the game isn't being shown locally. This will probably happen too infrequently to be worth the money.
What About the Playoffs?
If you think NHL Center Ice is the secret to immersion in the Stanley Cup Playoffs, think again. The package only features some of the games of the first two rounds, and none of the games beyond that.
Bottom Line
NHL Center Ice may have some downsides. It isn't for everyone. If you are a hardcore hockey fan, you will love getting up to 40 games weekly for some serious hockey viewing. It's a great chance to see teams you might rarely see. If nothing else, as expensive as it can be to actually go to hockey games anymore (by the time you get tickets, pay to park, pay outrageous prices for food, and so on), forking over $169 for hundreds of games could be a bargain.
