• by Tanya Gazdik , Yesterday

The National Hockey League’s Stanley Pup promotion is back for its third consecutive year, bringing a dose of puppy power to the postseason. 

During the 90-minute special sponsored by Bissell and Halo Collar, adoptable pups will face off in a friendly competition, showcasing their canine skills and puppy puck handling on a miniature rink.

Think of it as a “Puppy Bowl” (the popular Super Bowl-adjacent show) for the Stanley Cup playoffs. 

The competition will feature special appearances from celebrity dog lovers and advocates including comedian and "Saturday Night Live" star Kenan Thompson as a celebrity coach, legendary broadcaster Doc Emrick and NHL Players Devin Cooley (Calgary Flames), Seth Jarvis (Carolina Hurricanes) and Will Smith (San Jose Sharks). In addition, color and play-by-play commentary will be provided by Mark Shunock and Chris Rose, with Alexa Landestoy reporting rink-side. 

New for the 2026 broadcast, Elias Weiss Friedman, popularly known as The Dogist, will join the Stanley Pup team to anchor a series of adoption follow-up segments that highlight the real-world impact of the program. Friedman interviews three families who adopted a dog featured in previous Stanley Pup games, providing a special look at the lives of former canine "players.” 

The show will premiere on June 8 on truTV and be simulcast on HBO Max in the U.S. (9:30 p.m. ET) and on Sportsnet in Canada (8 p.m. ET). The show will also air on NHL Network on June 10 (8 p.m. & 10:30 p.m. ET) and will be available on the NHL’s YouTube channel on June 9. 

The show will also air in the D.C. region on Monumental Sports Network following the national broadcasts, and will be available to fans on both MNMT’s linear TV and streaming platforms.

Stanley Cup Playoffs coverage is underway on ESPN, TNT, TBS, truTV and HBO Max in the U.S., and in Canada on SN, CBC and TVA Sports. Outside of North America, NHL international media partners deliver games to fans around the world. 

All 32 NHL teams will be represented by an adoptable rescue dog. The talented lineup of pups and other furry friends who are ready to find their forever homes will be provided by adoption partner Brandywine Valley SPCA. 

Bissell’s passion for pets extends far beyond cleaning through its support of Bissell Pet Foundation and its mission to end pet homelessness. The foundation, founded by Cathy Bissell in 2011, has helped more than 1.2 million pets through adoption, transport, spay/neuter, and crisis response.

The Halo Collar is a GPS dog fence that combines wireless fencing, training, real-time GPS tracking, and activity monitoring into a smart collar. Halo's proprietary GPS and GNSS location technology helps keep dogs safe while giving them the freedom to explore. Halo protects more than 500,000 dogs across the United States each day.