Yahoo Canada and CBC Sports have struck a partnership site that will see the web portal stream Hockey Night in Canada's NHL broadcast live, as well as host other HNIC content.

"It gives us more reach, which is something we're always looking for," said CBC Sports spokesperson Jeff Keay, on why teaming with Yahoo goes beyond CBC Sports' current online offering. "We've had a relationship with Yahoo Canada for some time so we see this is just providing another platform for people to get access to Hockey Night and the related programming that will be there."

The live streaming starts March 13 at Yahoo.CBC.ca and will be active through the 2010 Stanley Cup playoffs.

The additional content includes "Coach's Corner," the second intermission "Hot Stove" panel discussion as well as "Game in an Hour," where full hockey games are condensed to 60 minutes. Advertising sales and marketing for the new site will be handled by CBC.

The new site continues Yahoo Canada's recent hockey moves, most notably the hiring of The Hockey News' Sam McCaig as hockey editor and the upcoming launch of a junior hockey-specific site in April.

Keay said that while this is the first such sports partnership to offer live streaming, the network doesn't rule out an expansion into other properties.

"It's too soon to say right now but we're always interested in those sorts of possibilities," he said.