How to watch IIHF hockey online
If you love hockey and aren’t lucky enough to have access to the IIHF channel, you probably want to know how to watch IIHF hockey online. Based in Zurich, the International Ice Hockey Federation hosts hockey tournaments and maintains hockey rankings. One of the major events is the IIHF World Championship, which will take place in Slovakia this spring. The event takes place from May 10th to May 26th.
You can watch the championship online on the IIHF YouTube channel, but the channel has geographic restrictions. In 2018, the tournament was hosted in Denmark, but the channel didn’t work for anyone living in Sweden, Canada, Austria, Norway, France, Russia, the UK, the USA, India, and even Denmark. It did work in Australia, Germany, Italy, Spain, and Japan, so it’s a mixed bag. This guide will show you how to watch IIHF Hockey online from anywhere in the world. The good thing is that YouTube is free, so you’ll be able to watch for free.
Geo-Blocking
There is a lot of beauty to the Internet, but one thing that can really negatively affect your online experience is geo-blocking. If you’re in America, for example, you have probably noticed that you can’t access content on the BBC iPlayer. Likewise, most American networks cannot be accessed outside of the US. You have probably noticed that your family abroad has a completely different Netflix library than you do. Most streaming services, TV networks, and media websites have content that has a geographic restriction placed on them. Sometimes the platform is trying to reduce traffic, but usually, it has to do with licenses and other copyright concerns.
Youtube itself is blocked in some countries. Using a VPN can get you access to YouTube no matter where you are and allow you to bypass any geographical restrictions you might come into contact with. This is how you can watch IIHF hockey from anywhere.
How to watch IIHF hockey online with a VPN
A VPN hides your IP address – the address that allows your websites and providers to identify your geographic location – and redirects your activity to a remote server. You can use a VPN to make it look as if you are in a completely different location. Thus, with a VPN you can access YouTube from anywhere and watch IIFH hockey even if you are in a restricted area.
A VPN will give you anonymity, security, and privacy, but only if you use a good VPN. Some VPNs claim to give privacy but actually log your online activity, which completely defeats the purpose of having a VPN. Because VPNs can be used on many different devices, you’ll be able to access the hockey content you need on PC, Mac, Roku, Apple TV, Xbox, and more.
The first step is to choose a VPN service. Once you install the software, you can connect to the server of your choice – pick one that is in a region where the content you want is not blocked – and now you just have to go to the IIHF YouTube channel. ExpressVPN, IPVanish, and NordVPN are three VPN providers that will let you view IIHF content.
1. NordVPN
NordVPN has a great reputation. It is known for how much it prioritizes privacy and security. It has a zero-logging policy, a kill-switch, DNS leak protection, and Double VPN – essentially all of the security features you want for browsing anonymously.
NordVPN has over 7000 servers, which are located across 118 countries. You will have no trouble accessing the IIHF World Championship from anywhere you might be. You can also connect up to six devices at once, so it’ll work on all the different devices you stream content on. NordVPN is also exceptionally fast with its proprietary NordLynx tunneling protocol. You don’t have to worry about the VPN slowing your stream down too much.
For a deeper investigation of NordVPN, read our NordVPN review.
2. IPVanish
IPVanish is a slightly cheaper option that will allow you to access IIHF hockey from just about anywhere. The biggest negatives with IPVanish are that it does not offer a reliable live chat and the company is US-based. VPNs located in the US have privacy concerns attached to them, but that shouldn’t prevent you from watching the IIHF World Championship.
IPVanish has over 2200 servers in over 51 countries. This is great for streaming geo-blocked content. They also have a no-logging policy, strong encryption, and fast download speeds with WireGuard.
For a deeper investigation of IPVanish, read our IPVanish review.
3. ExpressVPN
Although more expensive than other options, ExpressVPN offers very secure and private browsing. The network contains over 3000 servers spread across more than 105 different countries. You can also find corresponding apps for most of your devices, including Windows, Mac, iOS, Android, and Linux. It also works in China, where YouTube is blocked.
VPNs slow down your Internet because of the rerouting, however, ExpressVPN is still really fast. The only real downside is that there is not a free trial. so you can’t test it out and see if you like it. ExpressVPN has quite a bit going for it. They don’t log user activity. The encryptions are some of the strongest of any VPN. Located in the British Virgin Islands, which aren’t subjected to data retention laws, something that other VPNs have to contend with. ExpressVPN also has good customer support, including 24/7 live chat support.
For a deeper investigation of ExpressVPN, read our ExpressVPN review.
While all three of these providers will do the trick, our favorite was ExpressVPN because it is fast, secure, and private. You will be able to watch IIHF Hockey anywhere in the world completely anonymously. But NordVPN is also an excellent choice. Both offer excellent privacy and security.
