NITRO to Present “NHL Monday Night Hockey” and All NHL Global Series Germany Games Live on Free-to-Air TV Starting November 30
- Media Rights Renewal: RTL Deutschland and the NHL have expanded their media rights agreement with free-to-air coverage
- More Hockey for Germany: In the 2026–27 season, NITRO will bring all 11 editions of NHL Monday Night Hockey live to German prime time on free-to-air TV and show the Sky Sport live broadcast
- German NHL star Tim Stützle to kick things off: On November 30 at 6:45 p.m., Tim Stützle and the Ottawa Senators will face off against the Nashville Predators, hosted by Michael Leopold and pundit Patrick Köppchen
- The NHL Returns to Germany: NITRO and Sky Sport will provide live coverage of the 2026 NHL Global Series Germany presented by Kaufland, the two regular-season games between the Ottawa Senators and Chicago Blackhawks on December 18 and December 20 at PSD Bank Dome in Düsseldorf, and the four NHL Global Series Germany games to be played in Munich and Cologne during the 2027-28 season.
NEW YORK – Starting November 30, RTL Deutschland will bring the National Hockey League (NHL) and its stars live to free-to-air TV. With NHL Monday Night Hockey, the NHL will regularly showcase additional games during European prime time, giving Germany’s passionate fan base more opportunities to watch live NHL action beyond weekends. NITRO viewers can look forward to live Sky Sport coverage of all 11 NHL Monday Night Hockey broadcasts this season, bringing NHL action to German audiences in prime time every Monday night, which will also be available on RTL+.
In addition to NHL Monday Night Hockey, RTL Deutschland will deliver live coverage of the NHL’s return to Germany with the 2026 NHL Global Series Germany presented by Kaufland, featuring the Ottawa Senators and Chicago Blackhawks at PSD Bank Dome in Düsseldorf on December 18 and 20. Both games will be broadcast live on NITRO, Sky Sport and RTL+. The renewed agreement also includes live coverage of the four NHL games scheduled to be played in Munich and Cologne during the 2027-28 season.
Inga Leschek, Chief Content Officer at RTL Deutschland: “In a media world where more and more content is available at any time, what is truly live and truly real becomes all the more valuable. Live sports create shared moments, emotions, and an immediacy that cannot be replaced. The NHL embodies this experience like no other league: fast-paced, intense, international, and featuring outstanding German stars. Germany is a strategic growth market for the NHL, and together we want to help spread this enthusiasm even more widely. With NHL Monday Night Hockey, we’re bringing the best hockey league in the world to free-to-air TV during primetime on a regular basis and making it easily accessible to even more people. And together, we will turn the NHL Global Series Games in Germany into celebrations of the game of ice hockey. The fact that we can combine RTL Deutschland’s enormous reach with Sky Sport’s sports expertise demonstrates the great potential of our joint venture—for the fans, for our partners, and for the sport.”
Frank Robens, Executive Vice President of Sports at RTL Deutschland: "RTL Deutschland and the NHL are going on a power play together. More German stars than ever before are currently playing in the world’s top hockey league, led by German superstar Leon Draisaitl. With NHL Monday Night Hockey and NHL Global Series Games on NITRO, we’re bringing them to German free-to-air TV on a regular basis during primetime and make this fascinating, fast-paced sport accessible to an even larger audience. Sky Sport is and will remain the long-term home of the NHL in Germany. Together, we’re now bringing the best of both worlds together: first-class sports coverage, maximum reach, and plenty of passion for ice hockey. I’m convinced this will inspire many new fans to get excited about the NHL.”
David Proper, NHL Chief Media Officer and Senior Executive Vice President: "The appetite for NHL hockey in Germany continues to grow, driven by passionate fans and the success of German players making an impact across our league. Expanding on our partnership with RTL Deutschland to showcase NHL Monday Night Hockey in prime time represents an important step in bringing the game to more households and strengthening our connection with fans throughout the country.”
NHL Monday Night Hockey on NITRO and Sky Sport Mix
Sky Sport will be presenting the new primetime evening from the world’s top ice hockey league on an even grander scale in future. Presenter Michael Leopold and pundit Patrick Köppchen will be hosting from the main studio in Unterföhring starting 20 minutes before the start of each match on NITRO and Sky Sport Mix as well as RTL+. Commentary for the Monday evening matches will be provided in rotation by Olivier Zwartyes, Franz Büchner and Christoph Stadtler, each of whom will be joined by former international and NHL professional Korbinian Holzer or Frank Mauer as co-commentators. To kick things off on 30 November, viewers can look forward to the Nashville Predators facing off against the Ottawa Senators at 6:45 pm, led by Tim Stützle, the 24-year-old from Viersen.
All 2026–27 NHL Monday Night Hockey Games on NITRO and Sky Sport Mix:
November 30, 6:45 p.m.: Ottawa Senators @ Nashville Predators
December 7, 6:45 p.m.: Colorado Avalanche @ New York Islanders
December 14, 7:45 p.m.: Buffalo Sabres @ Ottawa Senators
December 21, 7:45 p.m.: Washington Capitals @ Toronto Maple Leafs
December 28, 7:45 p.m.: Vegas Golden Knights @ Minnesota Wild
January 18, 7:45 p.m.: Montreal Canadiens @ Buffalo Sabres
February 1, 7:45 p.m.: New York Islanders @ Florida Panthers
February 15, 7:45 p.m.: Anaheim Ducks @ Boston Bruins
February 22, 7:45 p.m.: Montreal Canadiens @ Philadelphia Flyers
March 15, 7:45 p.m.: Tampa Bay Lightning @ Washington Capitals
April 5, 7:45 p.m.: Philadelphia Flyers @ Carolina Hurricanes
Sky Sport – The Home of the NHL in Germany
Sky Sport broadcasts approximately 300 NHL games live and exclusively each season. Sky Sport typically airs at least one game live per day—during both the regular season and the Stanley Cup Playoffs. All NHL broadcasts on Sky Sport are available via Sky (sky.de) and WOW (wowtv.de). This requires a subscription to the Sky Sport package. With WOW Live Sport, fans can enjoy all live sports broadcasts on Sky Sport with complete flexibility.
