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Alberta's daylight saving switch will affect Calgary Flames game times

Colton Pankiw
Colton Pankiw
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Apr 21 2026, 4:58 pm
Alberta's daylight saving switch will affect Calgary Flames game times
Jerome Miron/Imagn Images

Alberta residents will no longer have to worry about changing their clocks twice a year.

The Alberta government is expected to take steps this week to make the switch to permanent daylight saving time. This comes less than two months after B.C. chose to do the same.

“We plan to introduce a red tape reduction omnibus bill later this week that will amend 18 different pieces of legislation to streamline processes and improve services,” said Kevin Lee, press secretary for the Minister of Service Alberta and Red Tape Reduction. “We will have more information to share then.”

While many Alberta residents are thrilled to hear this news, it could cause some headaches at times for fans of the Calgary Flames.

Roughly 60 to 70 per cent of the NHL’s regular season is played when most of the continent is operating in standard time. In the 2026-27 season, it will span from Nov. 1, 2026, to Mar. 14, 2027. It will be in that span of time where Flames fans notice a difference in game times.

Rather than having games out east begin at the usual 5 or 5:30 p.m. MT., they will now get underway at 6 or 6:30 p.m. That won’t be of concern to Flames fans, though road trips down to California to face the Anaheim Ducks, San Jose Sharks, and LA Kings will feature even later start times.

Rather than games starting at 8 or 8:30, puck drop for the California road swings will now be set for 9 or 9:30, meaning action won’t likely conclude until midnight, if not later. Suffice to say, Flames fans willing to stay up on weekdays to watch those games could be quite tired at work the following morning.

There could also be some changes regarding home games for the Flames that get affected by this as well.

Broadcasts on the second half of a doubleheader on nights such as Hockey Night in Canada on Saturdays could once again see games start as late as 9 p.m., or, subsequently, as early as 5 p.m., unless changes are made by the NHL.

It remains to be seen exactly how things will shake out regarding start times for games in Calgary, but either way, Flames fans should be expecting some changes going forward.

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