If you’re a hockey fan you probably know the pain of local blackouts online. This is when specific NHL games are blocked for people in a given region. ie. Maple Leafs games are blocked for people in the GTA on the NHL Gamecenter app.

How to access NHL Gamecenter without blackouts

Now NHL Gamecenter is a great service. The only issue is getting around these pesky blackouts. Luckily there is a simple and reliable solution. A VPN, or virtual private network. The general idea is that you connect to this service when you want services like NHL Gamecenter to think you live in the US (or pretty much anywhere else in the world). You just select a region outside of the blackout area and you’re good to go!

Obviously the first step is to be subscribed to NHL Gamecenter. It’s usually just over $100 for the season which is pretty great. Your other option would be to use Hockeystreams. Unfortunately right now Hockeystreams is not accepting new customers so NHL Gamecenter is the only game in town right now.

Which VPN should I choose?

Le tme skip the formalities. Private Internet Access is far and away the best VPN on the market for the price. They don’t keep any logs and have a stellar reputation and good customer service.The service is also quite fast. I rarely see any drop in speed when using the service.

Avoid NHL blackouts now

How do I get started?

To get up and running head on over to the Private Internet Access VPN website here. Click the big “Get Started Now” button to start your setup.

Probably the best value is going for the one year plan, which works out to $3.33 a month. And believe me, it is well worth the price of admission. You’ll get access to all of this extra online content from around the world, but also be secure in knowing that your identity is protected online. So if you like torrenting (if you’re into that kind of thing), Private Internet Access can give you a bit of piece of mind.

Private Internet Access works on pretty much any device you own (Windows, Mac, Android, iPhone, iPad) and is pretty foolproof to use.  It’s simply an app that you open up, select the server you want to use and then click connect! So if I want to access UK Netflix, I can connect to a server in the UK. Same for Japan, the US, Canada etc.

How do I use the Private Internet Access App?

This is the super easy part. Once you sign up for the service they will send you both your login info as well as a link to go download their app for your different devices. For Android you’ll see the PIA app on Google Play and for iOS you’ll see it on the App Store.  I use both Windows PCs and Macs at home and both work the exact same way.  When you want to mask your location, simply open up the app. When it first starts you’ll see a little man icon appear in your taskbar (Windows) or the top menu bar (Mac). He will be red, meaning that you are currently NOT connected to any Private Internet Access servers.

On Windows, right click on this little icon and then you’ll see a long list of the different possible servers to connect to. I recommend finding one that that is closest to your actual location. So if I am in Alberta, Canada I may want to choose the “US Midwest” server since it is relatively close geographically. So click on “Connect US Midwest” and the little red man will slowly turn into a little green man. Once he is a bright green colour then you are good to go. Netflix and Hulu will now think you live somewhere in the US Midwest and will grant you access to this content.

Wrap-up

Private Internet Access is absolutely my pick for a simple and reliable VPN for the everyday user. It’s ease of use, reliability and speed are heads and shoulders above its competition. It just works. That’s why I have used it consistently for the past year and a half.

For NHL Gamecenter this is probably the best service for the price.

Avoid NHL blackouts now

Please note that I do get a small commission if you click on the links above (at no cost to you). I have used Private Internet Access for over a year now and absolutely love their service and would not be promoting it if I wasn’t totally happy with it.  If you have any questions please do send me an email.